Electric actuator and intelligent electric valve comprising same

Abstract

The utility model discloses an electric actuator and an intelligent electric valve comprising the electric actuator, the electric actuator comprises a shell, a main control board and a motor are arranged in the shell, an air pressure sensor is arranged in the shell, and the air pressure sensor is used for being connected with the upper portion of the interior of a water outlet end of a valve body through an air pipe; the main control board is electrically connected with the air pressure sensor and the motor and used for obtaining water outlet pressure and flow according to data analysis obtained through detection of the air pressure sensor and sending corresponding instructions to the motor according to the water outlet pressure and flow information. The electric actuator and the intelligent electric valve are suitable for an agricultural irrigation system, have the advantages of being compact in structure, easy and convenient to operate, good in sealing performance and the like, and can automatically adjust the water flow, reduce field activities of personnel and improve the irrigation efficiency.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of agricultural irrigation technology, and specifically relates to an electric actuator and an intelligent electric valve comprising the electric actuator. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of agricultural modernization, intelligent irrigation systems have gradually become an important means to improve agricultural production efficiency. Traditional irrigation methods have many shortcomings. For example, manual operation is complicated, and water resources are wasted seriously. However, the existing intelligent irrigation equipment still needs to be improved in terms of structural design, function integration and adaptability. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop a new type of electric actuator and an intelligent electric valve comprising the electric actuator to meet the needs of modern agriculture for efficient and intelligent irrigation. SUMMARY

[0003] The utility model aims at providing an electric actuator and an intelligent electric valve comprising the electric actuator to solve the problems of the prior art.

[0004] The utility model aims at providing an electric actuator and an intelligent electric valve comprising the electric actuator to solve the problems of the prior art.

[0005] An electric actuator comprises a shell, a main control board and a motor arranged in the shell, an output end of the motor being used to connect with a valve rod to adjust the working state of a valve, and an air pressure sensor arranged in the shell and used to be connected with the upper part of the inside of a water outlet end of a valve body through an air pipe.

[0006] The main control board is electrically connected with the air pressure sensor and the motor, is used to analyze the water outlet pressure and flow according to the data detected by the air pressure sensor, and sends corresponding instructions to the motor according to the water outlet pressure and flow information to realize the self-adjustment of the valve flow.

[0007] Preferably, a gearbox is further arranged in the shell, an input end of the gearbox is connected with the motor, and an output end is used to be connected with the valve rod to adjust the working state of the valve under the driving action of the motor.

[0008] Preferably, a connecting shaft is arranged in the shell, one end of the connecting shaft is located outside the shell, and the other end is connected with the input end of the gearbox to manually adjust the opening degree of the valve.

[0009] Preferably, a sealing ring and an oil seal are arranged between the connecting shaft and the shell.

[0010] Preferably, a transparent window is arranged at the top of the shell to observe the opening and closing state of the valve.

[0011] Preferably, a charging battery is arranged in the shell to provide power supply for the electric actuator.

[0012] The shell top is provided with a solar panel connected with the charging battery for charging the charging battery.

[0013] The shell is also provided with a backup battery.

[0014] Preferably, a first connector is arranged on the shell, one end of the first connector is arranged inside the shell for connecting with the air pressure sensor, and the other end is arranged outside the shell for connecting with the air pipe.

[0015] Preferably, a wireless communication module is further arranged in the shell, the wireless communication module is electrically connected with the main control board, and the wireless communication module is used for remotely transmitting the valve information collected by the main control board to a control terminal and remotely transmitting instructions from the control terminal to the main control board.

[0016] The application also provides an intelligent electric valve, which comprises a valve body, a valve core arranged in the valve body, and a valve rod connected with the valve core, the valve body comprises at least one water inlet end and at least one water outlet end, and further comprises the electric actuator as described above.

[0017] A second connector is arranged on the upper part of the water outlet end and / or the water inlet end of the valve body, one end of the second connector is in communication with the inside of the valve body, and the other end is used for connecting with the air pipe.

[0018] The electric actuator and the intelligent electric valve provided by the application combine automatic control and remote management functions, are suitable for agricultural irrigation systems, have the characteristics of compact structure, simple operation, good sealing performance, high and low temperature resistance, stable communication, super-long endurance, etc., can realize remote control and automatic adjustment of water flow, reduce personnel field activities, and improve irrigation efficiency. It is suitable for various irrigation scenes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the electric actuator provided by the application;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the electric actuator provided by the application;

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the electric actuator provided by the application;

[0022] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the explosion structure of the electric actuator provided by the application;

[0023] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the intelligent electric valve provided by the application.

[0024] Explanation of reference signs:

[0025] 10-Electric actuator; 101-Housing; 102-Upper cover; 103-Lower cover; 104-Connecting frame; 111-Main control board; 112-Main control board housing; 113-Barometric pressure sensor; 114-Antenna; 115-First connector; 121-Motor; 122-Gearbox; 123-Connecting shaft; 124-Transparent window; 131-Rechargeable battery; 132-Spare battery; 133-Battery compartment cover; 134-Solar panel;

[0026] 20-Valve body; 201-Inlet; 202-Outlet; 203-Second connector;

[0027] 30-Trachea. Detailed Implementation

[0028] This application provides an electric actuator, such as... Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the device includes a housing 101, inside which is a main control board 111 and a motor 121. The output end of the motor 121 is used to connect to the valve stem. The main control board 111 can receive remote and near-end commands to drive the valve stem to rotate. The valve stem further drives the valve core to rotate, thereby adjusting the working state of the valve.

[0029] The housing 101 is equipped with a pressure sensor 113, which is used to connect to the upper part of the valve body outlet 202 through the air pipe 30. The main control board 111 is electrically connected to the pressure sensor 113 and the motor 121, and can receive the data collected by the pressure sensor and send corresponding instructions to the motor.

[0030] In the existing technology, electric valves that can adjust the flow rate only collect fluid pressure data. In addition, while collecting fluid pressure, it is often necessary to monitor the fluid flow rate. Therefore, in the existing technology, pressure sensors and flow sensors are often installed on the valve body. These pressure sensors and flow sensors are generally directly installed inside the valve body inlet and outlet, in direct contact with the water flow. Therefore, they are easily affected by corrosion and impurities in the liquid, which affects the accuracy of the test and the service life.

[0031] The air pressure sensor is arranged on the electric actuator, and the air pressure sensor is communicated with the inside of the valve body water outlet end through the air pipe. When the liquid passes through the water outlet end pipeline, the liquid and the gas are separated due to the gravity, the gas is gathered in the upper part of the pipeline, and the liquid is deposited in the bottom of the pipeline. Different flow rates will compress the air in the air pipe at the pipeline connection in different degrees, so as to convert the water pressure into the air pressure, and the air pressure signal is detected by the air pressure sensor. The air pressure sensor transmits the collected signal to the main control board, the main control board is subjected to simple operation analysis, the liquid pressure of the water outlet end is obtained, then the actual liquid flow passing through is converted according to the corresponding pressure through a specific algorithm, so that the real-time monitoring of the liquid pressure and flow is realized, and the real-time monitoring of the valve state and water use is realized. At the same time, the main control board can discover abnormal conditions in time and automatically adjust according to the monitoring results, such as when the irrigation flow fluctuation is found, the motor is sent with an instruction in time to drive the valve rod to rotate, and the flow is adjusted to the target requirement, without manual monitoring and intervention.

[0032] Therefore, the electric actuator provided by the application realizes the real-time monitoring and adjustment of the liquid pressure and flow passing through the valve by arranging the air pressure sensor away from the inside of the valve body pipeline and the air pipe communicating the air pressure sensor and the inside of the valve body pipeline. At the same time, the corresponding detection sensor is not in direct contact with the liquid, avoiding the interference of external bad factors such as corrosion and impurities, and the safety is good and the accuracy is high. Moreover, the power supply of the electric actuator can be used to supply power to the corresponding sensor, which is convenient to use.

[0033] Preferably, the shell 101 comprises an upper cover 102 and a lower cover 103, and the motor and other components are located between the upper cover and the lower cover.

[0034] Preferably, the shell 101 is made of a high-strength composite material of nylon plus glass fiber. The material has good high and low temperature resistance, light aging resistance, high and low temperature resistance, and can be used for a long time in harsh environments without aging. And the material is made by injection molding, which reduces the cost and weight compared with the metal shell, further reduces the transportation and logistics cost, and is more suitable for the economic product demand of agricultural users.

[0035] Preferably, the overall structure has an IP68 waterproof level, which has comprehensive dustproof and waterproof performance; this makes the equipment can work normally in various harsh environments, such as in rainy days, water side or dusty environment; in the case of flood and other water immersion disasters, the internal devices can be waterproof, reducing the risk of accidental damage and reducing maintenance cost, thereby improving the reliability of the product.

[0036] Preferably, the housing 101 is also provided with a gearbox, the input end of the gearbox 122 is connected with the motor 121, and the output end is used to be connected with the valve rod, and the motor driving is used to adjust the working state of the valve. By setting the gearbox, the power adjustment is facilitated. Further preferably, the maximum output torque of the gearbox is greater than or equal to 60 Nm, which can meet the use requirements of various electric valves on the market.

[0037] When the electric valve is used, power failure, motor abnormality and other situations will inevitably affect electric adjustment. Therefore, preferably, the top of the shell is provided with a connecting shaft 123, one end of the connecting shaft 123 is located outside the shell, and the other end is connected with the input end of the gearbox 122. When the valve rod and the valve core cannot be electrically adjusted, a hexagonal wrench can be connected with the connecting shaft from the outside to control the transmission of the internal gearbox, thereby achieving the purpose of manually adjusting the working state of the valve. Further preferably, the connecting shaft and the shell are double-sealed by using an axial sealing ring and an oil seal, thereby ensuring the waterproof safety of the internal mechanism.

[0038] Preferably, the top of the shell (i.e. the upper cover) is provided with a transparent window 124, through which the working direction state of the actuator (motor and gearbox) can be observed in real time, so that the opening and closing state of the valve can be directly observed. This structure is stable and accurately displays the state of the electric valve, thereby reducing the maintenance cost caused by the abnormality of the electric control part.

[0039] Preferably, the housing 101 is provided with a charging battery 131 for providing power to the electric actuator; further preferably, the top of the shell is provided with a solar panel 134, more specifically, the solar panel is located on the surface of the upper cover 102 and can absorb sunlight. The solar panel is connected with the charging battery and is used to charge the charging battery. By setting the solar panel, the charging battery can be continuously charged, thereby realizing self-powered equipment.

[0040] In the case of insufficient charging battery power in the case of long-term no light, in order to avoid affecting the normal use of the equipment, preferably, the shell is also provided with a backup battery 132, preferably a disposable lithium sub-battery. When the charging battery has enough power, the charging battery is used preferentially. When the charging battery is insufficient, the backup battery is automatically switched on for power supply. When the charging battery is fully charged, the charging battery is automatically switched back to be used preferentially, thereby maximizing the ultra-high endurance of the product and reducing the maintenance cost of the user.

[0041] Preferably, the charging battery 131 and the backup battery 132 are provided with a battery compartment cover 133 on the outside of the shell. By opening the battery compartment cover 133, the charging battery 131 and the backup battery 132 can be conveniently taken out.

[0042] Preferably, the shell further has a wireless communication module, the wireless communication module comprising an antenna 114, the wireless communication module being electrically connected to the main control board 111, the wireless communication module being configured to remotely transmit the valve information collected by the main control board to the control terminal and remotely transmit the instructions from the control terminal to the main control board. Through the wireless communication module, remote data transmission can be realized, thereby supporting remote control through a mobile phone APP or a PC terminal. The user can set irrigation tasks or adjust irrigation parameters on the remote terminal and remotely open or close the valve. Through the wireless communication module, the main control board can also transmit data to the remote mobile phone APP or PC terminal in real time, thereby feeding back the valve state in real time, including signal strength, power, opening degree, etc. The user can reasonably allocate resources according to the information and realize remote monitoring of the valve state and the abnormal alarm function.

[0043] The wireless communication module supports multiple wireless communication technologies, such as LoRa, 4G, NB-IoT, etc., to ensure stable communication in different environments. The LoRa module can be used to realize point-to-point wireless control, reduce communication costs, and support local networking to avoid signal interference.

[0044] Preferably, the electric actuator further has an expansion interface to connect flow meters, temperature and humidity sensors, and pressure sensors, thereby facilitating the expansion of more functions.

[0045] Preferably, the electric actuator supports the connection of other intelligent devices, such as meteorological environment monitoring systems and soil moisture monitoring systems, to further improve water-saving effects and enhance the intelligent irrigation advantages of the product.

[0046] Preferably, the main control board 111 has a main control board shell 112 on the outside to further protect the main control board from external environmental interference. The main control board preferably adopts a circuit logic design controlled by a high-performance low-power processor, supports functions such as automatic sleep and remote wake-up, and ensures the stable operation of the valve in different working modes. The motor drives the valve to open and close by receiving signals from the main control board and has a flow regulation function, thereby realizing precise control. The main control board also supports multiple control modes, including single, time, flow, cycle, timing, grouping, and linkage control modes. The irrigation strategy can also be automatically adjusted according to environmental parameters such as soil moisture and temperature, thereby realizing precise irrigation.

[0047] Preferably, the shell 101 has a first connector 115, one end of the first connector being located on the inside of the shell for connection with the air pressure sensor 113, and the other end being located on the outside of the shell 101 for connection with the air pipe 30. The first connector 115 preferably adopts a pneumatic quick connector. Through the quick connector, the air pipe can be quickly connected and detached, thereby facilitating use.

[0048] Preferably, the air pressure sensor is separately arranged from other actuator components such as the main control board, thereby avoiding the influence of the air pressure sensor and the air pipe on the main control board due to poor air tightness.

[0049] Preferably, the bottom of the shell 101 is provided with a connecting frame 104 for connecting with the valve body 20.

[0050] The above-mentioned electric actuator can be applied to most electric valves on the market. When used, the connecting frame is installed on the valve body, and the output end of the gearbox is connected with the valve rod of the electric valve.

[0051] Therefore, the electric actuator provided by the application is compact in design, easy to install and maintain, and suitable for various scenes such as agricultural irrigation and urban greening; supports OTA online upgrade, simplifying the device maintenance and upgrade process.

[0052] Another aspect of the application also provides an intelligent electric valve, as shown in the accompanying drawings, comprising a valve body 20, a valve core located in the valve body, and a valve rod connected with the valve core, the valve body 20 comprising at least one water inlet end 201 and at least one water outlet end 202, and further comprising an electric actuator as described above. Through the above-mentioned electric actuator, real-time monitoring and automatic adjustment of the electric valve pressure and flow can be realized, as well as remote monitoring and adjustment of the valve working state, and manual adjustment of the valve state and automatic power supply can also be realized, having the advantages of reasonable structure, comprehensive functions and easy maintenance. Figure 5

[0053] The upper part of the water outlet end of the valve body 20 is provided with a second connector 203, one end of which is in communication with the inside of the valve body, and the other end is used for connecting with the air pipe. The second connector is the same as the first connector, and is preferably a pneumatic quick connector, which can realize quick connection and disconnection of the air pipe, facilitating use.

[0054] Each water outlet end is preferably provided with one second connector, and the corresponding electric actuator is provided with the same number of first connectors and air pressure sensors. At the same time, a second connector is also arranged at the water inlet end, so that the water inlet pressure and flow can be monitored in real time.

[0055] In summary, the electric actuator and intelligent electric valve provided by the application combine automatic control and remote management functions, are suitable for agricultural irrigation systems, have the characteristics of compact structure, simple operation, good sealing performance, high and low temperature resistance, stable communication, ultra-long endurance, etc., can realize remote control and automatic adjustment of water flow, reduce personnel field activities, and improve irrigation efficiency. It is suitable for various irrigation scenes.

[0056] ​While the preferred embodiments of the application have been described, those skilled in the art will be able to make additional variations and modifications without departing from the scope of the application. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover all such variations and modifications that come within the scope of the application. It is evident that those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications of the application without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. It is therefore intended to embrace all such changes and modifications in a broad aspect of the application as can be allowed under the fair scope thereof and the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An electric actuator, comprising a housing, wherein a main control board and a motor are disposed within the housing, the output end of the motor being used to connect to a valve stem to regulate the working state of a valve, characterized in that, The housing is equipped with a pressure sensor, which is used to connect to the inside upper part of the valve body's water outlet end via an air pipe. The main control board is electrically connected to the air pressure sensor and the motor, and is used to analyze the data detected by the air pressure sensor to obtain the water outlet pressure and flow rate, and send corresponding instructions to the motor according to the water outlet pressure and flow rate information to realize the self-adjustment of the valve flow rate; The housing also contains a gearbox, the input end of which is connected to the motor, and the output end is used to connect to the valve stem to adjust the working state of the valve under the drive of the motor. The housing is provided with a first connector, one end of which is located inside the housing and is used to connect to the air pressure sensor, and the other end is located outside the housing and is used to connect to the air tube. The housing also includes a wireless communication module, which is electrically connected to the main control board. The wireless communication module is used to remotely transmit the valve information collected by the main control board to the control terminal and to remotely transmit instructions from the control terminal to the main control board.

2. The electric actuator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The housing is equipped with a connecting shaft, one end of which is located outside the housing, and the other end is connected to the input end of the gearbox for manually adjusting the valve opening.

3. The electric actuator as described in claim 2, characterized in that, A sealing ring and an oil seal are provided between the connecting shaft and the housing.

4. The electric actuator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the housing is provided with a transparent viewing window for observing the valve's on / off status.

5. The electric actuator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The housing contains a rechargeable battery for supplying power to the electric actuator; A solar panel is provided on the top of the housing, and the solar panel is connected to the rechargeable battery for charging the rechargeable battery; The casing also contains a backup battery.

6. An intelligent electric valve, comprising a valve body, a valve core located within the valve body, and a valve stem connected to the valve core, wherein the valve body includes at least one inlet end and at least one outlet end, characterized in that, It also includes the electric actuator as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The intelligent electric valve as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The valve body is provided with a second connector at the upper part of the outlet and / or inlet end. One end of the second connector is connected to the inside of the valve body, and the other end is used to connect to the air pipe.

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