JP2020168028A - Electric actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide electric actuators that can be retrofitted to various water supply control devices.SOLUTION: An electric actuator 10 comprises a body case 20, a motor 38, a control unit 32, a gear 40, and the like, and is attached to a water supply control device (104, 106) via an adapter (60, 70) corresponding to the water supply control device. The gear has a gear portion 40b and a rotating shaft 50, and at the lower end of the rotating shaft, a coupling 50a that is non-rotatably coupled to the upper end of the shaft of the water supply control device or the connecting shaft of the adapter to transmit the rotational force is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an electric actuator, and more particularly to an electric actuator which is attached to a water supply control device having a displacement mechanism for controlling water supply by displacement of a valve body or a partition body to operate the displacement mechanism of the water supply control device.

An example of a conventional electric actuator of this type is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic water faucet opening / closing device that is attached to an existing water faucet and automatically opens / closes the water faucet. The automatic water faucet opening / closing device of Patent Document 1 includes a driving force transmission mechanism that connects the output shaft of the motor and the drive shaft of the water faucet to transmit the driving force of the motor to the drive shaft of the water faucet. The driving force transmission mechanism includes a gear mechanism connected to the output shaft of the motor, a first shaft that is provided below the gear mechanism and does not move up and down, and a second shaft that can move up and down with respect to the first shaft. It is equipped with a rotation shaft made of.

Further, Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic water supply weir opening / closing device that is attached to an existing water supply weir and automatically opens / closes the water supply weir. The automatic water supply weir opening / closing device of Patent Document 1 includes a driving force transmission mechanism that connects the output shaft of the motor and the drive shaft of the water supply weir and moves the water supply weir up and down by the driving force of the motor. The driving force transmission mechanism includes a gear mechanism connected to the output shaft of the motor, a first shaft provided below the gear mechanism and which does not move up and down, and a second shaft which can move up and down with respect to the first shaft. It includes a rotating shaft including, a male screw connected to a second shaft, a female screw provided at the bottom of the housing, and an output shaft connected to the lower part of the male screw.

Further, another example of the conventional electric actuator of this type is disclosed in Patent Document 2. Patent Document 2 discloses a water supply device in which an electric actuator is integrated in advance. The water supply device of Patent Document 2 has a valve valve connected to the lower end of a support shaft arranged so as to be vertically movable, a large gear having a support portion for screwing and supporting the support shaft so as to be vertically movable, and meshing cooperation with the large gear. A motor having a small gear for rotating the support portion in the forward and reverse directions is provided.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-70716 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-275684

In the technique of Patent Document 1, an electric actuator having a different structure for a water tap and a water weir is used. That is, a dedicated electric actuator must be prepared according to the type (type) of the water supply control device, and it cannot be attached to various types of water supply control devices.

On the other hand, in the technique of Patent Document 2, the electric actuator has a structure in which the electric actuator is preliminarily incorporated in the water supply control device, and the electric actuator cannot be retrofitted to the existing water supply control device.

Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a novel, electric actuator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric actuator that can be attached to various types of water supply control devices.

The first invention has a displacement mechanism that controls water supply by displacement of a valve body or a partition body, and has a water supply control device that is a water supply device or a drainage device for controlling water supply to a field or drainage from a field. It is an electric actuator that is attached via an adapter corresponding to the water supply control device to operate the displacement mechanism, and is a control provided in the main body case, the motor provided in the main body case, and the drive of the motor provided in the main body case. It has a disk-shaped gear portion and a rotating shaft extending in the vertical direction through the shaft center of the gear portion, and is provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft and the gear that rotates by the driving force from the motor to control water supply. It has a coupling part that is non-rotatably connected to the upper end of the shaft of the device or the connecting shaft of the adapter to transmit the rotational force, and the rotating shaft rotates as the gear rotates, and the shaft of the water supply control device or the adapter is connected. It is an electric actuator that rotates a shaft and can be attached to an adapter compatible with a water supply control device so that it can be attached to either a water supply control device having a valve body or a water supply control device having a partition body. ..

According to the first invention, an electric actuator can be retrofitted to various types of water supply control devices by preparing only an adapter suitable for the water supply control device.

The second invention is subordinate to the first invention, and includes a bearing including a first bearing and a second bearing that rotatably hold the gear at both ends of the gear sandwiching the gear portion.

The third invention is dependent on the first or second invention, and is a first adapter for attaching an electric actuator to a first water supply control device including a valve body or a partition body that moves up and down by receiving a rotational force on a shaft. Alternatively, either a second adapter for attaching an electric actuator to a second water supply control device including a valve body or a partition body that moves up and down by receiving a force in the vertical direction can be attached.

The fourth invention is subordinate to the third invention, in which the main body case is fixed to the second water supply control device via the second adapter, and the second adapter moves up and down by the rotation of the connecting shaft and the connecting shaft. It is provided with a movable portion, and connects the rotary shaft and the valve body or partition body of the second water supply control device via the connecting shaft and the movable portion.

The fifth invention is dependent on the fourth invention, the connecting portion has a male screw formed on the lower outer peripheral surface, the movable portion has a female screw screwed with the male screw, and the second adapter is movable. A fixing part is provided on the part for connecting and fixing the valve body or the partition body of the second water supply control device to the movable part, and when a rotational force around the axis is applied to the connecting shaft, a male screw is formed. The movable portion and the fixed portion move up and down by the feed screw mechanism with the female screw.

The sixth invention is subordinate to the third invention, and the first water supply control device is an internal thread valve rod non-elevating sluice valve, which is a valve box composed of a main portion and a rising portion, and a valve box. It is provided inside and has a partition that moves up and down by the rotation of the valve rod. The main body case is fixed to the valve box via the first adapter, and the rotation shaft is non-rotatably connected to the upper end of the valve rod. Will be done.

The seventh invention is dependent on any one of the first to sixth inventions, and the rotating shaft is slidable in the axial direction of the gear with the vertical movement of the shaft of the water supply control device or the connecting shaft of the adapter. ..

The eighth invention is subordinate to any one of the first to seventh inventions, and is a solar cell panel attached to the main body case and a storage battery provided in the main body case and capable of storing electric power generated by the solar cell panel. Further prepare.

In the eighth invention, the electric actuator further includes a solar cell panel attached to the main body case and a storage battery capable of storing the electric power generated by the solar cell panel.

According to the eighth invention, the electric actuator can be applied even in a field where it is difficult to secure a commercial power source.

According to the present invention, it is possible to retrofit an electric actuator to various types of water supply control devices by preparing only an adapter suitable for the water supply control device.

The above-mentioned object, other object, feature and advantage of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of the examples described below with reference to the drawings.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the state that the electric actuator which is one Example of this invention was installed in the water supply device and the drainage device of a field. It is a schematic diagram which shows the appearance of the electric actuator which is one Example of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the internal structure of the electric actuator of FIG. It is a partially enlarged view which shows the peripheral part of the main gear of FIG. 3 enlarged. It is a graph which shows the experimental result which investigated the reduction effect of a motor load. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the 1st adapter. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which attached the electric actuator of FIG. 2 to a water supply valve. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the 2nd adapter. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which attached the electric actuator of FIG. 2 to a waterfall port. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which attached the electric actuator of FIG. 2 to a sluice valve. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which attached the electric actuator of FIG. 2 to a water level control device.

With reference to FIG. 1, the electric actuator 10 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “actuator 10”) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a motor 38, a main gear 40, a rotating shaft 50, and the like, and includes a water supply valve and the like. It is attached to the water supply control device to operate the displacement mechanism of the water supply control device. In this embodiment, the actuator 10 is used in the field water supply / drainage system 100 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “system 100”), and is attached to both the water supply device 104 and the drainage device 106, which are examples of the water supply control device. That is, the actuator 10 is used as both the first electric actuator that operates the first displacement mechanism included in the water supply device 104 and the second electric actuator that operates the second displacement mechanism included in the drainage device 106.

First, the system 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 is a field facility for performing water management of the field 102 by remote control or automatic control based on a program stored in advance, and a water supply device 104 and a drainage device 106 are installed. It is applied to the field 102 such as a paddy field. The field 102 is divided into a plurality of cultivated areas by ridges, and the water supply device 104 and the drainage device 106 are installed in each cultivated area.

The water supply device 104 is a device for controlling water supply to the cultivated area (field 102), and has a displacement mechanism (first displacement mechanism) including a valve body, a partition body, and the like. In this embodiment, as the water supply device 104, an alfalfa-type water supply valve of the R & R method (a method in which the shaft moves up and down with the rotation of the shaft), which is widely used in general, is used.

Briefly described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 7, the water supply device 104 includes a cylindrical valve box 120. The upper half of the valve box 120 is covered with a dome-shaped cap 122, and a plurality of water outlet windows 124 are formed on the upper side wall of the valve box 120 so as to be arranged in the circumferential direction. Further, a bearing 126 having a female thread formed on the inner peripheral surface is provided at the upper end portion of the valve box 120, and the valve shaft having a male thread formed on the outer peripheral surface of the bearing 126 so as to penetrate the cap 122. 128 is screwed. At the lower end of the valve shaft 128, a disc-shaped valve body 130 having a water blocking rubber 130a on the lower surface is provided. Further, a valve seat 132 having a water passage port 132a is provided at a substantially central portion in the valve box 120. Then, when a rotational force around the axis is applied to the valve shaft 128, the valve shaft 128 and the valve body 130 move up and down by the feed screw mechanism, and the water passage port 132a of the valve seat 132 is opened and closed. That is, the water supply device 104 of this embodiment includes a first displacement mechanism including a valve body 130 that moves up and down with the rotation of the valve shaft (support rod) 128.

Such a water supply device 104 is arranged in, for example, a water supply basin 108, and is attached to a downstream end of a branch pipe 112 branching from an irrigation pipeline 110 or an irrigation canal. Then, an actuator 10 is attached to the water supply device 104 via a first adapter 60, which will be described later, and the actuator 10 operates the first displacement mechanism (valve shaft 128 and valve body 130) of the water supply device 104.

On the other hand, the drainage device 106 is a device for controlling drainage from the field 102, and has a displacement mechanism (second displacement mechanism) including a valve body, a partition body, and the like. In this embodiment, a water outlet having a water level setting function is used as the drainage device 106.

Briefly with reference to FIGS. 1 and 9, the drainage device 106 is fitted into a short cylindrical rubber receiving frame member 140 and the receiving frame member 140, and is supported by the receiving frame member 140 so as to be vertically movable. It is provided with a cylindrical partition body (weir body) 142. The upper end opening of the partition body 142 functions as a drainage port. Then, when a force is applied to the partition body 142 in the vertical direction (axial direction), the partition body 142 moves up and down, and the drain port is adjusted to an arbitrary height. That is, the drainage device 106 of this embodiment includes a second displacement mechanism including a partition body 142 provided so as to be vertically movable.

Such a drainage device 106 is arranged in, for example, a drainage basin 114, and is attached to an upstream end of a drainage pipe 118 extending to a drainage channel 116. An actuator 10 is attached to the drainage device 106 via a second adapter 70, which will be described later, and the actuator 10 operates the second displacement mechanism (partition 142) of the drainage device 106.

In FIG. 1, the water supply device 104 is arranged on one end side of the field 102 and the drainage device 106 is arranged on the opposite side, but the arrangement positions of the water supply device 104 and the drainage device 106 can be changed as appropriate. .. For example, the water supply device 104 and the drainage device 106 may be arranged at close positions.

Further, the system 100 in this embodiment is a system including a plurality of cultivated areas, and at least one of the actuators 10 attached to each of the water supply device 104 and the drainage device 106 installed in each cultivated area. 10 is a master unit, and the remaining actuator 10 is a slave unit. The actuator 10 serving as a master unit is wirelessly connected to a remote control terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PDA, or a PC owned by the user via a network such as the Internet. On the other hand, the actuator 10 serving as a slave unit is connected to the master unit directly or via another slave unit by a wireless communication method according to a specific low power wireless standard, and is connected to the master unit so as to be capable of wireless communication. It is connected wirelessly to a remote control terminal owned by the user via.

In this wireless communication, cloud computing may be used. For example, the information acquired by each actuator 10 (information on the state of the water supply device 104 or the drainage device 106 such as the opening / closing degree of the valve body, sensor information such as the field water level and the air temperature, etc.) is transmitted to the cloud server at any time and stored. I will do it. The user accesses the cloud server from the remote control terminal to check the information acquired by each actuator 10, and remotely controls each actuator 10 using the remote control terminal to manage the water in the field 102. ..

However, the system 100 does not necessarily have to be a system that spans a plurality of cultivated areas, and the field 102 to which the system 100 is applied may be a field in which at least one water supply device 104 and one drainage device 106 are installed. Just do it.

Subsequently, the configuration of the actuator 10 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the actuator 10 includes a main body case 20 formed of a synthetic resin such as hard polyvinyl chloride. The main body case 20 includes a cylindrical side wall 22 and a top wall 24 that seals the upper end of the side wall 22. The lower end of the side wall 22 is reduced in diameter in a stepped shape, and this reduced diameter portion serves as a fitting portion 26 that is fitted into the upper opening of the first adapter 60 or the second adapter 70, which will be described later. The height dimension of the main body case 20 is, for example, 300 mm, and the outer diameter of the main body case 20 is, for example, 200 mm.

A solar cell panel 28 is attached to the upper surface of the top wall 24 of the main body case 20. The solar cell panel 28 is a plurality of solar cells packaged in a square shape by tempered glass, a sealing material, or the like, and is supported by a holding body 30. The holding body 30 is formed of metal, resin, or the like, and is, for example, a square frame-shaped frame 30a provided so as to cover the periphery of the solar cell panel 28, and a support provided on the lower surface of the frame 30a and bent at a predetermined angle. It is provided with a plate 30b.

A control panel 32, an antenna 34, a storage battery 36, a motor 38, a main gear 40, and the like are housed inside the main body case 20.

Although not shown, the control panel 32 is provided with a control unit including a CPU, a memory, and the like, a wireless communication unit for wirelessly communicating with other devices, a switch such as a main power supply, and the like. The CPU of the control unit controls the overall control of the actuator 10, and controls the drive of the motor 38 and the like based on the control program stored in the memory. The wireless communication unit wirelessly communicates with the remote control terminal owned by the user and other external devices such as the actuator 10 via the antenna 34 as described above.

The storage battery 36 stores the electric power generated by the solar cell panel 28. The motor 38 is driven by the electric power stored in the storage battery 36, that is, the electric power generated by the solar cell panel 28. A small gear 42 is provided at the tip of the output shaft 38a of the motor 38, and the main gear 40 receives a driving force from the motor 38 by being connected to the small gear 42 and rotates around the axis. Rotate.

In this embodiment, a motor with an encoder is used as the motor 38. The encoder of the motor 38 outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the output shaft 38a to the CPU of the control unit. The CPU of the control unit calculates the position of the valve body 130 of the water supply device 104 or the partition body 142 of the drainage device 106 based on the pulse signal input from the encoder, that is, the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the output shaft 38a. That is, the encoder is used as a position detecting unit for detecting the position of the valve body 130 or the partition body 142. However, the encoder that functions as the position detection unit does not necessarily have to be provided in the motor 38, and the encoder is provided in the main gear 40, and the valve body 130 or the partition body 142 is provided based on the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the main gear 40. It is also possible to calculate the position such as. Further, the control panel 32 is provided with a current value detection unit such as a current sensor (current transformer) that detects the motor current value, and the detection data in the current value detection unit is input to the CPU of the control unit.

The main gear 40 is a double-boss type gear, and has a cylindrical shaft portion (boss portion) 40a extending in the vertical direction and a disc-shaped gear portion 40b having gear teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface. A disk-shaped first bearing 44 that also serves as a bottom wall of the main body case 20 is provided at the lower end of the side wall 22 of the main body case 20, and a plurality of support portions are provided above the first bearing 44. A disc-shaped second bearing 48 supported by 46 is provided. Both ends of the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40 are rotatably held by the first bearing 44 and the second bearing 48.

A substantially cylindrical rotating shaft 50 is inserted through the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40. That is, the rotating shaft 50 is provided so as to penetrate the shaft center of the main gear 40. At the lower end of the rotating shaft 50, a coupling portion 50a that is non-rotatably connected to the valve shaft 128 of the water supply device 104 or the upper end of the connecting shaft 80 of the second adapter 70 described later is formed.

Further, a key groove (first key groove) 40c extending along the axial direction is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40, and a key groove 40c is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 50. The sliding key (first sliding key) 50b to be fitted is formed so as to extend along the axial direction. By having the sliding key structure including the key groove 40c and the sliding key 50b, the rotating shaft 50 rotates as the main gear 40 rotates and slides in the axial direction with respect to the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40. It becomes possible to move.

Here, as a method of providing a rotating shaft so as to rotate together with the gear and slide in the axial direction of the gear, a spline structure or a serration structure may be used. However, in the spline structure or serration structure, it is necessary to cut a plurality of irregularities extending along the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, and further to cut a plurality of irregularities on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft portion of the gear. Because of this, the manufacturing cost is high. Therefore, in this embodiment, the sliding key structure having a simple structure as described above is adopted. This is because the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced.

However, the rotating shaft 50 moves up and down while rotating, that is, a twisting force acts on the rotating shaft 50. Therefore, if the sliding key structure is simply adopted, the rotational balance of the rotating shaft 50 becomes poor and the rotating shaft 50 becomes poor. May not work properly.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the first thrust bearing 52 is provided between the lower surface of the gear portion 40b of the main gear 40 and the upper surface of the first bearing 44, and the upper surface of the gear portion 40b of the main gear 40 and the second bearing 48 are provided. A second thrust bearing 54 is provided between the bearing and the lower surface of the bearing 54. As the thrust bearings 52 and 54, known thrust ball bearings or the like may be used.

By providing the thrust bearings 52 and 54 in this way, the rotating shaft 50 can move up and down while rotating in a well-balanced manner while adopting the sliding key structure, and the rotational torque during operation, that is, the load applied to the motor 38. Can be reduced. This is particularly effective during tightening when the load is maximized (final closing operation). Therefore, the motor 38 can be miniaturized and power can be saved (power saving). Further, since the rotational torque is reduced, the durability of the main gear 40, the bearings 44, 48 and the rotary shaft 50 is also improved.

That is, by combining the sliding key structure and the thrust bearings 52, 54, it is possible to smoothly operate the rotating shaft 50 while reducing the manufacturing cost.

FIG. 5 shows the experimental results of investigating the effect of reducing the motor load of this example. In this experiment, a voltage of 12 V was applied to the motor 38 to rotate the main gear 40 with a downward load applied to the rotating shaft 50, and the motor current value (that is, rotational torque) at that time was measured. It is a thing. The downward load applied to the rotating shaft 50 assumes a force acting on the rotating shaft 50 when the water supply valve or the like is closed by using the actuator 10. The graph of FIG. 5 also shows the experimental results of Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2. Comparative Example 1 is an electric actuator having the same configuration as the actuator 10 except that a stainless steel ring (sliding bearing) is provided instead of the thrust bearings 52 and 54. Comparative Example 2 is an electric actuator having the same configuration as the actuator 10 except that an aluminum ring is provided instead of the thrust bearings 52 and 54.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the comparison of the three types, the actuator 10 of this embodiment has the smallest current value (that is, power consumption) and is efficient. Further, as the downward load applied to the rotating shaft 50 is increased, the difference between the examples and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 becomes remarkable, and in a state where a load of 40 kg is applied, the power consumption of this Example is the power consumption of Comparative Example 1. And about half of 2. That is, the efficiency of reducing the motor load is greatly increased. Therefore, from the experimental results shown in FIG. 5, it can be said that the effect of reducing the motor load by the thrust bearings 52 and 54 was confirmed.

Although not shown, the field 102 includes sensors such as an ultrasonic sensor for detecting the water level in the field, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature, a pressure sensor for detecting the atmospheric pressure, and a moisture sensor for detecting the soil moisture. Is provided as appropriate. Sensor information such as the field water level and air temperature detected by each sensor is input to the control unit of the actuator 10.

Next, an example of the first adapter 60 for attaching the actuator 10 to the water supply device 104 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the first adapter 60 includes a cylindrical portion 62, a collar-shaped first connecting portion 64 protruding outward from the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 62, and an inward portion from the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion 62. It includes a ring plate-shaped second connecting portion 66 that protrudes and has a through hole 66a in the central portion thereof. A plurality of bolt holes (not shown) arranged in the circumferential direction are formed in the first connecting portion 64. Further, a plurality of bolt holes (not shown) arranged in the circumferential direction are also formed in the second connecting portion 66. The bolt hole of the second connecting portion 66 may be an elongated hole long in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the actuator 10 is attached to the water supply device 104 using the first adapter 60, the fitting portion 26 of the main body case 20 is fitted into the cylindrical portion 62 of the first adapter 60, and the first adapter 60 is used. The first connection portion 64 of the adapter 60 and the bottom wall of the main body case 20 of the actuator 10 are bolted. Further, the second connection portion 66 of the first adapter 60, the cap 122 of the water supply device 104, and the bearing 126 are bolted together. At this time, by making the bolt holes formed in the second connecting portion 66 long in the circumferential direction, the angles of the first adapter 60 and the actuator 10 can be adjusted in the circumferential direction with respect to the water supply device 104. Further, the upper end portion of the valve shaft 128 of the water supply device 104 protrudes upward from the through hole 66a formed in the second connection portion 66 of the first adapter 60, and becomes a coupling portion 50a of the rotary shaft 50 of the actuator 10. On the other hand, it is connected so that it cannot rotate.

In the water supply device 104 to which the actuator 10 is attached in this way, for example, when a user uses a remote control terminal to transmit an operation instruction (control signal) indicating a fully closed, fully opened, or arbitrary opening degree to the actuator 10. , The control unit (CPU) of the actuator 10 drives the motor 38 in response to an operation instruction. The driving force of the motor 38 is transmitted to the main gear 40, and the main gear 40 rotates and the rotating shaft 50 rotates. As a result, a rotational force is applied to the valve shaft 128 fixedly connected to the rotary shaft 50. The valve shaft 128 to which the rotational force is applied is moved up and down by the feed screw mechanism between itself and the bearing 126, and the valve body 130 is moved to the fully open position and the fully closed position. Further, the rotating shaft 50 moves up and down so as to penetrate the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40 as the valve shaft 128 moves up and down. As a result, the vertical movement of the valve shaft 128 is absorbed without requiring a large space in the vertical direction.

Subsequently, an example of the second adapter 70 for attaching the actuator 10 to the drainage device 106 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the partition body 142 of the drainage device 106 in this embodiment is only provided so as to be vertically movable, and itself does not move up and down even if it receives a rotational force. Therefore, it is necessary to convert the rotational force of the rotary shaft 50 of the actuator 10 into a force in the axial direction (vertical direction) and transmit it to the partition 142 of the drainage device 106. Therefore, the second adapter 70 is provided with a movable portion 82 that moves up and down by a screw mechanism, and the rotating shaft 50 and the partition body 142 are connected via the connecting shaft 80 and the movable portion 82. There is.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the second adapter 70 has a cylindrical portion 72 and a collar-shaped first connecting portion protruding outward from the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 72, similarly to the first adapter 60. A ring plate-shaped second connecting portion 76 that protrudes inward from the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion 72 and has a through hole 76a in the central portion thereof is provided. The bolt holes formed in the second connecting portion 76 may be elongated holes long in the circumferential direction.

Further, a cylindrical holding portion 78 is provided in the through hole 76a of the second connecting portion 76. The upper part of the connecting shaft 80 connected to the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10 is rotatably inserted into the holding portion 78. A male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion 80a of the connecting shaft 80, and a cylindrical movable portion 82 having a female screw formed on the inner peripheral surface is screwed onto the lower portion 80a of the connecting shaft 80. .. The movable portion 82 is provided with a fixing portion 84 for connecting and fixing the partition body 142 to the movable portion 82. Further, on the lower surface side of the second connecting portion 76, a pedestal 86 for mounting the actuator 10 is provided on the upper end portion of the drainage basin 114. Further, a rod-shaped detent portion 88 for preventing the movable portion 82 from rotating (rotating) together with the connecting shaft 80 is provided so as to connect the fixed portion 84 and the pedestal 86. In such a second adapter 70, when a rotational force around the axis is applied to the connecting shaft 80, the movable portion 82 and the fixed portion 84 move up and down by the feed screw mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the actuator 10 is attached to the drainage device 106 using the second adapter 70, the fitting portion 26 of the main body case 20 is fitted into the cylindrical portion 72 of the second adapter 70, and the second adapter 70 is fitted. The first connection portion 74 of the adapter 70 and the bottom wall of the main body case 20 of the actuator 10 are bolted. Further, the pedestal 86 is attached to the upper end of the drainage basin 114, and the end of the fixing portion 84 is bolted to the partition body 142. Further, the upper end portion of the connecting shaft 80 is non-rotatably connected to the coupling portion 50a of the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10.

In the drainage device 106 to which the actuator 10 is attached in this way, for example, an operation instruction (control) for the user to change the height position of the drainage port (upper end opening of the partition body 142) with respect to the actuator 10 using a remote control terminal. When the signal) is transmitted, the control unit (CPU) of the actuator 10 drives the motor 38 in response to an operation instruction. The driving force of the motor 38 is transmitted to the main gear 40, and the main gear 40 rotates and the rotating shaft 50 rotates. As a result, a rotational force is applied to the connecting shaft 80 of the second adapter 70 that is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 50. When a rotational force around the axis is applied to the connecting shaft 80, the movable portion 82 moves up and down by the feed screw mechanism between the connecting shaft 80 and the movable portion 82, and accordingly, the partition connected and fixed to the movable portion 82. The body 142 is moved to a predetermined height position.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the rotating shaft 50 is provided so as to penetrate the shaft center of the main gear 40, the actuator 10 can be miniaturized.

Further, as a structure for providing the rotating shaft 50 so as to rotate with the main gear 40 and slide in the axial direction of the main gear 40, the thrust bearings 52 and 54 are used together with the sliding key structure, so that the manufacturing cost is reduced. it can. Further, since the rotating shaft 50 can be operated smoothly, the motor 38 (and the actuator 10) can be miniaturized and power can be saved.

Further, only the mounting adapters (first adapter 60 and second adapter 70) are prepared according to the water supply device 104 and the drainage device 106, and the actuators having the same structure are provided on the water supply device 104 side and the drainage device 106 side. Since the 10 can be installed later, remote control or automation of in-field water management can be realized at low cost.

In the above-described embodiment, the R & R type alfalfa type water supply valve (water supply device 104) and the waterfall port (drainage device 106) are exemplified as the water supply control device to which the actuator 10 is attached, but the present invention is limited to this. Not done. The actuator 10 can be attached to various water supply control devices such as a ball valve, a sluice valve and a floodgate. Further, as long as the water supply control device has a displacement mechanism that controls water supply by the displacement of the valve body or the partition body, the water supply control device to which the actuator 10 is attached is not limited to that for the field.

As an example, FIG. 10 shows a state in which the actuator 10 is attached to the sluice valve 150 of the internal screw valve rod non-elevating type. Briefly, the sluice valve 150 shown in FIG. 10 includes a valve box 152 including a main portion and a rising portion, and the valve box 152 moves up and down by rotation of a valve rod (support rod) 154. A disc-shaped valve body (partition body) 156 is provided.

The mounting adapter 200 for mounting the actuator 10 on such a sluice valve 150 is the same as that of the first adapter 60 described above, that is, the cylindrical portion 202 and the flange protruding outward from the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 202. A first connecting portion 204 having a shape and a ring plate-shaped second connecting portion 206 protruding inward from the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion 202 and passing through the central portion thereof are used. Then, the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10 is non-rotatably connected to the upper end of the valve stem 154 of the sluice valve 150. When a rotational force is applied to the valve stem 154 from the rotary shaft 50 of the actuator 10, the valve body 156 moves up and down by the feed screw mechanism between the valve rod 154 and the valve body 156, and the main portion of the valve box 152 is moved. It is opened and closed.

Note that FIG. 10 shows a sluice valve 150 of a type that does not move up and down even if the valve stem 154 rotates, but the sluice valve is a type in which the valve stem itself moves up and down as the valve stem rotates (valve rod). It may be of the ascending type).

As another example, FIG. 11 shows a state in which the actuator 10 is attached to the water level controller 160 capable of setting the groundwater level in the field. Briefly, the water level controller 160 shown in FIG. 11 includes an outer cylinder 162 and an inner cylinder (not shown) provided in the outer cylinder 162 and whose lower end is connected to an underground water supply pipe. The inner cylinder is provided with a slide tube (partition) 164 provided so as to be movable up and down.

The mounting adapter 210 for mounting the actuator 10 on the water level controller 160 is the same as the above-mentioned second adapter 70, that is, the cylindrical portion 212, the first connecting portion 214, the second connecting portion 216, and holding. Part 218, connecting shaft 220, moving part 222, fixing part 224, pedestal 226 for mounting the actuator 10 on the upper end of the outer cylinder 162, and a detent that slidably connects the inner pipe and the slide pipe 164. Those provided with a portion 228 and the like are used. Then, the slide pipe 164 of the drainage device 106 and the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10 are connected via the connecting shaft 220 and the movable portion 222. When a rotational force is applied from the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10 to the connecting shaft 220, the movable portion 222 moves up and down by the feed screw mechanism of the connecting shaft 220 and the movable portion 222, and accordingly, the movable portion 222 is connected to the movable portion 222. The fixed slide tube 164 is moved to a predetermined height position.

As described above, the actuator 10 can be retrofitted to various existing water supply control devices by preparing only the mounting adapter suitable for the water supply control device.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the key groove 40c is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40, and the sliding key 50b is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 50, but the arrangement may be reversed. Good. That is, a sliding key may be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40, and a key groove may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 50.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, only one key groove (first key groove) 40c and the sliding key (first sliding key) 50b are formed, but another one is formed at the circumferential position on the opposite side. One key groove (second key groove) and a sliding key (second sliding key) may be formed. That is, the main gear 40 and the rotating shaft 50 may have two sliding key structures arranged symmetrically with respect to the shaft. Since the main gear 40 and the rotating shaft 50 have two sliding key structures in this way, the manufacturing cost is slightly higher, but the rotational balance of the rotating shaft 50 is improved. Therefore, the rotating shaft 50 can be operated more stably (moving up and down while rotating).

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first thrust bearing 52 is provided between the lower surface of the gear portion 40b of the main gear 40 and the upper surface of the first bearing 44, and the upper surface of the gear portion 40b of the main gear 40 and the second A second thrust bearing 54 is provided between the bearing 48 and the lower surface, but the present invention is not limited to this. The maximum load of the motor 38 is at the time of tightening (final closing operation), and it is the first thrust bearing 52 that effectively acts at the time of tightening. Therefore, the second thrust bearing 54 does not necessarily have to be provided. When the second thrust bearing 54 is not provided, for example, a slide bearing may be provided between the upper surface of the gear portion 40b of the main gear 40 and the lower surface of the second bearing 48. However, if the second thrust bearing 54 is provided together with the first thrust bearing 52, the rotating shaft 50 can operate more stably (moving up and down while rotating).

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the solar cell panel 28 and the storage battery 36 are provided so that the actuator 10 can be applied even in the field 102 where it is difficult to secure a commercial power source, but the solar cell panel 28 and the storage battery 36 are installed in an environment where a commercial power source can be used. In this case, it is not always necessary to include the solar cell panel 28 and the storage battery 36.

Further, in the mounting adapter (second adapter 70) shown in FIG. 8 described above, when the feed screw mechanism is provided, the female screw side is used as a movable portion to move up and down, but the male screw side (connecting shaft side) is a movable portion. It is also possible to connect the rotating shaft 50 and the partition body 142 or the like by the connecting shaft (movable portion) so as to move up and down.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the solar cell panel 28 is attached to the upper surface of the top wall 24 of the main body case 20 via the holding body 30 provided with the frame 30a and the support plate 30b. The shape or configuration can be changed as appropriate.

The thrust bearing (thrust bearing) referred to in the present invention is used for radial loads in addition to bearings dedicated to thrust loads that mainly receive thrust loads, but can also receive thrust forces, that is, while receiving thrust forces. It shall include bearings capable of smoothing rotation (lowering rotational resistance). For example, as the first thrust bearing 52 and the second thrust bearing 54, deep groove ball bearings, conical roller bearings, and the like can also be used.

In addition, the specific numerical values such as the dimensions and the specific shapes mentioned above are merely examples, and can be appropriately changed as necessary such as product specifications.

10 ... Electric actuator 20 ... Main body case 28 ... Solar cell panel 32 ... Control panel (control unit)
34 ... Antenna 36 ... Storage battery 38 ... Motor 40 ... Main gear (gear)
40c ... Key groove (1st key groove)
44,48 ... Bearing 50 ... Rotating shaft 50b ... Sliding key (1st sliding key)
52 ... 1st thrust bearing 54 ... 2nd thrust bearing 100 ... Field water supply and drainage system 102 ... Field 104 ... Water supply device (water supply control device)
106… Drainage device (water supply control device)

Claims (8)

It has a displacement mechanism that controls water supply by displacement of the valve body or partition body, and corresponds to the water supply control device for the water supply device or drainage device for controlling water supply to the field or drainage from the field. An electric actuator that is attached via an adapter to operate the displacement mechanism.
Body case,
The motor provided in the main body case,
A control unit provided in the main body case and controlling the drive of the motor,
A gear having a disk-shaped gear portion and a rotating shaft extending in the vertical direction through the shaft center of the gear portion and rotating by a driving force from the motor, and a gear provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft, said It is provided with a coupling portion that is non-rotatably connected to the shaft of the water supply control device or the upper end of the connecting shaft of the adapter to transmit rotational force.
The rotating shaft rotates as the gear rotates, and rotates the shaft of the water supply control device or the connecting shaft of the adapter.
An electric actuator that can be attached to the adapter corresponding to the water supply control device so that it can be attached to either the water supply control device including a valve body or the water supply control device including a partition body. The electric actuator according to claim 1, further comprising a bearing including a first bearing and a second bearing that rotatably hold the gear at both ends of the gear sandwiching the gear portion. A first adapter for attaching the electric actuator to a first water supply control device having a valve body or a partition body that moves up and down by receiving a rotational force on a shaft, or a valve body that moves up and down by receiving a force in the vertical direction. The electric actuator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein both of the second adapter for attaching the electric actuator to the second water supply control device including the partition can be attached. The main body case is fixed to the second water supply control device via the second adapter, and at the same time,
The second adapter includes a connecting shaft and a movable portion that moves up and down by rotation of the connecting shaft, and the rotating shaft and the valve body or partition of the second water supply control device via the connecting shaft and the movable portion. The electric actuator according to claim 3, which connects with and. The connecting portion has a male screw formed on the lower outer peripheral surface and has a male screw.
The movable portion has a female screw that is screwed with the male screw.
The second adapter is provided on the movable portion, and includes a fixing portion for connecting and fixing the valve body or the partition body of the second water supply control device to the movable portion.
The electric actuator according to claim 4, wherein when a rotational force around the axis is applied to the connecting shaft, the movable portion and the fixed portion move up and down by a feed screw mechanism of the male screw and the female screw. The first water supply control device is a sluice valve with an internal screw valve rod non-raising type.
It is provided with a valve box consisting of a main section and a rising portion, and a partition body provided in the valve box that moves up and down by the rotation of the valve stem.
The electric actuator according to claim 3, wherein the main body case is fixed to the valve box via the first adapter, and the rotating shaft is non-rotatably connected to the upper end of the valve stem. The electric actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the rotating shaft is slidable in the axial direction of the gear as the shaft of the water supply control device or the connecting shaft of the adapter moves up and down. The electric actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a solar cell panel attached to the main body case and a storage battery provided in the main body case and capable of storing electric power generated by the solar cell panel. ..

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