JP7458314B2 - electric actuator - Google Patents

Description

Patent Law Article 30, Paragraph 2 applied. On sale from March 5 to July 10, 2019. Installed on April 15, 2019. WATARAS installation manual version 2.0 released in April 2019.

The present invention relates to an electric actuator, and particularly to an electric actuator that is attached to a water supply control device having a displacement mechanism that controls water supply by displacing a valve body or a partition body, and operates 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 opening/closing device that is attached to an existing hydrant or water weir and automatically opens and closes the hydrant or water weir.

Further, another example of this type of conventional electric actuator is disclosed in Patent Document 2. Patent Document 2 discloses a water supply device in which an electric actuator is integrated in advance.

To solve the problems of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the applicant proposed the electric actuator shown in Patent Document 3.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-70716 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-275684 JP2017-192367A

The electric actuator of Patent Document 3 can be made smaller and less costly, so it is desirable to utilize this advantage in as wide a range of applications as possible.

Therefore, the main objective of this invention is to provide a novel electric actuator.

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

A first invention is an electric actuator that is attached to a water supply control device having a displacement mechanism that controls water supply by displacement of a valve body or a partition body linked to rotation of a shaft, and operates the displacement mechanism, the electric actuator comprising: a main body case; A motor provided within the main case, a transmission mechanism provided within the main case that transmits the drive of the motor, a rotation shaft that is rotated by the motor via the transmission mechanism and whose lower part extends below the main case, and a rotation shaft. a connecting device for connecting the shaft to the shaft, the connecting device having a pair of legs for connecting to the upper end of the shaft, and a connecting portion connecting the pair of legs at their respective upper ends, The electric actuator further includes a slit formed at the lower end of the rotary shaft into which a part of the connecting portion fits, and a restraining means for restraining the rotary shaft from the outside at the position of the slit.

In the first invention, the electric actuator (10: reference numeral indicating a part illustrated in the embodiment; the same applies hereinafter) has a displacement mechanism that controls water supply by displacement of a valve body or a partition body linked to rotation of a shaft. It is attached to the water supply control device and operates the displacement mechanism. The electric actuator includes a main body case (20), a motor (38) provided in the main body case, a transmission mechanism (42, 40,) provided in the main body case that transmits the drive of the motor, and a motor via the transmission mechanism. The rotating shaft (50) is rotated by the main body case and has a lower part extending below the main body case, and a coupling member (300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) for connecting the rotating shaft to the shaft. The connectors (300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) include a pair of legs (302, 302A, 302B, 302C, 302D) for connecting to the upper end of the shaft, and a pair of legs (302). and connecting portions (308, 308A, 308B, 308C, 308D) that connect the two at their upper ends. A slit (70) into which a portion of the connecting portion (308b, 308bA, 308bB, 308bC) fits is formed at the lower end of the rotating shaft (50), and the rotating shaft (50) is moved outward at the position of the slit (70). It is provided with restraining means (326, 326A, 326B, 326C, 330, 330A, 330B, 330C) for restraining from.

According to the first invention, since the rotating shaft can be connected to the shaft by using the connecting tool, the electric actuator can not only be applied to water supply control devices of various types depending on the shaft, but also Since the restraining means is provided, the rotating shaft can be prevented from being destroyed even when high torque is required.

A second invention is dependent on the first invention, and the restraining means includes a restraining part that is integrally formed on the upper surface of the connecting part and restrains the rotating shaft on the outside at least at a position sandwiching the slit. It is.

In the second invention, for example, the stopper (326, 326A, 326B, 326C) formed on the upper surface of the connecting part (308) of the connecting tool (300) and the connecting part (308D) forming the insertion hole (372) are provided. Functions as a restraint.

According to the second invention, since the restraint part is formed integrally with the connector, handling is easy.

A third invention is dependent on the second invention, wherein the rotating shaft has a slit forming part that forms a slit from the base end, and the restraining part includes an upper part beyond the base end of the slit forming part, and the rotating shaft includes an upper part beyond the base end of the slit forming part. This is an electric actuator that restrains the

In the third invention, the rotating shaft (50) has a slit forming portion (78) that forms the slit (70) from the base end (78a), and the restraining portions (326, 326A, 326B, 326C) have the slit forming portion (78). The rotation shaft (50) is constrained by including the upper portion of the portion (78) beyond the proximal end (78a).

According to the third invention, since the restraint part restrains the rotating shaft including the upper part beyond the base end of the slit forming part, it is possible to prevent damage to the rotating shaft at or near the base end of the slit forming part. .

A fourth invention is dependent on the second invention, wherein the rotating shaft has a pair of slit-forming parts forming a slit from the base end, and the restraint part extends upward from the upper surface of the connecting part and has a pair of slit-forming parts. The electric actuator includes a pair of restraint parts that restrain the slit-forming portions of the slit-forming parts on their respective outer surfaces.

In the fourth invention, the rotating shaft has a pair of slit forming portions forming a slit from the base end, and the restraining portion extends upward from the upper surface of the connecting portion (308, 308A, 308B, 308C, 308D). The electric actuator includes a pair of restraint parts (326, 326A, 326B, 326C) that restrain a pair of slit forming parts on their respective outer surfaces.

According to the fourth invention, the restraint portion is formed integrally with the connector, making it easy to handle.

The fifth invention is an electric actuator according to the fourth invention, in which a pair of restraining portions each have an inner peripheral surface that conforms to the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding slit forming portion.

In the fifth invention, concave portions (362, 362C) are formed on the inner surfaces of the restraining portions (326B, 326C), and the inner surfaces of the concave portions extend along the outer circumferential surface of the slit forming portion (78).

According to the fifth invention, the inner surface of the restraining portion can tightly restrain the outer peripheral surface of the slit-forming portion over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface.

A sixth invention is according to the fourth or fifth invention, and is an electric actuator further comprising a fastening means for fastening the pair of restraining portions together. In the sixth invention, the fastening means (364, 366, 368, 370) fastens the restraining portions (326, 326A, 326B, 326C) together.

According to the sixth invention, even if the clearance between the restraint part and the outer surface of the slit forming part is increased, a sufficient restraint effect can be obtained by using the tightening means.

The seventh invention is dependent on the first invention, and is an electric actuator in which the restraining means is formed separately from the connector and includes a restraining portion that restrains the rotating shaft from the outside at least at a position that sandwiches the slit.

In the seventh invention, for example, the restraints (330, 330A, 330B, 330C) through which the rotating shaft (50) is inserted on the upper surface of the connecting portion (308) of the connector (300) function as restraints.

According to the seventh invention, since the restraining portion is formed separately from the connector, the structure of the connector may be simple.

According to the present invention, since the rotating shaft can be connected to the shaft by using the connecting tool, not only can the electric actuator be applied to various types of water supply control devices, but also the electric actuator can be equipped with a restraining means. Therefore, even if high torque is required, destruction of the rotating shaft can be prevented.

The above objects, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments given below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view showing how an electric actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a water supply device and a drainage device in a field. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of an electric actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing the internal structure of the electric actuator shown in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view showing the main gear periphery of FIG. 3 . It is an illustrative view showing an example of a 1st adapter. FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing how the electric actuator of FIG. 2 is attached to a water supply valve. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the main parts of the embodiment in FIG. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing an example of a connector, in which FIG. 8A is a perspective view and FIG. 8B is a front view. FIG. 5 is an illustrative view showing how the electric actuator shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 is attached to another water supply device using a connector. It is an illustrative view showing an example of a 2nd adapter. It is an illustrative view showing an example of a 3rd adapter. FIG. 10 is an illustrative view showing an example of a procedure for connecting the rotating shaft of the electric actuator and the shaft of the water supply device via the second actuator in the embodiment in FIG. 9 . FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a main part of the embodiment. 14(A) is a perspective view and FIG. 14(B) is a front view. FIG. 15 is an illustrative view showing an example of a procedure for connecting the rotating shaft of the electric actuator and the shaft of the water supply device in the embodiment of FIG. 9 via the connector shown in FIG. 14 . It is a perspective view showing an example of a restraint. It is a perspective view showing other examples of a connector. 18 is an illustrative view showing how the electric actuator shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 is attached to the water supply device of the embodiment in FIG. 9 using the connector shown in FIG. 17. FIG. FIG. 19 is an illustrative view showing a first modification of the restraint shown in FIG. 16, in which FIG. 19(A) is a perspective view and FIG. 19(B) is a sectional view. 2-4 is attached to the water supply device of the embodiment of FIG. 9 using the connector of the embodiment of FIG. 19. FIG. 21(A) is a perspective view, and FIG. 21(B) is a sectional view. FIG. 22(A) is a perspective view, and FIG. 22(B) and FIG. 22(C) are connectors of the restraint of this embodiment. FIG. It is an illustrative view showing attachment to. 23(A) is a perspective view, and FIG. 23(B) is an illustrative view showing a first modification of the coupling shown in FIG. 14, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing a state in which the shafts of the device are connected. FIG. 24 is an illustrative view showing a second modification of the connector shown in FIG. 14, in which FIG. 24(A) is a perspective view and FIG. 24(B) is a plan view. FIG. 24 is an illustrative view showing a state in which the rotating shaft of the electric actuator and the shaft of the water supply device are connected via the connector of the embodiment. FIG. 24 is an illustrative view showing a modification of the connector of the embodiment in FIG. 24; 27(A) is a perspective view, and FIG. 27(B) is a plan view. FIG. FIG. 27 is an illustrative view showing a state in which the rotating shaft of the electric actuator and the shaft of the water supply device are connected via the connector of the embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, an electric actuator 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as "actuator 10"), which is an embodiment of the present invention, includes a motor 38, a main gear 40, a rotating shaft 50, etc., and includes a water supply valve, etc. It is attached to the water supply control device and operates a displacement mechanism included in the water supply control device. In this embodiment, the actuator 10 is used in a field water supply and drainage system 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as "system 100"), and is attached to both a water supply device 104 and a drainage device 106, which are examples of a 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 explained. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 is a field equipment for managing water in a field 102 by remote control or automatic control based on a pre-stored program, and includes a water supply device 104 and a drainage device 106. The present invention is applied to a farm field 102 such as a paddy field. Note that the farm field 102 is divided into a plurality of cultivation areas by ridges, and a water supply device 104 and a drainage device 106 are installed for each cultivation area.

The water supply device 104 is a device for controlling the water supply to the cultivated area (field 102) and has a displacement mechanism (first displacement mechanism) including a valve body or a partition body. In this embodiment, the water supply device 104 uses an alfalfa-type water supply valve of the generally widespread R&R type (a type in which the shaft moves up and down as the shaft rotates).

Briefly explaining with reference to FIGS. 1 and 6, 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 in the upper part of the side wall of the valve box 120 so as to be lined up in the circumferential direction. Further, a bearing 126 having a female thread formed on the inner peripheral surface is provided at the upper end of the valve box 120, and a shaft ( A valve stem) 128 is screwed together. At the lower end of this shaft 128, a disk-shaped valve body 130 having a water stop rubber 130a on the lower surface is provided. Furthermore, a valve seat 132 having a water passage port 132a is provided approximately at the center of the valve box 120. Then, when a rotational force around the axis is applied to the shaft 128, the shaft 128 and the valve body 130 are moved 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 as the shaft 128 rotates.

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

On the other hand, the drainage device 106 is a device for controlling drainage from the field 102, and has a displacement mechanism including a valve body or a partition body that is displaced according to rotation of the shaft. In this embodiment, a water droplet having a water level setting function is used as the drainage device 106. Such a drainage device 106 is placed, for example, in a drainage basin 114 and attached to the upstream end of a drainage pipe 118 that extends to the drainage channel 116. An actuator 10 can also be attached to the drainage device 106 as described later, and the displacement mechanism of the drainage device 106 can be operated by this actuator 10.

In addition, in FIG. 1, the water supply device 104 is arranged at one end side of the field 102, and the drainage device 106 is arranged at 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, water supply device 104 and drainage device 106 may be placed in close proximity.

Further, the system 100 in this embodiment is a system including a plurality of cultivation areas, and in addition to the actuator 10 attached to each of the water supply device 104 and the drainage device 106 installed in each cultivation area, only communication is performed. A master unit is installed, and the remaining actuators 10 are used as slave units. The parent device is connected to a remote control terminal owned by the user, such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, PDA, or PC, via a network such as the Internet, so as to be able to communicate wirelessly. On the other hand, the actuator 10, which is a slave unit, is connected to the base unit directly or via another slave unit so as to be able to communicate wirelessly with the base unit, using a wireless communication method that complies with the specified low-power wireless standard. It is connected to a remote control terminal owned by the user for wireless communication.

Note that cloud computing may be used for this wireless communication. For example, information acquired by each actuator 10 (information regarding the status of the water supply device 104 or drainage device 106 such as the degree of opening/closing of a valve body, sensor information such as field water level or air temperature, etc.) is sent and stored at any time to a cloud server. I'll keep it. The user accesses the cloud server from a 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 water in the field 102. .

However, the system 100 does not necessarily have to be a system that spans multiple cultivated areas, and the field 102 to which the system 100 is applied need only be a field in which at least one water supply device 104 and one drainage device 106 are installed.

Next, the configuration of the actuator 10 will be specifically explained. As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the actuator 10 includes a main body case 20 made of synthetic resin such as hard polyvinyl chloride. This 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 portion of the side wall 22 is reduced in diameter in a step-like manner, and this reduced diameter portion becomes a fitting portion 26 that is fitted into an upper opening of a first adapter 60, 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 battery panel 28 is attached to the upper surface of the ceiling wall 24 of the main body case 20. The solar cell panel 28 is a rectangular package of a plurality of solar cells made of tempered glass, a sealing material, and the like, and is supported by a holder 30 . The holder 30 is made of metal or resin, and includes, for example, a rectangular frame 30a that is provided to cover the solar cell panel 28, and a support that is provided on the lower surface of the frame 30a and is bent at a predetermined angle. and a plate 30b.

Inside the main body case 20, a control panel 32, an antenna 34, a storage battery 36, a motor 38, a main gear 40, etc. are housed.

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

The storage battery 36 stores power generated by the solar panel 28. The motor 38 is driven by the power stored in the storage battery 36, that is, the power generated by the solar panel 28. A small gear 42 is provided at the tip of the output shaft 38a of this motor 38, and by being connected to this small gear 42, the main gear 40 receives the driving force from the motor 38 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 according to the rotation direction and 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, the partition body 142 of the drainage device 106, etc. based on the pulse signal input from the encoder, that is, the rotation direction and rotation speed of the output shaft 38a. That is, the encoder is used as a position detection unit that detects the position of the valve body 130, the partition body 142, or the like. However, the encoder functioning as a position detection part does not necessarily need to be provided on the motor 38, and the encoder may be provided on the main gear 40 to determine whether the valve body 130 or the partition body 140 It is also possible to calculate the position of Furthermore, the control panel 32 is provided with a current value detection section such as a current sensor (current transformer) that detects the motor current value, and detection data from the current value detection section is input to the CPU of the control section.

The main gear 40 is a double-boss type gear, and has a cylindrical shaft portion (boss portion) 40a that extends in the vertical direction, and a disc-shaped gear portion 40b having gear teeth formed on its outer peripheral surface. A disk-shaped first bearing 44, which also serves as the 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. Also, above the first bearing 44, a plurality of supporting parts are provided. A disk-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 roughly cylindrical rotating shaft 50 is inserted into the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40. In other words, the rotating shaft 50 is provided so as to pass through the axial center of the main gear 40. The lower end of this rotating shaft 50 is formed with a coupling portion 50a that is non-rotatably connected to the shaft 128 of the water supply device 104 or the upper end portion 308b (described later) of the connector 300 (described later).

In addition, 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 sliding key (first sliding key) 50b that fits into the key groove 40c is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 50 so as to extend along the axial direction. By having such a sliding key structure consisting of the key groove 40c and the sliding key 50b, the rotating shaft 50 rotates together with the rotation of the main gear 40, and is able to slide axially relative to the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40.

Here, as a method of providing a rotating shaft so as to rotate together with the gear and to be able to slide in the axial direction of the gear, it is also possible to use a spline structure or a serration structure. However, with a spline structure or a serration structure, it is necessary to cut a plurality of unevenness extending along the axial direction on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft, and also to cut a plurality of unevenness on the inner circumferential surface of the gear shaft. This increases manufacturing costs. Therefore, in this embodiment, a sliding key structure having a simple structure as described above is adopted. This is because manufacturing costs can be significantly reduced.

However, since the rotating shaft 50 moves up and down while rotating, in other words, a torsional force acts on the rotating shaft 50, simply adopting the sliding key structure will cause the rotational balance of the rotating shaft 50 to deteriorate. may not function properly.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a 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 first thrust bearing 52 is provided between the upper surface of the gear portion 40b of the main gear 40 and the second bearing 44. A second thrust bearing 54 is provided between the lower surface of the holder and the lower surface of the holder. 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 manner, the rotating shaft 50 can move up and down while rotating in a well-balanced manner, even though the sliding key structure is adopted, and the rotational torque during operation, that is, the load applied to the motor 38. can be reduced. This is particularly effective during tightening (at the end of the closing operation) when the load is at its maximum. Therefore, it is possible to downsize the motor 38 and save power. Furthermore, since the rotational torque is reduced, the durability of the main gear 40, the bearings 44, 48, and the rotating shaft 50 is also improved.

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

As described above, the driving force of the motor 38 is applied to the rotating shaft 50 via the small gear 42 and the main gear 40, so these gears 40, 42 form a transmission mechanism.

Note that the efficiency of reducing the motor load of the actuator 10 of this embodiment has been significantly increased, and the effect of reducing the motor load by the thrust bearings 52 and 54 has already been confirmed by the inventors, so a detailed explanation thereof will be provided. is omitted.

Although not shown, the field 102 includes sensors such as a water level sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor that detects field water level, a temperature sensor that detects air temperature, a pressure sensor that detects atmospheric pressure, and a moisture sensor that detects soil moisture. will be provided as appropriate. Sensor information such as the field water level and air temperature detected by each sensor is input to the control section of the actuator 10.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, an example of the first adapter 60 for attaching the actuator 10 to the water supply device 104 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the first adapter 60 includes a cylindrical portion 62, a flange-shaped first connecting portion 64 protruding outward from the upper end of the cylindrical portion 62, and a first connecting portion 64 extending inward from the lower end of the cylindrical portion 62. It protrudes and includes an annular plate-shaped second connection part 66 having a through hole 66a in its center. 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 this second connection portion 66 may be a long hole that is long in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the actuator 10 is attached to the water supply device 104 using the first adapter 60, the fitting part 26 of the main body case 20 is fitted into the cylindrical part 62 of the first adapter 60, and the first The first connecting portion 64 of the adapter 60 and the bottom wall of the main body case 20 of the actuator 10 are bolted together. Further, the second connecting portion 66 of the first adapter 60 and the cap 122 and bearing 126 of the water supply device 104 are bolted together. At this time, by making the bolt holes formed in the second connecting portion 66 long in the circumferential direction, the angle of the first adapter 60 and the actuator 10 can be adjusted in the circumferential direction with respect to the water supply device 104. Furthermore, the upper end portion of the shaft 128 of the water supply device 104 projects upward from the through hole 66a formed in the second connection portion 66 of the first adapter 60, and is connected to the coupling portion 50a of the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10. are connected in a non-rotatable manner.

Referring to FIG. 7, a slit 70 forming a coupling portion 50a is formed at the lower end of the rotating shaft 50. The slit 70 receives the shaft 128 of the water supply device 104. In other words, the upper end of the shaft 128 is formed so that, for example, by cutting out the side surfaces of a cylinder, a pair of opposing side surfaces 134 fit into the slits 70, that is, the inner surfaces 72 defining the slits 70 sandwich the side surfaces 134. As a result, the shaft 128 is non-rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10.

However, the upper end of the shaft 128 may be formed as a rectangular prism, and it is sufficient if it has a pair of opposing side surfaces 134 that fit into the slits 70 of the rotating shaft 50.

In the water supply device 104 to which the actuator 10 is attached, for example, when a user uses a remote control terminal to send an operation instruction (control signal) to the actuator 10 indicating whether to fully close, fully open, or at an arbitrary opening degree, etc. , the control unit (CPU) of the actuator 10 drives the motor 38 in accordance with the operation instruction. The driving force of this motor 38 is transmitted to a main gear 40 constituting a transmission mechanism, so that the main gear 40 rotates and the rotating shaft 50 also rotates. As a result, rotational force is applied to the shaft 128 connected to the rotating shaft 50. The shaft 128 to which the rotational force is applied is moved up and down by the feed screw mechanism of itself and the bearing 126, and the valve body 130 is moved to a fully open position, a fully closed position, and the like. Further, as the shaft 128 moves up and down, the rotating shaft 50 moves up and down so as to pass through the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40. Thereby, vertical movement of the shaft 128 can be absorbed without requiring a large space in the vertical direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a relatively deep counterbore hole 74 is formed above the slit 70 of the rotating shaft 50. This counterbore hole 74 receives a retaining bolt 136 that is attached to the upper end of the connector 300 in the embodiment of FIG. 9, which will be described later. Furthermore, at the position of the counterbore hole 74, the rotary shaft 50 is provided at two different positions in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 50 so as to penetrate through the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft 50 that defines the counterbore hole 74. A female thread 76 is formed.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8, an example of a connector 300 for attaching the actuator 10 to another type of water supply device will be described. It should be noted in advance that the dimensions, heights, widths, intervals, etc. of each part described below are all for examples and are not limiting.

The connector 300 is made of a metal such as steel, and is arch-shaped (gate-shaped) when viewed from the front (FIG. 8(B)). Its overall width W is 37 mm, height H1 is 55 mm, and thickness T1 is 17 mm. The connector 300 includes a pair of legs 302 that face each other at a distance. The lower ends of the legs 302 are formed as clamping portions 304 for clamping opposing side surfaces 142 (similar to side surfaces 134 in FIG. 7) formed on the prismatic portion 1 at the upper end of the shaft 128 of the water supply device 104, as described below. The gap G1 between the opposing inner faces of the clamping portions 304 is 14.0 mm, and the height H2 of the clamping portions 304 is 18 mm.

A stepped portion 306 is formed on the inner surface of each leg portion 302 above the sandwich portion 304 . In this embodiment, the distance G2 between the opposing inner surfaces of the stepped portion 306 is 24 mm. The height H3 of the stepped portion 306 is 10 mm.

The upper ends of the pair of legs 302 of the connector 300 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 308 . The connecting part 308 is composed of a lower part 308a having the same thickness as the leg part and an upper part 308b integrally formed thereon and having a thickness T2 thinner (13 mm) than the thickness T1 of the lower part 308a, and has an overall height H4. is assumed to be 17 mm. The height of only the upper portion 308b is 13 mm. A female thread 310 is formed at the center of the connecting portion 308 in the width direction from the upper portion 308b to a portion of the lower portion 308a. This female thread 310 is used to attach the above-mentioned retaining bolt 136.

Further, a counterbore hole 312 is formed at the center of the connecting portion 308 in the width direction from the lower surface of the lower portion 308a upward. This counterbore hole 312 is formed with a depth of 10 mm and receives a male thread 144 formed at the upper end of the shaft 128, which will be described later.

Here, an embodiment in which the actuator 10 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 is applied to a water supply device 104 of a different type from the embodiment in FIG. 6 using this connector 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. I will explain.

First, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the second adapter 314 and the third adapter 316 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 are used.

The second adapter 314 in FIG. 10 is made of metal such as aluminum, and includes a disk portion 318 and a wall 320 rising from the top surface of the disk portion 318. A female thread 321 is formed in the wall 320 . A through hole 322 through which the shaft 128 of the water supply device 104 passes is formed at the center of the disc portion 318 . Although not obvious in FIG. 10, a screw hole is formed in the disc portion 318 for attaching the second adapter 314 to the water supply device 104 shown in FIG.

Further, the third adapter 316 shown in FIG. 11 is also made of metal such as aluminum, and has a similar form to the first adapter 60 shown in FIG. 5. That is, the third adapter 316 includes a cylindrical portion 324 and a flange-shaped connecting portion 326 that protrudes outward from the upper end of the cylindrical portion 324 . Since the third adapter 316 is coupled to the second adapter 314 as described later, a hole 325 is formed in the cylindrical portion 324 at a position corresponding to the female thread 321. However, unlike the first adapter 60, the lower end of the cylindrical portion 324 does not have a bottom surface and is open.

These second adapter 314 and third adapter 316 are combined as shown in FIG.

The water supply device 104 shown in FIG. 9 is of a type in which a valve is directly opened and closed with a handle (not shown), and does not have a flat top surface like the water supply device 104 in the embodiment shown in FIG. Therefore, in this embodiment, with no water pressure applied, the handle is removed, the screw (not shown) on the bearing cover above the water supply valve is removed, and the hexagonal support 138 is replaced with a predetermined hexagonal support 138. For example, if the bearing cover has four screws, the number at the front is changed to 138 hexagonal columns. For example, if there are six screws, every other screw is changed to a hexagonal support 138 for a total of three screws.

Since a female thread is formed at the upper end of each hexagonal support 138, the disk portion 318 of the second adapter 314 shown in FIG. 10 is attached to the upper end of the hexagonal support 138 using the male thread. In this state, the upper end of the shaft 128 shown in FIG. 9 passes through the through hole 322 of the disc part 318 of the second adapter 314 and is exposed above the disc part 318, and the upper end of the water supply device 104 is flattened. be able to.

In this state, next, as shown in FIG. 12(A), a coupling tool 300 shown in FIG. 8 is attached to the upper end of the shaft 128.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the upper end of the shaft 128 is formed as a square columnar section 140, and a pair of opposing side surfaces 142 are formed. However, like the side surface 134 shown in FIG. 7, the side surface 142 may be formed by cutting the side surface of a cylinder, and a male thread 144 is formed extending upward from the top surface of the prismatic portion 140. Then, a nut 1146 (a round nut is used in the embodiment, but a square nut may also be used) is screwed onto the upper end of the male thread 144, and the nut 146 is received in the stepped portion 306 of the connector 300, and the prismatic portion 140 of the shaft 128 A pair of side surfaces 142 of the connector 300 are disposed within the sandwich portion 304 of the connector 300. However, such positioning work is performed with the nut 146 screwed onto the upper end of the male screw 144, from the side of the connector 300, that is, from the front (FIG. 8(B)) or the rear side of the connector 300. into the stepped portion 306 and the pair of side surfaces 142 are placed within the sandwich portion 304 . This state is the state shown in FIG. 12(A), and at this time, the tip of the male screw 144 has not yet entered the counterbore hole 312, and the side surface 142 of the prismatic portion 140 of the shaft 128 is still entirely in the pinched portion. It does not fit within 304.

Next, the nut 146 is turned to move it toward the proximal end of the male thread 144. Then, since the position of the nut 146 is regulated by the stepped portion 306 of the connector 300, the male thread 144 is relatively displaced upward in accordance with the rotation of the nut 146, and the shaft 128 is also displaced upward, and as shown in FIG. The state shown in (B) is reached. In this state, the tip of the male screw 144 enters the counterbore hole 312 and the nut 146 is restricted by the stepped portion 306, so the male screw 144 does not fall out of the counterbore hole 312. Furthermore, the side surface 142 of the prismatic portion 140 of the shaft 128 is completely accommodated within the sandwich portion 304 .

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12(C), a retaining bolt 136 is attached to the female thread 310 formed in the upper portion 308b of the connecting portion 308 of the connecting tool 300. The retaining bolt 136 has a male thread 136a at its lower portion, and a small diameter portion 148 is formed on the male thread 136a. By screwing the male screw 136a into the female screw 310, the retaining bolt 136 is attached to the upper side of the connecting portion a (upper portion 308b) of the connecting tool 300.

Then, as shown in FIG. 12(D), the retaining bolt 136 is inserted into the counterbore hole 74 formed in the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10. At this time, the slit 70 (FIG. 7) formed at the lower end of the rotating shaft 50 covers the upper portion 308b of the connecting portion 308 of the connecting tool 300, as shown in FIG. That is, by sandwiching the upper portion 308b of the connecting portion 308 of the connecting tool 300 between the inner surface 72 (FIG. 7) of the slit 70, the connecting tool 300 is connected non-rotatably to the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10. In this state, the set screw 150 is screwed into either one of the two female threads 76 formed on the side surface of the counterbore hole 74 of the rotating shaft 50, and the small diameter portion 148 of the retaining bolt 136 is held down. In other words, the set screw 150 that engages with the small diameter portion 148 of the retaining bolt 136 constitutes a locking portion. Therefore, the connector 300 will not fall off the rotating shaft 50.

On the other hand, as explained above, due to the engagement between the nut 146 and the stepped portion 306, the shaft 128 does not fall off from the coupling tool 300. Since the side surface 142 of the prismatic portion 140 of the shaft 128 is sandwiched between the pinching portions 304 of the connector 300, the shaft 128 is non-rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 50 via the connector 300.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 9, the third adapter 316 is attached to the lower end of the actuator 10, and the female thread 321 provided in the wall 320 of the second adapter 314 is inserted through the hole 325 provided in the cylindrical portion 324 of the third adapter 316. By screwing the bolts together and joining the second adapter 314, the connecting portion between the actuator 10 and the water supply device 104 is connected, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 9.

In this way, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 as well, the actuator 10 can be attached to the water supply device 104 and operated in the same manner as in the embodiment shown in FIG. That is, in the water supply device 104 to which the actuator 10 is attached, for example, when a user uses a remote control terminal to transmit an operation instruction (control signal) to the actuator 10 indicating fully closed, fully opened, or an arbitrary opening degree, The control unit (CPU) of the actuator 10 drives the motor 38 in accordance with an operation instruction. The driving force of this motor 38 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 50 via the transmission mechanism, and the rotating shaft 50 rotates. A rotational force is applied to the shaft 128 connected to the rotating shaft 50 via the connector 300.

In the above embodiment, in order to prevent the shaft 128 from falling off the connector 300 by engaging with the stepped portion 306 of the connector 300, an upwardly extending male thread 144 is formed on the upper end of the shaft 128, and a nut 146 is screwed onto the male thread 144. The nut 146 protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft 128, thereby engaging with the stepped portion 306.

However, the nut 146 can also be replaced by a bolt head (not shown). In this case, a female thread (not shown) is formed extending downward from the top surface of the prismatic portion 140 of the shaft 128, a bolt is screwed into the female thread, and the bolt head protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft 128. By doing so, it may be engaged with the step portion 306.

A connector 300 shown in FIG. 14 is a connector suitable when the actuator 10 requires high torque. In the actuator 10 of the embodiment, a slit 70 is provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft 50, and the slit 70 (its inner surface 72) connects the shaft 128 or the connector 300 of the water supply device 104 in a non-rotatable manner. When it is necessary to increase the torque for rotating the shaft 128, there is a risk that the rotating shaft 50 may be torn at the slit 70. To this end, in the next embodiment, a connector 300 that can reinforce the lower end of the rotating shaft 50 is used.

The connector 300 of FIG. 14 differs from the connector 300 shown in FIG. 8 except for the following points. That is, the overall thickness T3 is thicker than the thickness T1 in FIG. 8, and is 24 mm as an example. However, the thickness T2 of the upper portion 308b of the connecting portion 308 is the same as the thickness T2 in FIG. This is because the upper portion 308b needs to fit into the slit 70 of the rotating shaft 50, similar to the embodiment of FIG.

The reason for increasing the thickness T3 is to form stoppers 326 on both sides of the upper portion 308b with the groove 328 in between. That is, the groove 328 is formed by the stopper 326 on the outer side in the thickness direction of the upper portion 308b. The width in the thickness direction of the groove 328 is the maximum thickness from the inner surface 72 of the slit 70 of the rotating shaft 50 shown in FIG. It is possible, and the width is selected.

FIG. 15 shows a procedure for connecting the rotating shaft 50 and the shaft 128 using the connector 300 shown in FIG. 14.

The method of connecting the shaft 128 to the connector 300 shown in FIG. 15(A) is as previously described with reference to FIG. 12. The method of connecting the rotating shaft 50 to the connector 300 in this state is basically the same as the method described with reference to FIG. 12.

The slit 70 of the rotating shaft 50 is placed over the upper part 308b of the connecting part 308 of the connecting tool 300, and at this time, as shown in FIG. 15(B), the slit forming part 78 of the rotating shaft 50 that defines the slit 70 is inserted into the groove 328 of the connecting tool 300. Therefore, this slit forming part 78 is sandwiched between the upper part 308b and the stopper 326. Therefore, the stopper 326 can restrain the slit forming part 78 that defines the slit 70 of the rotating shaft 50 from the outside. In other words, the stopper 326 constitutes a restraining means that restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside at the slit 70 part. Thereby, even when a high torque is required to rotate the shaft 128 of a water supply control device such as the water supply device 104, the rotating shaft 50 can be prevented from breaking or being destroyed.

In this way, the stopper 326 functions as a restraining part that extends upward from the top surface of the connecting part 308 of the connecting tool 300 and restrains the slit forming part 78 of the rotating shaft 50 on the outside. Moreover, since the restraint part is formed integrally with the connector, there is an advantage that it is easy to handle.

Note that in the connector 300 shown in FIG. 14, the height of the stopper 326 (the depth of the groove 328) may be a height (depth) that allows the rotating shaft 50 to be pressed from the outside in at least a portion of the slit 70; It is desirable that the height (depth) be such that the entire depth of the slit 70 can be restrained from the outside.

As another example of a restraint means for restraining such a rotating shaft 50 from the outside at the slit 70, a restraint tool 330 shown in FIG. 16 is used. The restraint 330 is made of metal, such as steel, and has a hole 332 formed in the center. The diameter of this hole 3232 is made large enough to allow the rotating shaft 50 to be inserted therethrough. However, the outer diameter, that is, the wall thickness of the restraint 330 is arbitrary, and may be determined according to the strength required for the restraint 330. The thickness (in the vertical direction) of the restraint 330 may also be determined according to the required strength.

In order to use such a restraining device 330, the connecting device 300 is also modified as shown in FIG. 17. In FIG. 17, in the connecting device 300 of this embodiment, the width of the upper part 308b of the connecting portion 308 is narrower than that of the connecting device 300 of the example of FIG. 8. In other words, both sides of the upper part 308b as viewed from the front are cut out, and restraining device receivers 334 are formed on both sides of the front of the upper part 308b.

FIG. 18 shows a state in which the actuator 10 and the water supply device 104 are coupled using the connector 300 and the restraint 330. In this embodiment, first, the second adapter 314 is mounted on the hexagonal support 138, similar to the previous embodiment in FIG. Then, before screwing the set screw 150, the rotating shaft 50 is passed through the restraint 330, and then the rotating shaft 50 and the shaft 128 are connected via the coupling tool 300 in the procedure described with reference to FIG. do. However, the set screw 150 is not yet screwed together.

Thereafter, the restraint 330, which has been passed through the rotating shaft 50 in advance, is lowered until it hits the restraint receiver 334. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, the lower end of the rotating shaft 50 is surrounded by the restraint tool 330. 9, the locking bolt 136 is finally locked with the set screw 150, and the third adapter 316 is attached to the lower end of the actuator 10 as shown in FIG. The actuator 10 and the water supply device 104 are connected to the second adapter 314 by screwing a bolt into the female thread 321 provided in the wall 320 of the second adapter 314 through the hole 325 provided in the cylindrical portion 324 of the second adapter 316 . The connecting parts are combined, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 18.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 18 as well, the restraining tool 330 can restrain the slit forming portion 78 (FIG. 15) that defines the slit 70 of the rotating shaft 50 from the outside. In other words, the restraint tool 330 constitutes a restraint means that restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside at the slit 70 portion. Thereby, even if high torque is required to rotate the shaft 128 of a water supply control device such as the water supply device 104, the rotating shaft 50 can be prevented from being fractured or destroyed.

However, compared to using a restraint means (stopper 326) that is integrated with the connector 300, using a restraint means (restraint 330) that is separate from the connector 300 has the disadvantage that it takes more time to attach and remove it. However, since the restraint part is formed separately from the connector, there is an advantage that the structure of the connector is simple.

As a restraining means separate from the connecting tool 300, it is not limited to the restraining tool 330 shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, and for example, a stainless steel band or the like can be used.

FIG. 19 shows a modification of the ring-shaped restraint 330 of the embodiment shown in FIG. , the thickness (in the vertical direction) is thicker (higher) than that of the restraint tool 330 of the embodiment shown in FIG. Furthermore, in the restraint tool 330A of this example, as shown in FIG. 19(A), a notch 336 is formed in a part of the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 19(B), communicating through holes 338 and screw holes 340 are formed in the restraint tool 330A at corresponding positions across the notch 336. A counterbore 338a is formed at the entrance of the through hole 338.

When connecting the actuator 10 to the water supply device 104 using the connector 300 as shown in FIG. 18, as described with reference to FIG. 18, first, as in the previous embodiment in FIG. It is installed on the hexagonal support 138. Then, before screwing the set screw 150, the rotating shaft 50 is passed through the restraint 330A in which the bolt 342 is screwed into the through hole 338 and the screw hole 340, and then the procedure described with reference to FIG. , the rotating shaft 50 and the shaft 128 are coupled via the connector 300. At this time, since the inner diameter of the restraint tool 330A is designed to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the slit forming portion 78, there is an advantage that the rotating shaft 50 can be easily passed through the restraint tool 330A.

Thereafter, the restraint 330A, through which the rotating shaft 50 has been passed in advance, is lowered until it hits the restraint receiver 334 (FIG. 17). Also at this time, since the inner diameter of the restraint tool 330A is made slightly larger than the outer diameter of the slit forming portion 78, the restraint tool 330A can be easily lowered. Then, as shown in FIG. 20, the lower end of the rotating shaft 50 is surrounded by the restraint 330A.

Then, the bolt 342 is firmly screwed into the through hole 338 and the threaded hole 340. This tightening of the bolt 342 narrows the notch 336 of the restraining device 330A, and the inner peripheral surface of the restraining device 330A adheres closely to the outer peripheral surface of the slit-forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, effectively restraining the slit-forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 with the restraining device 330A.

At this time, since the thickness (height) of the restraint tool 330A is made thick (high), as shown in FIG. Since the tool 330A covers it, damage to the base end of the slit forming portion 78 during high torque can be effectively prevented. In other words, the restraint tool 330A restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside not only at the slit-forming portion 78 but also beyond the base end 78a of the slit-forming portion 78. Damage to the rotating shaft 50 can be prevented.

Finally, by locking the retaining bolt 136 with the set screw 150, attaching the third adapter 316 to the lower end of the actuator 10, and joining it to the second adapter 314, the connecting portion between the actuator 10 and the water supply device 104 is fixed. are combined.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, since the restraint part (330A) is formed separately from the connector (300), there is a problem that it takes time and effort to attach and remove the restraint part (330A), but the structure of the connector is simple. It has the advantage of being fine.

In addition, in Figures 19 and 20, parts that correspond to parts in each embodiment described above are indicated by the corresponding reference numerals with the suffix "A" and the description is omitted.

In the restraint tool 330A of the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, a notch 336 is formed in a part in the circumferential direction, whereas the restraint tool 330B of the embodiment shown in FIG. 21 has a half-split structure. That is, the restraint tool 330B includes a pair of restraint tool parts 330Ba and 330Bb, and the restraint tool parts 330Ba and 330Bb include, as shown in FIG. 21(B), on both sides of the inner diameter part (hollow part). A through hole 344 and a screw hole 346, and a through hole 348 and a screw hole 350 are respectively formed for joining the two. These screw holes 344 and 348 may be provided with counterbores as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, if necessary.

When using the restraint tool 330B of this embodiment, a bolt 352 is screwed into the through hole 344 and the screw hole 346, and a bolt 354 is screwed into the through hole 348 and the screw hole 350. Thereby, one restraint 330B is formed.

The rotating shaft 50 is inserted in advance into the hollow part of the restraint tool 330B with those bolts 352 and 354 not tightened, and then the rotating shaft 50 is inserted in advance through the same procedure as in the embodiment in FIG. The restraint tool 330B that was in place is lowered until it hits the restraint tool receiver 334 (FIG. 17), and the loose bolts 352 and 354 are tightened. Accordingly, the inner peripheral surface of the restraint tool 330B comes into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the slit-forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, and the slit-forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 is effectively restrained by the restraint tool 330B.

At this time, if the thickness (height) of the restraint tool 330B is increased (higher), the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 (FIG. 20 ) is restrained by the restraint tool 330B, damage to the base end of the slit forming portion 78 can be effectively prevented. In other words, the restraint tool 330B restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside not only at the slit-forming portion 78 but also beyond the base end 78a of the slit-forming portion 78. Damage to the rotating shaft 50 can be prevented.

In FIG. 21, parts corresponding to those in each embodiment described above are given corresponding reference numbers with a suffix "B", and their explanations are omitted.

Figure 22 shows a restraining device 330C according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is a third modification of the ring-shaped restraining device 330 shown in Figure 16. As shown in Figure 22 (A), the restraining device 330C of this embodiment has through holes 356 formed through the thickness of the restraining device 330C at opposing positions sandwiching the inner diameter portion of the restraining device 330C. Except for this point, the restraining device 330C is similar to the restraining device 330A shown in Figure 19, and although not shown, a screw hole is formed on either side of the notch 336C, and a bolt 342C is screwed into the screw hole.

The restraint 330C of this embodiment is attached to the connector 300 (FIG. 22(B)) in advance, and therefore, the restraint receiver 334 (FIG. 22(B)) of the connector 300 has a A screw hole 358 corresponding to the above-described through hole 356 is formed at a position opposite to each other with the upper portion 308b interposed therebetween.

Then, as shown in FIG. 22(C), the restraining device 330C is placed on the restraining device receiver 334 so that the upper portion 308b of the connecting portion 300 fits into the hollow portion of the restraining device 330C, and the bolt 360 is threaded into the screw hole 358 through the through hole 356 of the restraining device 330C, thereby temporarily fixing the restraining device 330C on the connecting device 300. At this time, the bolt 342C is not tightly tightened.

In this state, the lower end of the rotating shaft 50 is inserted into the hollow portion of the restraint tool 330C so that the slit forming portion 78 sandwiches the upper portion 308b. Then, the outer periphery of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 is covered, as in the case of a restraint tool 330A shown in FIG. 20, for example. After that, the bolt 342C of the restraint tool 330C is strongly tightened. The hole diameter of the through hole 356 does not hinder this tightening. Thereafter, the bolt 360 screwed into the screw hole 358 of the connecting portion 300 is strongly tightened.

In addition, when using the restraint device 330C of this embodiment, each shaft 140 of the shaft 128 is connected via the connecting device 300 in the procedure described with reference to FIG. What is necessary is just to insert the forming part 78 into the hollow part of 330 C of restraint tools temporarily fixed to the coupling tool 300 beforehand.

In the embodiment of FIG. 22, the restraint part (330C) is formed separately from the connector (300), but since it can be temporarily fixed to the connector in advance, the restraint part is formed separately from the connector. Even if there is one, it has the advantage that it is easy to handle and the structure of the connector is simple.

Also in this embodiment, since the thickness (height) of the restraint tool 330C is increased (higher), the restraint tool 330C covers up to the base end 78a (FIG. 20) of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50. Breakage at the base end of the slit forming portion 78 during high torque can be effectively prevented. In other words, the restraint tool 330C restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside not only at the slit-forming portion 78 but also beyond the base end 78a of the slit-forming portion 78. Damage to the rotating shaft 50 can be prevented.

In FIG. 22, parts corresponding to those in each of the embodiments described above are given corresponding reference numbers with a suffix "C", and the description thereof will be omitted.

23 shows a coupling tool 300A, which is a modified example of the coupling tool 300 shown in FIG. 14. In this embodiment, the coupling tool 300A forms stoppers 326A on both sides of the upper part 308bA of the coupling part 308A, with grooves 328A between them. In other words, the groove 328A is formed by the stoppers 326A on the outer side of the thickness direction of the upper part 308bA. The width of the groove 328A in the thickness direction is selected to be the maximum thickness from the inner surface 72 of the slit 70 of the rotating shaft 50 shown in FIG. 7 to the peripheral side surface of the rotating shaft 50, that is, a width that can receive the slit forming part 78 shown in FIG. 15. However, in this coupling tool 300A, the width of the groove 328A is relatively wide at the upper end and narrows toward the bottom. In other words, the clearance between the outer peripheral surface of the slit forming part 78 of the rotating shaft 50 and the inner surface of the groove 328A (the inner surface of the stopper 326A) is narrowed toward the base of the stopper 326A. This increases the adhesion between the outer surface of the slit-forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 and the inner surface of the groove 328A, allowing the rotating shaft 50 to rotate with a higher torque.

Furthermore, in the connector 300A of the embodiment shown in FIG. 23, the height of the stopper 326A is extended above the slit 70 to sufficiently restrain and protect the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78. That is, by covering the stopper 326A up to the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, damage to the base of the slit forming portion 78 during high torque can be effectively prevented. In other words, the stopper 326A restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside not only at the slit forming portion 78 but also beyond the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78, so that the stopper 326A restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside beyond the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 and its vicinity. Damage to the rotating shaft 50 can be prevented.

However, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 23, the inner surface of the stopper 326A is inclined, and a gap is created between the inner surface and the outer surface of the upper portion 308A near the upper end. ) is limited, but if the inner surface of the stopper 326A is not sloped and the height of the stopper 326A is increased like the stopper 326 of the embodiment in FIG. is highly effective in preventing damage.

In this way, the stopper 326A, like the stopper 326 shown in FIG. 14, extends upward from the upper surface of the connecting portion 308A of the connecting tool 300A, and restrains each slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 on the outside. Functions as a pair of restraints. Moreover, since the restraint part is formed integrally with the connector, there is an advantage that it is easy to handle.

In FIG. 23, parts corresponding to those in each of the embodiments described above are given corresponding reference numbers and a suffix "A", and their explanations are omitted.

FIG. 24 shows a coupling tool 300B, which is a modification of the coupling tool 300 shown in FIG. A stopper 326B is formed apart from each other, and the length of the stopper 326B in the width W (FIG. 14(B)) direction is made equal to the entire length of the width W. However, the length in the width W (FIG. 14(B)) direction may be shorter than the entire length of the width W.

This connector 300B is also a modification of the connector 300A of the FIG. 23 embodiment. In the connector 300A of the FIG. 23 embodiment, the groove 328 is straight in the width W direction, and therefore the inner surface of the stopper 326A is also flat. In contrast, the groove 328B is curved at the center in the width W direction so as to protrude outward in the thickness T3 (FIG. 14(B)) direction. Therefore, recesses 362 are formed on the inner surfaces of the stoppers 326B on both sides. As shown in FIG. 25, the curvature of the recess 362 is approximately the same as the curvature of the outer circumferential surface of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, and therefore, the inner surface of the recess 362 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50. Follow. Therefore, compared to the case where the inner surface of the slit 326A is flat as in the embodiment shown in FIG. It is possible to increase the resistance to the stress applied by the shaft 50 to the prismatic portion 140 (FIG. 13).

In this way, the stopper 326B functions as a pair of restraining parts that extend upward from the upper surface of the connecting part 308B of the connecting tool 300B and restrain each slit forming part 78 of the rotating shaft 50 on the outside. Moreover, since the restraint part is formed integrally with the connector, there is an advantage that it is easy to handle.

Furthermore, in the connector 300B of the FIG. 24 embodiment, the height of the stopper 326B is extended to above the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78, similar to the stopper 326A of the previous FIG. The base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 can be covered with the stopper 326B, thereby preventing damage to the base of the slit forming portion 78 during high torque. In other words, the stopper 326B restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside not only at the slit forming portion 78 but also beyond the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78. Damage to the rotating shaft 50 can be prevented.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the stopper 326B is continuous in the direction of the width W (FIG. 8(B)), but as a modification of this embodiment, the upper end of the stopper 326B is extended in the width direction of the recess 362. It is also conceivable to form a slit up to the groove 328B and divide the stopper 326B in the width direction.

According to this modification, by limiting the contact points between the slit forming part 78 and the stopper 326B, the insertion of the slit forming part 78 into the groove 328B is facilitated, and the adhesion of the stopper 326B to the slit forming part 78 is improved. Dimensions that can be further increased can be adopted.

Note that in FIGS. 24 and 25, parts corresponding to those in each of the embodiments described above are given corresponding reference numbers with a suffix "B", and explanations thereof will be omitted.

The connector 300C of the embodiment shown in FIG. 26 is a modified version of the connector 300B of the embodiment shown in FIG. 24, and has through holes 364 and screw holes 366 at corresponding positions on both ends of the width W direction of the stoppers 326C on both sides, and the stoppers 326C on both sides are fastened from the outside using bolts 368 and 370. In other words, the recesses 360C of each stopper 326C are pressed against the outer circumferential surface of the corresponding slit forming portion 78. This increases the degree of contact between the outer circumferential surface of the slit forming portion 78 and the inner circumferential surface 326C of the slit 326C, and therefore further increases the resistance to the stress applied by the rotating shaft 50 to the rectangular column portion 140 (FIG. 13).

These through holes 364, threaded holes 366, and bolts 368 and 370 function as fastening means for fastening together the stoppers 326C as restraining parts. However, the fastening means for performing this function is not limited to a combination of through holes, threaded holes, and bolts, but may be a through hole made of threaded holes 366 and bolts 368 and 370 and nuts (not shown), or may be something like wire that can be wrapped around a pair of stoppers 326C to move them inward.

In addition, if the clearance between the inner surface of each recess 360C of the stopper 326C and the circular outer circumferential surface of the slit forming portion 78 is increased, it becomes easier to insert the slit forming portion 78 into the inner groove 328C of the stopper 326C. However, in such a case, the restraining effect of the stopper 326C may not be sufficient without the tightening means, but if such a tightening means is used, a sufficient restraining effect can be obtained.

However, when the clearance between the inner surface of each recess 362 of the stopper 326B and the circular outer circumferential surface of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 is not made too large as in the case of the connector 300B of the embodiment in FIG. Since a certain level of restraint effect can be expected, it is not necessary to provide such a tightening means.

Furthermore, in the connector 300C of the FIG. 26 embodiment, the height of the stopper 326C is extended to above the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78, similar to the stopper 326A of the previous FIG. The base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 can be covered with the stopper 326C, thereby preventing damage to the base of the slit forming portion 78 during high torque. In other words, the stopper 326C restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside not only at the slit forming portion 78 but also beyond the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78. Damage to the rotating shaft 50 can be prevented.

In this way, the stopper 326C functions as a pair of restraining parts that extend upward from the upper surface of the connecting part 308B of the connecting tool 300B and restrain each slit forming part 78 of the rotating shaft 50 on the outside. Moreover, since the restraint part is formed integrally with the connector, there is an advantage that it is easy to handle.

Furthermore, in the connector 300 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 15 and the connector 300A of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 23-24, tightening means (screw holes 364 and 366 and bolts 368 and 370) may also be employed.

In the connectors 300, 300A, 300B, and 300C of each of the previous embodiments, the upper portions 308b, 308bA, 308bB, and 308C of the connectors 308, 308A, 308B, and 308C are sandwiched between the connectors 300, 300A, 300B, and 300C on both sides of the thickness T1 (Fig. 8). Stoppers 300, 300A, 300B, and 300C were formed as restraint parts. However, in the coupling tool 300D of the embodiment shown in FIG. 27, such a stopper is not formed.

That is, in the fastener 300D of this embodiment, a female thread 310D is formed on the upper surface of the connecting portion 308D, and semicircular insertion holes 372 are formed on both sides of the fastener 300D in the thickness T1 (FIG. 8) direction with the female thread 310D interposed therebetween. form. The two insertion holes 372 are similar in shape to the end face of the corresponding slit forming portion 78 in plan view, and have an inner plane 374 corresponding to a string and an inner surface 376 curved outward corresponding to an arc. The planes 374 of the two insertion holes 372 are parallel to each other.

Although it is not clear from FIG. 27, the hole 372 has a depth equivalent to the length from the base end 78a to the tip of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 shown in FIG. 28.

When connecting the rotating shaft 50 and the shaft 128 using the connector 300D of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. , a retaining bolt 136 is attached to the upper side of the connector 300D. The retaining bolt 136 is inserted into the counterbore hole 74 formed in the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10. Thereafter, the slit forming portions 78 of the rotating shaft 50 are inserted into the insertion holes 372, respectively. Then, the lower prismatic portion 140 is sandwiched between the sandwiching portions 304D.

In this way, the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 is inserted into the insertion hole 372 of the connecting portion 308D, so the slit forming portion 78 can be restrained from the outside by the connecting portion 308D forming the insertion hole 372. . At this time, since the curved inner surface 376 of the insertion hole 372 follows the outer peripheral surface of the slit forming portion 78, the slit forming portion 78 can be tightly restrained from the outside.

In other words, the connecting portion 308D that defines the insertion hole 372 constitutes a restraining means that restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside at the slit 70 portion. Thereby, even if high torque is required to rotate the shaft 128 of a water supply control device such as the water supply device 104, the rotating shaft 50 can be prevented from tearing or breaking.

In the connector 300D shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the depth of the insertion hole 372 may be such that the rotating shaft 50 can be pressed from the outside in at least a portion of the slit forming portion 78; It is desirable that the depth is such that it can be restrained from the outside over the entire length from the base end 78a to the distal end.

More preferably, the above-mentioned curved inner surface 376 (FIG. 27(B)) of the insertion hole 372 extends upward beyond the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78. This allows the curved inner surface 376 of the insertion hole 372 to cover the base of the slit-forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, thereby preventing damage to the base of the slit-forming portion 78 during high torque. In other words, the connecting portion 308D processed to extend upwardly from the curved inner surface 376 of the insertion hole 372 extends not only over the slit forming portion 78 but also beyond the proximal end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 to restrain the rotating shaft 50 from the outside. Therefore, damage to the rotating shaft 50 at or near the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 can be prevented.

Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the shapes of the slit forming portion 78 and the insertion hole 372 in plan view are both semicircular and similar, but the clearance between the insertion hole 372 and the slit forming portion 78 is as small as possible. The smaller the size, the greater the binding force. However, if the clearance between the insertion hole 372 and the slit forming portion 78 is small, it will be difficult to insert the slit forming portion 78 into the insertion hole 372. Make it as small as possible within the insertable range.

In this way, the connecting portion 308D (the curved inner surface 376 thereof) of the connecting tool 300D that forms the insertion hole 372 extends upward from the upper surface of the connecting portion 308D and restrains each slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 on the outside. Functions as a restraint. Moreover, since the restraint part is formed integrally with the connector, there is an advantage that it is easy to handle.

In addition, also in the coupling tool 300D of this embodiment, as explained as a modification of the embodiment of FIGS. 24 and 25, the insertion hole is A slit having a depth of 372 mm may be formed to divide the curved inner surface 376 of the connecting portion 308D.

The specific numerical values such as the dimensions and the specific shape listed above are merely examples, and can be changed as appropriate depending on the needs of the product specifications and the like.

10...Electric actuator 20...Body case 50...Rotating shaft 70...Slit 72...Inner surface 74...Counterbore hole 76...Female thread 78...Slit forming part 128...Shaft 104...Water supply device (water supply control device)
106...Drainage device (water supply control device)
134...Side surface 136...Keeping bolt 140...Prismatic portion 142...Side surface 144...Male thread 146...Nut 148...Small diameter portion 150...Set screw 300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D...Connector 302...Leg portion 304...Pinch portion 306...Step part 308, 308A, 308B, 308C, 308D...Connecting part 308a, 308aA, 308aB, 308aC...Lower part 308b, 308bA, 308bB, 308bC...Upper part 310, 310A, 310B, 310C, 310D...Female thread 312...Seat Drilled hole 322, 338, 344, 348, 356, 364...Through hole 326, 326A, 326B, 326C...Stopper 328...Groove 330, 330A, 330B, 330C...Restraint 334...Restraint receiver 340, 346, 350, 358 , 366...screw hole 342, 352, 354, 360, 368, 370...bolt 362, 362C...recess 372...insertion hole

Claims (7)

An electric actuator that is attached to a water supply control device that has a displacement mechanism that controls water supply by displacement of a valve body or a partition body that is linked to rotation of a shaft, and that operates the displacement mechanism,
main case,
a motor provided within the main body case;
a transmission mechanism that is provided in the main body case and transmits the drive of the motor; a rotation shaft that is rotated by the motor via the transmission mechanism and whose lower part extends below the main body case; Equipped with a connecting tool for connecting to the shaft,
The connector has a pair of legs for connecting to the upper end of the shaft, and a connector for connecting the pair of legs at their upper ends, and further includes a connector formed at the lower end of the rotating shaft. An electric actuator, comprising: a slit into which a part of the connecting portion fits; and a restraining means for restraining the rotating shaft from the outside at a position of the slit. 2. The electric actuator according to claim 1, wherein the restraining means includes a restraining part that is integrally formed on the upper surface of the connecting part and restrains the rotating shaft on the outside at least at a position sandwiching the slit. The rotating shaft has a slit forming part that forms the slit from the base end,
3. The electric actuator according to claim 2, wherein the restraint part includes an upper part beyond the base end of the slit forming part and restrains the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft has a pair of slit forming portions forming the slit from the base end,
The electric actuator according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the restraining part includes a pair of restraining parts extending upward from the upper surface of the connecting part and restraining the pair of slit forming parts on respective outer surfaces. 5. The electric actuator according to claim 4, wherein each of the pair of restraining portions has an inner circumferential surface along an outer circumferential surface of the corresponding slit forming portion. The electric actuator according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising tightening means for tightening the pair of restraint parts. The electric actuator according to claim 1, wherein the restraint means includes a restraint that is formed separately from the connector and restrains the rotating shaft at least at a position sandwiching the slit.

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