Solar electric valve actuator

Abstract

The utility model discloses a solar electric valve actuator, which is characterized in that a heat dissipation channel laterally communicated with the outside is arranged in an area, covered by a solar photovoltaic panel, of the top surface of a shell, so that a flowing path for external normal-temperature air to flow in and out is formed at the joint of the solar photovoltaic panel and the top surface of the shell; external normal-temperature air continuously enters the heat dissipation channel from a certain direction and flows out of the heat dissipation channel after absorbing heat generated by the solar photovoltaic panel, so that a large amount of heat generated by the solar photovoltaic panel is discharged outwards in time, the heat entering the shell can be greatly reduced, the situation that electronic components in the shell are overheated is avoided, and the service life of the shell is prolonged. Normal work of the electronic component is guaranteed, and the service life of the electronic component is prolonged. Meanwhile, the problem that the electric energy conversion efficiency is reduced and even the solar photovoltaic panel is damaged due to overheating of the solar photovoltaic panel is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of valve control, in particular to a solar electric valve actuator. Background Art

[0002] An electric valve actuator is a control mechanism that uses electricity as its primary energy source to drive the opening and closing of a valve. Existing electric valve actuators primarily consist of a housing and an actuator housed within it. The actuator typically includes a base, a motor mounted on the base, a transmission mechanism, a control circuit board, and a rotating shaft. The motor forms a transmission connection with the rotating shaft through the transmission mechanism. The motor, through the transmission mechanism, drives the rotating shaft to rotate, which in turn drives the valve's pivot shaft, which in turn rotates the valve core, thereby controlling the valve's opening and closing.

[0003] Traditional electric valve actuators primarily draw power from a mains connection. However, for outdoor applications (particularly in the wild, in large outdoor areas, or for agricultural irrigation), extensive wiring is required to meet these requirements, resulting in high costs and increased project duration. Consequently, solar-powered electric valve actuators have emerged, powered by a matching solar photovoltaic panel. Generally, to reduce the size and manufacturing costs of the valve actuator, the panel is embedded in the top surface of the actuator housing. The panel converts the collected solar energy into electrical energy, which is then stored in batteries built into or external to the valve actuator for use, or directly powers the actuator.

[0004] While existing solar electric valve actuators can generally meet usage requirements, they still have shortcomings. For example, in the process of converting solar energy into electricity, the solar photovoltaic panel generates a large amount of heat. The solar photovoltaic panel is embedded in the top surface of the housing, and its bottom surface is tightly attached to the top surface of the housing. It is close to the electronic components inside the housing, such as the motor and control circuit board. There is no effective heat dissipation channel connecting to the outside world at this point of attachment. As a result, a large amount of heat generated is transferred into the housing through the top wall, causing the temperature of the electronic components inside the housing to rise significantly, ultimately causing damage to the electronic components due to high temperatures or malfunctioning. Furthermore, because the solar photovoltaic panel is embedded in the top surface of the housing, the solar photovoltaic panel itself has poor heat dissipation properties, which can easily lead to problems such as reduced energy conversion efficiency or even damage due to overheating. Utility Model Content

[0005] The main purpose of this utility model is to propose a solar electric valve actuator, which aims to dissipate the heat generated by the solar photovoltaic panels in a timely manner, so as to significantly reduce the adverse effects of the large amount of heat generated by the solar photovoltaic panels on electronic components and the actuator itself.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention proposes a solar electric valve actuator, comprising a shell and an actuator arranged in the shell, the top surface of the shell is provided with a solar photovoltaic panel, and the area of the top surface of the shell covered by the solar photovoltaic panel is provided with a heat dissipation channel laterally connected to the outside world.

[0007] The present invention provides a heat dissipation channel laterally connected to the outside world in the area of the top surface of the housing covered by the solar photovoltaic panel, thereby forming a flow path for the inflow and outflow of ambient temperature air at the junction of the solar photovoltaic panel and the top surface of the housing. During operation, ambient temperature air continuously enters the heat dissipation channel from a certain direction and flows out of the heat dissipation channel after absorbing the heat generated by the solar photovoltaic panel, thereby promptly dissipating the large amount of heat generated by the solar photovoltaic panel to the outside. This can significantly reduce the amount of heat entering the interior of the housing, thereby preventing the electronic components inside the housing from overheating, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the electronic components and increasing their service life. At the same time, it also avoids the problem of the solar photovoltaic panel itself being overheated and reducing the power conversion efficiency or even being damaged. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the utility model Figure 1 ;

[0009] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the utility model Figure 2 ;

[0010] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the three-dimensional structure of the utility model;

[0011] Figure 4 This is a partial structural exploded view of the valve actuator and solar photovoltaic panel;

[0012] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the actuator Figure 1 ;

[0013] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the actuator Figure 2 .

[0014] The above drawings include the following reference numerals:

[0015] 1. Outer shell; 2. Recessed cavity; 21. Observation window; 22. Through hole; 23. Through hole; 3. Actuator; 30. Base; 31. Control circuit board; 32. Motor; 33. Gear set; 34. Rechargeable battery; 35. Rotating shaft; 351. Status indicator wheel; 36. Pivot shaft; 361. Control unit; 4. Solar photovoltaic panel; 5. Heat dissipation slot; 51. First sub-slot; 52. Second sub-slot; 6. Accommodating slot; 71. First positioning portion; 72. Second positioning portion; 81. First stopper; 82. Second stopper. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0017] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, top, bottom, inside, outside, vertical, horizontal, longitudinal, counterclockwise, clockwise, circumferential, radial, axial...), then the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components in a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0018] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first" or "second" in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first" or "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the fact that ordinary technicians in this field can implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0019] The utility model provides a solar electric valve actuator.

[0020] In the embodiment of the present utility model, Figures 1 to 6As shown, the solar electric valve actuator includes a housing 1 and an actuator 3 disposed within the housing 1. A solar photovoltaic panel 4 is provided on the top surface of the housing 1. The area of the top surface of the housing 1 covered by the solar photovoltaic panel 4 is provided with a heat dissipation channel laterally connected to the outside world. This forms a flow path for ambient air to flow in and out at the junction of the solar photovoltaic panel 4 and the top surface of the housing 1. During operation, ambient air continuously enters the heat dissipation channel from a certain direction (it should be noted that the flow direction of ambient air varies with weather conditions and is not unique). After absorbing heat generated by the solar photovoltaic panel 4, it flows out of the heat dissipation channel, thereby promptly dissipating a large amount of heat generated by the solar photovoltaic panel 4. This significantly reduces the amount of heat entering the interior of the housing 1, thereby preventing overheating of electronic components within the housing 1, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the electronic components and increasing their service life. This also prevents the solar photovoltaic panel 4 from overheating, which could reduce its power conversion efficiency or even damage it.

[0021] Specifically, the solar photovoltaic panel 4 can be fixedly connected to the housing 1 by screw structure, snap structure or adhesive. Among them, the adhesive fixation method has the advantage of low connection cost, and the screw structure or snap structure connection method is easy to disassemble.

[0022] It is understandable that the heat dissipation channel can be arranged in a variety of ways. The heat dissipation channel should generally extend through at least one side wall of the housing 1 so that air can flow in and out of the heat dissipation channel to remove heat.

[0023] In some embodiments, the heat dissipation channel includes a heat dissipation slot 5 formed on the top surface of the housing 1, and the heat dissipation slot 5 extends through at least one side wall of the housing 1 (such as Figure 1 As shown, the heat dissipation groove 5 extends through two opposite side walls of the housing 1 , and a heat dissipation channel for air flow is formed between the heat dissipation groove 5 and the bottom surface of the solar photovoltaic panel 4 .

[0024] It is understood that the heat dissipation slots 5 can be arranged in a variety of ways. For example, the number of heat dissipation slots 5 can be one or multiple heat dissipation slots 5 spaced apart. The multiple heat dissipation slots 5 can be parallel or non-parallel, and the spacing can be the same or different. The cross-section of each heat dissipation slot 5 can be U-shaped, V-shaped, or trapezoidal, and the slot width can be the same or different. The extension path can be straight or curved.

[0025] In some embodiments, the middle portion of the top surface of the housing 1 is recessed to form a receiving groove 6 for embedding the solar photovoltaic panel 4. The bottom surface of the receiving groove 6 is recessed with a plurality of heat dissipation grooves 5. The bottom surface of the solar photovoltaic panel 4 is supported by the bottom surface of the receiving groove 6 and forms the heat dissipation channel together with the heat dissipation grooves 5 recessed on the bottom surface of the receiving groove 6.

[0026] In the above embodiment, the arrangement of the receiving groove 6 makes the top surface of the housing 1 form a gradient structure with a low middle portion and a high edge region. The heat dissipation groove 5 includes a first sub-groove 51 recessed in the bottom surface of the groove and a second sub-groove 52 recessed in the top surface of the edge region. The first sub-groove 51 is connected to the second sub-groove 52, and the second sub-groove 52 penetrates at least one side wall of the housing 1 (such as Figure 1 The figure shows the situation where the second slot 52 passes through the two opposite side walls of the housing 1).

[0027] It can be understood that the solar photovoltaic panel 4 is electrically connected to the actuator 3 through wires. Specifically, the top surface of the shell 1 is formed with wire through-holes (not shown in the figure), and the wires (not shown in the figure) electrically connect the solar photovoltaic panel 4 to the actuator 3 (generally to the control circuit board 31 of the actuator 3) through the wire through-holes.

[0028] Specifically, the actuator 3 includes a base 30 and a control circuit board 31, a motor 32, a gear set 33, a rechargeable battery 34 and a rotating shaft 35 arranged on the base 30. The solar photovoltaic panel 4, the motor 32 and the rechargeable battery 34 are electrically connected to the control circuit board 31. The rechargeable battery 34 is used to store the electrical energy converted by the solar photovoltaic panel 4. The gear set 33 is used to transmit the power of the motor 32 to the rotating shaft 35. The lower end of the rotating shaft 35 passes downward through the base and the lower end surface is exposed to the bottom surface of the shell 1 to facilitate connection to the pivot shaft of the external valve (not shown). When the rotating shaft of the motor 32 rotates, the rotating shaft 35 can be driven by the gear set 33 to drive the pivot shaft of the valve to rotate, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the valve.

[0029] Furthermore, the rotating shaft 35 is provided with a state indicator wheel 351 that moves synchronously therewith. The circumferential wall of the state indicator wheel 351 is provided with markings corresponding to the valve opening and closing states (not shown). For example, markings of "open" and "closed" or "0" and "90" are provided at the two end positions of the state indicator wheel 351, 90 degrees apart, respectively, to facilitate understanding of the open or closed state of the controlled valve. If desired, a corresponding angular scale (not shown) may be provided between the two end positions to facilitate understanding of the degree of opening and closing of the controlled valve.

[0030] Furthermore, an observation window 21 is provided on the side wall of the housing 1 at a position corresponding to the status identification wheel 351 , so that the user can observe the working status of the utility model and the valve controlled by it during operation.

[0031] Specifically, in some embodiments, the side wall of the housing 1 has a recess 2 at a position corresponding to the status indicator wheel 351, and the observation window 21 is provided on the recessed surface. Specifically, the recess 2 can be a relatively regular or irregular recess, and the relatively regular recess 22 can be a rectangular recess (such as Figure 1 As shown), triangular concave, circular concave, etc.

[0032] A through hole 23 connected to the interior of the outer shell 1 is formed on the lower surface of the recess 2. The pivot shaft 36 of one of the gears of the gear set 33 extends upward to be opposite to the through hole 23, and a control part 361 is provided on the top of the pivot shaft 36 to drive the pivot shaft 36 to rotate through the through hole 23 by a matching tool, so that the rotating shaft 35 can be manually driven to rotate in the event of a power outage or damage to the motor 32 to control the opening and closing of the valve.

[0033] Specifically, the control part 361 can be a non-circular countersunk hole (a square countersunk hole or a hexagonal countersunk hole, etc.) provided on the top surface of the pivot shaft 36, or a non-circular columnar structure (such as a square or hexagonal column structure) provided on the top of the pivot shaft. The user inserts a matching tool (such as an L-shaped external hexagonal wrench or an L-shaped internal hexagonal wrench) into the non-circular countersunk hole through the through hole 23 to drive the pivot shaft 36 to drive the gear to rotate.

[0034] Furthermore, in order to prevent water or dust from entering the housing 1 through the through hole 23, a hole plug (not shown) can be provided at the through hole 23 to close the through hole 23 when the pivot shaft is not manually operated. When the pivot shaft needs to be manually operated, the hole plug can be removed from the through hole 23.

[0035] It can be understood that the side wall of the housing 1 corresponding to the position of the status identification wheel 351 is made of a transparent material, thereby forming the observation window 21. Specifically, the transparent position and the other areas of the housing 1 are an integrally formed structure or a structure that is assembled together after being separately formed. When integrally formed, the transparent position and the other areas of the housing 1 can be made of the same material or different materials. When the structure is assembled together after being separately formed, a through hole 22 is provided on the side wall of the housing 1 corresponding to the position of the status identification wheel 351, and a transparent window panel (not shown) is installed at the through hole 22.

[0036] A first positioning portion 71 and a second positioning portion 72 are circumferentially spaced apart on the rotating shaft 4. The housing 1 is provided with a first stopper 81 that cooperates with the first positioning portion 71 and a second stopper 82 that cooperates with the second positioning portion 72. When the rotating shaft 35 rotates in a first clockwise direction (e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise) to the fully open position corresponding to the valve, the first positioning portion 71 abuts against the first stopper 81, maintaining the valve in the fully open state. When the rotating shaft 35 rotates in a second clockwise direction (e.g., counterclockwise or clockwise) to the fully closed position corresponding to the valve, the second positioning portion 72 abuts against the second stopper 82, maintaining the on-off valve in the closed state.

[0037] Furthermore, a communication module (not shown) is also installed on the circuit control board. The communication module is used to communicate with a control terminal (such as a mobile phone, computer, or tablet computer) to remotely understand the operating status of the utility model and / or the utility model. The communication module can be at least one of commonly used communication modules such as a WIFI communication module, an NFC communication module, a 4G communication module, and a 5G communication module. Since the above communication modules are all prior art, their specific structures and working principles are not further described here.

[0038] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural transformations made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the utility model concept, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A solar electric valve actuator, comprising a housing and an actuator disposed within the housing, wherein a solar photovoltaic panel is disposed on the top surface of the housing, and characterized in that: The area on the top surface of the shell covered by the solar photovoltaic panel is provided with a heat dissipation channel laterally connected to the outside world.

2. The solar electric valve actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat dissipation channel includes a heat dissipation groove formed on the top surface of the shell, and the heat dissipation groove extends through at least one side wall of the shell. A heat dissipation channel for gas flow is formed between the heat dissipation groove and the bottom surface of the solar photovoltaic panel.

3. The solar powered electric valve actuator according to claim 2, wherein: The middle part of the top surface of the shell is concave to form a receiving groove for embedding the solar photovoltaic panel. The bottom surface of the receiving groove is concave with multiple heat dissipation grooves. The bottom surface of the solar photovoltaic panel is supported by the bottom surface of the receiving groove and forms the heat dissipation channel with the heat dissipation grooves concave on the bottom surface of the receiving groove.

4. The solar electric valve actuator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The arrangement of the accommodating groove enables the top surface of the shell to form a gradient structure with a low middle portion and a high edge area. The heat dissipation groove includes a first sub-groove recessed in the bottom surface of the groove and a second sub-groove recessed in the top surface of the edge area. The first sub-groove is connected to the second sub-groove, and the second sub-groove passes through at least one side wall of the shell.

5. The solar electric valve actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The actuator includes a base and a control circuit board, a motor, a gear set, a rechargeable battery and a rotating shaft arranged on the base. The solar photovoltaic panel, the motor and the rechargeable battery are electrically connected to the control circuit board. The battery is used to store the electrical energy converted by the solar photovoltaic panel. The gear set is used to transmit the power of the motor to the rotating shaft. The lower end of the rotating shaft passes downward through the base and the lower end surface is exposed on the bottom surface of the shell to connect to the pivot shaft of the external valve.

6. The solar electric valve actuator according to claim 5, characterized in that: The rotating shaft is provided with a status marking wheel which moves synchronously with the rotating shaft, and a peripheral wall of the status marking wheel is provided with markings corresponding to the opening and closing states of the valve.

7. The solar powered electric valve actuator according to claim 6, characterized in that: An observation window is provided on the side wall of the shell at a position corresponding to the status identification wheel.

8. The solar powered electric valve actuator according to claim 7, characterized in that: The side wall of the shell is concave at a position corresponding to the status identification wheel, and the observation window is arranged on the concave surface.

9. The solar electric valve actuator according to claim 8, characterized in that: The concave lower surface is formed with a through hole connected to the interior of the shell. The pivot shaft of one of the gears in the gear set extends upward to be opposite to the through hole, and a control part is provided on the top of the pivot shaft to drive the pivot shaft through the through hole through a matching tool to drive the gear to rotate.

10. The solar powered electric valve actuator according to claim 5, characterized in that: A first positioning portion and a second positioning portion are circumferentially spaced apart on the rotating shaft, and the shell is provided with a first stopper cooperating with the first positioning portion and a second stopper cooperating with the second positioning portion. When the rotating shaft rotates along the first clockwise direction to the fully open position of the corresponding valve, the first positioning portion abuts against the first stopper; when the rotating shaft rotates along the second clockwise direction to the fully closed position of the corresponding valve, the second positioning portion abuts against the second stopper.

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