JPH07217762A - Manual control device for valve actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an actuator which can surely disengage between an output shaft and meshed gears and to hold this disengaged condition so that a manual control shaft can be rotated even only by one hand. CONSTITUTION:A final gear 21 is fixed to an output shaft 2 which is connected at its one end to a valve, and which is provided at the other end with a manual control shaft 23, and an engaging and disengaging gear 19 urged by a clutch spring 20 toward the upstream stage of a final gear 21 t is slidably fitted on a support shaft 24 so that the torque of a motor driven motor 17 is transmitted to the output shaft 22. When a pressing part 4 of an actuator body 1 is pressed, a control rod 5 slides the engaging and disengaging gear 19 downward so that the final gear 21 is disengaged from the gear 19 while a pawl 8 of the pressing part 4 is engaged with an engaging part 11 of a locking member 10, and accordingly, the gears 19, 21 are held being disengaged from each other. Further, when a return piece 12 of the locking member 10 is manipulated in a direction indicated by the arrow, it can be returned into a normal use condition.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a valve actuator manual operating device for automatically opening and closing various valves such as a ball valve and a butterfly valve.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An actuator that uses an electric motor as a power source and operates the power source through a reduction gear to open and close a valve is used when the operation means is cut off due to a power failure or an abnormality, or when maintenance or inspection is performed. Must be manually operated. in this case,
The output shaft of the actuator connected to the stem of the valve will be manually operated directly by using a tool or jig such as a spanner. However, since the output shaft is speed-up coupled to the rotary shaft of the power source via the reduction gear, operating the output shaft of the actuator in this state requires a large torque and is difficult to operate manually. is there.

Therefore, in this type of reduction gear, it is necessary to release the output shaft from the reduction gear during manual operation. For example, during normal operation, the engaging gear engages with the fixed gear that is fixed to the output shaft of the actuator by the elastic force of the spring, and the rotational force of the motor is transmitted to the output shaft. The knob is operated to move the engaging gear in the axial direction against the elastic force of the spring to release the engagement with the fixed gear, and manually operate the manually operated end provided on the outer end of the output shaft. It is known that when the operation of the knob is stopped, the engaging gear returns together with the knob by the elastic force of the spring and engages with the fixed gear again.

[0004]

However, when the actuator is manually operated in the above-mentioned conventional example, the knob is pushed down with one hand to separate the reduction gear and the output shaft, while the other hand has a tool such as a spanner. You have to hold the jig or jig and rotate the manually operated end. In other words, when operating the actuator manually, it is necessary to use both hands, and the actuator is installed in a narrow place, or is installed in a place where an unreasonable work posture is required such as in a high place or in the back of piping equipment. If it is, it is difficult to reliably perform the operation of disconnecting the reduction gear and the output shaft, which not only poses a risk of erroneous operation, but in the worst case, it may be necessary to perform the operation of disconnecting the reduction gear and the output shaft. However, there is a problem that the actuator cannot be operated manually, and improvement of such inconvenience has been desired.

The present invention was developed in view of the problems of the conventional example, and an object thereof is to disconnect the output shaft from the meshing gear group and this state in the manual operation of the actuator. An object of the present invention is to provide an actuator capable of easily rotating a manually operated shaft even with one hand by securely holding it.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, an actuator for automatically opening and closing a valve by connecting a valve output shaft through a gear unit to a moving shaft of an electric motor provided in a casing. , A contact / separation gear in which one of the meshing gear groups of the above-mentioned gear unit is vertically movable via a clutch spring is provided, and the end of the operating rod of the pressing portion exposed to the outside of the casing is provided on the upper surface of this contact / separation gear And a locking claw provided in the pressing portion so as to be able to be locked by a locking portion of a lock member provided in the casing, and the pressing portion can be returned via a return spring. Adopted the configuration. In this case, the above-mentioned lock member is arranged in a housing portion formed in a casing, and this lock member integrally forms a pair of return pieces and a locking portion, and the upper end of the return piece is inserted into an insertion hole formed in the pressing portion. The pair of return pieces of the lock member are inserted into the insertion holes of the pressing portion in a state where the locking claw is locked to the locking portion of the lock member by positioning and pressing the pressing portion, and the pair of return pieces are When pressed inward, it is preferable that the locking portion of the lock member is disengaged from the locking claw of the pressing portion, and the pressing portion is returned to the old position by the elastic force of the return spring.

[0007]

Since the present invention is constructed in this way,
The rotation of the moving shaft of the electric motor is decelerated by the meshing gear group of the gear unit to rotate the output shaft with sufficient torque, and the stem of the valve connected thereto rotates to control the opening / closing of the valve. When manually operating the actuator for reasons such as power outages or maintenance inspections, when the pressing part provided on the actuator body is pressed, the end of the operating rod provided on the pressing part presses the upper surface of the contact / separation gear. Then, the contact / separation gear is slidably moved in the axial direction (downward) of the support shaft against the elastic force of the clutch spring, and the meshing with the meshing gear group adjacent to the contact / separation gear is released.

The return spring is reduced by the pressing operation of the pressing portion, and the locking claw formed on the pressing portion snap-locks with the locking portion of the lock member, so that the pressing portion is securely held in the pressed state. Then, the meshing of the meshing gear group of the gear unit remains released, and the valve can be manually opened / closed by applying a tool such as a wrench or a jig to the manually operated shaft provided on the output shaft. In this case, the rotation operation of the manual operation shaft can be performed with one hand, and even if the actuator is installed in a narrow place or a place where an unreasonable work posture is forced, the manual operation can be performed easily and reliably. Then, a pair of return pieces of the lock member appear from the insertion hole of the locked pressing portion.

Next, when the return piece of the lock member is pressed in one direction, the locking portion of the lock member is disengaged from the locking claw of the pressing portion, and the pressing portion is old due to the elastic force of the reduced return spring. Return to position. At the same time, the elastic force of the clutch spring causes the contact / separation gear to slide in the axial direction (upward) of the support shaft, mesh with the adjacent meshing gear group, and the rotation of the electric motor is transmitted to the output shaft. Return to the used state.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a valve actuator manual device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the actuator body 1 of this embodiment, as shown in each drawing, an electric motor 17 is mounted on a gear unit 18 housed in a casing 2 made of, for example, plastic.
The rotational force of the electric motor 17 is reduced by the gear unit 18,
Sufficient torque is generated in the output shaft 22. And
As shown in FIG. 1, the actuator body 1 is mounted on the connection flange 32 of the valve 30 with a bolt or the like, so that one end of the output shaft 22 of the gear unit 18 is connected to the valve 30.
It is connected to the stem 31 and is configured to control the opening and closing of the valve 30.

As shown in FIG. 3, the gear unit 18
Is composed of a large number of meshing gear groups, and this gear unit 18 is provided with means for releasing the output shaft 22 from the meshing gear group. In this embodiment, for example, the final gear 2 is attached to the output shaft 22.
1 is fixed and the contact / separation gear 19 is provided in front of the final gear 21.
Is provided slidably in the vertical direction of the support shaft 24, and is urged upward by the clutch spring 20 to engage with the final gear 21 so that the output shaft 22 can be connected to and released from the meshing gear group. . It should be noted that the meshing gear group of the illustrated gear unit 18 is an exemplifying schematic diagram, and the number of gears, the reduction ratio, etc. are appropriately determined according to the implementation.

A manual operation shaft 23 is provided at the other end of the output shaft 22. The manual operation shaft 23 is provided so as to project above the upper surface of the casing 2. The output shaft 22 is released from the meshing gear group. During manual operation, a tool such as a spanner or a jig (not shown) can be hung on the manual operation shaft 23. At this time, the opening degree display of the valve 30 may be provided on the casing 2 around the manual operation shaft 23. In addition, the output shaft 22 has a limit switch 25,
Cams 27 and 28 for turning ON / OFF 26 are provided.

By the way, in order to release the output shaft 22 of the gear unit 18 from the meshing gear group, it is necessary to slidably move the contact / separation gear 19 in the downward direction of the support shaft 24.
In the present embodiment, the casing 2 of the actuator body 1 is provided with the pressing portion 4, and the lower end portion 6 of the operating rod 5 formed on the pressing portion 4 pushes down the contact / separation gear 19 below the support shaft 24. . In this case, the output shaft 22 is reliably released from the meshing gear group, and a pair of locking claws 8 are integrally formed on the inner peripheral surface of the pressing portion 4 so that this state can be maintained. A return spring 14 is arranged at the lower part of the lock, and a lock member 10 having a pair of stepped locking portions 11, 11, substantially S-shaped elastic portions 13, 13 and return pieces 12, 12 is arranged for locking. It constitutes the mechanism. This locking mechanism is shown in Figure 2.
As shown in FIG.
Is stored in. As a result, since the pressing portion 4 is disposed on the same surface as the casing 2, the two and 4, both can be integrated, and an excellent design can be obtained. Note that reference numeral 1
Reference numeral 5 is an O-ring 15 for waterproofing, which is a lower end portion 6 of the operating rod 5.
A push part 7 is provided on the.

In this embodiment, the locking parts 11, 11, the return pieces 12, 12 and the elastic part 1 are the main parts of the lock mechanism.
Although the lock member 10 having the elements 3 and 13 is used, each of these elements may be incorporated in the casing 2 in other configurations than the above example. Further, the lock mechanism can be configured so that the pressing mechanism 4 is automatically returned to the old position by energizing the electric motor 17 of the actuator body 1 to release the lock mechanism.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Since the present invention is configured as described above, the electric motor 1 is normally operated.
The rotation of the moving shaft of No. 7 is transmitted to the final gear 21 while being decelerated through the meshing gear of the gear unit 18, and rotates the output shaft 22 with sufficient torque. The output shaft 22 has a cam 27 for turning ON / OFF the limit switches 25, 26,
28 is provided, the valve 3 connected to this
Zero is accurately controlled to a fully open position, a fully closed position, an intermediate opening position, and the like.

When the manual operation shaft 23 of the actuator body 1 is manually operated due to a power failure or maintenance inspection, as shown in FIG. 4, when the pressing portion 4 provided on the casing 2 is pressed, The pushing portion 7 of the lower end portion 6 of the operating rod 5 formed to hang down on the pushing portion 4 pushes the upper surface of the contacting / separating gear 19, and the contacting / separating gear 19 resists the elastic force of the clutch spring 20 and the support shaft 24. Is pushed down to the final gear 21
The engagement between the contact and separation gear 19 is released, and the output shaft 22 is released.

The locking claws 8, 8 formed on the pressing portion 4 by the pressing operation of the pressing portion 4 have the elastic portion 1 of the lock member 10.
3, 13 is snap-locked with the locking portions 11 and 11 that are biased outward, and the pressing portion 4 is securely held in a pressed state, and the meshing between the final gear 21 and the contact / separation gear 19 is released. The manual operation shaft 2 provided on the output shaft 22
It is possible to manually open and close the valve 30 by applying a tool such as a spanner or a jig to the valve 3. At this time, the return pieces 12, 12 of the lock member 10 project from the insertion holes 4a, 4a of the pressing portion 4 so that the lock can be released at any time. In this case, the manual operation shaft 23 can be rotated in either the closing direction or the opening direction of the valve 30, and
The manual operation shaft 23 can be operated with one hand, and even if the actuator body 1 is installed in a narrow space or a place where an unreasonable work posture is imposed, manual operation can be performed easily and reliably. Further, since the contact / separation gear 19 and the final gear 21 are mechanically separated and locked, the electric operation can be forcibly canceled.

Next, when the return pieces 12, 12 of the lock member 10 protruding from the insertion holes 4a, 4a of the pressing portion 4 are operated by lightly pinching them with, for example, the thumb and the index finger as shown by the arrow in FIG. The locking portions 11, 11 locked by 13, 13 are released from the locking claws 8, 8 of the pressing portion, and the elastic force of the return spring 14 causes the pressing portion 4 to return to the old position shown in FIG. At the same time, the elastic force of the clutch spring 20 causes the contact / separation gear 19 to slide above the support shaft 24 and mesh with the final gear 21, and the rotation of the electric motor 17 is transmitted to the output shaft 22. Return to use.

[0019]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the valve actuator manual operating device of the present invention, the pressing portion having the operating rod for operating the contacting / separating gears provided in the meshing gear group of the gear unit is operated. Since the lock mechanism is provided in the, the state in which the contact / separation gear is separated from the meshing gear group can be reliably retained when the pressing portion is pressed. This allows
Since the rotation operation of the manual operation shaft can be performed with one hand,
Even if the actuator is installed in a narrow place or in a place where an unreasonable work posture is required such as in a high place or in the back of piping equipment, the manual operation shaft can be rotated easily and reliably. be able to. In addition, the configuration of the present invention is simple, and has advantages such as high commercial value and reliability without any parts that are worn or broken.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state where an actuator body adopting this embodiment is mounted on a ball valve.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a lock mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an actuator body in a normal state.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an actuator body during manual operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 casing 3 storage part 4 pressing part 4a insertion hole 5 operating rod 6 lower end 8 locking claw 10 locking member 11 locking part 12 resetting piece 14 resetting spring 17 electric motor 18 gear unit 19 contact / separation gear 20 clutch spring 22 output shaft

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An actuator for automatically controlling opening and closing of a valve by connecting a valve output shaft to a moving shaft of an electric motor provided in a casing via a gear unit, which is one of meshing gear groups of the gear unit. A contact / separation gear that is vertically movable via a clutch spring is provided, and the end of the operating rod of the pressing portion exposed to the outside of the casing is brought into contact with the upper surface of the contact / separation gear, and is provided in the pressing portion. A manual operating device for a valve actuator, characterized in that the locking claw is provided so as to be locked by a locking part of a lock member provided in the casing, and the pressing part can be returned via a return spring. 2. The insertion member, wherein the lock member is disposed in a housing portion formed in a casing, and the lock member is integrally formed with a pair of return pieces and a locking portion, and an upper end of the return piece is formed as a pressing portion. The manual operating device for the valve actuator according to claim 1, wherein the manual operating device is located in the hole. 3. A pair of return pieces of the lock member are inserted into the insertion holes of the pressing portion in a state in which the locking claw is locked to the locking portion of the lock member by pressing the pressing portion, The valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the return piece is pressed inward, the locking part of the lock member is disengaged from the locking claw of the pressing part, and the pressing part is returned to the old position by the elastic force of the return spring. Manual operation device for the actuator.