Device for automatically controlling the flow rate of a fluid flowing along a duct and a refrigeration or cooling system comprising said device

Abstract

A device (1) for automatically controlling the flow rate of a fluid (FR) flowing along a duct (101), comprising a valve element (2) adapted to be inserted along a portion of the duct (101) and provided with a plug (21), a servo motor (3) operatively connected to the plug (21) to enable the displacement of the plug (21), and an electronic control unit (4) operatively connected to the servo motor (3) and configured to generate an output signal (OS) that is fed to the servo motor (3). The device comprises an electronic interface module (5) operatively connected to the electronic control unit (4) and configured to be connected to an external electronic control means (102). The electronic interface module (5) is configured to convert an input signal (IS) received by the external electronic control means (102) into an intermediate signal (MS), and the electronic control unit (4) is configured to convert the intermediate signal (MS) into an output signal (OS).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for automatically controlling the flow rate of a fluid flowing along a duct.

[0002] The invention also relates to a refrigeration or cooling system comprising the device described above. [Background technology]

[0003] As is known, in the field of refrigeration and cooling systems, refrigeration circuits are used which provide for the use of an expansion valve that regulates the refrigerant fluid entering the evaporator depending on the superheat detected at the evaporator outlet.

[0004] To date, these are known mechanical devices for controlling evaporator superheat, operated by a sensing sphere and pneumatic diaphragm actuator, or electronic devices with valves operated by stepper actuators driven by electronic control means, usually called "drivers", which obtain fluid pressure and temperature values ​​and generate control signals for said stepper actuators to maintain these values ​​within given set points.

[0005] In other words, this type of electronic control is of the feedback type, or also known as "closed loop."

[0006] Regarding the control signal generated by the aforementioned electronic control means, in the case of a bipolar stepper actuator, i.e. comprising two actuation phases, it can be of three different types, namely the so-called microstepping type, the full-step type and the half-step type.

[0007] Currently, the majority of electronic controls on the market use microstepping and, to a lesser extent, the other two types.

[0008] In any case, all three of these types of control signals, which are concomitantly current signals, are characterized by allowing the variation of the movement of the stepper actuator according to a unit of measurement defined as a "step."

[0009] Each stepper actuator is in fact characterized by a predetermined maximum number of steps.

[0010] The aforementioned control devices are also known to be based on the use of commercially available valves of the "seat and plug" type. Although such control devices are well known and widespread, they have certain drawbacks.

[0011] The first drawback is associated with the use of such seat and plug valves, which do not guarantee complete sealing of the refrigerant when closed, resulting in the risk of fluid leakage into the evaporator and damage to the compressor when restarting.

[0012] In some applications, it may be necessary to add a shutoff valve in series, resulting in increased costs due to the additional components and their subsequent management.

[0013] A second drawback of seat and plug valves is that they have a "step" minimum flow rate for the first opening of the plug due to the area of ​​the circular crown that is not covered by the plug at its smallest deviation; i.e., the size of the circular crown and therefore the size of the minimum flow rate is related to the size of the through hole and the plug; such a step affects the continuity of the adjustment and therefore the optimization of the operation of the control system.

[0014] A further disadvantage of seat and plug valves is that they are more susceptible to fouling (insertion of impurities between the plug and the seat) and ice formation between the moving and fixed elements.

[0015] Another drawback of seat and plug valves is that pressure differences acting inside the valve place mechanical stresses on the valve stem that moves the plug, affecting its service life.

[0016] Furthermore, a further drawback of currently used electronic expansion valves is that they do not provide feedback regarding the actual position of the plug, so any blockage is not detectable. Summary of the Invention

[0017] The present invention aims to overcome all of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art.

[0018] In particular, the object of the present invention is to create a device for automatically controlling the flow rate of a fluid flowing along a duct, which makes it possible to use valve elements having better performance than the valves currently used in refrigeration circuits.

[0019] In particular, it is an object of the present invention to make such a device possible to use and control a leak-free valve element capable of operating at high differential pressures and low pressure drops with short operating times.

[0020] A further object of the present invention is to create a device that allows an operator to easily and quickly replace a pre-existing expansion valve in an existing refrigeration circuit.

[0021] In particular, it is an object of the present invention to create a device that can be easily interfaced with electronic control means already present in existing refrigeration circuits and that does not require any kind of setting after its installation or any change of the setting parameters of the same electronic control means already present.

[0022] In other words, the object of the present invention is to create an apparatus that makes it possible to replace or integrate control devices on existing refrigeration circuits in a manner that is completely transparent to the operator.

[0023] It is a further object of the present invention to create a device that can automatically interface with a wide variety of electronic control means already present in existing refrigeration circuits.

[0024] The above object is achieved by a device for automatically controlling the flow rate of a fluid flowing along a duct according to claim 1. Further detailed features of the invention are set out in the dependent claims.

[0025] The aforementioned object is also achieved by a refrigeration or cooling system as claimed in claim 13.

[0026] Advantageously, the techniques of the present invention allow for reducing the time and cost of replacing expansion valves in existing refrigeration circuits.

[0027] Furthermore, and still more advantageously, the technique of the present invention makes it possible to reduce the start-up time of the existing refrigeration circuit after such replacement and to avoid malfunctions of such replaced circuit due to errors or inaccuracies in setting the parameters of such new control devices.

[0028] A further advantage offered by the control device of the present invention is its compactness and integrability, facilitating installation into existing refrigeration circuits.

[0029] The foregoing objects and advantages, together with others mentioned hereinafter, will become apparent during the course of the description of preferred embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic representation of a first embodiment of the device of the invention; [Figure 2] 1 represents a time graph of a microstepping type input signal and two square waves obtained from said input signal according to the implemented procedure of the device of the invention. [Figure 3] 2 is a schematic representation of a refrigeration or cooling system according to the invention comprising the device of the invention of FIG. 1;

[0031] An apparatus of the present invention for automatically controlling the flow rate of a fluid flowing along a duct is shown in FIG. 1, collectively referred to herein as 1.

[0032] According to preferred embodiments of the invention described herein, preferably, but not necessarily, such an apparatus 1 is adapted to be applied to the refrigeration circuit of a refrigeration or cooling system so as to automatically control the flow rate of refrigerant fluid entering the evaporator in order to maintain pressure and temperature values ​​of the same within specific set points.

[0033] However, it is not excluded that such a device 1 may also be used in other types of systems in which it is necessary to regulate the flow rate of a general fluid flowing along the ducts of the system.

[0034] Such a device 1 comprises a valve element 2 adapted to be inserted along a portion of said duct and comprising a stopper body 21 configured to change its position between a first end position for completely blocking the fluid to prevent the fluid from flowing through the same duct, and a second end position for completely opening the same fluid to allow it to flow freely along the duct.

[0035] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plug 21 of such a valve element 2 is a ball plug, thereby avoiding all of the above-mentioned drawbacks resulting from the use of "seat and plug" type plugs used in known control devices.

[0036] The device 1 further comprises a DC servo motor 3 operatively connected to said plug body 21 so as to enable said plug body 21 to position itself between said first and second end positions.

[0037] Furthermore, the device 1 of the present invention comprises an electronic control unit 4 operatively connected to the servo motor 3 and configured to generate an output signal OS for driving the servo motor 3 itself, such output signal OS being particularly adapted to position the plug 21 in a specific first desired position.

[0038] The type of said output signal OS for controlling the movement of the servo motor 3 is of a type known per se, as long as it is suitable for appropriately driving the movement of said servo motor 3 in order to place the plug 21 in said specific first position.

[0039] According to the invention, the device 1 comprises an electronic interface module 5 operatively connected to the electronic control unit 4 and comprising an electrical input connector 51, the electronic interface module 5 adapted to generate at least one input signal IS and configured to be connected to external electronic control means 102 for driving a stepper motor intended to move the valve element plug to control the fluid flow in the duct. In particular, such input signal IS generated by the above-mentioned external electronic control means 102 is adapted to position the plug in a specific second position.

[0040] According to the invention, the electronic interface module 5 is configured to convert said input signal IS into an intermediate signal MS which is arranged as an input to the electronic control unit 4, and the electronic control unit 4 is configured to convert said intermediate signal MS into an output signal OS, so that the specific first position to be taken by the plug body 21 substantially corresponds to the specific second position imposed by the input signal IS.

[0041] Such a proposed solution therefore makes it possible to advantageously replace a valve element used in an existing refrigeration circuit, without the need to modify the electronic control means 102 already present in the existing refrigeration circuit, and to set it appropriately to control the positioning of the stopcock of said valve element by means of a stepper motor.

[0042] In other words, advantageously, such a feature of the device 1 of the present invention makes it possible to utilize and appropriately adapt the control input signal IS for the stepper motor intended to move the valve element plug, so as to control the servo motor 3, which in turn is configured to appropriately move the plug 21 of the valve element 2 of the same device 1 to the specific position for which said input signal IS is generated.

[0043] Regarding the input signals IS received as input and converted by the electronic interface module 5, they are two current signals F1S and F2S for driving the first and second phases of a bipolar stepper motor. In particular, these current signals F1S and F2S can be of half-step, full-step or microstepping type.

[0044] According to the invention, with regard to the intermediate signal MS, the intermediate signal MS has a specific value within a range between a predetermined minimum value associated with a first end position and a predetermined maximum value associated with a second end position, in particular such specific value representing, proportionally within said range, a specific second position at which the input signal IS is generated by the electronic control means 102.

[0045] Preferably, but not necessarily, the specific value of the intermediate signal MS is a pure digital value between a zero value associated with said first end position and a predetermined maximum value associated with the second end position. In the example described herein, the intermediate signal MS is arranged at the input of the electronic control unit 4 of an actuator device manufactured and sold by BELIMO Holding AG®, which, among other possibilities, provides for receiving as input a digital signal whose value proportional to the position taken by the tap is expressed as a pure number between 0 and 10,000 according to the MPBus BELIMO® communication protocol, so that such maximum preset value is selected as 10,000.

[0046] However, it is not excluded that, according to different embodiments of the invention, depending on the type of signal required as input by different electronic control units configured to control the servo motor, the value of said intermediate signal MS may be a DC voltage signal between a value of 0 volts associated with said first end position and a maximum predetermined value of voltage expressed in volts, such as 10 volts, associated with said second end position.

[0047] Furthermore, it is not excluded that said intermediate signal MS may be a current signal within a particular range of values, as long as said intermediate signal MS can be properly interpreted by the electronic control unit 4 arranged downstream of the electronic interface module 5 as an indicator of the aforementioned particular second position at which the input signal IS was generated by the external electronic control means 102 in order to properly generate the output signal OS by the electronic control unit 4 itself as described above.

[0048] In particular, with regard to the electronic interface module 5, the electronic interface module 5 is configured to perform such a conversion step by detecting from the aforementioned input signal IS the number of movement steps to be performed and the direction in which said movement is to be performed in order to position the stopper body in the aforementioned specific second position.

[0049] Even more specifically, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, which provides for receiving as input by the electronic interface module 5 two current signals F1S and F2S modulated according to half-step, full-step or microstepping type as input signal IS, the detection of the number of steps and direction of movement mentioned above is obtained by carrying out the following steps: setting a variable exemplarily defined in this context as step_number to the value 0; generating two-level square waves OQ1 and OQ2, defined as a low level L and a high level H, for each of the current signals F1S and F2S adapted to drive the first and second phases of the above-mentioned bipolar stepper motor;

[0050] In particular, these two square waves OQ1 and OQ2 are generated in such a way that the rising and falling edges of the square waves themselves are determined by the transitions of each of the current signals F1S and F2S through null values, i.e., by negative and positive values, respectively.

[0051] An example of such a square wave generation procedure is graphically represented in FIG. 2, which shows two current signals F1S and F2S for driving the phases of a bipolar stepper motor, these current signals being of the microstepping type and clearly out of phase with each other.

[0052] The detection procedure following this generation of the square waves OQ1 and OQ2 for each of the two current signals F1S and F2S involves detecting over time the levels assumed by the two square waves OQ1 and OQ2 themselves, every predetermined sampling period T. According to the invention, such sampling period T should be selected so that the sampling frequency 1 / T is always equal to or four times greater than the fundamental frequency of the current signals F1S and F2S.

[0053] When sampling is performed, the procedure implemented by the electronic interface module 5 provides for detecting, for each sampling instant t, the value of the step based on the combination of the levels of the two square waves OQ1 and OQ2 at the sampling instant t and the immediately preceding sampling instant tT, taking into account the following truth table (Table 1): [Table 1] where x is a variable whose value is selected from the set of integers Z. For example, the value of x can be selected as 1.

[0054] The procedure then provides for calculating the result of subtracting the step value at the sampling instant t from the step value at the immediately preceding sampling instant tT. In particular, such a procedure provides for setting the value −1 as the result of this subtraction if the actual result is a positive value greater than 1. Similarly, such a procedure provides for setting the value +1 as the result of this subtraction if the actual result is a negative value greater than 1. Both of these special cases occur when the two current signals F1S and F2S are moving between two successive periods in either of two directions and correspond to the cases in the table below related to the last two movement values:

[0055] For example, as shown in Table 2 below, if two square waves OQ1 and OQ2 are sampled for eight consecutive values ​​and this subtraction operation is performed for each pair of adjacent sampling instants, the result obtained will be the value shown in the shift column. [Table 2]

[0056] After such subtraction is performed by the electronic interface module 5, if the result is a positive number, the same electronic interface module 5 is configured to set the first movement direction selected between the two possible movement directions of the servo motor 3 as the required movement direction, while if the result is a negative number, the electronic interface module 5 is configured to set the second movement direction of the two possible movement directions as the required movement direction.

[0057] According to a preferred embodiment, the first direction is understood to be the direction of movement of the servo motor 3 which, in the case of a positive result, allows the displacement of the plug 21 towards the second end position, i.e. towards the opening of the plug 21. Obviously, the second direction corresponds to the direction of movement of the servo motor 3 which, in the case of a negative result of the subtraction, moves the plug 21 towards the first end position, i.e. towards the position of complete blockage of the fluid.

[0058] However, it is not excluded that, according to alternative embodiments, the association between direction and result of the subtraction operation may be the opposite of that described above.

[0059] In addition, the electronic interface module 5 is configured to increment the step_number variable by one if the result of this subtraction is a value other than zero.

[0060] Once such detection is completed for a particular input signal IS received by the electronic interface module 5, the same electronic interface module 5 is configured, according to a preferred embodiment, to perform the conversion of such information into the aforementioned intermediate signal MS by calculating the absolute position required for the plug 21 and expressed in steps by summing the value of the step_number variable to the current absolute position in steps of the same plug 21, such value of the current absolute position having been previously stored by the same electronic interface module 5 in a variable exemplarily defined in the present context as step_current_position.

[0061] Obviously, this summation of the value of the step_number variable relative to the current absolute position must be performed taking into account the identified direction of movement.

[0062] The electronic interface module 5 is also configured to update the step_current_position variable following the performance of such an addition operation.

[0063] Furthermore, the electronic interface module 5 is configured to obtain the absolute position value assumed by the stopper 21, which is expressed as a value within the aforementioned range between a predetermined minimum value and a predetermined maximum value. To obtain this value, the electronic interface module 5 is configured to divide the absolute position value in steps by a conversion ratio R, which is calculated by dividing the maximum number of movement steps controllable by the external electronic control means 102 by the maximum number of positions controllable by the electronic interface module 5. In particular, the maximum number of positions controllable by the electronic interface module 5 depends on the number of bits made available to the aforementioned electronic interface module 5 to represent information about the stopper's absolute position, i.e., on the resolution of the intermediate signal MS. Thus, returning to the conversion ratio R, for example, if the maximum number of movement steps controllable by the external electronic control means 102 is equal to 480 steps and the aforementioned maximum number of positions controllable by the electronic interface module 5 is 200, the value of R is equal to 2.4. For example, if the maximum number of movement steps is 6,386 and the maximum number of controllable positions is 10,000, the value of R is 0.639.

[0064] As regards the maximum number of movement steps that can be controlled by the external electronic control means 102, it depends on the type of valve element already present in the refrigeration circuit in which the device 1 of the invention is installed.

[0065] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electronic interface module 5 is also configured to automatically detect such maximum number of movement steps.

[0066] In particular, the electronic interface module 5 is configured to perform said detection and to perform the aforementioned steps of detecting movement steps and said movement direction as broadly described above when the external electronic control means 102 performs an initialization stage, which initialization stage provides for the generation of an input signal IS adapted to control the stepper motor for the complete movement of the plug from the first end position to the second end position or vice versa.

[0067] In fact, it is well known that when almost all existing refrigeration or cooling systems are turned on, the current external electronic control means 102 performs the initialization phase described above.

[0068] In some cases, such an initialization phase may be forced by an operator when the system is already running.

[0069] However, according to an alternative embodiment of the invention, it is not excluded that the device 1, and in particular the electronic interface module 5, is not configured to automatically detect this maximum number of movement steps, but is configured to store such a value after manual input by the operator.

[0070] Having clarified these aspects and returning to the conversion procedure, once the value of the absolute position of the quantity is obtained, the electronic interface module 5 is configured to calculate the value of the intermediate signal MS by normalizing this value of the absolute position of the quantity within the aforementioned range between a predetermined minimum value and a predetermined maximum value.

[0071] For the embodiments of the invention discussed herein, this range is 0 to 10,000 as stated above.

[0072] Furthermore, the device 1 of the present invention, in particular the electronic interface module 5, is configured to receive as input the feedback signal SF generated by the servo motor 3 so as to be able to obtain from the servo motor 3 the exact position assumed by the stopper body 21.

[0073] Such information can be advantageously used by the same electronic interface module 5 to implement position correction logic in the event that the actual position assumed by the plug 21 does not align with the position set by the intermediate signal MS.

[0074] Additionally or alternatively, such feedback signal SF may be made available to external devices by the same electronic interface module 5, either by wired or wireless communication.

[0075] In this regard, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device 1, and in particular the electronic interface module 5, also comprises communication means 6 of the wireless type, preferably communication means of the wireless proximity type, even more preferably a Bluetooth interface.

[0076] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device 1 provides an outer casing 7 in which the electronic control unit 4, the electronic interface module 5 and the servo motor 3 are integrally housed.

[0077] However, it is not excluded that according to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the device 1 may consist of several separable components, for example a first component comprising a valve element 2, a servo motor 3 and an electronic control unit 4, and a second component comprising the aforementioned electronic interface module 5, reversibly coupleable to the first component.

[0078] As mentioned above, a refrigeration or cooling system is also part of the present invention and is shown generally in FIG.

[0079] Such a system 100 comprises a duct 101 for a refrigerant fluid FR and the aforementioned electronic control means 102 configured to generate at least the aforementioned input signal IS for a stepper motor intended to move a valve element plug to control the flow of the refrigerant fluid FR in said duct. According to the invention, such a system also comprises, in accordance with the above, a device 1 for automatically controlling the flow rate of said refrigerant fluid FR flowing along said duct 101, the valve element 2 of the device 1 being inserted along a portion of the duct 101 and an electronic interface module 5 connected to the electronic control means 102 via an electrical input connector 51.

[0080] Thus, in accordance with what has been described, the apparatus of the present invention achieves all intended objectives.

[0081] In particular, the object is achieved of creating a device for automatically controlling the flow rate of a fluid flowing along a duct, which allows the use of valve elements having better performance than the valves currently used in refrigeration circuits.

[0082] The objective of creating a device that allows for the use and control of a leak-free valve element that has a short operating time and the ability to operate at high differential pressures and low pressure drops is also achieved.

[0083] Another object achieved by the present invention is to create a device that allows an operator to easily and quickly operate an expansion valve that is pre-existing in an existing refrigeration circuit.

[0084] In particular, the objective achieved is to create a device that can be easily interfaced with control elements already present in existing refrigeration circuits and that does not require any kind of setting after installation or any change in the setting parameters of said electronic control means already present.

[0085] In other words, the aim is achieved to create an apparatus that makes it possible to replace or integrate control devices present on existing refrigeration circuits in a manner that is completely transparent to the operator.

[0086] Finally, the objective of creating a device that can automatically interface with the wide variety of electronic control means already present in existing refrigeration circuits has been achieved.

Claims

1. A device (1) for automatically controlling the flow rate of a fluid (FR) flowing along a duct (101), comprising: a valve element (2) adapted to be inserted along a portion of said duct (101) and comprising a stopper (21) configured to change its position between a first end position in which it completely blocks said fluid (FR) and a second end position in which it completely opens said fluid (FR); a DC servo motor (3) operatively connected to said plug (21) so as to enable said plug (21) to be positioned between said first end position and said second end position; an electronic control unit (4) operatively connected to said servo motor (3) and configured to generate an output signal (OS) provided to said servo motor (3) adapted to position said stopper at a specific first position; In an apparatus (1) of the type comprising: the device (1) comprises an electronic interface module (5) operatively connected to the electronic control unit (4) and comprising an electrical input connector (51) configured to be connected to external electronic control means (102) adapted to generate at least one input signal (IS) for a stepper motor intended to move a stopcock of a valve element to control the flow of fluid in a duct, the at least one input signal (IS) being adapted to position the stopcock in a specific second position, the electronic interface module (5) configured to convert the at least one input signal (IS) into an intermediate signal (MS) arranged as an input to the electronic control unit (4), the electronic control unit (4) configured to convert the intermediate signal (MS) into the output signal (OS), so that the specific first position substantially corresponds to the specific second position, the electronic interface module (5) is configured to receive as input two current signals (F1S, F2S) for driving a first phase and a second phase of a bipolar stepper motor and convert them into the intermediate signal (MS), the current signals (F1S, F2S) being of half-step, full-step or microstepping type; the conversion step performed by the electronic interface module (5) comprises detecting from the at least one input signal (IS) the number of movement steps to be performed and the direction of execution of said movement in order to place the stopper at the specific second position, The step of detecting the number of movement steps and the movement direction comprises the steps of: setting a step_number variable to 0; generating square waves (OQ1, OQ2) of two levels, low level (L) and high level (H), for the current signals (F1S, F2S) of each of the first and second phases, the rising and falling edges of the square waves (F1S, F2S) being determined by negative and positive values, respectively, depending on the transitions of each of the current signals (F1S, F2S) through a null value; a step of detecting the level of said square waves (OQ1, OQ2) over time for each predetermined sampling period T, said sampling period T being selected so that a sampling frequency 1 / T is equal to or four times higher than the fundamental frequency of said current signals (F1S, F2S); For each sampling time t, Detecting a step value based on a combination of the levels of the square waves (OQ1, OQ2) at a sampling time t and at a previous sampling time t-T, taking into account the following truth table: Table 1 where x is a variable whose value is chosen from the set Z of integers, calculating the result of subtracting the step value at time t by the step value at the immediately preceding time t-T; if the result is a positive value having an absolute value greater than 1, setting a value of −1 as a result of the subtraction; if the result is a negative value having an absolute value greater than 1, setting a value of +1 as a result of the subtraction; If the subtraction result is a positive number, setting a first movement direction selected from the two movement directions as a required movement direction, and if the subtraction result is a negative number, setting a second movement direction selected from the two movement directions as a required movement direction; if the subtraction result is a value other than 0, incrementing the step_number variable by 1; An apparatus (1) characterized in that it is obtained by carrying out

2. 2. The device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate signal (MS) has a specific value included in a range between a predetermined minimum value associated with the first end position and a predetermined maximum value associated with the second end position, the specific value representing the specific second position proportionally within the range.

3. 3. The device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the particular value of the intermediate signal (MS) is a purely digital value included between a zero value associated with the first end position and a predetermined maximum value associated with the second end position.

4. 3. The device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said intermediate signal (MS) is a voltage analogue signal and said specific value is a continuous voltage value included between a value of 0 volts associated with said first end position and a maximum predetermined voltage value expressed in volts associated with said second end position.

5. The conversion step implemented by the electronic interface module (5) includes, at the end of the steps of sampling, setting the movement direction and incrementing the step_number variable: Calculating the absolute step position required for the stopper (21) by adding the value of the step_number variable to the current absolute step position of the stopper previously stored by the electronic interface module (5) in a step_current_position variable, taking into account the set direction of movement; updating the step_current_position variable; obtaining a value of the absolute position in the range between the predetermined minimum value and the predetermined maximum value by dividing the value of the absolute position in steps by a conversion ratio R calculated by dividing the maximum number of movement steps controllable by the external electronic control means (102) by the maximum number of steps controllable by the electronic interface module (5); 3. The device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that it provides:

6. 6. The device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the electronic interface module (5) is configured to detect the maximum number of movement steps controllable by the external electronic control means (102) by performing the detection of the number of steps and the direction of movement when the external electronic control means (102) performs an initialization step providing that it generates an input signal (IS) adapted to control a stepper motor for moving the stopper from the first end position to the second end position or vice versa.

7. The device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it provides an outer casing (7) in which the electronic control unit (4), the electronic interface module (5) and the servo motor (3) are housed.

8. Device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the plug (21) is a ball plug.

9. at least one duct (101) for a refrigerant fluid (FR); electronic control means (102) adapted to generate at least one input signal (IS) for a stepper motor intended to move a valve element plug for controlling the flow of said refrigerant fluid (FR) in said duct (101); In a refrigeration or cooling system (100) of the type comprising:

9. A refrigeration or cooling system (100) comprising at least the device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the valve element (2) of said device (1) is inserted along a portion of said duct (101), and the electronic interface module (5) is connected to the electronic control means (102) by the electrical input connector (51).

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