Modular Check Valve and Remote Monitoring System Using the Same

KR103016416B1Active Publication Date: 2026-09-09YOUNG JIN FLEX
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Patent Information

Application Number
KR1020250159525
Authority / Receiving Office
KR · KR
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-10-29
Publication Date
2026-09-09
Estimated Expiration
2045-10-29

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a modular check valve and a remote monitoring system using the same, and more specifically, to a modular check valve and a remote monitoring system using the same that can remotely monitor the condition of a pipe by detecting various pipe condition information, such as the degree of opening or closing of the disc part, abnormal sounds within the check valve, internal pressure, and temperature, and transmitting it to an external terminal via wired or wireless communication, by comprising a body part having a space formed inside and a flow path formed therein, a disc part rotatably supported inside the body part, and a module part provided to detachably connect at least one functional module to the outside of the body part.
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Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a modular check valve and a remote monitoring system using the same, and more specifically, to a modular check valve and a remote monitoring system using the same that can remotely monitor the condition of a pipe by detecting various pipe condition information, such as the degree of opening or closing of the disc part, abnormal sounds within the check valve, internal pressure, and temperature, and transmitting it to an external terminal via wired or wireless communication, by comprising a body part having a space formed inside and a flow path formed therein, a disc part rotatably supported inside the body part, and a module part provided to detachably connect at least one functional module to the outside of the body part. Background Technology

[0002] Check valves are key components designed to prevent backflow in fluid piping systems and are widely used in various industrial sectors, including fire sprinklers, industrial process piping, water and sewage treatment facilities, and cooling water lines. Particularly in fire sprinkler systems, they play a crucial role in initial fire response by also functioning as alarm valves; they utilize limit switches to generate an alarm signal when water is released through sprinkler heads during a fire.

[0003] The check valve can operate automatically based on the pressure difference between the fluid at the upstream and downstream ends without a separate actuator. It has a structure in which the disc rotates or rises to open when the hydraulic pressure at the upstream end is higher than that at the downstream end, causing fluid to flow in the forward direction, and closes when the hydraulic pressure at the downstream end is equal to or higher than that at the upstream end, causing fluid to flow in the reverse direction. Thus, it functions to prevent backflow by allowing fluid flow in only one direction when installed in piping.

[0004] Conventional check valves can operate relatively accurately and send alarm signals in situations such as the discharge of water through sprinkler heads or excessive leakage in branch pipes as described above, but they have limitations in that when the amount of leakage is very small or localized changes in flow rate occur that do not reach the sprinkler, the disc does not open completely, so the switch does not operate, and consequently, no alarm or detection is made in the initial stage of leakage.

[0005] In particular, since the disc is located inside the valve and is not exposed to the outside, there was a structural limitation in that the open / closed status or degree of opening of the disc could not be visually checked unless a maintenance worker or manager disassembled the check valve. As a result, there were frequent cases where small leaks in branch pipes or sprinklers were left unnoticed for a long period, and if such leaks accumulated beyond a certain level, there was a problem that accidents resulting in sudden pipe rupture or massive water discharge occurred.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a conventional alarm valve for fire fighting equipment. Referring to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the clapper (110), which is configured to be openable and closed by a rotating shaft (112), has a gap between the upper and lower parts of the hinge hub that is coupled to the rotating shaft (112).

[0007] In this way, conventionally, to prepare for situations where the disc cannot completely block the inside of the pipe due to reasons that cannot be verified from the outside, such as assembly errors or foreign matter between the pipe and the disc, the check valve was configured in a way that leaves a gap between the hub of the disc arm to which the disc is connected and the hinge shaft.

[0008] In this structure, even if the disc moves slightly due to a minute change in flow rate at the downstream end of the check valve, the hinge shaft moves up, down, left, and right within the clearance between the shaft and the hub instead of rotating, so the movement of the disc is not transmitted to the outside.

[0009] Therefore, even if the disk is actually partially open and a minute leak is occurring, since no rotation of the hinge axis occurs, it appears from the outside that the disk remains in a closed state, and as a result, it is difficult to detect signs of initial leakage or the open state early.

[0010] In addition, conventional check valves had limitations in that they could only detect whether the disc was open or closed using the On / Off signal of a limit switch, or even if the open / closed status was displayed externally, an administrator had to visually check it on-site. This made it impossible to remotely monitor the piping status of the entire building in real time from a central location when multiple check valves were widely installed by sector or building within the building.

[0011] These structural limitations not only made it difficult to prevent leaks in the entire piping system but also significantly hindered maintenance efficiency due to the limited information available to managers.

[0012] Accordingly, there is a need to develop a system capable of comprehensively remotely monitoring the piping system by having a structure that can accurately transmit minute movements of the internal disc of a check valve to the outside, while simultaneously detecting not only precise information regarding the valve's open / closed status but also various piping condition information such as internal pressure, temperature, and acoustics, and transmitting the detected information to a remote server or user terminal.

[0013] The technology forming the background of the present invention is disclosed in Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1904344. The problem to be solved

[0014] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems,

[0015] The objective of the present invention is to provide a modular check valve comprising a body portion having a space and a fluid path formed therein, a disc portion rotatably supported inside the body portion that opens during forward fluid flow and closes during reverse fluid flow, and a module portion configured to detachably connect at least one functional module outside the body portion, thereby allowing the disc to automatically open and close according to the fluid flow to prevent backflow, while enabling the selective combination of various functional modules according to the user's needs or installation environment.

[0016] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a modular check valve in which the module part is connected to the outside of the body part and includes a sensor module that detects piping condition information inside or outside the check valve, thereby enabling the sensor module to detect movement or the internal state of the valve resulting from the opening and closing of the disk part.

[0017] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a modular check valve capable of transmitting detected pipe status information to a remote server or user terminal by including, in the sensor module, a sensing unit for detecting pipe status information, a data processing unit for processing and storing the detected pipe status information, and a transmission unit for transmitting the processed and stored pipe status information.

[0018] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a modular check valve capable of detecting the open / closed state inside the check valve or various piping state information related thereto, by including at least one of rotation information of the disc part, sound information inside the check valve, pressure information inside the check valve, and temperature information of the fluid or body part inside the check valve in the piping state information.

[0019] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a modular check valve capable of comprehensively detecting abnormal signs in piping, such as micro-leakage, water hammer, and risk of freezing, as well as simple open / closed status, by including at least one of a rotation detection means for measuring the degree of rotation of the disk portion, an acoustic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor in the sensor module.

[0020] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a modular check valve in which the rotation sensing means detects the rotation angle of the disk portion and quantitatively detects the degree of opening and closing of the disk portion.

[0021] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a modular check valve that further includes a hinge shaft supported within the body portion, wherein the sensor module includes a coupling socket formed by being recessed along a central axis and a connecting shaft formed extending outwardly from the center of the hinge shaft in the axial direction of the body portion, and wherein the inner surface of the coupling socket and the outer surface of the connecting shaft are formed in a shape complementary to each other, so that the rotational force of the hinge shaft can be accurately transmitted to the sensor module without play.

[0022] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a modular check valve wherein the disc portion comprises a disc arm that supports and rotates the disc, and a disc that is detachably provided on one side of the disc arm to open and close the fluid passage, wherein the disc comprises a disc plate that closes the fluid passage when fluid flows backward, and a first guide and a second guide that are spaced apart and extend a predetermined height from the upper surface of the disc plate and face each other, wherein one side of the disc arm is disposed between the first guide and the second guide, and the disc and the disc arm are axially coupled by a disc shaft, so that when the disc closes the fluid passage, it moves slightly relative to the disc arm and is accurately seated on the valve seat.

[0023] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a modular check valve in which the heights of the first guide and the second guide are formed to be higher than the height of the disc arm, thereby securing a space between the disc arm and the disc plate so that the disc can rotate within a predetermined range around the disc axis when the disc is opened or closed.

[0024] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a remote monitoring system using a modular check valve, comprising at least one of the modular check valves and a server that receives pipe status information from each sensor module of the modular check valve, wherein the server transmits the pipe status information to a user terminal to remotely monitor the status information of the pipe where the check valve is installed.

[0025] delete

[0026] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a remote monitoring system using a modular check valve, wherein the modular check valve is installed in predetermined zone units, thereby enabling monitoring of piping status information in specific zone units.

[0027] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a remote monitoring system using a modular check valve that can database pipe status information received from a sensor module by including a communication unit that receives and transmits pipe status information via wired / wireless communication methods and a storage unit that stores the information. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a remote monitoring system using a modular check valve that can detect signs of pipe abnormalities early and transmit them immediately to an administrator by further including a data analysis unit that analyzes the pipe status information and determines signs of abnormality in the pipe connected to the check valve and an alarm generation unit that generates an alarm based on the determination of the data analysis unit.

[0028] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a remote monitoring system using modular check valves that can comprehensively analyze the piping status of an entire specific area as well as the status of individual valves by the data analysis unit mapping and aggregating piping status information based on an identifier assigned to each of the modular check valves.

[0029] However, the technical problems that the embodiments of the present invention aim to solve are not limited to the technical problems described above, and other technical problems may exist. means of solving the problem

[0030] The present invention is implemented by an embodiment having the following configuration to achieve the aforementioned objective.

[0031] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the present invention may include a body portion having a space formed on the inside and a fluid path formed therein, a hinge shaft supported within the body portion, a disk portion rotatably supported by the hinge shaft that opens when fluid flows in the forward direction and closes when fluid flows in the reverse direction, and a module portion provided such that at least one functional module is detachably coupled to the outside of the body portion.

[0032] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the module portion may include a sensor module connected to the outside of the body portion to detect piping condition information inside or outside the check valve.

[0033] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention may include a sensor module comprising a sensing unit for detecting pipe condition information, a data processing unit for processing and storing the detected pipe condition information, and a transmission unit for transmitting the processed and stored pipe condition information.

[0034] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the piping condition information may include at least one of rotation information of the disc portion, sound information inside the check valve, pressure information inside the check valve, and temperature information of the fluid or body portion inside the check valve.

[0035] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the sensor module may include at least one of a rotation detection means for measuring the degree of rotation of the disk portion, an acoustic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

[0036] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the rotation sensing means can detect the rotation angle of the disk portion and quantitatively detect the degree of opening and closing of the disk portion.

[0037] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention further includes a hinge shaft supported within the body portion, wherein the sensor module includes a coupling socket formed by being recessed along a central axis and a connecting shaft extending outwardly from the center of the hinge shaft in the axial direction of the body portion, and the inner surface of the coupling socket and the outer surface of the connecting shaft may be formed in a shape that is complementary to each other.

[0038] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention comprises a disc portion that supports the disc and rotates, and a disc that is detachably provided on one side of the disc arm and opens and closes the fluid path, wherein the disc comprises a disc plate that closes the fluid path when the fluid flows backward, and a first guide and a second guide that are formed extending by a predetermined height from the upper surface of the disc plate and spaced apart to face each other, wherein one side of the disc arm is disposed between the first guide and the second guide, and the disc and the disc arm can be axially coupled by a disc shaft.

[0039] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the height of the first guide and the second guide may be formed to be higher than the height of the disc arm.

[0040] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention includes at least one of the modular check valves and a server that receives pipe status information from each sensor module of the modular check valve, and the server can transmit the pipe status information to a user terminal.

[0041] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the modular check valve can be installed in predetermined zone units.

[0042] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention may include a server comprising a communication unit that receives and transmits the pipe status information via a wired / wireless communication method, and a storage unit that stores the information. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention may further include a server comprising a data analysis unit that analyzes the pipe status information to determine abnormal signs in the pipe connected to the check valve, and an alarm generation unit that generates an alarm based on the determination of the data analysis unit.

[0043] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the data analysis unit can map and aggregate piping status information based on an identifier assigned to each of the modular check valves.

[0044] The above-described means for solving the problem are merely exemplary and should not be interpreted as intended to limit the invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, additional embodiments may exist in the drawings and the detailed description of the invention. Effects of the invention

[0045] The present invention can achieve the following effects through the combination and usage relationship of the embodiments described above and the configuration described below.

[0046] The present invention comprises a body portion having a space formed on the inside and a fluid path formed therein, a hinge shaft supported within the body portion, a disc portion rotatably supported by the hinge shaft that opens when fluid flows in the forward direction and closes when fluid flows in the reverse direction, and a module portion configured to allow at least one functional module to be detachably coupled on the outside of the body portion, thereby having the effect of preventing backflow by automatically opening and closing the disc according to the flow of fluid, while allowing various functional modules to be selectively coupled and used according to the user's needs or installation environment.

[0047] The present invention has the effect that the sensor module, which is connected to the outside of the body part and detects piping condition information inside or outside the check valve, can detect movement or the internal state of the valve caused by the opening and closing of the disk part.

[0048] The present invention has the effect of enabling the detection of pipe status information to be transmitted to a remote server or user terminal by including a sensor module comprising a detection unit that detects pipe status information, a data processing unit that processes and stores the detected pipe status information, and a transmission unit that transmits the processed and stored pipe status information.

[0049] The present invention has the effect of detecting the open / closed state of the check valve or various piping state information related thereto by including at least one of rotation information of the disc part, sound information inside the check valve, pressure information inside the check valve, and temperature information of the fluid or body part inside the check valve in the piping state information.

[0050] The present invention has the effect of being able to comprehensively detect abnormal signs of piping, such as micro-leakage, water hammer, and risk of freezing, as well as simple opening and closing, by including at least one of a rotation detection means for measuring the degree of rotation of the disk portion, an acoustic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor in the sensor module.

[0051] The present invention has the effect of enabling the rotation sensing means to detect the rotation angle of the disk portion and quantitatively detect the degree of opening and closing of the disk portion.

[0052] The present invention further includes a hinge shaft supported within the body portion, wherein the sensor module includes a coupling socket formed by being recessed along a central axis and a connecting shaft extended from the center of the hinge shaft in the outer axial direction of the body portion, and wherein the inner surface of the coupling socket and the outer surface of the connecting shaft are formed in a shape complementary to each other, thereby having the effect of accurately transmitting the rotational force of the hinge shaft to the sensor module without play.

[0053] The present invention comprises a disc portion including a disc arm that supports and rotates the disc, and a disc that is detachably provided on one side of the disc arm to open and close the fluid passage. The disc includes a disc plate that closes the fluid passage when fluid flows backward, and a first guide and a second guide that are formed extending a predetermined height from the upper surface of the disc plate and spaced apart to face each other. One side of the disc arm is positioned between the first guide and the second guide. The disc and the disc arm are axially coupled by a disc shaft, thereby enabling the disc to move slightly relative to the disc arm when closing the fluid passage and to be accurately seated on the valve seat.

[0054] The present invention has the effect that the height of the first guide and the second guide is formed to be higher than the height of the disc arm, thereby securing a space between the disc arm and the disc plate so that the disc can rotate within a predetermined range around the disc axis when the disc is opened or closed.

[0055] The present invention comprises at least one of the modular check valves and a server that receives pipe status information from each sensor module of the modular check valves, and the server transmits the pipe status information to a user terminal, thereby enabling remote monitoring of the status information of the pipes where the check valves are installed.

[0056] The present invention has the effect of enabling monitoring of piping status information in specific zone units by installing the modular check valve in predetermined zone units.

[0057] The present invention provides a remote monitoring system using a modular check valve, wherein the server comprises a communication unit that receives and transmits the pipe status information via wired / wireless communication methods and a storage unit that stores the information, thereby enabling the pipe status information received from a sensor module to be stored in a database. The present invention further comprises a data analysis unit that analyzes the pipe status information to determine signs of abnormality in the pipe connected to the check valve and an alarm generation unit that generates an alarm based on the determination of the data analysis unit, thereby enabling the early detection of signs of abnormality in the pipe and immediate transmission to an administrator.

[0058] The present invention has the effect of enabling comprehensive analysis of the piping status of an entire specific area as well as the status of individual valves by the data analysis unit mapping and aggregating piping status information based on identifiers assigned to each of the modular check valves.

[0059] However, the effects obtainable from the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other effects may exist. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0060] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating an alarm valve for fire fighting equipment according to the prior art; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a modular check valve according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is an internal cross-sectional view of the modular check valve; FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the disc portion of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a drawing showing the structure of the disc arm and guide of the disc portion; FIG. 6 is a side view of the disc; FIG. 7 is a drawing showing the internal structure of the check valve; FIG. 8 is a drawing showing the coupling structure of the module portion of the present invention; FIG. 9 is a drawing showing the configuration of a remote monitoring system using a modular check valve according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the sensor module of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the server of the present invention; FIG. 12 is a usage state diagram showing the state in which the modular check valve of the present invention is open. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0061] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation have been omitted, and similar parts throughout the specification are denoted by similar reference numerals.

[0062] Throughout the specification of the present invention, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0063] Throughout the entire specification of the present invention, when a member is described as being located "on," "on the upper," "on the top," "under," "on the lower," or "on the bottom" of another member, this includes not only cases where the member is in contact with the other member, but also cases where another member exists between the two members.

[0064] Throughout the specification of the present invention, when a component is described as being "connected" to another component, unless specifically stated otherwise, this does not refer only to a direct connection excluding other components, but includes interconnection using fastening means such as bolts, nuts, and screws, and does not exclude the inclusion of other components in between. Furthermore, terms such as "~part" described in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation.

[0065] Throughout the specification of the present invention, the terms "one side" or "one end" refer to a reference part or end of a specific member or mutually corresponding different members, and do not imply an absolute direction. Additionally, the terms "other side" or "other end" refer to the other part or end of the specific member or mutually corresponding different members that corresponds to the "one side" or "one end."

[0066] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by explaining preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

[0068] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a modular check valve (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] A check valve can be installed in a piping system through which fluid flows, and can be used to prevent backflow within the piping by opening the disc of the check valve when the fluid flows in the forward direction (for example, the direction of flow from the primary pipe connected to the inlet (110) to the secondary pipe connected to the outlet (120), and closing the disc located between the primary pipe and the secondary pipe when the fluid flows in the reverse direction. Additionally, the disc of the check valve can be opened even when the pressure formed by the fluid inside the secondary pipe, which is the downstream end of the check valve, is lower than the pressure formed by the fluid inside the primary pipe, which is the upstream end of the check valve. This mainly applies when piping equipment, such as branch pipes or floor pipes, or sprinklers connected thereto, ruptures or leaks occur in some locations. Therefore, such check valves are installed in large numbers in the building's piping system and are used as fire alarm valves to alert when a sprinkler bursts or a pipe ruptures due to a fire.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 2, the modular check valve (1) according to the present invention may include a body part (10) which acts as a chamber in which a fluid path is formed on the inside and a disc for opening and closing the fluid path can move, a hinge shaft (20) which is supported on the inside of the body part (10) and acts as a rotation axis such as a hinge when the disc is opened and closed, a disc part (30) which is rotatably supported by the hinge shaft (20), and a module part (50) which is provided on the outside of the body part (10) and to which at least one functional module is detachably coupled.

[0071] delete

[0072] The modular check valve (1) of the present invention, by means of the above structure, when the disk (350) of the disk part (30) is opened or closed, the movement is transmitted to the sensor module (550) of the module part (50) through the hinge shaft (20), thereby detecting various pipe condition information including the degree of opening or closing of the disk part (30), abnormal sound inside the check valve, internal pressure, temperature, etc., and transmitting it to an external terminal via wired or wireless communication, so that the condition of the pipe can be remotely monitored from a server (80) or a user terminal (90).

[0073] In addition, by applying a structure that provides clearance to the connection between the disc (350) and the disc arm (310), the disc (350) can automatically adjust its position and accurately adhere to the valve seat (70) to close the flow path even when there is an assembly error between the valve seat (70) and the disc (350) or when foreign matter is present. Furthermore, even when the disc (350) opens or closes slightly, the movement is accurately transmitted through the hinge shaft (20), thereby allowing for early detection of initial leakage with a small amount of leakage or accumulation of sludge within the valve seat (70) or the disc (350) of the check valve, thereby preventing unexpected damage to the piping equipment or sprinkler or failure of the check valve.

[0074] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the modular check valve (1) of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the body portion (10) can be understood as a housing that forms an inner space in which a disc portion (30), to be described later, can be installed and operated, and includes a connecting portion for connecting to a main pipe or a branch pipe, etc. Specifically, the body portion (10) may include an inlet (110) for connecting to a primary side pipe into which fluid flows, and an outlet (120) for connecting to a secondary side pipe into which fluid flows out during forward flow, and may further include a first connecting portion (130) and a second connecting portion (140) for connecting to the other branch pipe or cross pipe, etc., as needed.

[0075] The hinge shaft (20) supports the disc portion (30), which will be described later, from the inside of the body portion (10), and can be understood as a configuration that acts as a rotational shaft capable of opening and closing the disc portion (30) and rotating according to changes in hydraulic pressure within the check valve. Referring to FIG. 3, the hinge shaft (20) may be installed to be supported in a horizontal direction from the inside of the body portion (10). Meanwhile, the hinge shaft (20) may be made of a metal material with high thermal conductivity in order to transmit the temperature of the body portion (10) or the temperature of the fluid flowing within the body portion (10) to the temperature sensor of the module portion (50) through the connecting shaft (530), which will be described later.

[0076] delete

[0078] The disc portion (30) can be understood as being rotatably supported by the hinge shaft (20) within the body portion (10) and serving as an operating portion that opens the flow path when the fluid flows in the forward direction and closes the flow path when the fluid flows in the reverse direction to prevent backflow. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 7, the disc portion (30) may include a disc arm (310) that rotates around the hinge shaft (20) and a disc (350) coupled to one side of the disc arm (310) to open and close the actual flow path.

[0079] The disc arm (310) can be understood as a configuration that connects the disc (350) to the hinge shaft (20) and acts as a connecting link that converts the movement of the disc (350) opening and closing into rotational movement of the hinge shaft (20). Specifically, the disc arm (310) may include an axial hole (313) formed to axially connect with the disc (350) on one side (free end side) and an arm hub (311) connected to the hinge shaft (20) on the other side (rotation center side).

[0080] In particular, in the arm hub (311) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the through hole connected through the hinge shaft (20) has an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the hinge shaft (20) so as to minimize play with the hinge shaft (20), thereby preventing the rotational force of the disc arm (310) from being offset by the play between the hinge shaft (20) and the arm hub (311) when there is a fine opening movement of the disc (350), so that the rotational force resulting from the fine opening and closing can be accurately transmitted to the rotation of the hinge shaft (20).

[0082] The disc (350) can be understood as having a configuration that sits on the valve seat (70) of the inlet pipe located on the inlet port (110) within the body part (10) to physically close the flow path when the fluid flows backward, and opens the flow path when the fluid flows forward. Referring to FIG. 4, the disc (350) may include a disc plate (357) forming the main structure, a seat (359) made of an elastic material provided at the bottom of the disc plate (357) to improve watertightness when the flow path is closed, a first guide (351) and a second guide (353) having a disc shaft hole (355) formed to connect the disc plate (357) and the disc arm (310), and a disc shaft (356).

[0083] The above disc plate (357) can be understood as being supported by the above disc arm (310) and configured to open and close according to the flow of fluid within the check valve. The above disc plate (357) may have a seat (359) made of an elastic material, such as rubber, attached to its lower portion to more completely close the valve seat (70).

[0084] The first guide (351) and the second guide (352) are formed to extend vertically from the upper part of the disk plate (357) and can be understood as a configuration for connecting the disk (350) to the disk arm (310). Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the first guide (351) and the second guide (352) are spaced apart to face each other, and disk shaft holes (355a, 355b) for the disk shaft (356) to pass through may be formed on the guides.

[0085] At this time, one side of the disk arm (310) is positioned between the first guide (351) and the second guide (352), so that the axis of the axis hole (313) of the disk arm (310) and the axis of the disk axis holes (355a, 355b) of the first guide (351) and the second guide (352) are aligned, and the disk axis (356) passes through it, thereby allowing the disk (350) and the disk arm (310) to be axially coupled so as to be separable.

[0086] The above-mentioned disc shaft (356) can be understood as a configuration that acts as a connecting pin connecting the disc (350) and the disc arm (310) to each other, allowing the two components to move as a single unit while enabling relative movement under specific conditions. The above-mentioned disc shaft (356) can be fastened by sequentially penetrating the disc shaft hole (355a) of the first guide (351), the shaft hole (313) of the disc arm (310), and the disc shaft hole (355) of the second guide (353).

[0087] Meanwhile, in the present invention, when the Euro is closed, in order to allow the disc (350) to be accurately and stably seated on the valve seat (70) in response to assembly errors of the disc part (30) or foreign matter between the valve seat (70) and the disc (350), a fine gap is allowed in the coupling structure of the disc (350) and the disc arm (310), thereby allowing the disc (350) to move within a predetermined range.

[0088] Referring to FIG. 6, in order to form such clearance, the height of the first guide (351) and the second guide (353) of the check valve according to one embodiment of the present invention may be formed higher than the height of the disc arm (310). At this time, the height of the first guide (351) and the second guide (353) refers to the length in which the first guide (351) and the second guide (353) are extended in a vertical direction from the upper surface of the disc plate (357), and the height of the disc arm (310) may refer to the thickness of the disc arm (310) measured in a direction in which the heights of the first guide (351) and the second guide (353) can all be seen.

[0089] In this way, the disc arm (310) located between the first guide (351) and the second guide (353) is formed at a predetermined height from the upper surface of the disc plate (357) by the disc shaft (356), so that if there is an assembly error when closing the flow path, the disc (350) can rotate within a predetermined range relative to the disc arm (310), thereby enabling stable closing. In this case, it is preferable that a predetermined gap is provided between the first guide (351) and the second guide (353) and the disc arm (310) located between them, so that the disc (350) can move within a predetermined range in the axial direction of the disc shaft (356).

[0090] Referring again to FIG. 5, in order to form the clearance, the disc shaft (356) is pressed into the shaft hole (313) of the disc arm (310), and the inner diameter of the disc shaft hole (355) of the first guide (351) and the second guide (353) may be formed to have a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the disc shaft (356). That is, the outer diameter of the disc shaft (356) corresponds to the inner diameter of the shaft hole (313) of the disc arm (310) but is smaller than the inner diameter of the disc shaft hole (355), so that clearance is formed between the disc shaft hole (353) and the disc shaft (356), thereby inducing stable closing of the disc (350) even in situations where there is an assembly error or foreign matter.

[0091] Alternatively, a modular check valve according to another embodiment of the present invention may be formed such that the disc shaft (356) is pressed into the disc shaft hole (355) of the first guide (351) and the second guide (353), and the inner diameter of the shaft hole (313) of the disc arm (310) has a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the disc shaft (356).

[0092] That is, the modular check valve of the present invention, through the structure as described above, forms a gap between the disc (350) and the disc arm (310) rather than the hinge shaft (20), thereby preventing the rotational force of the disc arm (310) from being offset by the gap between the hinge shaft (20) and the arm hub (311) even during fine opening and closing of the disc (350), so that the rotational force resulting from fine opening and closing can also be accurately transmitted to the rotation of the hinge shaft (20).

[0094] Referring to FIG. 7, the module part (50) is installed on the outside of the body part (10) and can be understood as having a configuration in which at least one functional module is detachably coupled to detect the open / closed state of the disc part (30) inside the modular check valve of the present invention or various piping state information related thereto.

[0095] Referring to FIG. 8, the module part (50) may include a connecting shaft (530) for transmitting the rotation of the hinge shaft (20) to the outside, and a sensor module (550) coupled to the connecting shaft (530) to detect pipe condition information. In addition, the module part (50) may further include a plate (510) that serves as a base on which various parts such as the sensor module (550) are arranged or supported, and a cover (570) provided to protect the module part (50) on the plate (510).

[0096] The above plate (510) may have a through hole (511) through which a connecting shaft (530) extending from the hinge shaft (20) can pass from the inside to the outside of the body part (10), and a fixing hole (560) for fixing the plate (510) to the body part (10), and may support the sensor module (550).

[0097] The above connecting shaft (530) can be understood as a configuration that transmits the rotational force of the hinge shaft (20) located inside the body part (10) to a sensor module (550) outside the body part (10), or transmits temperature information inside the check valve that can be detected through the hinge shaft (20). To this end, the above connecting shaft (530) may be made of the same metal material as the hinge shaft (20).

[0098] Meanwhile, the connecting shaft (530) may be formed as an integral extension from the center of the hinge shaft (20), or may be provided to be inserted and fastened to the hinge shaft (20) so as to be detachable. For example, one end of the connecting shaft (530) may be inserted and fastened into a connecting hole (210) formed by being axially recessed along the central axis of the hinge shaft (20).

[0099] The sensor module (550) is an example of a functional module that is detachably coupled to the module part (50), and is coupled to the connecting shaft (530) to detect piping condition information inside or outside the check valve.

[0100] Specifically, referring to FIGS. 8 and FIGS. 10, the sensor module (550) may include a coupling socket (551) for connecting to a hinge shaft (20) within the body part (10), a sensing part (553) for sensing pipe condition information, a data processing part (555) for processing and storing the sensed information, and a transmission part (557) for transmitting the processed and stored pipe condition information to an external server (80) or user terminal (90) via a wired or wireless communication network.

[0101] The coupling socket (551) can be understood as a coupling part formed by being recessed along the central axis or axial direction of the sensor module (550) so as to be coupled with the connecting shaft (530). At this time, the outer surface of the connecting shaft (530) is formed with a shape that is complementary to the inner surface of the coupling socket (551) (e.g., a chamfered surface such as a square shape, a D-cut shape, etc.), so that the rotational force of the hinge shaft (20) according to the opening and closing movement of the disk (350) can be accurately transmitted to the sensor module (550) without play or slippage.

[0102] For example, the above pipe condition information may include at least one of the following: rotation information of the disk part (30), sound information inside the body part (10) (e.g., water hammer, high-frequency noise due to chatter, hissing sound due to fine leakage, sound of collision of solid foreign matter, etc.), pressure information of the fluid inside the body part (10), or temperature information of the fluid inside the body part (10) or the body part (10) (e.g., temperature at risk of freezing, overheating temperature, etc.).

[0103] Accordingly, the sensing unit (553) of the sensor module (550) may include various sensors for detecting the pipe condition information. For example, the sensing unit (553) may include at least one of a rotation sensing means coupled to the connecting shaft (530) to measure the degree of rotation of the disk unit (30), an acoustic sensor for detecting sound information, a pressure sensor for detecting pressure information, and a temperature sensor for detecting temperature information.

[0104] In particular, when the sensor module (550) includes a rotation detection means, the rotation detection means can precisely detect the rotation angle of the connecting shaft (530), thereby quantitatively determining the degree of opening and closing of the disk portion (30) due to fluid flow within the body portion (10).

[0105] In addition, when the sensor module (550) is a rotation detection means, the detected rotation angle or speed of the disk part (30) is processed by the data processing unit (555), so that not only the degree of opening and closing of the disk part (30) but also the fluid flow rate within the check valve due to the opening and closing speed of the disk, whether chatter occurs due to repeated opening and closing, whether water hammer occurs, and early analysis of micro-leakage due to repeated opening and closing at a small rotation angle may be possible.

[0106] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the rotation sensing means may be an encoder, and the encoder may be a solid shaft encoder comprising a solid shaft having a coupling socket (551), which is a space inwardly recessed in the center of the encoder body, and configured to be coupled with the connecting shaft (530). In this case, as the connecting shaft (530) rotates, the solid shaft within the encoder rotates together, thereby detecting the amount of rotation (rotation angle, speed, direction, etc.) and converting and transmitting it into an electrical signal.

[0107] The above cover (570) is installed on the plate (510) and can be understood as serving as a case that protects the components of the module part (50), such as the connecting shaft (530) and sensor module (550) of the present invention, from the external environment. The above cover (570) is provided to be detachably attached to the plate (510) and may be formed of a transparent material so as to facilitate easy inspection of the sensor module (550) inside the cover (570).

[0109] Meanwhile, another embodiment of the present invention may include a remote monitoring system (2) using the modular check valve (1).

[0110] Referring to FIG. 9, the remote monitoring system (2) may include at least one of the aforementioned modular check valves (1) and a server (80) that receives pipe status information from each sensor module (550) of the modular check valve (1). Additionally, the server (80) may be configured to transmit the received pipe status information to a user terminal (90) so that an administrator or the like can remotely monitor the status information of the pipe where the check valve is installed.

[0111] At this time, the modular check valve (1) may be installed in multiple units by dividing them into predetermined zone units, such as by sector within the building (e.g., 1st floor, 2nd floor, etc.) or by building (e.g., Building 101, Building 102, etc.). Accordingly, the user can remotely monitor the status information of the piping by identifying the specific zone unit where the modular check valve (1) is installed through the user terminal (90).

[0113] Referring to FIG. 11, the server (80) may include a communication unit (810) that receives pipe status information detected from the sensor module (550) and transmits the information to the user terminal (90), a storage unit (830) that stores the received pipe status information, a data analysis unit (850), and an alarm generation unit (870).

[0114] The communication unit (810), like the data processing unit (555) of the module unit (50), can receive information from the sensor module (550) via a wired or wireless communication method and transmit data to a user terminal (90). At this time, the wired or wireless communication method may be a communication method known in the art, and if a wireless communication method is used, a separate gateway may be additionally included.

[0115] The above storage unit (830) can be understood as a configuration that serves as a database for storing pipe condition information received from the sensor module (550) or processed by the data analysis unit (850) described later.

[0116] The data analysis unit (850) can be understood as being configured to analyze pipe condition information stored in the storage unit (830) to determine abnormal signs in the pipe connected to the check valve (1). For example, the data analysis unit (850) can comprehensively analyze rotation information, sound information, pressure information, and temperature information of the disk unit (30) within the body unit (10) to determine whether there is a minor leak and the amount of leakage, risk of freezing or fluid overheating, occurrence of water hammer or chattering, or accumulation of sludge in the valve, and based on the results of the determination, analyze the current status of the check valve or the pipe connected thereto and the need for maintenance.

[0117] In addition, the data analysis unit (850) can map and aggregate the transmitted piping status information based on the identifier assigned to each of the modular check valves (1).

[0118] Specifically, in the remote monitoring system (2) of the present invention, the modular check valve (1) is installed in a predetermined zone unit, and the sensor module (550) may be assigned a unique identifier according to the zone (e.g., 'Building 101-1st Floor-A Line' or 'B Line', etc.). Accordingly, when the data analysis unit (850) receives pipe status information from the sensor module (550), it can store information by mapping which zone's check valve the information originated from based on the identifier included in the information. With this configuration, the remote monitoring system (2) using the modular check valve of the present invention can quickly determine that when a minute fluid flow (disk rotation information) or a hissing sound (sound information) is detected simultaneously in multiple check valves in a specific zone (e.g., the entire 1st floor), it is not a problem with individual check valves, but rather a precursor symptom of widespread leakage or pipe rupture in the zone.

[0119] The above alarm generation unit (870) can be understood as a configuration that generates an alarm signal corresponding to the case where the data analysis unit (850) determines that there are signs of abnormality or a need for maintenance in the piping. For example, if the data analysis unit (850) determines a minor leak, a risk of freezing, or a water hammer phenomenon, the alarm generation unit (870) can generate an alarm message or alarm signal according to the type and severity of the abnormal signs, and the generated alarm can be transmitted to a user terminal (90) through the communication unit (810) along with the pipe status information.

[0121] Meanwhile, the user terminal (90) may be a control monitor located in a building machine room, management room, local fire station, etc., or a smartphone, tablet PC, etc. carried by a manager. Such a user terminal (90) may include a data receiving unit (910) that receives pipe status information and / or alarms from the server (80), and a display unit (930) that visually displays the received information.

[0123] The foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will understand that other specific forms can be easily modified without altering the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single unit may be implemented in a distributed manner, and components described as distributed may likewise be implemented in a combined form.

[0124] The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims set forth below rather than by the detailed description above, and all modifications or variations derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts thereof should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0125] 1: Modular check valve 10: Body part 110: Inlet 120: Outlet 130: First connecting part 140: Second connecting point 20: Hinge axis 210: Connecting hole 30: Disk section 310: Disc arm 311: AmHerb 313: Chukgong 350: Disk 351: The First Guide 353: Second Guide 355: Disk shaft 356: Disk axis 357: Disk Plate 359: Sheet 50: Module section 510: Plate 511: Through hole 530: Connecting shaft 550: Sensor module 551: Connecting socket 553: Detector 555: Data processing unit 557: Transmission section 560: Fixing hole 570: Cover 70: Valve seat 2: Remote monitoring system using modular check valves 80: Server 810: Communications Department 830: Storage section 850: Data Analysis Department 870: Alarm generation unit 90: User terminal 910: Data receiver 930: Display section 100: Alarm valve for fire fighting equipment

Claims

Claim 1 A modular check valve comprising: a body portion having a space formed on the inside and a flow path formed therein; a disc portion rotatably supported on the inside of the body portion, which opens when fluid flows in the forward direction and closes when fluid flows in the reverse direction; and a module portion configured to detachably connect at least one functional module on the outside of the body portion, wherein the disc portion comprises a disc arm that supports and rotates the disc and a disc configured to be detachably connected on one side of the disc arm to open and close the flow path, wherein the disc comprises a disc plate that closes the flow path when fluid flows in the reverse direction, and a first guide and a second guide that are spaced apart and extend a predetermined height from the upper surface of the disc plate and face each other, wherein one side of the disc arm is positioned between the first guide and the second guide, and the disc and the disc arm are axially connected by a disc shaft. Claim 2 A modular check valve according to claim 1, wherein the module part comprises a sensor module connected to the outside of the body part to detect piping condition information inside or outside the check valve. Claim 3 A modular check valve according to paragraph 2, wherein the sensor module further comprises a sensing unit for detecting pipe condition information, a data processing unit for processing and storing the detected pipe condition information, and a transmission unit for transmitting the processed and stored pipe condition information. Claim 4 A modular check valve according to paragraph 3, characterized in that the piping condition information comprises at least one of rotation information of the disc part, sound information inside the check valve, pressure information inside the check valve, and temperature information of the fluid or body part inside the check valve. Claim 5 A modular check valve according to claim 4, wherein the sensor module further comprises at least one of a rotation detection means for measuring the degree of rotation of the disk portion, an acoustic sensor, a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor. Claim 6 A modular check valve according to claim 5, wherein the sensor module includes a rotation detection means, and the rotation detection means detects the rotation angle of the disk portion and detects the degree of opening and closing of the disk portion due to fluid flow within the body portion. Claim 7 A modular check valve according to claim 2, further comprising a hinge shaft supported within the body portion, wherein the sensor module further comprises a coupling socket formed by being axially recessed along a central axis line and a connecting shaft formed extending axially outward from the center of the hinge shaft, and wherein the inner surface of the coupling socket and the outer surface of the connecting shaft are formed in a shape complementary to each other so as to be configured to combine the coupling socket and the connecting shaft. Claim 8 delete Claim 9 A modular check valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the height of the first guide and the second guide is higher than the height of the disc arm. Claim 10 A remote monitoring system using a modular check valve according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and 9 comprises at least one modular check valve and a server that receives piping status information from each of the at least one modular check valves. The modular check valve comprises a body portion that forms a space and a flow path on its inner side, a disc portion that is rotatably supported inside the body portion and opens when fluid flows in the forward direction and closes when fluid flows in the reverse direction, and a module portion that is provided to detachably connect at least one functional module on the outer side of the body portion. The disc portion comprises a disc arm that supports and rotates the disc, and a disc that is detachably provided on one side of the disc arm to open and close the flow path. The disc comprises a disc plate that closes the flow path when fluid flows in reverse, and a first guide and a second guide that are spaced apart and extend a predetermined height from the upper surface of the disc plate and face each other. One side of the disc arm is disposed between the first guide and the second guide, so that the disc and the disc arm are connected by a disc shaft. A remote monitoring system using a modular check valve, characterized in that it is combined, and the server transmits the pipe status information to a user terminal to enable remote monitoring of the status information of the pipe where the check valve is installed. Claim 11 A remote monitoring system using a modular check valve, characterized in that, in claim 10, the modular check valve is installed in predetermined zone units, and the user can monitor the status information of the piping in specific zone units where the modular check valve is installed. Claim 12 A remote monitoring system using a modular check valve according to claim 11, wherein the server comprises a communication unit that receives and transmits pipe condition information detected from the sensor module via a wired / wireless communication method, and a storage unit that stores the pipe condition information. Claim 13 A remote monitoring system using a modular check valve according to claim 12, wherein the server further comprises a data analysis unit that analyzes the pipe condition information to determine abnormal signs in the pipe connected to the check valve, and an alarm generation unit that generates an alarm based on the determination of the data analysis unit, and the communication unit transmits the pipe condition information and the generated alarm to a user terminal. Claim 14 A remote monitoring system using modular check valves, wherein, in Clause 13, the data analysis unit maps and aggregates transmitted piping status information based on an identifier assigned to each of the modular check valves.

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