JP7356134B2 - switchgear - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a switching device for opening and closing pipes in a piping system, such as agricultural water supply pipes, for example.

Conventionally, a water supply system has been provided with a valve body that opens and closes a valve seat provided at an upper end opening of a water supply pipe, and an operation section that opens and closes the valve body, as described in Patent Document 1 below, for example. Valve is known.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-354948

Incidentally, it is desired to automate the opening and closing operations of the water supply valves and the like as described above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to automate the opening/closing operation.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
The opening/closing device according to the present invention includes a frame portion having an opening, a main body portion having a holding portion facing the opening of the frame portion in the axial direction, the holding portion penetrating through the holding portion in the axial direction, and the holding portion a valve body fixed to a first end of the spindle and removably seated on the frame to open and close the opening; a motor fixed to the main body; A transmission mechanism that transmits rotational force of a motor to the spindle, a load current detection section that detects a load current when the motor rotates, and a control device that controls rotation of the motor, the transmission mechanism comprising: The control device includes a plurality of gears, and the control device determines whether the closing operation is completed based on a change in the load current detected by the load current detection section when the valve element closes the opening. The present invention includes a determination unit that determines whether the capping operation is completed, and the determination unit determines that the plugging operation is completed when the variation amount per unit time of the load current is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

In this invention, by rotating the spindle with a motor, it is possible to automate the opening/closing operation of the valve body of the opening/closing device. Since the transmission mechanism includes a plurality of gears, when the rotational force of the motor is transmitted to the spindle via the transmission mechanism, for example, by employing a plurality of gears with different numbers of teeth as the plurality of gears, The rotation speed of the motor and the rotation speed of the spindle can be made different. The transmission mechanism is a so-called speed reducer, and by reducing the number of rotations of the spindle than the number of rotations of the motor, the rotational force of the motor can be amplified and transmitted to the spindle. Thereby, for example, the spindle can be rotated by a motor with a small output. Alternatively, by transmitting the rotational force of the motor, the rotational force of the rotating spindle increases, and the valve body can be seated on the frame portion with stronger force. In this way, it is possible to automate the opening and closing operations, use a motor with low output, and reliably close the valve body when closing the valve.
Further, when the valve body is seated on the frame portion during the closure operation, the load current in the motor increases. By detecting this increase in the load current using the load current detection section, it is possible to reliably determine whether or not the plugging operation has been completed.
Further, the determination unit determines that the plugging operation has been completed when the amount of variation in the load current per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that is, when the load current changes suddenly. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably determine whether or not the capping operation has been completed.

Further, the transmission mechanism may include a plurality of gears that mesh with each other between the rotating shaft of the motor and the spindle.

In this case, rotational force is transmitted from the rotating shaft of the motor to the spindle via a plurality of gears that mesh with each other. For example, by varying the number of teeth of these gears, the rotational force of the motor can be amplified and transmitted to the spindle.

Further, in the transmission mechanism, a belt may be wound between the gear provided on the rotating shaft of the motor and the gear provided on the spindle.

In this case, rotational force is transmitted from a gear provided on the rotating shaft of the motor to a gear provided on the spindle via the belt. For example, the rotational force of the motor can be amplified and transmitted to the spindle by varying the number of teeth between the gear provided on the rotating shaft of the motor and the gear provided on the spindle.

The invention further includes a rotation amount detection unit that detects the rotation amount of the motor, and the determination unit is configured to detect the rotation amount of the motor detected by the rotation amount detection unit and the load current detected by the load current detection unit. Based on this, it may be determined whether the closure operation is completed.

In this case, the amount of rotation of the motor until the valve body is seated on the frame during the closure operation can be specified in advance from a design value or the like. Therefore, when the load current detected by the load current detection section increases, the rotation amount of the motor detected by the rotation amount detection section is set to a predetermined rotation amount until the valve body seats on the frame during the closing operation. If the amount has been reached, it can be determined that the capping operation has been completed. As a result, even if the load current increases due to, for example, a foreign object being caught between the valve body and the frame before the valve body is seated on the frame during the valve closing operation, the valve closing operation is completed. Misjudgments can be prevented. Therefore, the control device can more reliably determine whether the closing operation by the valve body has been completed.

Further, after the determination unit determines that the closure operation is completed, the control device may further rotate the motor to further tighten the valve body.

In this case, by tightening the valve body again, for example, the degree of closure by the valve body can be increased.

According to the present invention, opening and closing operations can be automated.

1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a water management system using a switchgear according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a water tap and a drain plug in the field shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an opening/closing device used in a water faucet according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (structural part) 4 is a block diagram showing the opening/closing device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of control executed by the control unit shown in FIG. 4 during a capping operation. The control unit shown in FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a criterion for determining whether or not a cap closed state has been reached during a cap closing operation. The control unit shown in FIG. 4 illustrates another example of the criteria for determining whether or not a cap closed state has been reached during a cap closing operation. This is a diagram illustrating still another example of the criteria for determining whether or not a cap closed state has been reached during a cap closing operation in the control unit shown in FIG. 4 . It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the opening and closing device concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a plan view showing a transmission mechanism of the opening/closing device shown in FIG. 9. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the water management system including the opening/closing device of this embodiment manages water supply and drainage in a plurality of fields. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the water management system manages two fields FM-1 and FM-2. The fields FM-1 and FM-2 in this embodiment are, for example, paddy fields. Paddy fields are irrigated and drained (water supply and drainage) to maintain appropriate water levels depending on the rice cultivation season.

In the following description, unless there is a particular distinction between field FM-1 and FM-2, they will be referred to as field FM. Note that the number of field FMs to be managed by the water management system of this embodiment is not particularly limited.

A water tap 100-1 is provided in the field FM-1. The water tap 100-1 supplies water sent from the farm pond FP (water supply source) to the field FM-1 via an open channel (including a natural pressure pipeline) OC. The water faucet 100-1 includes a faucet (valve) that opens and closes in the water flow path until the water sent from the farm pond FP is discharged to the field FM-1. The water tap 100-1 adjusts the amount of water sent from the farm pond FP to the field FM-1.

A drain plug 200-1 is provided in the field FM-1. The drain plug 200-1 drains water accumulated in the field FM-1. The drain plug 200-1 includes a plug part (valve) that opens and closes the water pulled up from the field FM-1 in a water flow path until it is discharged to the open channel OC, for example. Drain plug 200-1 adjusts the amount of water drained.

Field FM-2 has a larger area than field FM-1. The field FM-2 is provided with two water taps 100-2A and 100-2B and two drain taps 200-2A and 200-2B.

In the following description, if there is no particular distinction between the water taps 100-2A and 100-2B of the field FM-2, they will be referred to as the water tap 100-2. In addition, if there is no particular distinction between the water taps 100-1, 100-2A, and 100-2B, they will be referred to as water taps 100.
In addition, in the following description, unless there is a particular distinction between the drain plugs 200-2A and 200-2B of the field FM-2, they will be referred to as drain plugs 200-2. Furthermore, unless there is a particular distinction between the drain plugs 200-1, 200-2A, and 200-2B, they will be referred to as drain plugs 200.

The water management system of this embodiment further includes a gateway GW. The gateway GW is connected to the network NT, and the water management server 500 is connected to the network NT.

The water tap 100 and drain tap 200 of each field FM in this embodiment each have a network communication function compatible with wireless LAN. Thereby, the water tap 100 and the drain tap 200 of each field FM can communicate with the water management server 500 from the gateway GW via the network NT.

Each field FM is supplied with water (irrigation) as follows. The water supplied to the field FM is first drawn from, for example, a river RV to the farm pond FP via a pipeline, and is stored in the farm pond FP. Farm pond FP is a pond that stores water for irrigation.
The water stored in the farm pond FP is pumped up by a pump (not shown) and supplied to the open channel OC by applying pressure. In the case of the figure, the open channel OC is branched into three routes, which are connected to water taps 100-1, 100-2A, and 100-2B provided in the fields FM-1 and FM-2, respectively. Thereby, the water sent from the farm pond FP via the open channel OC reaches the water taps 100-1, 100-2A, and 100-2B through the water supply pipe 63, which will be described later. At this time, if the faucets 100-1, 100-2A, and 1002B are open, the water faucets 100-1, 100-2A, and 100-2B are connected to the fields FM-1 and FM-2, respectively. Water will be supplied and irrigation will be carried out.

The field main terminal 600-1 is a network terminal device used by the field owner (farmer) of the field FM-1. The field owner terminal 600-1 is, for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like owned by the owner of the field FM-1. Similarly, the field owner terminal 600-2 is a network terminal device used by the owner of the field FM-2. In the following description, unless there is a particular distinction between the field main terminals 600-1 and 600-2, they will be referred to as the field main terminal 600.
The farm owner controls each water tap 100 and drain plug 200 by operating the farm owner terminal 600-1, for example.

The opening/closing device 40 of this embodiment is provided as a water tap 100 and a drain plug 200. Below, the opening/closing device 40 used as the drain plug 200 will be explained as an example.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the opening/closing device 40 includes a device main body 41 and a control box 42. As shown in FIGS. The device main body 41 is attached to the top of the water faucet 100. The control box 42 is provided within the device main body 41.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 41 of the opening/closing device 40 is provided at the upper end opening of the water supply pipe 63. As shown in FIG. The water supply pipe 63 is a pipe material guided from the open channel OC (see FIG. 1) to a predetermined position in the cultivation area. The water supply pipe 63 is raised substantially perpendicular to the ground.
The opening/closing device 40 includes a main body 44, a spindle 45, a valve body 46, a motor 48, and a transmission mechanism 20A.

The main body portion 44 includes a frame portion 44a provided above the upper end opening of the water supply pipe 63. The frame portion 44a has an annular shape in plan view. A valve seat member 44d is fixed to the upper surface of the frame portion 44a. A circular opening 44h penetrating vertically is formed in the center of the valve seat member 44d. The upper surface of the valve seat member 44d of the frame portion 44a forms a seating surface on which a valve body 46, which will be described later, can be seated in a liquid-tight manner.

The main body portion 44 includes a support portion 44b that extends vertically upward from the frame portion 44a, and a holding portion 44c that is provided on the support portion 44b and holds the spindle 45. The holding part 44c is arranged at a predetermined height above the frame part 44a by the support part 44b. The holding portion 44c faces the opening 44h of the frame portion 44a from the axial direction Dc of the spindle 45. A handle 47 (femally threaded member) is provided at the center of the holding portion 44c. The handle 47 is rotatably fixed to the holding portion 44c around an axis extending in the vertical direction. The handle 47 is formed with a female screw hole 44p that passes through the handle 47 in the vertical direction.

The spindle 45 extends in the vertical direction and passes through the holding portion 44c of the main body portion 44 in the vertical direction. A male screw portion 45n is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the spindle 45, and is screwed into a female screw hole 44p formed in the holding portion 44c. Thereby, the spindle 45 is movable (vertical movement) along the vertical direction (that is, the extending direction of the water supply pipe 63) while maintaining the engaged state with the holding portion 44c. That is, by turning the handle 47, the spindle 45 can be moved up and down while rotating around its central axis.

The valve body 46 is fixed to the lower end (first end) of the spindle 45. Thereby, the valve body 46 moves in the vertical direction together with the spindle 45. The valve body 46 is provided so as to be able to move toward and away from the valve seat member 44d of the frame portion 44a in the vertical direction (axial direction Dc) as the spindle 45 moves in the vertical direction. The valve body 46 has a disk shape in plan view. The opening 44h is closed by the lower surface of the outer peripheral portion of the valve body 46 coming into contact with the upper surface of the valve seat member 44d. The opening 44h is opened by moving the valve body 46 upwardly away from the upper surface of the valve seat member 44d. In this way, the valve body 46 is removably seated on the frame portion 44a so as to open and close the opening 44h. Note that an upper end portion 45t (second end portion) of the spindle 45 is provided to protrude higher than the handle 47.

The motor 48 is supported by a frame 49 provided on the main body 44 . The frame 49 includes a support 49a extending upward from the support 44b, and a motor support 49b provided on the support 49a. The motor support portion 49b faces the holding portion 44c from the axial direction Dc of the spindle 45. In this embodiment, the motor 48 is provided coaxially with the axial direction Dc of the spindle 45. The motor 48 includes a motor main body 48a and a rotating shaft 48c. The motor body 48a rotates the rotating shaft 48c by receiving power from a battery 92 (see FIG. 4) provided in the device body 41. Due to the operation of the motor body 48a, the rotating shaft 48c rotates around a central axis extending in the vertical direction. The rotating shaft 48c passes through the motor support portion 49b and extends downward.

The transmission mechanism 20A includes gears G21 to G24. Gear G21 is provided on the rotating shaft 38c of the motor 48. Gear G22 and gear G23 are provided on gear shaft 25. The gear shaft 25 is rotatably provided on the motor support portion 49b and a support plate 26 provided below the motor support portion 49b about a central axis extending in the vertical direction. The gear shaft 25 is shifted in the horizontal direction (direction perpendicular to the axial direction Dc) with respect to the rotating shaft 48c. Gear G22 meshes with gear G21. The number of teeth of gear G22 is greater than the number of teeth of gear G21.
Gear G23 is provided below gear G22 on gear shaft 25. Gear G23 rotates together with gear shaft 25 together with gear G22. The number of teeth of gear G23 is smaller than the number of teeth of gear G22.
Gear G24 is provided on output shaft 28. The output shaft 28 is rotatably provided on the support plate 26 and an intermediate support plate 27 provided between the support plate 26 and the motor support portion 49b about a central axis extending in the vertical direction. The output shaft 28 is coaxial with the rotating shaft 48c, and is shifted horizontally with respect to the gear shaft 25. Gear G24 meshes with gear G23. The number of teeth of gear G24 is greater than the number of teeth of gear G23.

The lower end of the output shaft 28 and the upper end of the spindle 45 are connected via a connecting member 29 that extends in the vertical direction. The connecting member 29 has a rectangular tube shape that is rectangular (square) in a plan cross-sectional view and extends in the vertical direction. An insertion hole 28a having a rectangular shape in plan view is formed at the lower end of the output shaft 28, into which the upper end of the connecting member 29 is inserted. In the illustrated example, the rotational force of the output shaft 28 is thereby transmitted to the connection member 29, but the manner of connection between the output shaft 28 and the connection member 29 may be changed as appropriate to another manner in which the rotational force is transmitted. can do. An upper end portion 45t of the spindle 45 is inserted into the lower end of the connecting member 29. The lower end of the connecting member 29 is prevented from rotating with respect to the handle 47 via a rotation prevention mechanism (not shown). In other words, the rotational force of the connecting member 29 is transmitted to the handle 47.

In this way, the transmission mechanism 20A is provided with a plurality of gears G21 to G24 that mesh with each other between the rotating shaft 48c of the motor 48 and the spindle 45. In this embodiment, the number of teeth of gears G21 to G24 is, for example, 20 teeth for gear G21, 30 teeth for gear G22, 20 teeth for gear G23, and 30 teeth for gear G24. Thereby, in the transmission mechanism 20A, the rotation shaft 48c of the motor 48 is decelerated and transmitted to the output shaft 28 and the spindle 45.

In the opening/closing device 40 as described above, when the motor 48 is operated, the rotational force of the rotating shaft 48c is transmitted to the output shaft 28 via the transmission mechanism 20A. The rotational force of the output shaft 28 is transmitted to the spindle 45 via the connecting member 29 and the handle 47. The rotational motion applied to the spindle 45 in this manner is converted into vertical movement of the spindle 45 as the male threaded portion 45n of the spindle 45 and the female threaded hole 44p of the holding portion 44c are engaged. At this time, the spindle 45 is pulled up or down along the vertical direction (that is, the direction in which the water supply pipe 63 extends).

When the faucet 100 is closed, that is, when water is not supplied from the faucet 100, the spindle 45 is pulled down and the lower surface of the outer circumferential portion of the valve body 46 comes into contact (in close contact) with the upper surface of the valve seat member 44d. As a result, the opening 44h is closed by the valve seat member 44d, resulting in a closed state.

When the hydrant 100 is opened, that is, when water is supplied from the hydrant 100, the spindle 45 is pulled up and the valve body 46 is separated upward from the upper surface of the valve seat member 44d (at two points in FIG. 3). state shown by the dashed line). At this time, the spindle 45 rises relative to the handle 47 and enters the coupling member 29. This opens the opening 44h and puts it in an open state.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 4, the opening/closing device 40 includes a control section (control device) 80 connected to the motor 48, a power supply section 90 that supplies power to the control section 80, and a control section (control device) 80 connected to the control section 80. It further includes various modules 50.
The control unit 80 is connected to the motor 48 and controls the above-mentioned operation of the device main body 41. The control unit 80 is housed in the control box 42. The control unit 80 includes a motor drive circuit 83 that controls the drive of the motor 48 , a current detection circuit 84 (load current detection unit) that detects the current (load current) supplied to the motor 48 , a motor drive circuit 83 , and a current detection circuit 84 that detects the current (load current) supplied to the motor 48 It includes a microcomputer 85 to which a detection circuit 84 is connected, an RTC 86 (real-time clock) connected to the microcomputer 85, and a low voltage detection circuit 87 that detects the voltage of the current supplied from the battery 92 to the microcomputer 85. .

The power supply unit 90 includes a solar panel 91 , a battery 92 (battery, storage battery, rechargeable battery) to which power is supplied from the solar panel 91 , and an overvoltage control circuit 93 disposed between the solar panel 91 and the battery 92 . It is equipped with The solar panel 91 is attached to the device main body 41, for example. A battery 92 (for example, a voltage of about 6 V) and an overvoltage control circuit 93 are housed in the device main body 41. Battery 92 supplies power to microcomputer 85 via DC/DC converter 94 .

As the various modules 50, a wireless module 51, a display LED 52, an operation switch 53, a water level sensor 54, a pressure gauge 55, a valve position detection section 56, and a rotation amount detection section 57 are provided.
The wireless module 51 includes a long-range wireless module 51a (for example, a 920 MHz wireless module) and a short-range wireless module 51b (for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) wireless module). The long distance wireless module 51a is connected to the network NT via, for example, a gateway GW.

The water level sensor 54 controls a sensor module that is installed in the field FM and measures the water level in the field FM, and measures the water level.
The pressure gauge 55 is used to control a sensor module that measures water pressure in the water supply pipe 63 and to measure the pressure.
The valve position detection unit 56 is for positioning the device main body 41 and the control box 42 using a mobile terminal of a worker, a GPS function of the device main body 41, and the control box 42, and the like.

Note that various sensors and various devices not mentioned above may be electrically or physically connected to the control unit 80. For example, if a supply device for fertilizers, pesticides, etc. is connected to the control unit 80, these fertilizers, pesticides, etc. can be reliably supplied to the cultivation area at the same time as the water supply by the opening/closing device 40, or before or after the water supply. . Furthermore, the control unit 80 may be placed only within the device main body 41 or may be placed only outside the device main body 41.

In the opening/closing device 40 of this embodiment, the control unit 80 controls the operation of the motor 48 to automatically perform the opening and closing operations. The opening and closing operations are automatically performed by, for example, operating the motor 48 under the control of the control unit 80 when the water level in the field FM detected by the water level sensor 54 reaches a predetermined water level. It will be held on. Further, the opening and closing operations are automatically performed by operating the motor 48 under the control of the control unit 80 when the field owner operates the field owner terminal 600.

When the control unit 80 operates the motor 48 to perform the valve closing operation, the control unit 80 performs control to check whether the valve body 46 has reliably come into close contact with the valve seat member 44d and has entered the valve closed state. To perform this control, the control section 80 mainly uses a current detection circuit 84, a rotation amount detection section 57, and a microcomputer 85.

The current detection circuit 84 detects a load current that varies depending on the load on the motor 48 when the motor 48 is performing a plugging operation. The rotation amount detection section 57 is composed of, for example, a rotary encoder or the like, and detects the rotation amount of the motor 48 (rotation shaft 48c) when the motor 48 performs an opening operation.
The microcomputer 85 executes processing based on a preset program to determine the load current of the motor 48 detected by the current detection circuit 84 and the rotation amount of the motor 48 detected by the rotation amount detection section 57. It is functionally equipped with a determination unit 88 that determines whether or not the closure operation is completed.
Further, in a storage area such as a memory of the microcomputer 85, a numerical value of the amount of rotation of the motor 48 from the open state to the closed state is stored in advance.

Next, a flow of control executed by the control unit 80 during a capping operation will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the plugging operation is started, the control unit 80 monitors the load current of the motor 48 detected by the current detection circuit 84 (step S1).

The control unit 80 monitors the variation in the load current of the motor 48 detected by the current detection circuit 84, and when detecting that the amount of variation is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (step S2), the determination unit 88: A determination process is performed to determine whether the opening/closing device 40 has reached the closed state (step S3).

Here, in the opening/closing device 40, when the valve body 46 is seated on the valve seat member 44d during the closure operation, movement of the valve body 46 in the direction toward the valve seat member 44d is restricted. Then, the spindle 45 does not rotate any further, and the load current in the motor 48 increases. Furthermore, if a foreign object is caught between the valve body 46 and the valve seat member 44d during the closing operation, the movement of the valve body 46 in the direction approaching the valve seat member 44d is inhibited, and the load current in the motor 48 is increases temporarily.
Therefore, in the determination unit 88 of the control unit 80, when performing the determination process in step S3, for example, as shown in FIG. In other words, when the load current is rapidly changing, it can be determined that the plugged state has been reached. In other words, if it is thought that there is a large difference between the amount of variation in the load current in the closed state and the amount of variation caused by a foreign object, etc., the amount of variation in the load current It can be determined whether the amount is the same or not. As a result, when the load current temporarily increases due to a foreign object being caught between the valve body 46 and the valve seat member 44d, the determination unit 88 does not determine that the valve has reached the closed state, and the motor 48 continues in the closing direction. The determining unit 88 determines that a closed state has been reached when the valve body 46 is seated on the valve seat member 44d and the load current increases rapidly. When it is determined that the cap closed state has been reached, the microcomputer 85 stops the rotation of the motor 48 in the cap closing direction, and maintains the cap closed state (step S4).

Further, when the determination unit 88 performs the determination process in step S3, for example, if it is determined that the load current of the motor 48 detected by the current detection circuit 84 has suddenly increased and the plug has reached the closed state, the microcomputer 85 , the rotation of the motor 48 in the closing direction is temporarily stopped. Thereafter, the microcomputer 85 may rotate the motor 48 in the closing direction again and detect the load current of the motor 48 with the current detection circuit 84, which may be repeated multiple times. In the determination unit 88, when the motor 48 is thus rotated in the closing direction and the valve body 46 is further tightened, if the load current of the motor 48 detected by the current detection circuit 84 gradually increases, It may be determined that the plugged state has been reached. Thereby, a more reliable closure operation can be performed.

Further, when the determination unit 88 performs the determination process in step S3, for example, as shown in FIG. If the range R1, R2) is detected, the microcomputer 85 once reversely rotates the motor 48 in the opening direction and moves the valve body 46 in the opening direction. Thereafter, the microcomputer 85 rotates the motor 48 again in the closing direction. In this way, the closure operation by the motor 48 is repeated, and the determination unit 88 determines that if the amount of variation in the load current of the motor 48 detected by the current detection circuit 84 changes suddenly, as in the previous case, the closure state is determined. It is determined that the rotation has been reached, and the rotation of the motor 48 is stopped. Further, when the capping operation by the motor 48 is repeated and the amount of variation in the load current of the motor 48 becomes small, the determination unit 88 determines that the capping state has not been reached and continues the capping operation. That is, for example, if a foreign object is caught, there is a possibility that the foreign object will be unstuck when the motor 48 rotates in the opposite direction.

Further, in the determination unit 88, when performing the determination process in step S3, if a sudden change in the amount of variation in the load current of the motor 48 detected by the current detection circuit 84 is detected, the rotation amount detection unit 57 detects Based on the amount of rotation of the motor 48, it is detected whether the valve body 46 is located at the closed position where it is seated on the valve seat member 44d. As a result, if the valve body 46 is located at the closed position where it is seated on the valve seat member 44d, it is determined that the closed state has been reached, and the rotation of the motor 48 is stopped. On the other hand, even if the current detection circuit 84 detects a sudden change in the amount of variation in the load current of the motor 48, if the valve body 46 is not located at the closed position, the determination unit 88 determines that the valve has reached the closed state. It is determined that the valve is not closed, and the closure operation continues. In this case, if the plugging operation is continued and a further rapid change in the load current of the motor 48 is detected, the determination unit 88 may determine that there is an abnormality and issue an alarm or the like. The determination by the determination unit 88 may be made by detecting not only a change in the load current due to a foreign object but also a sudden change in water pressure. In this case, the valve closing position is similarly detected and the valve is closed or an alarm is issued. It's okay.

Further, in the determination unit 88, when performing the determination process in step S3, for example, based on the rotation amount of the motor 48 detected by the rotation amount detection unit 57, the valve body 46 reaches a closed position where it is seated on the valve seat member 44d. When this is detected, the microcomputer 85 causes the motor 48 to rotate in the closing direction for 0.5 seconds, as shown after 10:07:14 in the graph shown in FIG. For example, stopping for 1.0 seconds may be repeated multiple times. In this case, when the motor 48 is repeatedly rotated in the closing direction, the load current of the motor 48 detected by the current detection circuit 84 tends to gradually increase (as shown in the graph shown in FIG. 8). The determining unit 88 may determine that the plugged state has been reached when the valve is closed. On the other hand, if the load current of the motor 48 detected by the current detection circuit 84 does not increase when the motor 48 is repeatedly rotated in the closing direction, it is determined that the valve body 46 has not reached the closing position. and continue the closing operation.

In this way, after it is determined that the valve body 46 has seated on the valve seat member 44d and has reached the closed state, the rotation of the motor 48 in the closing direction is stopped, thereby completing the closing operation in the opening/closing device 40. do.

As described above, according to the opening/closing device 40 according to the present embodiment, the transmission mechanism 20A that transmits the rotational force of the motor 48 to the spindle 45 includes a plurality of gears G21 to G24 having different numbers of teeth.
In such a configuration, since the transmission mechanism 20A includes a plurality of gears G21 to G24 having different numbers of teeth, when the rotational force of the motor 48 is transmitted to the spindle 45 via the transmission mechanism 20A, the rotational force of the motor 48 is transmitted to the spindle 45 via the transmission mechanism 20A. The rotation speed of the spindle 45 can be made different from the rotation speed of the spindle 45. By using the transmission mechanism 20A as a so-called speed reducer and reducing the number of rotations of the spindle 45 than the number of rotations of the motor 48, the rotational force of the motor 48 can be amplified and transmitted to the spindle 45. Thereby, for example, the spindle can be rotated by a motor with a small output. Alternatively, by transmitting the rotational force of the motor 48, the rotational force of the rotating spindle 45 increases, and the valve body 46 can be seated on the frame portion 44a with a stronger force. In this way, it is possible to automate the opening/closing operation of the valve body 46 of the opening/closing device 40, to employ a motor 48 with a small output, and to reliably close the valve body 46 when closing the valve.

Further, the transmission mechanism 20A is provided with a plurality of gears G21 to G24 that mesh with each other between the rotating shaft 48c of the motor 48 and the spindle 45.
In such a configuration, rotational force is transmitted from the rotating shaft 48c of the motor 48 to the spindle 45 via a plurality of gears G21 to G24 that mesh with each other. By varying the number of teeth of these gears G21 to G24, the rotational force of the motor 48 can be amplified and transmitted to the spindle 45.

The control unit 80 also includes a determination unit that determines whether the closing operation is completed based on a change in the load current detected by the current detection circuit 84 when the valve element 46 closes the opening 44h. 88.
In such a configuration, when the valve body 46 is seated on the frame portion 44a during the closure operation, the load current in the motor 48 increases. By detecting this increase in the load current with the current detection circuit 84, it is possible to reliably determine whether or not the plugging operation has been completed.

Further, the determination unit 88 determines whether the closure operation is completed based on the rotation amount of the motor 48 detected by the rotation amount detection unit 57 and the load current detected by the current detection circuit 84.
In such a configuration, the amount of rotation of the motor 48 until the valve body 46 is seated on the frame portion 44a during the closure operation can be specified in advance from a design value or the like. Therefore, when the load current detected by the current detection circuit 84 increases during the closure operation, the rotation amount of the motor 48 detected by the rotation amount detection section 57 increases until the valve body 46 seats on the frame portion 44a. If the predetermined amount of rotation has been reached, it can be determined that the closure operation has been completed. As a result, even if the load current increases due to, for example, a foreign object being caught between the valve body 46 and the frame portion 44a before the valve body 46 is seated on the frame portion 44a during the valve closing operation, the valve closing operation is performed. It is possible to prevent erroneous determination that the process has been completed. Therefore, the control unit 80 can more reliably determine whether the closing operation by the valve body 46 has been completed.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the opening/closing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.
In addition, in this 2nd embodiment, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same component as the component in 1st Embodiment, the description is abbreviate|omitted, and only a different point will be described.

As shown in FIG. 9, the device main body 41 of the opening/closing device 40B of this embodiment includes a main body portion 44, a spindle 45, a valve body 46, a motor 48B, and a transmission mechanism 20B.

The motor 48B is supported by a frame 49B provided on the main body 44. The frame 49B includes a support 49c extending upward from the support 44b, and a motor support 49d provided on the support 49c. The motor support portion 49d faces the holding portion 44c from the axial direction Dc of the spindle 45.
In this embodiment, the motor 48B is provided at a position shifted from the spindle 45 in a direction (horizontal direction) orthogonal to the axial direction Dc of the spindle 45. The motor 48B includes a motor main body 48a and a rotating shaft 48c. The rotating shaft 48c passes through the motor support portion 49d and extends downward. The rotation axis 48c is horizontally shifted relative to the spindle 45.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the transmission mechanism 20B includes gears G27 and G28 and a belt 24. Gear G27 is provided on the rotating shaft 48c of the motor 48B. The gear G28 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft 23 fixed on the handle 47. The support shaft 23 has a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. A spindle 45 can be inserted into the inside of the support shaft 23. The support shaft 23 is rotatably provided on a motor support portion 49d and a support plate 49e provided below the motor support portion 49d about a central axis extending in the vertical direction. The lower end of the support shaft 23 is fixed to a handle 47. The support shaft 23 rotates together with the handle 47. Gear G28 is provided integrally with support shaft 23. The number of teeth of gear G28 is greater than the number of teeth of gear G27. In this embodiment, the number of teeth of gears G27 and G28 is, for example, 12 teeth for gear G27 and 36 teeth for gear G28.
The belt 24 is wound around gears G27 and G28. Thereby, in the transmission mechanism 20B, the rotation of the rotating shaft 48c of the motor 48B is decelerated and transmitted to the spindle 45 via the handle 47.

As explained above, according to the opening/closing device 40B according to the present embodiment, the transmission mechanism 20B that transmits the rotational force of the motor 48B to the spindle 45 includes a plurality of gears G27 and G28 having different numbers of teeth.
In such a configuration, since the transmission mechanism 20B includes a plurality of gears G27 and G28 having different numbers of teeth, when the rotational force of the motor 48B is transmitted to the spindle 45 via the transmission mechanism 20B, the rotational force of the motor 48B is transmitted to the spindle 45 via the transmission mechanism 20B. The rotation speed of the spindle 45 can be made different from the rotation speed of the spindle 45. By using the transmission mechanism 20B as a so-called speed reducer and reducing the number of rotations of the spindle 45 than the number of rotations of the motor 48B, the rotational force of the motor 48B is amplified and transmitted to the spindle 45, similarly to the first embodiment. be able to.

Further, in the transmission mechanism 20B, the belt 24 is wound between a gear G27 provided on the rotating shaft 48c of the motor 48B and a gear G28 provided on the spindle 45.
In this case, rotational force is transmitted from gears G27 and G28 provided on the rotating shaft 48c of the motor 48B to gears G27 and G28 provided on the spindle 45 via the belt 24. By making the numbers of teeth of gears G27 and G28 provided on the rotating shaft 48c of the motor 48B different from those of the gears G27 and G28 provided on the spindle 45, the rotational force of the motor 48B is amplified and transmitted to the spindle 45. be able to.

Note that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the opening/closing devices 40, 40B are applied to agricultural water supply pipes and agricultural drainage pipes, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is not limited to agricultural use, and may be applied to other than water supply and drainage pipes.
Furthermore, instead of the handle 47, a member (femally threaded member) may be used in which the female screw hole 44p is simply formed but the operator cannot rotate it.

In addition, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, the components in the embodiments described above may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described modifications may be combined as appropriate.

20A, 20B Transmission mechanism 24 Belt 38c Rotating shafts 40, 40B Opening/closing device 44 Main body portion 44a Frame portion 44c Holding portion 44h Opening 45 Spindle 46 Valve body 48, 48B Motor 48c Rotating shaft 57 Rotation amount detection portion 80 Control portion (control device)
84 Current detection circuit (load current detection section)
88 Judgment part Dc Axial direction G21 to G24, G27, G28 Gear

Claims (5)

a main body portion having a frame portion having an opening, and a holding portion facing the opening of the frame portion in the axial direction;
a spindle that passes through the holding part in the axial direction and is screwed to the holding part;
a valve body fixed to the first end of the spindle and removably seated on the frame so as to open and close the opening;
a motor fixed to the main body;
a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational force of the motor to the spindle;
a load current detection unit that detects a load current when the motor rotates;
A control device that controls rotation of the motor,
The transmission mechanism includes a plurality of gears ,
The control device includes a determining unit that determines whether the closing operation is completed based on a change in the load current detected by the load current detection unit when the valve element closes the opening. Equipped with
The determination unit is a switching device that determines that the closure operation is completed when the variation amount of the load current per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The opening/closing device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission mechanism includes a plurality of the gears that mesh with each other between the rotating shaft of the motor and the spindle. The opening/closing device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission mechanism includes a belt wound between the gear provided on the rotating shaft of the motor and the gear provided on the spindle. comprising a rotation amount detection unit that detects the rotation amount of the motor,
The determination unit determines whether the closure operation is completed based on the rotation amount of the motor detected by the rotation amount detection unit and the load current detected by the load current detection unit. The opening/closing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The opening/closing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the control device further rotates the motor to further tighten the valve body after the determination unit determines that the closure operation is completed.

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