JP7636845B2 - Auxiliary drive device for water gate, water gate opening/closing device, and method for assembling auxiliary drive device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an auxiliary drive device for a water gate opening and closing device, a water gate opening and closing device, and an assembly method for the auxiliary drive device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an auxiliary drive device for a water gate opening and closing device, which can be retrofitted to an existing water gate, reduces power transmission loss while maintaining the required reduction ratio of the drive system, enables stable operation utilizing the power of the drive motor, automates the opening and closing of the gate panel, and does not require any modification to the drive system when retrofitting, and allows work to be performed without affecting the opening degree of the gate panel by maintaining the height position of the gate panel, the water gate opening and closing device, and a method for assembling the auxiliary drive device.

For example, irrigation channels for rice fields are equipped with relatively small sluice gates to adjust the flow rate of irrigation water. The sluice gates have a movable door panel, and by raising and lowering the panel, the size of the opening can be changed to adjust the flow rate or water level. Note that many of the sluice gates already installed on irrigation channels are equipped with a relatively inexpensive manual drive device that manually raises and lowers the door panel.

Although the gates mentioned above are small, their gate panels are built to withstand water pressure, and are quite heavy. For this reason, manual drive devices have a large reduction ratio in the mechanism so that they can be operated with as little force as possible. However, even though the operation is lighter, it takes too much time, and opening and closing the gates requires a great deal of effort.

In addition, there are cases where the gates of floodgates need to be opened urgently, such as during heavy rain or flooding, but there are concerns that the opening of the gates may be delayed for the reasons mentioned above. As a countermeasure, there have been devices that use motors or the like to automate the opening and closing of gates of floodgates, but a particularly simple device that can be retrofitted to existing floodgates is the "auxiliary drive device for floodgate opening and closing devices" shown in Patent Document 1, for example.

The auxiliary drive device for a floodgate opener described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a lifting mechanism for the gate panel, which is equipped with a screw shaft for raising and lowering the gate panel, a worm wheel having an internal thread that meshes with the screw shaft, a worm for driving the worm wheel, and a horizontal shaft for driving the worm and to which a manual handle can be attached.

The first drive shaft provided in the gearbox is provided with a handle attachment means to which a manual handle can be attached, and the second drive shaft is provided with a rectangular hole into which a rotary transmission device with a polygonal cross section attached to the chuck of a commercially available power tool is inserted.

In addition, a through hole is provided at a predetermined position of the gear box into which a horizontal rod attached to the power tool via a mounting bracket is inserted, preventing a counter-rotational force when the second drive shaft is rotated by the power tool, and comprising a holding means, which, together with the horizontal rod and the through hole, keeps the rotation transmission device in a properly connected state with the second drive shaft.

JP 2016-160650 A

However, the above-mentioned conventional auxiliary drive device for a water gate opening and closing device has the following problems.
In other words, the mechanism that transmits the driving force of the electric motor of the power tool to the screw shaft to raise and lower it is structured so that (a) the rotational force of the horizontal shaft is first transmitted to the worm wheel by the worm, and then (b) the rotational force of the worm wheel is transmitted to the screw shaft by meshing the female thread with the male thread.

A heavy door plate is attached to the bottom end of the screw shaft, and multiple stages of deceleration are performed inside the gear box, but in (a) above, the gear surfaces of the worm and worm wheel rub strongly against each other at the meshing portion. Furthermore, in (b), the threaded surfaces also rub strongly against each other at the meshing portion of the female thread of the worm wheel and the male thread of the screw shaft, so even though lubrication is performed, large frictional forces are generated in both cases.

For this reason, for example, with the power of an electric motor of a commercially available power tool such as an impact driver described in the specification of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to stably raise and lower a screw shaft with a heavy gate panel attached to its lower end, and even if it were possible, its use would be limited to very small floodgates with small and lightweight gate panels.

Incidentally, the auxiliary drive devices for water gate opening and closing devices, including those in Patent Document 1, require improvements when retrofitting the auxiliary drive devices to existing water gate opening and closing devices. In other words, when assembling the auxiliary drive devices, it is usually necessary to perform the work while maintaining the opening angle of the water gate door panel so as not to change the flow rate of the waterway.

However, with conventional systems, it was sometimes necessary to make modifications to the existing drive system (drive mechanism), for example by turning a handle or attaching and detaching it, which had the inconvenience of changing the height position of the door panel and altering the opening angle.

The present invention has been devised in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide an auxiliary drive device for a floodgate opening and closing device, a floodgate opening and closing device, and a method for assembling the auxiliary drive device, which can be retrofitted to an existing floodgate, reduces power transmission losses while maintaining the necessary reduction ratio of the drive system, enables stable operation making use of the power of the drive motor, automates the opening and closing of the gate panel, and does not require any modifications to the drive system when retrofitting, and allows work to be performed without affecting the opening degree of the gate panel by maintaining the height position of the gate panel.

[1] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device having a bearing base provided on the driving body of a watergate, a lifting shaft supported by the bearing base so as to be able to rise and fall in the axial and vertical directions and having a door panel attached to its lower end, a rotary drive body supported at a predetermined position on the bearing base so as to be able to rotate forward and backward and which raises and lowers the lifting shaft by this rotation, and a handle that can directly or indirectly rotate the rotary drive body forward and backward, the auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device comprising: a sprocket mounting plate having a predetermined divided shape and attached to the handle with the same center of rotation in a state where it is joined to its original shape by a joining line, a driven sprocket having a predetermined divided shape and attached to the sprocket mounting plate with the same center of rotation in a state where it is joined to its original shape by a joining line, a mounting base member attached to the bearing base, a drive unit attached to the mounting base member and having a drive sprocket attached to a rotating shaft driven by a drive motor, and a transmission chain that is wound around the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket.

In the auxiliary drive device for the floodgate opening and closing device of the present invention, the sprocket mounting plate has a predetermined divided shape and is attached to the handle with the same center of rotation while being joined to its original shape at a joining line, and can rotate in the axial direction together with the handle.

The driven sprocket has a predetermined split shape and is attached to the sprocket mounting plate with the same center of rotation while being joined back to its original shape at a joining line, and can rotate around the axis together with the sprocket mounting plate as one unit with the handle.

The mounting base member attached to the bearing base serves as a base for mounting the drive unit, allowing the drive motor of the drive unit to be positioned (arranged) in a predetermined position.

The drive unit is attached to a mounting member and has a drive sprocket attached to a rotating shaft driven by a drive motor. By positioning the drive unit at a predetermined position where it can drive a driven sprocket, it becomes possible to transmit power via a transmission chain. The rotating shaft may be the rotating shaft of the drive motor, or it may be a driven rotating shaft driven by the rotating shaft of the drive motor.

The transmission chain wrapped around the drive sprocket and driven sprocket transmits the power of the rotating shaft on which the drive sprocket is attached to the driven sprocket, and also transmits it to a handle that is integrated with the driven sprocket, thereby rotating it.

As a result, the auxiliary drive device of the floodgate opening and closing device of the present invention can rotate the rotating drive body in forward and reverse directions using the rotational force of the handle, and raise and lower the gate panel together with the lifting shaft.

In addition, because the drive unit transmits power between the drive sprocket and driven sprocket via a transmission chain, it is possible to maintain the required reduction ratio of the drive system while reducing power transmission losses compared to, for example, power transmission by gears. This enables stable operation that makes the most of the power of the drive motor, and makes it possible to automate the opening and closing of the door panel.

In this way, when retrofitting the auxiliary drive unit to an existing floodgate opening and closing device, the sprocket mounting plate and driven sprocket, which are separate in shape, are joined back to their original shape, and the installation work can be completed without moving or removing the handle, or requiring any new processing on the existing device, allowing the work to be completed in a short time.

In addition, this allows the installation work to be carried out by maintaining the height position of the gate panel and without affecting the opening degree of the gate panel, so the installation work is not restricted to times or periods when, for example, the water volume in the waterway has not been adjusted and the opening degree of the gate panel is not affected, making it possible to retrofit the device to an existing floodgate opening and closing device regardless of the time or period.

In addition, the "split shape" referred to in this invention includes sprocket mounting plates and driven sprockets that are actually split into multiple pieces and can be used as is, as well as those manufactured as equivalents to split shapes. There is no particular limit to the number of pieces that are split, and they can be split into two, three, four, or any other appropriate number.

[2] The auxiliary drive device for the floodgate opening and closing device of the present invention is configured such that the lifting shaft is supported so that it can be raised and lowered while rotation around the axis is stopped, and the rotating drive body has a female threaded portion in the center, and is supported so that it can rotate forward and backward in the horizontal direction by screwing the screw shaft into the female threaded portion at a predetermined position on the bearing base, and this rotation raises and lowers the screw shaft.

The auxiliary drive unit uses a handle to rotate the rotary drive body that is screwed onto the screw shaft in forward and reverse directions to raise and lower the screw shaft and the door panel. The functions and effects of the sprocket mounting plate, driven sprocket, mounting base member, driving sprocket, drive unit and transmission chain are the same as those described in [1] above.

[3] The auxiliary drive device for the floodgate opening and closing device of the present invention can be configured such that the lifting shaft is a rack shaft that is supported so that it can be raised and lowered while its rotation in the axial direction is stopped, and has meshing teeth arranged in the axial direction, and the rotating drive body is supported so that it can rotate in both forward and reverse directions by meshing drive teeth with the meshing teeth, and this rotation raises and lowers the rack shaft.

The auxiliary drive unit uses a handle to rotate a rotary drive body having drive teeth in forward and reverse directions to raise and lower a rack shaft having meshing teeth that mesh with the drive teeth, thereby raising and lowering the door panel as well. The functions and effects of the sprocket mounting plate, driven sprocket, mounting base member, drive sprocket, drive unit and transmission chain are the same as those described in [1] above.

[4] The auxiliary drive device for the gate opening and closing device of the present invention can be configured so that the specified division in the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket is a two-part division with the diameter line being the joining line.

In this case, the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are divided into two parts with the diameter line as the joining line, so if the joining line is made straight, the length can be minimized, making the work of dividing the parts easier. It is also easy to join, and joining errors are less likely to occur.

[5] The auxiliary drive device for the gate opening and closing device of the present invention can be configured so that the joining lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are mounted so as to be shifted from each other at a predetermined angle in the circumferential direction.

In this case, the joint lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are offset circumferentially at a specified angle, thereby suppressing (or correcting) the misalignment of the positions of the centers of rotation of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket, thereby improving center accuracy.

This improves the rotational accuracy of the driven sprocket and allows it to mesh smoothly with the transmission chain. In addition, by misaligning the joint lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket, their strength is increased and they are less likely to come apart (separate) simultaneously due to the application of a large force all at once.

[6] The auxiliary drive device for the gate opening and closing device of the present invention can be configured so that the angle by which the joining lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are shifted circumferentially from each other is 90°.

In this case, the angle by which the joint lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are shifted circumferentially is 90°, so that one of the joint lines is located exactly in the middle of the other joint line in the circumferential direction, resulting in a better balance of resistance when force is applied.

This maximizes the effect of [5] above, i.e., suppressing misalignment of the positions of the centers of rotation of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket, thereby improving center accuracy, and increasing strength and making it less likely to come apart.

[7] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a device comprising: a bearing base provided on the main body of a water gate; a lifting shaft supported by the bearing base so as to be able to rise and fall in the axial and vertical directions and having a door panel attached to its lower end; a rotary drive body supported at a predetermined position on the bearing base so as to be able to rotate forward and backward, the rotary drive body raising and lowering the lifting shaft by this rotation; and a handle capable of directly or indirectly rotating the rotary drive body forward and backward. The auxiliary drive device is a water gate opening and closing device comprising: a sprocket mounting plate having a predetermined divided shape and attached to the handle with the same center of rotation in a state where it is joined to its original shape at a joint line; a driven sprocket having a predetermined divided shape and attached to the sprocket mounting plate with the same center of rotation in a state where it is joined to its original shape at a joint line; a mounting base member having a predetermined divided shape and attached to the bearing base in a state where it is joined to its original shape; a drive unit attached to the mounting base member and having a drive sprocket attached to a rotating shaft driven by a drive motor; and a transmission chain that is wound around the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket.

By directly or indirectly rotating the handle of the watergate opening and closing device of the present invention in both forward and reverse directions, it is possible to rotate the rotary drive body that is supported in a predetermined position on the bearing base so that it can rotate in both forward and reverse directions. The lifting shaft supported by the bearing base provided on the gate's drive body rises and falls in the axial and vertical directions of the bearing base as the rotary drive body rotates. The door panel attached to the lower end of the lifting shaft also rises and falls.

In addition, the sprocket mounting plate has a predetermined divided shape and is attached to the handle with the same center of rotation while being joined to its original shape at a joining line, and can rotate around the axis together with the handle.

The driven sprocket has a predetermined split shape and is attached to the sprocket mounting plate with the same center of rotation while being joined back to its original shape at a joining line, and can rotate around the axis together with the sprocket mounting plate as one unit with the handle.

The mounting base member attached to the bearing base serves as a base for mounting the drive unit, allowing the drive motor of the drive unit to be positioned in a predetermined position.

The drive unit is attached to a mounting member and has a drive sprocket attached to a rotating shaft driven by a drive motor. By positioning the drive unit in a predetermined position where it can drive the driven sprocket, power can be transmitted via a transmission chain.

The transmission chain wrapped around the drive sprocket and driven sprocket transmits the power of the rotating shaft on which the drive sprocket is attached to the driven sprocket, and also transmits it to a handle that is integrated with the driven sprocket, thereby rotating it.

As a result, the floodgate opening and closing device of the present invention can rotate the rotary drive body in forward and reverse directions using the rotational force of the handle, and raise and lower the gate panel together with the lifting shaft.

In addition, because the drive unit transmits power between the drive sprocket and driven sprocket via a transmission chain, it is possible to maintain the required reduction ratio of the drive system while reducing power transmission losses compared to, for example, power transmission by gears. This enables stable operation that makes the most of the power of the drive motor, and makes it possible to automate the opening and closing of the door panel.

In this way, when retrofitting to an existing floodgate opening and closing device, the sprocket mounting plate and driven sprocket, which are separate pieces, are joined back to their original shape, and the installation work can be completed without moving or removing the handle, or requiring any new processing on the existing device, allowing the work to be completed in a short amount of time.

In addition, this allows the installation work to be carried out by maintaining the height position of the gate panel and without affecting the opening degree of the gate panel, so the installation work is not restricted to times or periods when, for example, the water volume in the waterway has not been adjusted and the opening degree of the gate panel is not affected, making it possible to retrofit the device to an existing floodgate opening and closing device regardless of the time or period.

[8] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sprocket mounting plate assembly process for an existing water gate having a bearing base provided on the gate's base, a lifting shaft supported by the bearing base so as to be able to rise and fall in the axial and vertical directions and having a door panel attached to its lower end, in which a sprocket mounting plate having a predetermined divided shape is joined to its original shape and attached with the same center of rotation to a handle that is supported at a predetermined position on the bearing base so as to be able to rotate forward and backward, and that can directly or indirectly operate the forward and reverse rotation of a rotary drive body that raises and lowers the lifting shaft by this rotation; This method of assembling an auxiliary drive unit for a watergate opening and closing device includes a sprocket assembly process in which a driven sprocket having a predetermined divided shape is joined to its original shape and attached to the sprocket mounting plate with the same center of rotation; a mounting base member assembly process in which a mounting base member is attached to the bearing base; and a transmission chain assembly process in which a drive unit having a drive sprocket attached to a rotating shaft rotated by a drive motor is attached to the mounting base member, and a transmission chain assembly process in which a transmission chain is wrapped around the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket.

According to the method for assembling the auxiliary drive unit for a floodgate opening and closing device of the present invention, first, in a sprocket mounting plate assembly process, a sprocket mounting plate having a predetermined divided shape is joined to its original shape and attached with the same center of rotation to a handle that can directly or indirectly operate the forward and reverse rotation of a rotary drive body that raises and lowers the lifting shaft.

This allows the sprocket mounting plate to rotate integrally with the handle. Also, because the sprocket mounting plate, which has a specified divided shape, and the driven sprocket are joined and attached to their original shapes, they can be installed without turning or removing the handle, meaning they can be installed without affecting the opening angle of the door panel.

Next, in the sprocket assembly process, the driven sprocket, which has a predetermined divided shape, can be joined to its original shape and attached to the sprocket mounting plate with the same center of rotation. This allows the driven sprocket to rotate circumferentially together with the sprocket mounting plate and the handlebars.

In addition, the mounting base member assembly process allows the mounting base member, which has a predetermined divided shape, to be joined back to its original shape and attached to the bearing base. This allows the mounting base member to be used as a base for mounting the drive unit, so that the drive motor of the drive unit can be positioned in a predetermined position.

According to the transmission chain assembly process, a drive unit having a drive sprocket attached to a rotating shaft rotated by a drive motor is attached to the mounting base member, and the transmission chain can be wound around the drive sprocket and driven sprocket.

As a result, power is transmitted between the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket via the transmission chain, so the power of the drive motor of the drive unit can be transmitted to the driven sprocket and then to the handle that is integrated with the driven sprocket, rotating it. This allows the required reduction ratio of the drive system to be maintained while reducing power transmission losses compared to, for example, power transmission between gears.

In addition, because the drive unit transmits power between the drive sprocket and driven sprocket via a transmission chain, it is possible to maintain the required reduction ratio of the drive system while reducing power transmission losses compared to, for example, power transmission by gears. This enables stable operation that makes the most of the power of the drive motor, and makes it possible to automate the opening and closing of the door panel.

In this way, when retrofitting the auxiliary drive unit to a floodgate opening and closing device, the sprocket mounting plate and driven sprocket, which are separate pieces, are joined back to their original shape, and the installation work can be completed without moving or removing the handle, or requiring any new processing on the existing device, allowing the work to be completed in a short time.

In addition, this allows the installation work to be carried out by maintaining the height position of the gate panel and without affecting the opening degree of the gate panel, so the installation work is not restricted to times or periods when, for example, the water volume in the waterway has not been adjusted and the opening degree of the gate panel is not affected, making it possible to retrofit the device to an existing floodgate opening and closing device regardless of the time or period.

[9] The method of assembling the auxiliary drive device for a gate opening and closing device of the present invention can be configured so that the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are divided into two parts with the diameter line being the joining line.

In this case, the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are divided into two parts with the diameter line as the joining line, so if the joining line is made straight, the length can be minimized, making the work of dividing the parts easier. It is also easy to join, and joining errors are less likely to occur.

[10] The assembly method for the auxiliary drive device of the watergate opening and closing device of the present invention can be configured so that the joining lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are installed with a predetermined angle offset from each other in the circumferential direction.

In this case, the joint lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are offset circumferentially at a specified angle, which suppresses misalignment of the positions of the centers of rotation of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket and improves center accuracy.

This improves the rotational accuracy of the driven sprocket and allows it to mesh smoothly with the transmission chain. In addition, by offsetting the joint lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket, their strength is increased and they are less likely to come apart simultaneously due to the application of a large force all at once.

[11] The method for assembling the auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device of the present invention can be configured so that the angle by which the joining lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are shifted circumferentially from each other is 90°.

In this case, the angle by which the joint lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are shifted circumferentially is 90°, so that one of the joint lines is located exactly in the middle of the other joint line in the circumferential direction, providing a good balance of resistance when force is applied, and maximizing the effect of [10] above.

The present invention provides an auxiliary drive device for a floodgate opening and closing device, a floodgate opening and closing device, and a method for assembling the auxiliary drive device, which can be retrofitted to an existing floodgate, reduces power transmission losses while maintaining the necessary reduction ratio of the drive system, enables stable operation by making use of the power of the drive motor, can automate the opening and closing of the gate panel, and does not require any modifications to the drive system when retrofitting the device, maintains the height position of the gate panel, and allows work to be performed without affecting the opening degree of the gate panel.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing a sprocket mounting plate of a first embodiment of an auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device according to the present invention, and a positioning mounting jig is attached when assembling a driven sprocket to a handle. FIG. The sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are attached to the handle of the water gate. (a) is a perspective view from above, and (b) is a perspective view from below. For convenience of illustration, the mounting base member and the like that are attached first in the actual assembly are omitted. 1A and 1B are exploded explanatory views of a positioning fixture, a sprocket mounting plate, and a driven sprocket, in which (a) is a perspective view from below, and (b) is a perspective view from above. 1 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory diagram showing a positioning fixture, a sprocket mounting plate, and a driven sprocket assembled to a handle. FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing how to attach a mounting member for mounting a drive unit to a joint angle of a bearing base of a water gate, (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the attachment of a first mounting member, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the attachment of a joint plate, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing the attachment of a second mounting member. 1A is a bottom perspective view of the state in which the sprocket unit is attached, and FIG. 1B is a bottom perspective view of the state in which the drive unit is attached and the transmission chain is wound around each sprocket. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the bearing base and the auxiliary drive device attached to the handle. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a water gate having an auxiliary drive device attached to a bearing base and a handle. 1A is a rear perspective view of the sprocket mounting plate disassembled from the sprocket mounting plate, (b) is a rear perspective view of the sprocket mounting plate and the positioning mounting jig attached thereto, and (c) is a front perspective view of the sprocket mounting plate and the positioning mounting jig attached thereto, and (c) is a front perspective view of the sprocket mounting plate and the positioning mounting jig attached thereto. 1A is a rear perspective view of the driven sprocket after it has been divided, and FIG. 1A and 1B are exploded explanatory views of a positioning fixture, a sprocket mounting plate, and a driven sprocket that constitute a sprocket unit, in which (a) is a perspective view from the front and (b) is a perspective view from the back. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view showing the sprocket unit assembled to the handle. 1A is an exploded perspective view of the mounting base member, FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the mounting base member being attached, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view of the mounting base member being attached. An explanatory diagram of an auxiliary drive unit assembled to a bearing base and a handle, (a) is a rear perspective view of the drive unit attached to the mounting member and the transmission chain wound around each sprocket, (b) is a rear perspective view of the sprockets and the transmission chain with covers attached, and (c) is a front perspective view of the cover attached. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing how to attach a positioning fixture and a sprocket mounting plate when assembling a sprocket unit of a third embodiment of an auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device according to the present invention to a handle, (a) being a front perspective view of the sprocket mounting plate separated and the positioning fixture and the sprocket mounting plate disassembled, and (b) being a front perspective view of the sprocket mounting plate attached to the handle and the positioning fixture disassembled. 1A is a rear perspective view of the driven sprocket after it has been divided, and FIG. 1A and 1B are exploded explanatory views of a positioning fixture, a sprocket mounting plate, and a driven sprocket that constitute a sprocket unit, in which (a) is a perspective view from the front and (b) is a perspective view from the back. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view showing the sprocket unit assembled to the handle. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of mounting a mounting base member to a bearing base of a water gate, in which (a) is an exploded perspective view from the rear of the mounting base member, (b) is a perspective view from the rear of the mounting base member being attached, and (c) is a perspective view from the rear of the mounting base member being attached. An explanatory diagram of an auxiliary drive unit assembled to a bearing base and a handle, (a) is a rear perspective view of the drive unit attached to the mounting member and the transmission chain wound around each sprocket, (b) is a rear perspective view of the sprockets and the transmission chain with covers attached, and (c) is a front perspective view of the cover attached.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.
First, a water gate G as shown in Fig. 8 is installed at a key point of a waterway 90, and has a concrete gate-shaped structure 9, with a water gate opening/closing device G1 installed in the center of a horizontal stand 92 of the structure 9. The water gate opening/closing device G1 of the present invention is an existing water gate opening/closing device 8 to which an auxiliary drive device D1 (see Fig. 7) of the present invention is attached.

The existing floodgate opening/closing device 8 (see Figure 1) has a metal bearing base 80 attached to a base 9. The bearing base 80 has a through hole 81 (see Figures 4 and 7) that penetrates vertically and axially at its center. A door plate 83 is attached to the lower end of the through hole 81, and a screw shaft 82 of a predetermined length is passed through it in a slidable manner (see Figure 4).

The door panel 83 has a width approximately equal to the width of the opening 91 of the waterway 90, and moves up and down along the guide 96, so it does not move in the horizontal rotation direction. This prevents the screw shaft 82 from rotating in the axial direction (see Figure 8).

A cylindrical rotary receiver 84 with a bottom is fixed to the upper end of the bearing base 80, and a roughly cylindrical rotary driver 85 is arranged inside the rotary receiver 84 so that it can rotate horizontally (see FIG. 4). A screw hole 86 is formed in the center of the rotary driver 85, penetrating it in the axial direction. The screw shaft 82 is screwed into the screw hole 86 (see FIG. 4).

In addition, a handle 87 is attached to the rotary drive body 85 via its three rims 870. As a result, by rotating the handle 87 in the forward or reverse direction, the rotary drive body 85 is directly rotated, and the screw shaft 82, which does not rotate in the axial direction, can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction together with the door panel 83 (see Figures 4 and 8).

The floodgate opening/closing device G1 of the present invention is constructed by assembling the auxiliary drive unit D1 of the present invention to the floodgate opening/closing device 8. The auxiliary drive unit D1 includes a sprocket mounting plate 1 attached to the handle 87, a driven sprocket 2 attached to the sprocket mounting plate 1, a mounting base member 3 attached to the bearing base 80, a drive unit 4 having a drive sprocket 43 attached to the rotating shaft 42 of a drive motor 41 attached to the mounting base member 3, and a transmission chain 5 wound around the drive sprocket 43 and the driven sprocket 2 (see FIG. 7).

(Sprocket mounting plate 1)
The sprocket mounting plate 1 is attached to the handle 87 in cooperation with a positioning fixture 100. The structures of the positioning fixture 100, the sprocket mounting plate 1 and the driven sprocket 2 which are integrally attached to the handle 87 will be described below mainly with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

The positioning fixture 100 has a cylindrical shaft insertion tube 101. At one end of the shaft insertion tube 101, a top plate 102 having a hole (reference number omitted) that communicates with a through hole 109 of the shaft insertion tube 101 is provided. The inner diameter of the through hole 109 is formed to a size that allows the screw shaft 82 to pass through.

A peripheral wall 103 is provided on the outer edge of the top plate 102, followed by a flange plate 104 that is parallel to the top plate 102. The peripheral wall 103 and the flange plate 104 are formed with approximately one-third of the circumference missing in the circumferential direction of the circle.

The missing portion 105 is for mounting the peripheral wall 103 and the flange plate 104 across two adjacent rims 870 of the handle 87 (see FIG. 2(a)). The flange plate 104 is provided with screw holes 106 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. In addition, a protrusion 107 is provided along the edge of a hole (reference number omitted) formed in the peripheral wall 103 (see FIG. 3(a)).

The sprocket mounting plate 1 is attached to the handle 87 integrally with this positioning fixture 100. The sprocket mounting plate 1 shown in Figure 3 is shown in a joined state together with the driven sprocket 2 described below for convenience, but in reality it is divided into two halves at a joining line 14 at the diameter line until assembly. In other words, the sprocket mounting plate 1 consists of divided mounting plates 10a, 10b, which become a disk shape when joined at the joining line 14 during assembly.

The mounting plates 10a and 10b have flanges 11a and 11b, followed by peripheral walls 12a and 12b. The peripheral walls 12a and 12b are joined together to form a cylindrical shape, and a through hole 13 is formed. A protrusion 120 is provided on the edge side of the through hole 13 on the arc-shaped tip surface of each of the peripheral walls 12a and 12b.

Screw holes 122 are provided at a predetermined interval through the outer surface 121 of the protrusion portion 120. In addition, an arc-shaped groove portion 113 is provided along the edge of the through hole 13 in the flange portions 11a, 11b on the opposite side in the front-back direction from the peripheral walls 12a, 12b.

The ridges 120 and grooves 113 become circular when the mounting plates 10a, 10b are joined at the joint line 14. When the positioning fixture 100 and the sprocket mounting plate 1 are aligned, the grooves 113 of the sprocket mounting plate 1 fit into the ridges 107 of the positioning fixture 100, whose center of rotation is determined. This also determines the center of rotation of the sprocket mounting plate 1 (see Figure 4).

The positioning fixture 100 and the sprocket mounting plate 1 are fixed and attached by bolts and nuts (not shown) that pass through the screw holes 106 and 111 so as to sandwich the rim 870 of the handle 87. Although not shown in Figure 3, the surface of the flanges 11a and 11b on which the grooves 113 are located has three fasteners 15 with recesses that fit into the rim 870 (see Figures 2 and 4).

(Driven sprocket 2)
The driven sprocket 2 is made up of divided gear disks 20a, 20b, which, when joined together at a joining line 24, form a circle having a larger diameter than the peripheral walls 12a, 12b. Teeth 200 are provided all around the outer periphery of the gear disks 20a, 20b (see Figures 2 and 4).

In addition, the through hole 23 provided in the center of the driven sprocket 2 has an inner diameter that allows it to be rotatably fitted onto the rotating support 84. This also applies to the inner diameters of the through hole 13 and the peripheral wall 103 (see Figures 2 and 4).

A groove 212 is provided around the entire periphery of the through hole 23 on the joint side (top side in Fig. 3(b)) of the gear disks 20a, 20b. The groove 212 fits into the protrusion 120 when the driven sprocket 2 is attached to the sprocket mounting disk 1, which has a fixed center of rotation. This also determines the center of rotation of the driven sprocket 2 (see Fig. 4).

When manufacturing the driven sprocket 2 by cutting an actual sprocket (a standard commercially available product) in two, there are cost advantages in selecting one with an even number of teeth that is close to the desired size of the sprocket; particularly when cutting in two, if the cut portion is cut so that the tooth base is the result, the cut piece will always have a symmetrical shape.

The cut pieces (corresponding to gear plates 20a and 20b) are shrunk by the width of the cutter teeth, but the concentricity is maintained by fitting them as described above with the positioning portion (corresponding to protrusion 120) provided on sprocket mounting plate 1. The same applies to driven sprockets 2a and 2b, which will be described later.

(Mounting base member 3)
The bearing base 80 and the rotary receiver 84 are fixed by bolting the flanges 88, 88a (see FIG. 5). The mounting member 3 is fixed to the first mounting member 31 by first replacing the existing bolts (not shown) of the flanges 88, 88a with long bolts and nuts B1. Next, the joint plate 32 is attached to the first mounting member 31 with bolts and nuts B2, and the second mounting member 33 is further attached to the joint plate 32 with bolts and nuts B3.

In this way, the first mounting base member 31, the joint plate 32 and the second mounting base member 33, which were previously separated, are joined back into their original shape as described above to form the mounting base member 3 to which the drive unit 4, which will be described later, can be attached.

(Drive unit 4 and transmission chain 5)
The drive unit 4 is attached to the mounting member 3. A drive motor 41 is housed inside a case 40 of the drive unit 4 (see Figs. 6 and 7). A drive sprocket 43 is attached to a rotating shaft 42 of the drive motor 41. A transmission chain 5 is looped between the drive sprocket 43 and the driven sprocket 2. In Fig. 6, the transmission chain 5 is shown as a belt for convenience of illustration.

This allows the power of the drive unit 4 having the drive motor 41 to be transmitted to the handle 87, rotating the rotary drive body 85 in the forward and reverse directions and raising and lowering the door panel 83 together with the screw shaft 82.

The number of teeth on the drive sprocket 43 is set to be less than the number of teeth on the driven sprocket 2, so that the power (rotational force) is transmitted at a predetermined reduction ratio by the transmission chain 5. Furthermore, the drive motor 41 has been made smaller, making the drive unit 4 compact.

Since the drive unit 4 transmits power between the drive sprocket 43 and the driven sprocket 2 via the transmission chain 5, the number of teeth on the driven sprocket 2 is greater than that of the drive sprocket 43, so the required reduction ratio of the drive system is maintained while reducing power transmission loss compared to power transmission by gears, for example. This enables stable operation that makes use of the power of the drive motor 41, and allows the opening and closing of the door panel 83 to be automated.

[Control mechanism for drive motor 41]
The drive motor 41 is a servo motor that can produce maximum torque even at 0 rpm, and is connected to a control system (not shown) to control its drive. The system that controls the drive of the drive motor 41 is also connected to an absolute encoder. The absolute encoder detects the rotational position information of the drive motor 41 and performs position control for the rotational operation.

More specifically, the drive of the drive motor 41 is controlled by a control system composed of a controller and a servo driver. The controller is a command unit that outputs an operation command signal to the servo driver. The servo driver is a control unit that outputs a pulse signal to the drive motor 41 or controls the output so that the pulse signal follows the command signal from the controller.

The servo driver also has a lower CPU and a higher CPU. The lower CPU transmits a pulse signal to the drive motor 41. The lower CPU acquires position information of the rotational position from the absolute encoder of the drive motor 41, and transmits to the higher CPU the information of the rotational position and information on the result of a determination as to whether or not the position information of the rotational position matches the rotational information instructed by the higher CPU.

The lower CPU is configured to be able to output a pulse signal with a pulse modulation frequency of 20 kHz. This makes it possible to drive the rotating shaft more smoothly, as the time during which the pulse signal for rotating the rotating shaft is output is shorter than that of a pulse signal with a pulse modulation frequency of 10 kHz. As a result, the noise and vibrations generated when the drive motor 41 is driven can be kept small.

The upper CPU controls the lower CPU. The upper CPU determines the rotation speed and rotation position of the drive motor 41 and transmits them as rotation information to the lower CPU. The upper CPU is also configured to enable communication control of the drive motor 41 from outside.

The upper CPU acquires from the lower CPU position information on the rotational position of the drive motor 41 and information on the result of the judgment as to whether or not the position information on the rotational position matches the rotation information instructed by the upper CPU. Based on the information acquired from the lower CPU, the upper CPU determines the rotation correction control when the position information on the rotational position of the drive motor 41 does not match the instructed rotational position (theoretical value position information).

As described above, the upper CPU is a component that controls the lower CPU which transmits a pulse signal to the drive motor 41, and has the function of correcting the pulse signal output from the lower CPU and correcting the rotational operation of the drive motor 41 when the position information of the rotation of the drive motor 41 does not match the rotation information instructed to the lower CPU.

In the conventional drive motor 41, the servo driver (driver CPU) only had a lower CPU and did not include any components equivalent to a higher CPU, so to provide a higher CPU in the servo driver as in the drive motor 41 of the present invention and enable independent control of the valve actuator alone, it was necessary to add an additional main control board. Adding such a main control board would result in a larger housing or actuator body.

Therefore, in the drive motor 41 of the present invention, the servo driver has a lower CPU and a higher CPU, which allows it to be made even smaller. Furthermore, in the drive motor 41 of the present invention, the components contained in the servo driver are simplified, making the servo driver even smaller. In this way, the number of parts contained in the servo driver is reduced and made smaller, making the drive motor 41 even smaller (about 1/6 the volume of commercially available products).

(Action)
A method of assembling an auxiliary driving device D1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention to a watergate opening and closing device G1 will be described with reference to Figs.
The floodgate opening/closing device 8 of the existing floodgate G is of the type in which the handle 87 rotates horizontally as described above, and the rotary drive body 85 is directly rotated by the handle 87.

(1) First, the positioning fixture 100 is dropped in so that the screw shaft 82 of the watergate opening/closing device 8 fits into the shaft insertion tube 101. At this time, the peripheral wall 103 and flange plate 104 of the positioning fixture 100 are attached across two adjacent rims 870 of the handle 87. This determines the center of rotation (center position) of the positioning fixture 100. (See Figures 1 and 2)

(2) Place the mounting plates 10a and 10b of the sprocket mounting plate 1 inside the handle 87 (lower position in Figure 2), join the divided parts at the joining line 14, align with the positioning mounting jig 100, fit the protrusions 107 and grooves 113, and attach with bolts and nuts (not shown). At this time, fit each fixing device 15 into each rim 870 and securely fasten them in place. This also determines the center of rotation of the sprocket mounting plate 1 (see Figure 2).

(3) The driven sprocket 2, in which the divided gear plates 20a, 20b are joined at the joint line 24, is fixed with bolts and nuts (not shown) by fitting the groove 212 into the protrusion 120 on the tip surface of the peripheral wall 103 of the positioning and mounting jig 100. At this time, the joint line 14 of the sprocket mounting plate 1 and the joint line 24 of the driven sprocket 2 are fixed with a 90° circumferential shift. At this time, one of the joint lines 14, 24 is located exactly in the middle of the other joint line in the circumferential direction, which provides a better balance of resistance when force is applied. This makes it possible to suppress misalignment of the rotation centers of the sprocket mounting plate 1 and the driven sprocket 2, improving center accuracy, and also determining the rotation center of the driven sprocket 2 (see Figures 2, 3, and 4).

In this way, when retrofitting the auxiliary drive unit D1 to an existing floodgate opening and closing device 8, the sprocket mounting plate 1, driven sprocket 2 and mounting base member 3 are joined together in their original shapes from separate parts, and the installation work can be completed without moving or removing the handle, or requiring any new processing on the existing device, allowing the work to be completed in a short time.

In addition, this allows the installation work to be carried out while maintaining the height position of the door panel 83 and without affecting the opening degree of the door panel 83, so the work is not restricted to times or periods when, for example, the water volume in the waterway 90 is not being adjusted and the opening degree of the door panel 83 is not affected, and so it is possible to retrofit the device to an existing floodgate opening and closing device 8 regardless of the time.

(4) Attach the mounting member 3 to the flanges 88, 88a of the bearing base 80 as described above. (See Figure 5)

(5) The drive unit 4 is attached to the mounting member 3. This makes the drive sprocket 43 and the driven sprocket 2 the same height, and the transmission chain 5 is threaded between the drive sprocket 43 and the driven sprocket 2. Note that the threading of the transmission chain 5 is usually performed in parallel with the installation of the drive unit 4 (see Figure 6).

(6) Attach the cover 6 that covers the driving sprocket 43, the driven sprocket 2, and the transmission chain 5. (See Figure 7)

(7) In this way, an operation panel 94 is arranged on a handrail 93 attached to a frame 92 of a floodgate G having a floodgate opening/closing device G1 to which an auxiliary drive device D1 is attached. Power is supplied from the operation panel 94 to the drive unit 4, allowing the floodgate opening/closing device G1 to be operated. In addition, a surveillance camera 95 is provided on the handrail 93 to prevent tampering (see Figure 8).

Next, an embodiment of the auxiliary driving device D2 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The existing water gate opening/closing device 8a (see FIG. 9) to which the auxiliary drive unit D2 (see FIG. 14) is to be attached has a metal bearing base 80a attached to its drive body. The bearing base 80a has a through hole 81a at its center, which penetrates vertically and axially. A door plate (not shown) is attached to the lower end of the through hole 81a, and a screw shaft 82a having a predetermined length and which does not rotate in the circumferential direction of the shaft is passed through it so as to be slidable (see FIG. 9, etc.).

A large diameter driven bevel gear (not shown) is attached to the upper part of the inside of the bearing base 80a so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction. The driven bevel gear is a rotary drive body having a screw hole (not shown) in the center through which the screw shaft 82a is screwed. The driven bevel gear is engaged with a drive bevel gear (not shown) attached to the tip of the horizontal rotary shaft 871 (see FIG. 12) of the handle 87a which rotates in the vertical direction.

The handle 87a is attached to the rotating shaft 871 via its four rims 870a. As a result, by rotating the handle 87a in the forward or reverse direction, the driven bevel gear rotates at a reduced speed, and the screw shaft 82a, which does not rotate in the axial direction, can be raised and lowered vertically together with the door panel.

The water gate opening/closing device 8a is fitted with the auxiliary drive unit D2 of the present invention to form the water gate opening/closing device G2 of the present invention. The auxiliary drive unit D2 includes a sprocket mounting plate 1a attached to the handle 87a, a driven sprocket 2a attached to the sprocket mounting plate 1a, a mounting base member 3a attached to the bearing base 80a, a drive unit 4a having a drive sprocket 43a attached to the rotating shaft (not shown) of a drive motor 41a attached to the mounting base member 3a, and a transmission chain 5a wound around the drive sprocket 43a and the driven sprocket 2a (see FIG. 14).

(Sprocket mounting plate 1a)
The sprocket mounting plate 1a is attached to the handle 87a in cooperation with a positioning fixture 100a. The structures of the positioning fixture 100a, the sprocket mounting plate 1a, and the driven sprocket 2a, which are integrally attached to the handle 87a, will be described below mainly with reference to FIG.

The positioning fixture 100a has a flat cylindrical shaft insertion tube 101a. At one end of the shaft insertion tube 101a, a top plate 102a is provided with a hole (reference number omitted) that communicates with the through hole 109a of the shaft insertion tube 101a. The inner diameter of the through hole 109a is formed to a size that allows the rotation shaft 871 of the handle 87a to pass through.

The outer edge of the top plate 102a has four protrusions 103a in the circumferential direction, and between each protrusion 103a, four cutouts 105a are provided in the diametric direction at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. When attached to the handle 87a, the cutouts 105a can be aligned with the positions of the four rims 870a (see FIG. 9(c)).

The top plate 102a is provided with screw holes 106a at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. The tip surface of each protrusion 103a is provided with an arc-shaped protrusion 108a. The screw holes 106a are located on the tip surface of the protrusion 108a.

The sprocket mounting plate 1a is attached to the handle 87a together with the positioning fixture 100a. The sprocket mounting plate 1a shown in Figure 11 is shown in a joined state together with the driven sprocket 2a described below for convenience, but in reality it is divided into two halves at the joining line 14a at the diameter line until assembly. In other words, the sprocket mounting plate 1a consists of divided mounting plates 10c and 10d, which become a disk shape when joined at the joining line 14a during assembly.

The mounting plates 10c and 10d are formed into a disk shape by joining, and a through hole 13a is formed in the center. Four protrusions 130 are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction along the edge of the through hole 13a on the side of the mounting plates 10c and 10d that is to be mated with the positioning attachment jig 100a. In addition, four grooves 134 are provided on the same side, two of which overlap the joining line 14a.

The mounting plates 10c and 10d are provided with screw holes 131 at a predetermined interval along the outer periphery. In addition, on the surface opposite the surface on which the protrusion 130 is provided, a stepped portion 132 having a diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter is provided around the entire periphery, centered on the through hole 13a. Each screw hole 131 is located outside the stepped portion 132.

There is a gap (reference number omitted) on the outside of the protrusion 130, and screw holes 133 are provided at a specified interval through this gap. When the positioning fixture 100a and the sprocket mounting plate 1a are aligned, the tip of each protrusion 103a of the positioning fixture 100a, which has a fixed center of rotation, can be fitted into this gap. This also determines the center of rotation of the sprocket mounting plate 1a (see Figure 12).

The positioning mounting jig 100a and the sprocket mounting plate 1a are fixed and attached by means of bolts and nuts (not shown) that pass through the screw holes 106a and 133, sandwiching the rim 870a of the handle 87a.

(Driven sprocket 2a)
The driven sprocket 2a is made up of divided gear disks 20c, 20d, which, when joined together at a joining line 24a, form a circle having a larger diameter than the mounting disks 10c, 10d. The gear disks 20c, 20d are provided with teeth 200 on the entire outer periphery (see FIG. 11, etc.).

In addition, a protrusion 231 is provided around the entire circumference of the through hole 23a provided in the center of the gear disks 20c, 20d of the driven sprocket 2a on the side where the sprocket mounting disk 1a is attached. The inner diameter of the protrusion 231, which has the same inner diameter as the through hole 23a, is set to a size that allows it to fit over the stepped portion 132 of the sprocket mounting disk 1a.

Outside the ridges 231 of the gear plates 20c and 20d, screw holes 232 are provided at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction. When the driven sprocket 2a is attached to the sprocket mounting plate 1a, which has a fixed center of rotation, the ridges 231 fit into the stepped portion 132 of the sprocket mounting plate 1a. This also determines the center of rotation of the driven sprocket 2a (see Figure 12).

(Mounting base member 3a)
The base cover 880 is fixed to the upper end of the bearing base 80a by bolting with the existing bolt B4 (see FIG. 13, etc.). For the mounting base member 3a, first, the bolt B4 is removed and replaced with a long bolt spacer B5, and the bolt spacer B5 is passed through the bolt hole 35 to fix it (see FIG. 13).

At this time, the bolt spacer B5 sandwiches a spacer (symbol omitted) between the base cover 880 and the mounting base member 3a, securely tightening and fixing it. The L-shaped mounting base member 3a is provided with a drive unit mounting section 34 that hangs down from the main body portion that becomes horizontal when attached. Note that the mounting base member 3a is a single unit, and unlike the mounting base member 3 described above, it is not a divided part that is joined back to its original shape.

(Drive unit 4a and transmission chain 5a)
The drive unit 4a is attached to the drive unit attachment portion 34. A drive motor 41a is housed inside a case 40a of the drive unit 4a. A drive sprocket 43a is attached to the rotating shaft of the drive motor 41a. A transmission chain 5a is wound around the drive sprocket 43a and the driven sprocket 2a (see FIG. 14).

This allows the power of the drive unit 4a having the drive motor 41a to be transmitted to the handle 87a, rotating the driven bevel gear in the forward and reverse directions and raising and lowering the door panel 83 together with the screw shaft 82a.

The number of teeth on the drive sprocket 43a is set to be less than the number of teeth on the driven sprocket 2a, and the power (rotational force) is transmitted at a predetermined reduction ratio by the transmission chain 5a. In addition, the drive motor 41a has been made smaller, making the drive unit 4a compact, which is similar to the drive auxiliary device D1 described above.

The drive unit 4a transmits power between the drive sprocket 43a and the driven sprocket 2a via the transmission chain 5a, and the number of teeth of the driven sprocket 2a is greater than that of the drive sprocket 43a, so the required reduction ratio of the drive system is maintained while the power transmission loss can be reduced compared to power transmission by gears, for example. This enables stable operation utilizing the power of the drive motor 41a, and the opening and closing of the door panel 83 can be automated.

(Action)
A method (steps) of assembling the auxiliary driving device D2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention to the watergate opening and closing device G2 will be described with reference to Figs.
The floodgate opening/closing device 8a for the existing floodgate is of the type in which the handle 87a rotates vertically as described above, and the driven bevel gear is indirectly rotated by the driving bevel gear attached to the rotating shaft 871 of the handle 87a.

(1) First, the positioning and mounting jig 100a is pushed in so that the rotation shaft 871 of the handle 87a of the watergate opening and closing device 8a fits into the through hole 109a. At this time, each of the missing portions 105a of the positioning and mounting jig 100a fits into each of the rims 870a of the handle 87a. This determines the center of rotation of the positioning and mounting jig 100a. (See FIG. 9(c))

(2) The mounting plates 10c and 10d of the sprocket mounting plate 1a are joined at the joining line 14a at a position inside the handle 87a (the front side in Figure 9), aligned with the positioning mounting jig 100a, and the gaps along the protrusions 108a and 130 are fitted together, and attached with bolts and nuts B6 (see Figure 9). At this time, each groove 134 of the sprocket mounting plate 1a should fit into the back side of each rim 870a of the handle 87a. This also determines the center of rotation of the sprocket mounting plate 1a (see Figure 12).

(3) The driven sprocket 2a, which is made by joining the divided gear plates 20c, 20d at the joint line 24a, is fitted into the step portion 132 of the sprocket mounting plate 1a by fitting the edge of the through hole 23a into the stepped portion 132, and fixed with bolts and nuts B7 (see Figure 10). At this time, the joint line 14a of the sprocket mounting plate 1a and the joint line 24a of the driven sprocket 2a are fixed with a 90° circumferential shift. At this time, one of the joint lines 14a, 24a is located exactly in the middle of the other joint line in the circumferential direction, which provides a better balance of resistance when force is applied. This makes it possible to suppress misalignment of the rotation centers of the sprocket mounting plate 1a and the driven sprocket 2a, improving center accuracy, and also determines the rotation center of the driven sprocket 2a (see Figures 9 and 12).

In this way, when retrofitting the auxiliary drive unit D2 to an existing floodgate opening and closing device 8, the sprocket mounting plate 1a and the driven sprocket 2a, which are separate in shape, are joined back to their original shapes, and the installation work can be completed without moving or removing the handle 87a, or requiring any new processing on the existing device, so the work can be completed in a short time.

In addition, this allows the installation work to be carried out while maintaining the height position of the door panel 83 and without affecting the opening degree of the door panel 83, so the work is not restricted to times or periods when, for example, the water volume in the waterway 90 is not being adjusted and the opening degree of the door panel 83 is not affected, and so it is possible to retrofit the device to an existing floodgate opening and closing device 8 regardless of the time.

(4) Attach the mounting member 3a to the base cover 880 of the bearing base 80a as described above. (See Figure 13)

(5) Attach the drive unit 4a to the mounting member 3a. This ensures that the front-to-rear positions of the drive sprocket 43a and the driven sprocket 2a are the same, and the transmission chain 5a is looped between the drive sprocket 43a and the driven sprocket 2a. Note that the looping of the transmission chain 5a is also performed in parallel with the installation of the drive unit 4a, as with the auxiliary drive device D1 described above (see Figure 14).

(6) A cover 6 is attached to cover the driving sprocket 43a, the driven sprocket 2a, and the transmission chain 5a. In addition, a large-diameter circular cover plate 60 is attached to the positioning mounting jig 100a (see Figure 14).

(7) In this way, the floodgate opening and closing device G2 to which the auxiliary drive unit D2 is attached can be operated in the same manner as the above-mentioned floodgate opening and closing device G1, by supplying power to the drive unit from an operation panel provided on the floodgate frame.

Next, an embodiment of the auxiliary driving device D3 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The existing watergate opening/closing device 8b (see FIG. 15) to which the auxiliary drive unit D3 is to be attached has a metal bearing base 80b provided on the drive body. The bearing base 80a has a through hole 81b (see FIG. 19) that penetrates vertically and axially at its center. A door plate (not shown) is attached to the lower end of the through hole, and a rack shaft 82b having a predetermined length that does not rotate in the circumferential direction is passed through the through hole in a slidable manner (see FIG. 15, etc.).

A rack gear 820 with meshing teeth is formed in the length direction on the rack shaft 82b. A reduction gear unit 89 is also provided on the bearing base 80b. A worm (not shown) is attached to a rotating shaft 871 inside the reduction gear unit 89, and a horizontal shaft (not shown) having a worm wheel (not shown) that meshes with the worm attached to one end thereof has a drive tooth (not shown) that is a rotational drive body attached to the other end thereof, and the drive tooth is meshed with the rack gear 820.

In addition, a handle 87b that rotates vertically is attached to the rotating shaft 871 via its three rims 870b. As a result, by rotating the handle 87b forward or backward, the drive teeth rotate at a reduced speed via the worm and worm wheel, and the rack shaft 82b can be raised and lowered vertically together with the door panel.

The floodgate opening/closing device 8b is fitted with the auxiliary drive unit D3 of the present invention to form the floodgate opening/closing device G3 (see FIG. 20). The auxiliary drive unit D3 includes a sprocket mounting plate 1b attached to the handle 87b, a driven sprocket 2b attached to the sprocket mounting plate 1b, a mounting base member 3b attached to the reduction unit 89, a drive unit 4b having a drive sprocket 43b attached to the rotating shaft (not shown) of a drive motor 41b attached to the mounting base member 3b, and a transmission chain 5b wound around the drive sprocket 43b and the driven sprocket 2b (see FIG. 20).

(Sprocket mounting plate 1b)
The sprocket mounting plate 1b is attached to the handle 87b in cooperation with a positioning fixture 100b. The structures of the positioning fixture 100b, the sprocket mounting plate 1b, and the driven sprocket 2b, which are integrally attached to the handle 87b, will be described below mainly with reference to FIG.

The positioning fixture 100b has a flat cylindrical shaft insertion tube 101b. At one end of the shaft insertion tube 101b, a top plate 102b is provided with a hole (reference number omitted) that communicates with the through hole 109b of the shaft insertion tube 101b. The inner diameter of the through hole 109b is formed to a size that allows the rotation shaft 871 of the handle 87b to pass through.

The outer edge of the top plate 102b has three protrusions 103b in the circumferential direction, and between each protrusion 103b, three cutouts 105b are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. When attached to the handle 87b, the cutouts 105b can be aligned with the positions of the three rims 870b (see FIG. 15).

In addition, screw holes 106b are provided at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction through the top plate 102b. In addition, an arc-shaped groove portion 108b is provided on the tip surface of each protrusion portion 103b. The screw holes 106b are located on the tip surface of the groove portion 108b.

The sprocket mounting plate 1b is attached to the handle 87b together with this positioning fixture 100b. The sprocket mounting plate 1b shown in Figure 17 is shown in a joined state together with the driven sprocket 2b described below for convenience, but in reality it is divided into two halves at the joining line 14b at the diameter line until assembly. In other words, the sprocket mounting plate 1b consists of divided mounting plates 10e and 10f, which become a disk shape when joined at the joining line 14b during assembly.

The mounting plates 10e and 10f are joined together to form a disk shape, with a through hole 13b formed in the center. A protrusion 136 is provided along the entire circumference of the through hole 13b on the side of the mounting plates 10e and 10f that is to be mated with the positioning attachment jig 100b. Screw holes 137 are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction at the tip surface of the protrusion 136.

The mounting plates 10e and 10f are provided with screw holes 138 at a predetermined interval along the outer periphery. In addition, on the surface opposite the surface on which the protrusion 136 is provided, a stepped portion 139 with a diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter is provided around the entire periphery, centered on the through hole 13b. Each screw hole 138 is located outside the stepped portion 139.

In addition, when the positioning fixture 100b and the sprocket mounting plate 1b are aligned, the protrusions 136 can be fitted into the grooves 108b of the positioning fixture 100b, whose center of rotation is already determined. This also determines the center of rotation of the sprocket mounting plate 1b (see Figure 18).

The positioning mounting jig 100b and the sprocket mounting plate 1b are fixed together by clamping the rim 870b of the handle 87b with bolts and nuts B8 passing through the screw holes 106b and 137 (see Figure 15).

(Driven sprocket 2b)
The driven sprocket 2b is made up of divided gear disks 20e, 20f, which, when joined together at a joining line 24b, form a circle having a larger diameter than the mounting disks 10e, 10f. The gear disks 20e, 20f are provided with teeth 200 on the entire outer periphery (see FIG. 17, etc.).

In addition, a through hole 23b is formed in the center of the gear disks 20e and 20f of the driven sprocket 2b. The inner diameter of the through hole 23b is set to a size that allows it to fit onto the stepped portion 139 of the sprocket mounting disk 1b.

The gear disks 20e and 20f have threaded holes 233 spaced at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. When the driven sprocket 2b is attached to the sprocket mounting disk 1b, which has a fixed center of rotation, the edge of the through hole 23b fits into the stepped portion 139 of the sprocket mounting disk 1b. This also determines the center of rotation of the driven sprocket 2b (see Figure 18).

(Mounting base member 3b)
The reduction gear unit 89 is fixed to the upper end of the bearing base 80b by bolting with the existing bolt B10. For the mounting base member 3b, first, the bolt B10 is removed and replaced with a long bolt spacer B11, and the bolt spacer B11 is passed through the bolt hole 36 and fixed (see FIG. 19).

At this time, the bolt spacer B11 securely tightens and fixes the mounting base member 3b with a spacer (symbol omitted) sandwiched between it and the bottom of the reduction unit 89. The L-shaped mounting base member 3b also has a drive unit mounting section 34 that hangs down from the main body, which becomes horizontal when attached. Note that the mounting base member 3b is a single unit, and like the mounting base member 3a, it is not a case of joining a divided part back to its original shape.

(Drive unit 4b and transmission chain 5b)
The drive unit 4b is attached to the drive unit attachment portion 34 of the mounting member 3b. A drive motor 41b is housed inside a case 40b of the drive unit 4b. A drive sprocket 43b is attached to the rotating shaft of the drive motor 41b. A transmission chain 5a is wound around the drive sprocket 43b and the driven sprocket 2a (see FIG. 14).

This allows the power of the drive unit 4b having the drive motor 41b to be transmitted to the handle 87b, causing the drive teeth of the rotating drive body to rotate at a reduced speed in the forward and reverse directions via the worm and worm wheel, thereby raising and lowering the door panel together with the rack shaft 82b.

The number of teeth on the drive sprocket 43b is set to be less than the number of teeth on the driven sprocket 2b, and the power (rotational force) is transmitted at a predetermined reduction ratio by the transmission chain 5b. In addition, the drive motor 41b has been made smaller, making the drive unit 4b compact, which is similar to the drive auxiliary device D2 described above.

The drive unit 4b transmits power between the drive sprocket 43b and the driven sprocket 2b via the transmission chain 5b. By having a greater number of teeth on the driven sprocket 2b than on the drive sprocket 43b, the required reduction ratio of the drive system is maintained, and power transmission loss can be reduced compared to power transmission by gears, for example. This enables stable operation that utilizes the power of the drive motor 41b, and automates the opening and closing of the door panel.

(Action)
15 to 20, a method (steps) of assembling the auxiliary driving device D3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention to the watergate opening and closing device G3 will be described.
The floodgate opening/closing device 8b of the existing floodgate is of the type in which the handle 87b rotates vertically as described above, and the rotation of the rotating shaft 871 of the handle 87b indirectly reduces the speed of rotation of the drive teeth via a worm and a worm wheel.

(1) First, the positioning fixture 100b is pushed in so that the rotation shaft 871 of the handle 87b of the watergate opening/closing device 8b fits into the through hole 109b. At this time, each of the missing portions 105b of the positioning fixture 100a fits into each of the rims 870b of the handle 87b. This determines the center of rotation of the positioning fixture 100b. (See Figure 15)

(2) Place the mounting plates 10e and 10f of the sprocket mounting plate 1b on the inside of the handle 87b (the far side in Figure 15), join the divided pieces at the joining line 14b, align with the positioning mounting jig 100b, fit the protrusion 136 into the groove 108b, and attach with bolts and nuts B8. This also determines the center of rotation of the sprocket mounting plate 1b (see Figure 18).

(3) The driven sprocket 2b, which is made by joining the divided gear plates 20e and 20f at the joint line 24b, is fixed with bolts and nuts B9 by fitting the hole edge of the through hole 23a into the stepped portion 139 of the sprocket mounting plate 1b (see FIG. 16). At this time, the joint line 14b of the sprocket mounting plate 1b and the joint line 24b of the driven sprocket 2b are fixed with a 90° circumferential offset.

At this time, one of the joint lines 14b, 24b is located exactly in the middle of the other joint line in the circumferential direction, which provides a better balance of resistance when force is applied. This makes it possible to suppress misalignment of the rotation centers of the sprocket mounting plate 1b and the driven sprocket 2b, improving center accuracy, and also determines the rotation center of the driven sprocket 2b (see Figure 18).

In this way, when retrofitting the auxiliary drive unit D3 to an existing floodgate opening and closing device 8b, the sprocket mounting plate 1b and the driven sprocket 2b, which are separate in shape, are joined back to their original shapes, and the installation work can be completed without moving or removing the handle 87b, or requiring any new processing on the existing device, so the work can be completed in a short time.

In addition, this allows the installation work to be carried out by maintaining the height position of the door panel and without affecting the opening degree of the door panel, so since the work does not, for example, adjust the water volume in the waterway 90 and is not restricted to a time or period when the opening degree of the door panel is not affected, it can be retrofitted to an existing floodgate opening and closing device 8b regardless of the time.

(4) Attach the mounting base member 3b to the reduction gear unit 89 attached to the bearing base 80b as described above. (See FIG. 19)

(5) Attach the drive unit 4b to the mounting member 3b. This ensures that the front-to-rear positions of the drive sprocket 43b and the driven sprocket 2b are the same, and the transmission chain 5b is looped between the drive sprocket 43b and the driven sprocket 2b. Note that the looping of the transmission chain 5b is also performed in parallel with the installation of the drive unit 4b, as with the auxiliary drive device D2 described above (see Figure 20).

(6) A cover 6 is attached to cover the driving sprocket 43b, the driven sprocket 2b, and the transmission chain 5b. In addition, a large-diameter circular cover plate 60 is attached to the positioning mounting jig 100b (see Figure 20).

(7) In this way, the floodgate opening and closing device G3 to which the auxiliary drive unit D3 is attached can be operated in the same manner as the above-mentioned floodgate opening and closing device G1, by supplying power to the drive unit from an operation panel provided on the floodgate frame.

The terms and expressions used in this specification and claims are merely explanatory and are not limiting in any way, and are not intended to exclude terms and expressions equivalent to the features described in this specification and claims or parts thereof. It goes without saying that various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

G Water gate 9 Body 90 Waterway 92 Frame 96 Guide G1 Water gate opening/closing device D1 Auxiliary drive device 8 Water gate opening/closing device 80 Bearing base 81 Through hole 82 Screw shaft 83 Door plate 84 Rotational receiver 85 Rotational drive body 86 Screw hole 87 Handle 870 Rim 88, 88a Flange 100 Positioning attachment jig 101 Shaft insertion tube 102 Top plate 103 Peripheral wall 104 Flange plate 105 Missing portion 106 Screw hole 107 Protrusion portion 109 Through hole 1 Sprocket attachment plate 10a, 10b Attachment plate 11a, 11b Flange portion 12a, 12b Peripheral wall 120 Protrusion portion 121 Surface 122 Screw hole 113 Groove portion 13 Through hole 14 Joint line 15 Fixture 2 Driven sprocket 20a, 20b Gear plate 24 Joint line 200 Teeth 23 Through hole 212 Groove portion 3 Mounting base member 31 First mounting base member 32 Joint plate 33 Second mounting base member 4 Drive unit 41 Drive motor 42 Rotating shaft 43 Drive sprocket 5 Transmission chain B1 Bolt nut B2 Bolt nut B3 Bolt nut G2 Water gate opening and closing device D2 Auxiliary drive device 8a Water gate opening and closing device 80a Bearing base 880 Base cover 81a Through hole 82a Screw shaft 87a Handle 870a Rim 871 Rotating shaft 100a Positioning mounting jig 101a Shaft insertion tube 102a Top plate 103a Protrusion 105a Missing portion 106a Screw hole 108a Protruding portion 109a Through hole 1a Sprocket mounting plate 10c, 10d Mounting plate 13a Through hole 130 [0033] Protrusion 131 Screw hole 132 Step 133 Screw hole 134 Groove 14a Joint line 2a Driven sprockets 20c, 20d Gear disk 24a Joint line 23a Through hole 231 Protrusion 232 Screw hole 3a Mounting base member 34 Drive unit mounting portion 35 Bolt hole 4a Drive unit 40a Case 41a Drive motor 43a Drive sprocket 5a Transmission chain B4 Bolt B5 Bolt spacer B6 Bolt nut B7 Bolt nut G3 Water gate opening and closing device D3 Auxiliary drive device 8b Water gate opening and closing device 80b Bearing base 81b Through hole 82b Rack shaft 820 Rack gear 87b Handle 870b Rim 89 Reduction unit 100b Positioning fixture 101b Shaft insertion tube 102b Top plate 103b Protrusion 105b Missing portion 106b Screw hole 108b Groove portion 109b Through hole 1b Sprocket mounting plate 10e, 10f Mounting plate 13b Through hole 136 Protrusion portion 137 Screw hole 138 Screw hole 139 Step portion 14b Joint line 2b Driven sprocket 20e, 20f Gear plate 24b Joint line 23b Through hole 233 Screw hole 3b Mounting base member 4b Drive unit 40b Case 41b Drive motor 43b Drive sprocket 5b Transmission chain B8 Bolt/nut B9 Bolt/nut B10 Bolt B11 Bolt spacer

Claims (13)

An auxiliary drive device to be attached to a water gate opening and closing device, comprising: a bearing base provided on a water gate drive member; a lifting shaft supported by the bearing base so as to be able to rise and fall in the axial and vertical directions and having a door panel attached to its lower end; a rotary drive body supported at a predetermined position on the bearing base so as to be able to rotate forward and backward and which raises and lowers the lifting shaft by this rotation; and a handle capable of directly or indirectly rotating the rotary drive body forward and backward,
a sprocket mounting plate having a predetermined divided shape and attached to the handle with the same center of rotation while being joined to the original shape at a joining line;
a driven sprocket having a predetermined divided shape and attached to the sprocket mounting plate with the same center of rotation in a state where the driven sprocket is joined to its original shape at a joining line;
a mounting member attached to the bearing base;
a drive unit attached to the mounting member and having a drive sprocket attached to a rotating shaft driven by a drive motor;
a transmission chain wound around the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket;
An auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device comprising: a positioning mounting jig that is arranged on the opposite side of the handle from the side on which the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are attached, sandwiching the handle between the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket, and having a through hole through which the lifting shaft or the rotating shaft of the handle is inserted, and a positioning mounting jig attached to the handle with the lifting shaft or the rotating shaft of the handle inserted through the through hole. An auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device as described in claim 1, wherein the mating portion between the positioning mounting jig and the sprocket mounting plate, and the mating portion between the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket have a circular or arc-shaped shape centered on the axis of the lifting shaft or the axis of the rotation shaft of the handle, and one side is formed convex and the other concave along the thickness direction of the handle. 3. The auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the number of teeth of the drive sprocket is smaller than the number of teeth of the driven sprocket. The auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device as described in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the lifting shaft is a screw shaft that is supported so that it can be raised and lowered while rotation in the axial direction is stopped, and the rotating drive body has a female threaded portion in the center and is supported so that it can rotate forward and backward horizontally by screwing the screw shaft into the female threaded portion at a predetermined position of the bearing base, and this rotation raises and lowers the screw shaft. The watergate opening and closing device is an auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device as described in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the lifting shaft is a rack shaft that is supported so that it can be raised and lowered while its rotation in the axial direction is stopped, and has meshing teeth arranged in the axial direction, and the rotating drive body is supported so that it can rotate in both forward and reverse directions by meshing drive teeth with the meshing teeth, and this rotation raises and lowers the rack shaft. 6. The auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined division of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket is a two-part division whose joining line is a diameter line. 7. The auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the joining lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are mounted so as to be offset from each other by a predetermined angle in the circumferential direction. 8. The auxiliary drive device for a watergate opening and closing device according to claim 7, wherein the angle at which the joining lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are shifted in the circumferential direction is 90 degrees. A bearing base provided on a driving body of the water gate;
a lift shaft supported by the bearing base so as to be movable up and down in an axial direction and a vertical direction, the lift shaft having a door panel attached to a lower end thereof;
a rotation drive body that is supported at a predetermined position of the bearing base so as to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions and that raises and lowers the lift shaft by the rotation of the rotation;
a handle capable of directly or indirectly rotating the rotary drive body in forward and reverse directions;
and an auxiliary drive unit,
The auxiliary drive device
a sprocket mounting plate having a predetermined divided shape and attached to the handle with the same center of rotation while being joined to the original shape at a joining line;
a driven sprocket having a predetermined divided shape and attached to the sprocket mounting plate with the same center of rotation in a state where the driven sprocket is joined to its original shape at a joining line;
a mounting member attached to the bearing base;
a drive unit attached to the mounting member and having a drive sprocket attached to a rotating shaft driven by a drive motor;
a transmission chain wound around the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket;
A water gate opening and closing device having a positioning mounting jig that is arranged on the opposite side of the handle from the side on which the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are attached, sandwiching the handle between the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket, and having a through hole through which the lifting shaft or the rotating shaft of the handle is inserted, and a positioning mounting jig attached to the handle with the lifting shaft or the rotating shaft of the handle inserted through the through hole. In an existing water gate having a bearing base provided on the gate's base, a lifting shaft supported by the bearing base so as to be able to rise and fall in the axial and vertical directions and having a door panel attached to its lower end,
a positioning and mounting jig assembling process for mounting a positioning and mounting jig, through which the lifting shaft or the rotation shaft of the handle can be inserted, on one side of a handle that is supported at a predetermined position of the bearing base so as to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions and that can directly or indirectly rotate a rotary drive body that raises and lowers the lifting shaft by this rotation, with the positioning and mounting jig being aligned with the center of rotation;
a sprocket mounting plate assembly process for attaching a sprocket mounting plate having a predetermined divided shape to the handle and the positioning mounting jig from the other surface side of the handle at a joining line to return the sprocket mounting plate to its original shape and to align the centers of rotation of the sprocket mounting plate;
a sprocket assembly process in which a driven sprocket having a predetermined divided shape is joined to the sprocket mounting plate at a joining line to return it to its original shape and attached to the sprocket mounting plate with the same center of rotation;
a mounting member assembling step of mounting a mounting member to the bearing base;
A method for assembling an auxiliary drive device for a water gate opening and closing device, comprising: attaching a drive unit, which has a drive sprocket attached to a rotating shaft rotated by a drive motor, to the mounting base member; and wrapping a transmission chain around the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket. The method for assembling an auxiliary driving device according to claim 10, wherein the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are divided into two parts, with a diameter line forming the joining line. 12. The method for assembling an auxiliary driving device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the joining lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are mounted so as to be offset from each other in the circumferential direction by a predetermined angle. The method for assembling an auxiliary drive unit for a watergate opening and closing device according to claim 12, wherein the angle by which the joining lines of the sprocket mounting plate and the driven sprocket are shifted in the circumferential direction is 90°.

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