JP7640769B2 - 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.

This invention relates to an electric actuator, and in particular 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 that operates the displacement mechanism of the water supply control device.

One example of this type of conventional electric actuator is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic opening and closing device that is attached to an existing water faucet or water supply dam and automatically opens and closes the water faucet or water supply dam.

Another example of this type of conventional electric actuator is disclosed in Patent Document 2. Patent Document 2 discloses a water supply device with an electric actuator already integrated.

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 Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-275684 JP 2017-192367 A

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 primary object 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.

The first embodiment 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, and includes a main body case, a motor provided in the main body case, a transmission mechanism provided in the main body case and transmitting the drive of the motor, a rotating shaft that is rotated by the motor via the transmission mechanism and has a lower part extending downwardly of the main body case, and a coupling device for coupling the rotating shaft to the shaft, the coupling device has a pair of legs for connecting to the upper end of the shaft and coupling parts that connect the pair of legs at their respective upper ends, and further includes a slit formed at the lower end of the rotating shaft into which a part of the coupling part fits, the slit being formed by a pair of slit forming parts that are arranged on both sides of the coupling part with the base end in between, the coupling device has grooves formed by stoppers and the coupling parts on both sides of the coupling part to receive the pair of slit forming parts, and the width of the groove is relatively wide at the upper end and narrows toward the bottom .

In the first embodiment , an electric actuator (10: a reference number illustrating a part illustrated in the embodiment but not intended to be limiting ; the same applies below) 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 includes a main body case (20), a motor (38) provided within the main body case, a transmission mechanism (42, 40,) provided within the main body case and transmitting the drive of the motor, a rotating shaft (50) rotated by the motor via the transmission mechanism and having a lower portion extending below the main body case, and connectors (300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) for connecting the rotating shaft to the shaft. The connector (300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) has a pair of legs (302, 302A, 302B, 302C, 302D) for connecting to the upper end of the shaft, and a connector (308, 308A, 308B, 308C, 308D) for connecting the pair of legs (302) at their respective upper ends. A slit (70) is formed at the lower end of the rotating shaft (50) into which a part of the connector (308b, 308bA, 308bB, 308bC) fits. The slit is formed by a pair of slit forming portions (78) arranged on either side of the connecting portion with the base end portion (78a) in between, and the connector has a groove (328A) formed by the stopper (326A) and the connecting portion on either side of the connecting portion to receive the pair of slit forming portions, and the width of the groove is relatively wide at the upper end and narrows toward the bottom .

According to the first embodiment , the rotating shaft can be connected to the shaft by using the connector, so that the electric actuator can be applied to water supply control devices of various types corresponding to various shafts.

The second embodiment is 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 that is linked to the rotation of a shaft, and operates the displacement mechanism, and includes a main body case, a motor provided in the main body case,
This electric actuator includes a transmission mechanism provided within a main body case for transmitting the drive force of the motor, a rotating shaft rotated by the motor via the transmission mechanism and having a lower portion extending below the main body case, and a coupling device for coupling the rotating shaft to the shaft, the coupling device having a pair of legs for connecting to the upper end of the shaft and a coupling portion coupling the pair of legs at their respective upper ends, and further including a slit formed at the lower end of the rotating shaft into which a part of the coupling portion fits, the slit being formed by a pair of slit forming portions arranged on either side of the coupling portion across the base end, the coupling device having grooves formed by a stopper and the coupling portion on either side of the coupling portion for receiving the pair of slit forming portions, and the clearance between the outer peripheral surface of the slit forming portion and the inner surface of the groove becoming narrower the closer to the base of the stopper .

In the second embodiment, an electric actuator (10: a reference number illustrating a part illustrated in the embodiment but not intended to be limiting; the same applies below) 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 includes a main body case (20), a motor (38) provided within the main body case, a transmission mechanism (42, 40,) provided within the main body case and transmitting the drive of the motor, a rotating shaft (50) rotated by the motor via the transmission mechanism and having a lower portion extending below the main body case, and connectors (300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) for connecting the rotating shaft to the shaft. The connector (300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) has a pair of legs (302, 302A, 302B, 302C, 302D) for connecting to the upper end of the shaft, and a connector (308, 308A, 308B, 308C, 308D) for connecting the pair of legs (302) at their respective upper ends. A slit (70) is formed at the lower end of the rotating shaft (50) into which a part of the connector (308b, 308bA, 308bB, 308bC) fits. The slit is formed by a pair of slit forming portions (78) arranged on either side of the connecting portion, sandwiching the base end portion (78a), and the connecting device has a groove (328A) formed by the stopper (326A) and the connecting portion on either side of the connecting portion to receive the pair of slit forming portions, and the clearance between the outer peripheral surface of the slit forming portion and the inner surface of the groove becomes narrower toward the base of the stopper.

According to the second embodiment , the rotating shaft can be connected to the shaft by using a connector, so that the electric actuator can be applied to water supply control devices of various types corresponding to various shafts.

The third embodiment 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, and includes a main body case, a motor provided in the main body case, a transmission mechanism provided in the main body case and transmitting the drive of the motor, a rotating shaft that is rotated by the motor via the transmission mechanism and has a lower part extending downwardly of the main body case, and a coupling device for coupling the rotating shaft to the shaft, the coupling device having a pair of legs for connecting to the upper end of the shaft and a coupling part connecting the pair of legs at their respective upper ends, a slit formed on the lower end of the rotating shaft into which a part of the coupling part fits, the slit being formed by a pair of slit forming parts arranged on both sides of the coupling part with the base end in between, the coupling device having grooves formed by a stopper and the coupling part on both sides of the coupling part to receive the pair of slit forming parts, and further including a bolt for tightly contacting the slit forming part and the stopper .

In the third embodiment , an electric actuator (10: a reference number illustrating a part illustrated in the embodiment but not intended to be limiting; the same applies below) 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 includes a main body case (20), a motor (38) provided within the main body case, a transmission mechanism (42, 40,) provided within the main body case and transmitting the drive of the motor, a rotating shaft (50) rotated by the motor via the transmission mechanism and having a lower portion extending below the main body case, and connectors (300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) for connecting the rotating shaft to the shaft. The connector (300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) has a pair of legs (302, 302A, 302B, 302C, 302D) for connecting to the upper end of the shaft, and a connector (308, 308A, 308B, 308C, 308D) for connecting the pair of legs (302) at their respective upper ends. A slit (70) into which a part of the connector (308b, 308bA, 308bB, 308bC) fits is formed at the lower end of the rotating shaft (50), and the slit is formed by a pair of slit forming parts (78) arranged on both sides of the connector with the base end (78a) in between, and the connector has grooves (328A) formed by the stoppers (326A) and the connector on both sides of the connector to receive the pair of slit forming parts. Bolts (368, 370) hold the slit forming portion and the stopper together.

According to the third embodiment , the rotating shaft can be connected to the shaft by using a connector, so that the electric actuator can be applied to water supply control devices of various types corresponding to various shafts.

A fourth embodiment is an electric actuator according to any one of the first to third embodiments, in which an upper end of the stopper exceeds a base end of the slit forming portion.

In the fourth embodiment , the upper end of the stopper (326A) extends upwardly beyond the base end (78a) of the slit forming portion (78).

According to the fourth embodiment , since the stopper has an upper end that extends upward beyond the base end of the slit forming portion, damage to the rotating shaft at or near the base end of the slit forming portion can be prevented.

According to this invention, the rotating shaft can be connected to the shaft by using a connector, so not only can the electric actuator be applied to various types of water supply control devices, but the inclusion of a restraining means prevents damage to the rotating shaft even when high torque is required.

The above and 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.

1 is a diagram showing an electric actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention installed in a water supply device and a drainage device in a farm field; 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of an electric actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an internal structure of the electric actuator of FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view showing the main gear periphery of FIG. 3 . FIG. 13 is an illustrative view showing an example of a first adaptor. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the electric actuator of FIG. 2 is attached to a water supply valve; FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of the embodiment. 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. 5 is a diagram showing the electric actuator shown in Figures 2 to 4 attached to another water supply device using a connector. FIG. 13 is an illustrative view showing an example of a second adaptor. FIG. 13 is an illustrative view showing an example of a third adapter. 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 a second actuator in the embodiment of FIG. 9 . FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a main part of the embodiment. 14A and 14B are diagrams showing another example of a connector, in which FIG. 14A is a perspective view and FIG. 14B is a front view. 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 . FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a restraint device. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of a connector. 18 is a diagram showing the state in which the electric actuator shown in FIGS. 2-4 is attached to the water supply device of the embodiment in FIG. 9 using the connector shown in FIG. 17 . 19A and 19B are diagrams showing a first modified example of the restraint device shown in FIG. 16, in which FIG. 19A is a perspective view and FIG. 19B 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. 21A and 21B are diagrams showing a second modified example of the restraint device shown in FIG. 16, in which FIG. 21A is a perspective view and FIG. 21B is a sectional view. 22A is a diagram showing a third modified example of the restraint device shown in FIG. 16, FIG. 22(A) is a perspective view, and FIG. 22(B) and FIG. 22(C) are diagrams showing attachment of the restraint device of this embodiment to a connector. 23(A) is an illustrative diagram showing a first modified example of the connector shown in FIG. 14, FIG. 23(A) is an oblique view, and FIG. 23(B) is an illustrative diagram showing the state in which the rotating shaft of the electric actuator and the shaft of the water supply device are connected via the connector of this embodiment. 24A and 24B are diagrams showing a second modified example of the connector shown in FIG. 14, in which FIG. 24A is a perspective view and FIG. 24B is a plan view. FIG. 25 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 of FIG. 24 . FIG. 25 is an illustrative view showing a modified example of the connector of the embodiment shown in FIG. 24 . 27A and 27B are diagrams showing a third modified example of the connector shown in FIG. 14, in which FIG. 27A is a perspective view and FIG. 27B is a plan view. FIG. 28 is an illustrative view showing a state in which a rotating shaft of an electric actuator and a shaft of a water supply device are connected via the connector of the embodiment of FIG. 27 .

Referring to FIG. 1, an electric actuator 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as "actuator 10") according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a motor 38, a main gear 40, a rotating shaft 50, etc., and is attached to a water supply control device such as a water supply valve to operate a displacement mechanism of the water supply control device. In this embodiment, the actuator 10 is used in a farm 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 a first electric actuator that operates a first displacement mechanism included in the water supply device 104, and a second electric actuator that operates a second displacement mechanism included in the drainage device 106.

First, the system 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 is a field facility for managing water in a field 102 by remote control or automatic control based on a pre-stored program, and is applied to a field 102 such as a rice paddy in which a water supply device 104 and a drainage device 106 are installed. The field 102 is divided into a number of cultivated areas by ridges, and a water supply device 104 and a drainage device 106 are installed for each cultivated 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 with the shaft rotation).

Briefly described 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 by 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 aligned in the circumferential direction. 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 (valve shaft) 128 having a male thread formed on the outer peripheral surface is screwed into this bearing 126 so as to penetrate the cap 122. A disc-shaped valve body 130 having a water stop rubber 130a on the lower surface is provided at the lower end of this shaft 128. A valve seat 132 having a water passage port 132a is provided in the approximate center of the valve box 120. When a rotational force is applied to the shaft 128 around its axis, the feed screw mechanism moves the shaft 128 and the valve body 130 up and down, opening and closing the water passage port 132a of the valve seat 132. In other words, the water supply device 104 of this embodiment is equipped with a first displacement mechanism that includes the 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 manhole 108 and attached to the downstream end of a branch pipe 112 that branches off from an irrigation pipeline 110 or an irrigation channel. An actuator 10 is attached to the water supply device 104 via a first adapter 60 (described later), and the actuator 10 operates the displacement mechanism (shaft 128 and valve body 130) of the water supply device 104.

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

In FIG. 1, the water supply device 104 is disposed at one end of the field 102, and the drainage device 106 is disposed at the opposite end, but the positions of the water supply device 104 and the drainage device 106 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the water supply device 104 and the drainage device 106 may be disposed in close proximity to each other.

The system 100 in this embodiment is a system including a plurality of cultivation areas, and in addition to the actuators 10 attached to the water supply devices 104 and the drainage devices 106 installed in each cultivation area, a parent unit that only performs communication is installed, and the remaining actuators 10 are child units. The parent unit is wirelessly connected to a remote control terminal owned by a user, such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, PDA, or PC, via a network such as the Internet. Meanwhile, the child actuators 10 are wirelessly connected to the parent unit directly or via other child units by a wireless communication method conforming to a specific low-power wireless standard, and are wirelessly connected to a remote control terminal owned by the user via the parent unit.

It is advisable to use cloud computing for this wireless communication. For example, information acquired by each actuator 10 (information on the state of the water supply device 104 or drainage device 106, such as the opening and closing degree of the valve body, and sensor information such as the field water level and air temperature) is sent to a cloud server at any time and stored. A user can access the cloud server from a remote control terminal to check the information acquired by each actuator 10, and manage the water in the field 102 by remotely controlling each actuator 10 using the remote control terminal.

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 described. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the actuator 10 has a main body case 20 formed from a synthetic resin such as rigid 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 of the side wall 22 is tapered in a stepped manner, and this tapered portion becomes a fitting portion 26 that is fitted into the upper opening of the 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 panel 28 is attached to the upper surface of the top wall 24 of the main body case 20. The solar panel 28 is a rectangular package of multiple solar cells made of reinforced glass and sealing material, 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 periphery of the solar panel 28, and a support plate 30b that is provided on the underside of the frame 30a and bent at a predetermined angle.

The main body case 20 contains a control panel 32, an antenna 34, a storage battery 36, a motor 38, a main gear 40, etc.

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

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

The main gear 40 is a double-boss type gear, and has a cylindrical shaft portion (boss portion) 40a extending in the vertical direction, and a disk-shaped gear portion 40b with gear teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface. A disk-shaped first bearing 44, which also forms the bottom wall of the main case 20, is provided at the lower end of the side wall 22 of the main case 20, and a disk-shaped second bearing 48 supported by a plurality of support portions 46 is provided above the first bearing 44. 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 as the main gear 40 rotates, and is able to slide axially relative to the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40.

Here, a spline structure or serration structure can be used as a method of providing a rotating shaft that rotates with the gear and can slide in the axial direction of the gear. However, with a spline structure or serration structure, multiple axially extending irregularities must be machined onto the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, and multiple irregularities must also be machined onto the inner peripheral surface of the gear shaft, increasing manufacturing costs. Therefore, in this embodiment, a sliding key structure with a simple structure as described above is adopted. This is because it is possible to significantly reduce manufacturing costs.

However, since the rotating shaft 50 moves up and down while rotating, meaning that a torsional force acts on the rotating shaft 50, simply adopting a sliding key structure may result in poor rotational balance of the rotating shaft 50, causing the rotating shaft 50 to malfunction.

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 a second thrust bearing 54 is provided between the upper surface of the gear portion 40b of the main gear 40 and the lower surface of the second bearing 48. As the thrust bearings 52 and 54, it is preferable to use a known thrust ball bearing or the like.

By providing thrust bearings 52, 54 in this way, the rotating shaft 50 can move up and down while rotating in a balanced manner even while adopting a sliding key structure, and the rotational torque during operation, i.e., the load on the motor 38, can be reduced. This is particularly effective when tightening (at the end of the closing operation) when the load is at its maximum. This makes it possible to make the motor 38 more compact and less power-consuming (power saving). Furthermore, because the rotational torque is reduced, the durability of the main gear 40, bearings 44, 48, and rotating shaft 50 is improved.

In other words, by combining the sliding key structure with the thrust bearings 52, 54, it is possible to reduce manufacturing costs and allow the rotating shaft 50 to operate 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.

In addition, since the efficiency of reducing the motor load of the actuator 10 in this embodiment is significantly increased and the effect of reducing the motor load by the thrust bearings 52, 54 has already been confirmed by the inventors, a detailed explanation of this will be omitted.

Although not shown in the figure, the field 102 is appropriately equipped with sensors such as a water level sensor, such as an ultrasonic sensor, that detects the field water level, a temperature sensor that detects the air temperature, a pressure sensor that detects the air pressure, and a moisture sensor that detects the soil moisture. Sensor information such as the field water level and air temperature detected by each sensor is input to the control unit of the actuator 10.

Next, referring to FIG. 5, an example of a 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 brim-shaped first connection portion 64 that protrudes outward from the upper end of the cylindrical portion 62, and a ring-shaped second connection portion 66 that protrudes inward from the lower end of the cylindrical portion 62 and has a through hole 66a in its center. The first connection portion 64 has a plurality of bolt holes (not shown) arranged in the circumferential direction. The second connection portion 66 also has a plurality of bolt holes (not shown) arranged in the circumferential direction. The bolt holes of the second connection portion 66 may be long holes that are 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 portion 26 of the main body case 20 is fitted into the cylindrical portion 62 of the first adapter 60, and the first connection portion 64 of the first adapter 60 and the bottom wall of the main body case 20 of the actuator 10 are bolted. In addition, the second connection portion 66 of the first adapter 60 is bolted to the cap 122 and the bearing 126 of the water supply device 104. At this time, by making the bolt hole formed in the second connection portion 66 a long hole that is long in the circumferential direction, the first adapter 60 and the actuator 10 can be adjusted in angle in the circumferential direction relative to the water supply device 104. Furthermore, the upper end of the shaft 128 of the water supply device 104 protrudes upward from the through hole 66a formed in the second connection portion 66 of the first adapter 60, and is non-rotatably connected to the coupling portion 50a of the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10.

Referring to FIG. 7, a slit 70 constituting the 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. That is, at the upper end of the shaft 128, for example by cutting out the sides of a cylinder, a pair of opposing side surfaces 134 fit into the slit 70, i.e., the inner surface 72 that defines the slit 70 sandwiches the side surfaces 134, thereby non-rotatably connecting the shaft 128 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 in this manner, for example, when a user uses a remote control terminal to send an operation instruction (control signal) indicating full closure, full open, or an arbitrary opening degree to the actuator 10, the control unit (CPU) of the actuator 10 drives the motor 38 in response to the operation instruction. The driving force of the motor 38 is transmitted to the main gear 40 constituting the transmission mechanism, and the main gear 40 rotates and the rotating shaft 50 rotates. As a result, a 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 a feed screw mechanism of the shaft 128 itself and the bearing 126, and the valve body 130 is moved to a fully open position, a fully closed position, or the like. In addition, the rotating shaft 50 moves up and down so as to penetrate the shaft portion 40a of the main gear 40 in accordance with the up and down movement of the shaft 128. As a result, the up and down movement of the shaft 128 is absorbed without requiring a large space in the up and down direction.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, a relatively deep countersunk hole 74 is formed above the slit 70 of the rotating shaft 50. This countersunk hole 74 receives the retaining bolt 136 attached to the upper end of the connector 300 in the embodiment of FIG. 9 described below. Furthermore, at the position of this countersunk hole 74, the rotating shaft 50 is formed with female threads 76 at two different positions in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 50 so as to penetrate the peripheral side surface of the rotating shaft 50 that defines the countersunk hole 74.

Next, referring to FIG. 8, an example of a connector 300 for attaching the actuator 10 to a different type of water supply device will be described. Note that the dimensions, height, width, and spacing of each part described below are all 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)), with an overall width W of 37 mm, height H1 of 55 mm, and thickness T1 of 17 mm. The connector 300 includes a pair of legs 302 that face each other with a gap between them. The lower ends of the legs 302 are connected to the square pillar portion 1 at the upper end of the shaft 128 of the water supply device 104 as described below.
7) formed on the opposite inner surfaces of the clamping portion 304. The gap G1 between the opposite inner surfaces of the clamping portion 304 is 14.0 mm, and the height H2 of the clamping portion 304 is 18 mm.

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

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

In addition, a countersunk hole 312 is formed in the center of the width of the connecting portion 308, above the lower surface of the lower portion 308a. This countersunk hole 312 is formed to a depth of 10 mm and receives the male screw 144 formed at the upper end of the shaft 128, which will be described later.

Here, we will explain an embodiment in which the actuator 10 shown in Figures 2-4 is applied to a water supply device 104 of a different type from that of the embodiment in Figure 6 using this connector 300, with reference to Figures 9-12.

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

The second adaptor 314 in Fig. 10 is made of a metal such as aluminum, and includes a disk portion 318 and a wall 320 rising from the upper surface of the disk portion 318. A female thread 321 is formed in the wall 320. A through hole 322 is formed in the center of the disk portion 318 for passing the shaft 128 of the water supply device 104 through. Although not clear in Fig. 10, the disk portion 318 has a screw hole formed for attaching the second adaptor 314 to the water supply device 104 shown in Fig. 9.

The third adaptor 316 shown in FIG. 11 is also made of a metal such as aluminum, and has a similar configuration to the first adaptor 60 shown in FIG. 5. That is, the third adaptor 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 adaptor 316 is coupled to the second adaptor 314 as described below, a hole 325 is formed in the cylindrical portion 324 at a position corresponding to the female thread 321. However, unlike the first adaptor 60, the lower end of the cylindrical portion 324 does not have a bottom surface, but is open.

The second adapter 314 and the third adapter 316 are combined as shown in FIG. 9.

The water supply device 104 shown in FIG. 9 is of the type in which the valve is opened and closed directly with a handle (not shown), and does not have a flat top surface like the water supply device 104 in the embodiment of FIG. 6. Therefore, in this embodiment, when no water pressure is applied, the handle is removed, the screws (not shown) in the bearing cover part above the water supply valve are removed, and replaced with a specified hexagonal post 138. For example, if the bearing cover part has four screws, the first one is changed to a hexagonal post 138. For example, if the relevant screws have six screws, every other one, a total of three, are changed to hexagonal posts 138.

The upper end of each hexagonal support 138 is formed with a female screw, so the disk portion 318 of the second adaptor 314 shown in FIG. 10 is attached to the upper end of the hexagonal support 138 using a male screw. In this state, the upper end of the shaft 128 shown in FIG. 9 passes through the through hole 322 of the disk portion 318 of the second adaptor 314 and is exposed above the disk portion 318, and the upper end of the water supply device 104 can be made flat.

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

The upper end of the shaft 128 is formed as a rectangular prism portion 140, as shown in FIG. 12, and a pair of opposing side surfaces 142 are formed. However, the side surface 142 may be formed by cutting the side surface of a cylinder, similar to the side surface 134 shown in FIG. 7, and a male thread 144 is formed extending upward from the upper surface of the rectangular prism portion 140. Then, a nut 1146 (a round nut in the embodiment, but a square nut may also be used) is screwed onto the upper end of the male thread 144, the nut 146 is received in the step portion 306 of the connector 300, and the pair of side surfaces 142 of the rectangular prism portion 140 of the shaft 128 are placed in the clamping portion 304 of the connector 300. However, this positioning work is performed by screwing the nut 146 onto the upper end of the male screw 144, and then from the side of the connector 300, i.e., from the front (FIG. 8(B)) or back side of the connector 300, placing the nut 146 on the step portion 306 and the pair of side surfaces 142 inside the clamping portion 304. This state is shown in FIG. 12(A), where the tip of the male screw 144 has not yet entered the countersunk hole 312, and the side surfaces 142 of the rectangular column portion 140 of the shaft 128 have not yet entirely fit inside the clamping portion 304.

Next, turn the nut 146 to move it toward the base end of the male screw 144. Then, because the position of the nut 146 is restricted by the step portion 306 of the connector 300, the male screw 144 is relatively displaced upward as the nut 146 rotates, and the shaft 128 is also displaced upward, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 12(B). In this state, the tip of the male screw 144 enters the countersunk hole 312, and because the nut 146 is restricted by the step portion 306, the male screw 144 will not fall out of the countersunk hole 312. In addition, the side surface 142 of the rectangular column portion 140 of the shaft 128 is completely contained within the clamping portion 304.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12(C), the retaining bolt 136 is attached to the female thread 310 formed on the upper portion 308b of the connecting portion 308 of the connecting device 300. The retaining bolt 136 has a male thread 136a at the bottom, and a small diameter portion 148 is formed on top of the male thread 136a. The male thread 136a is screwed into the female thread 310, thereby attaching the retaining bolt 136 to the upper side of the connecting portion a (upper portion 308b) of the connecting device 300.

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

On the other hand, as explained above, the engagement between the nut 146 and the step portion 306 prevents the shaft 128 from falling off the connector 300. Furthermore, the side surface 142 of the rectangular column portion 140 of the shaft 128 is clamped by the clamping portion 304 of the connector 300, so that the shaft 128 is non-rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 50 via the connector 300.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 9, the third adaptor 316 is attached to the lower end of the actuator 10, and a bolt is threaded through a hole 325 in the cylindrical portion 324 of the third adaptor 316 into the female thread 321 in the wall 320 of the second adaptor 314, thereby joining the third adaptor 316 to the second adaptor 314, thereby joining the connecting portion between the actuator 10 and the water supply device 104, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 9.

In this way, in the embodiment of FIG. 9, the actuator 10 can be attached to the water supply device 104 and operated in the same way as in the embodiment of FIG. 6. 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 send an operation instruction (control signal) indicating full closure, full open, or an arbitrary opening degree to the actuator 10, the control unit (CPU) of the actuator 10 drives the motor 38 in response to the operation instruction. The driving force of this motor 38 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 50 via a transmission mechanism, causing the rotating shaft 50 to rotate. A rotational force is applied to the shaft 128 connected to the rotating shaft 50 via a 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 may be replaced with a bolt head (not shown). In this case, a female thread (not shown) may be formed extending downward from the upper surface of the rectangular column portion 140 of the shaft 128, and a bolt may be screwed into the female thread so that the bolt head protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft 128 to engage with the stepped portion 306.

The connector 300 shown in FIG. 14 is a connector suitable for cases where high torque is required for the actuator 10. 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 of the water supply device 104 or the connector 300 in a non-rotatable manner. Therefore, when the torque to rotate the shaft 128 of the water supply device 104 must be increased, there is a risk that the rotating shaft 50 will tear at the slit 70. For this reason, in the next embodiment, a connector 300 is used that can reinforce the lower end of the rotating shaft 50.

The connector 300 in 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, for example, 24 mm. However, the thickness T2 of the upper portion 308b of the connector 308 is the same as the thickness T2 in FIG. 8. This is because this upper portion 308b needs to fit into the slit 70 of the rotating shaft 50, as in the embodiment in FIG. 9.

The reason for making the thickness T3 thicker is to form stoppers 326 on both sides of the upper portion 308b, with grooves 328 separating them. In other words, grooves 328 are formed by stoppers 326 on the outer side of the thickness of the upper portion 308b. The width of the thickness of grooves 328 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 accommodate the slit forming portion 78 shown in FIG. 15.

The procedure for connecting the rotating shaft 50 and the shaft 128 using the connector 300 shown in Figure 14 is shown in Figure 15.

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 portion that extends upward from the upper surface of the connecting portion 308 of the connecting device 300 and restrains the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 from the outside. Moreover, since the restraining portion is formed integrally with the connecting device, it has the advantage of being easy to handle.

In the connector 300 shown in FIG. 14, the height of the stopper 326 (depth of the groove 328) may be a height (depth) that can hold the rotating shaft 50 from the outside at least in a part of the slit 70, but it is preferable that the height (depth) be such that the rotating shaft 50 can be restrained from the outside over the entire depth of the slit 70.

As another example of the restraining means for restraining such a rotating shaft 50 from the outside at the slit 70, a restraining device 330 shown in Fig. 16 is used. This restraining device 330 is made of a metal such as steel, and has a hole 332 formed in the center. The diameter of this hole 332 is large enough to allow the rotating shaft 50 to pass through. However, the outer diameter, i.e., thickness, of the restraining device 330 is arbitrary, but may be determined according to the strength required for the restraining device 330. The thickness (vertical direction) of the restraining device 330 may also be determined according to the strength required.

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.

Figure 18 shows the state in which the actuator 10 and water supply device 104 are connected using the connector 300 and restraint 330. In this embodiment, first, as in the previous embodiment of Figure 9, the second adapter 314 is attached to the top of the hexagonal support 138. Then, before screwing in the set screw 150, the rotating shaft 50 is passed through the restraint 330, and then the rotating shaft 50 and shaft 128 are connected via the connector 300 using the procedure described with reference to Figure 11. However, the set screw 150 is not screwed in yet.

Then, the restraining device 330, through which the rotating shaft 50 has been passed in advance, is lowered until it hits the restraining device receiver 334. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, the lower end of the rotating shaft 50 is surrounded by the restraining device 330. Then, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the retaining bolt 136 is finally locked with the set screw 150, and as shown in FIG. 18, the third adaptor 316 is attached to the lower end of the actuator 10, and the bolt is screwed into the female thread 321 on the wall 320 of the second adaptor 314 through the hole 325 on the cylindrical portion 324 of the third adaptor 316, thereby joining the actuator 10 to the second adaptor 314, and the connecting portion between the actuator 10 and the water supply device 104 is connected, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 18.

In the embodiment of FIG. 18, the restraining device 330 can also 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 restraining device 330 constitutes a restraining means that restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside at the slit 70 portion. This makes it possible to prevent the rotating shaft 50 from fracturing or breaking, even when high torque is required to rotate the shaft 128 of a water supply control device such as the water supply device 104.

However, compared to using a restraining means (stopper 326) that is integrated with the connector 300, using a restraining means (restraining device 330) separate from the connector 300 has the drawback of being more time-consuming to attach and remove, but has the advantage of the connector having a simpler structure because the restraining portion is formed separately from the connector.

The restraining means separate from the connecting device 300 is not limited to the restraining device 330 shown in Figures 16-18, but may also be, for example, a stainless steel band.

Figure 19 shows a modified example of the ring-shaped restraining device 330 of the embodiment of Figure 16. In this embodiment, the restraining device 300A has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the slit-forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, and a thickness (vertical direction) that is thicker (higher) than that of the restraining device 330 of the embodiment of Figure 16. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the restraining device 330A has a notch 336 formed in a part of the circumferential direction, as shown in Figure 19 (A). As shown in Figure 19 (B), the restraining device 330A has a communicating through hole 338 and a screw hole 340 formed at corresponding positions across the notch 336. A countersink 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, first, as explained with reference to Fig. 18, the second adaptor 314 is attached to the top of the hexagonal support 138 in the same manner as in the previous embodiment shown in Fig. 9. Then, before screwing in the set screw 150, the rotating shaft 50 is passed through the restraining device 330A in which the bolt 342 is screwed into the through hole 338 and the threaded hole 340, and then the rotating shaft 50 and the shaft 128 are joined via the connector 300 in the procedure explained with reference to Fig. 11. At this time, the inner diameter of the restraining device 330A is designed to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the slit forming portion 78, which has the advantage that the rotating shaft 50 can be easily passed through the restraining device 330A.

Then, the restraining device 330A, through which the rotating shaft 50 has been passed beforehand, is lowered until it hits the restraining device receiver 334 (Fig. 17). At this time, too, the restraining device 330A can be easily lowered because the inner diameter of the restraining device 330A is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the slit forming portion 78. Then, as shown in Fig. 20, the lower end of the rotating shaft 50 is surrounded by the restraining device 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 is brought into close contact with 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, because the thickness (height) of the restraining device 330A is made thick (high), as shown in FIG. 20, the restraining device 330A covers the rotating shaft 50 up to the base of the slit forming portion 78 or above the base end 78a, effectively preventing damage to the base end of the slit forming portion 78 during high torque. In other words, the restraining device 330A restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside beyond not only the slit forming portion 78 but also the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78, preventing damage to the rotating shaft 50 at or near the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78.

Finally, the retaining bolt 136 is locked with the set screw 150, and the third adapter 316 is attached to the lower end of the actuator 10 and joined to the second adapter 314, thereby joining the connecting portion between the actuator 10 and the water supply device 104.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 19 and 20, the restraint portion (330A) is formed separately from the connector (300), which has the drawback of being tedious to attach and remove, but has the advantage of being a simple connector structure.

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.

While the restraining device 330A in the embodiment shown in FIG. 19 has a notch 336 formed in a portion of the circumference, the restraining device 330B in the embodiment shown in FIG. 21 has a split structure. In other words, the restraining device 330B includes a pair of restraining device parts 330Ba and 330Bb, and the restraining device parts 330Ba and 330Bb are respectively formed with a through hole 344 and a screw hole 346, as well as a through hole 348 and a screw hole 350, on both sides of the inner diameter part (hollow part) as shown in FIG. 21(B) for joining the two. These screw holes 344 and 348 may be countersunk as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, if necessary.

When using the restraining device 330B of this embodiment, the bolt 352 is screwed into the through hole 344 and the threaded hole 346, and the bolt 354 is screwed into the through hole 348 and the threaded hole 350. This forms one restraining device 330B.

The rotating shaft 50 is inserted in advance into the hollow portion of the restraining device 330B in a loose state with the bolts 352 and 354 not tightened, and then, following the same procedure as in the embodiment of FIG. 19, the restraining device 330B through which the rotating shaft 50 has been inserted is lowered until it contacts the restraining device receiver 334 (FIG. 17), and the loose bolts 352 and 354 are tightened.
The inner peripheral surface of the restraining device 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 restraining device 330B.

In this case, if the thickness (height) of the restraining device 330B is made thicker (higher), the restraining device 330B restrains the rotating shaft 50 up to the base end 78a (FIG. 20) of the slit forming portion 78, as in the case of using the embodiment of FIG. 19, so that damage to the base end of the slit forming portion 78 can be effectively prevented. In other words, the restraining device 330B restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside beyond the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78, not just the slit forming portion 78, so that damage to the rotating shaft 50 at or near the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 can be prevented.

In Figure 21, parts that correspond to parts in each embodiment described above are indicated by the corresponding reference numbers with the suffix "B" and will not be described.

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 in this embodiment is pre-attached to the connector 300 (Fig. 22(B)), and for this reason, the restraint receiver 334 (Fig. 22(B)) of the connector 300 has a screw hole 358 formed in a position facing the upper portion 308b, corresponding to the through hole 356 described above.

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 restraining device 330C so that the slit forming portion 78 sandwiches the upper portion 308b. This covers the outer periphery of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, for example as shown in FIG. 20 for the restraining device 330A. Then, the bolt 342C of the restraining device 330C is tightly tightened. The hole diameter of the through hole 356 does not hinder this tightening. Then, the bolt 360 screwed into the threaded hole 358 of the connecting portion 300 is tightly tightened.

When using the restraining device 330C of this embodiment, the shafts 128 are connected to each other via the connecting device 300 in the procedure described with reference to FIG. 11, and in this state, the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 is inserted into the hollow portion of the restraining device 330C that has been temporarily attached to the connecting device 300 in advance.

In the embodiment of FIG. 22, the restraining portion (330C) is formed separately from the connector (300), but since it can be temporarily attached to the connector in advance, even if the restraining portion is separate from the connector, it is easy to handle, and the connector has a simple structure.

In this embodiment, the thickness (height) of the restraining device 330C is also increased (higher), so that the restraining device 330C covers up to the base end 78a (FIG. 20) of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, and therefore damage to the base end of the slit forming portion 78 during high torque can be effectively prevented. In other words, the restraining device 330C restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside not only by the slit forming portion 78 but also beyond the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78.
This can prevent damage to the rotary shaft 50 at the base end 78a of the rotary shaft 50 or in the vicinity thereof.

In Figure 22, parts that correspond to parts in each embodiment described above are indicated by the corresponding reference numbers with the suffix "C" and will not be described.

Figure 23 shows a coupling tool 300A, which is a modified example of the coupling tool 300 shown in Figure 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 grooves 328A are formed by the stoppers 326A on the outer side of the thickness direction of the upper part 308bA. The width of the grooves 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 Figure 7 to the peripheral side surface of the rotating shaft 50, that is, a width that can accommodate the slit forming portion 78 shown in Figure 15. However, in this coupling tool 300A, the width of the grooves 328A is relatively wide at the upper end and narrows toward the bottom. In other words, the clearance between the outer surface of the slit-forming portion 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. In other words, by covering the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50 with the stopper 326A, damage at 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 beyond the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 as well as the slit forming portion 78, so damage to the rotating shaft 50 at or near the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 can be prevented.

However, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 23, the inner surface of the stopper 326A is inclined, and a gap is formed between the inner surface and the outer surface of the upper portion 308A near the upper end, so this effect (the effect of preventing damage at the base end 78a) is limited. However, if the inner surface of the stopper 326A is not inclined like the stopper 326 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, and the height of the stopper 326A is increased, the effect of preventing damage at the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 is large.

In this way, like the stopper 326 shown in FIG. 14, the stopper 326A functions as a pair of restraining parts that extend upward from the upper surface of the connecting part 308A of the connecting device 300A and restrain each of the slit forming parts 78 of the rotating shaft 50 from the outside. Moreover, since the restraining parts are formed integrally with the connecting device, it has the advantage of being easy to handle.

In Figure 23, parts that correspond to parts in each embodiment described above are indicated by the corresponding reference numerals with the suffix "A" and will not be described.

Figure 24 shows a connector 300B, which is a modified version of the connector 300 shown in Figure 14. In the connector 300B of this embodiment, stoppers 326B are formed on both sides of the upper portion 308bB of the connecting portion 308B of the connector 300B, separated by grooves 328B, but the length of the stoppers 326B in the width W (Figure 14(B)) direction is the same as the total length of the width W. However, the length in the width W (Figure 14(B)) direction may be shorter than the total length of the width W.

This connector 300B is also a modified version of the connector 300A of the embodiment shown in FIG. 23. In the connector 300A of the embodiment shown in FIG. 23, the groove 328 is linear in the width W direction, and therefore the inner surface of the stopper 326A is also flat, whereas the groove 328B is curved at the center in the width W direction so as to protrude outward in the thickness T3 direction (FIG. 14(B)). Therefore, a recess 362 is formed on the inner surface of each 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 peripheral surface of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, and therefore the inner surface of this recess 362 follows the outer peripheral surface of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50. Therefore, compared to the embodiment in Figure 23 in which the inner surface of slit 326A is flat, the inner surface of recess 362 of slit 326B tightly constrains the outer peripheral surface around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of slit forming portion 78, so that the resistance to the stress applied to rectangular column portion 140 (Figure 13) by rotating shaft 50 can be increased.

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 device 300B and restrain each of the slit forming parts 78 of the rotating shaft 50 from the outside. Moreover, since the restraining parts are formed integrally with the connecting device, there is also the advantage that it is easy to handle.

Furthermore, in the connector 300B of the embodiment of FIG. 24, similar to the stopper 326A of the previous embodiment of FIG. 23, the height of the stopper 326B is extended above the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78, so that the stopper 326B can cover the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, preventing damage at 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 beyond not only the slit forming portion 78 but also the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78, preventing damage to the rotating shaft 50 at or near the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 24 and 25, the stopper 326B is continuous in the direction of width W (Figure 8 (B)), but as a modification of this embodiment, a slit may be formed in the width direction of the recess 362 from the upper end of the stopper 326B to the groove 328B, dividing the stopper 326B in the width direction.

According to this modified example, by limiting the contact points between the slit forming portion 78 and the stopper 326B, it is possible to adopt dimensions that facilitate the insertion of the slit forming portion 78 into the groove 328B and further increase the adhesion of the stopper 326B to the slit forming portion 78.

In addition, in Figures 24 and 25, parts that correspond to parts in each embodiment described above are indicated by the corresponding reference numerals with the suffix "B" and the description is 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 stoppers 326C in the width W direction, 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 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 periphery 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, it is possible that the restraining effect of the stopper 326C is insufficient without a tightening means, but by using such a tightening means, a sufficient restraining effect can be obtained.

However, as in the connector 300B of the embodiment shown in FIG. 24, if 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 too large, a certain degree of restraining effect can be expected, so it is not necessarily necessary to provide such a tightening means.

Furthermore, in the connector 300C of the embodiment of FIG. 26, similar to the stopper 326A of the previous embodiment of FIG. 23, the height of the stopper 326C is extended above the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78, so that the stopper 326C can cover the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, preventing damage at 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 beyond not only the slit forming portion 78 but also the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78, preventing damage to the rotating shaft 50 at or near the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78.

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 device 300B and restrain each of the slit forming parts 78 of the rotating shaft 50 from the outside. Moreover, since the restraining parts are formed integrally with the connecting device, there is also the advantage that it is easy to handle.

Furthermore, the fastening means (threaded holes 364 and 366 and bolts 368 and 370) of the connector 300 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 15 and the connector 300A in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 23-24 can also be used for the connector 300C in the embodiment shown in FIG. 26.

In the connectors 300, 300A, 300B, and 300C of the previous embodiments, stoppers 300, 300A, 300B, and 300C were formed as restraining portions on both sides in the thickness T1 (FIG. 8) direction, sandwiching the upper portions 308b, 308bA, 308bB, and 308C of the connectors 308, 308A, 308B, and 308C. However, in the connector 300D of the embodiment shown in FIG. 27, such stoppers are 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 female thread 310D in the thickness T1 (FIG. 8) direction of the fastener 300D. In a plan view, the two insertion holes 372 are similar to the end face shape of the corresponding slit forming portion 78, and have an inner plane 374 that corresponds to a chord and an inner surface 376 that curves outwardly and corresponds 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. 28, the male thread formed on the lower part of the retaining bolt 136 is screwed into the female thread 310D to attach the retaining bolt 136 to the upper side of the connector 300D. The retaining bolt 136 is inserted into the countersunk hole 74 formed in the rotating shaft 50 of the actuator 10. The slit forming portions 78 of the rotating shaft 50 are then inserted into the insertion holes 372. The lower rectangular column portion 140 is then clamped by the clamping portion 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 that the slit forming portion 78 can be restrained from the outside by the connecting portion 308D that forms the insertion hole 372. At this time, the curved inner surface 376 of the insertion hole 372 fits along the outer peripheral surface of the slit forming portion 78, so that 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. This makes it possible to prevent the rotating shaft 50 from breaking or being destroyed, 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.

In the connector 300D shown in Figures 27 and 28, the depth of the insertion hole 372 may be such that at least a portion of the slit forming portion 78 can hold the rotating shaft 50 from the outside, but it is preferable that the depth be such that the entire length of the slit forming portion 78 from the base end 78a to the tip can be restrained from the outside.

More preferably, the curved inner surface 376 (FIG. 27B) of the insertion hole 372 is extended upward beyond the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78. In this way, the curved inner surface 376 of the insertion hole 372 can cover the root of the slit forming portion 78 of the rotating shaft 50, preventing damage to the root of the slit forming portion 78 during high torque. In other words, the connecting portion 308D, which is processed so that the curved inner surface 376 of the insertion hole 372 is extended upward, restrains the rotating shaft 50 from the outside beyond not only the slit forming portion 78 but also the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78, preventing damage to the rotating shaft 50 at or near the base end 78a of the slit forming portion 78.

In addition, in the embodiment of Figures 27-28, the planar shapes of the slit forming portion 78 and the insertion hole 372 are both semicircular and similar, but the smaller the clearance of the insertion hole 372 from the slit forming portion 78, the greater the restraining force. However, if the clearance of the insertion hole 372 from the slit forming portion 78 is small, it becomes difficult to insert the slit forming portion 78 into the insertion hole 372, so the clearance of the insertion hole 372 from the slit forming portion 78 is made as small as possible within the range that allows the slit forming portion 78 to be inserted.

In this way, the connecting portion 308D (the curved inner surface 376) of the connecting device 300D that forms the insertion hole 372 functions as a restraining portion that extends upward from the upper surface of the connecting portion 308D and restrains each of the slit forming portions 78 of the rotating shaft 50 from the outside. Moreover, since the restraining portion is formed integrally with the connecting device, it has the advantage of being easy to handle.

In addition, in the connector 300D of this embodiment, as explained above as a modified example of the embodiment in Figures 24-25, a slit corresponding to the depth of the insertion hole 372 may be formed in the width direction of the width W (Figure 8 (B)) of the connector 300D to divide the curved inner surface 376 of the connecting portion 308D.

The specific values and shapes of the dimensions given above are merely examples and can be changed as necessary depending on the product specifications, etc.

10: Electric actuator 20: Main body case 50: Rotating shaft 70: Slit 72: Inner surface 74: Counterbore 76: Female thread 78: Slit forming portion 128: Shaft 104: Water supply device (water supply control device)
106 ... Drainage device (water supply control device)
134 ... Side surface 136 ... Anti-slip bolt 140 ... Square column 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 ... Clamp portion 306 ... Step portion 308, 308A, 308B, 308C, 308D ... Connection portion 308a, 308aA, 308aB, 308aC ... Lower portion 308b, 308bA, 308bB, 308bC ... Upper portion 310, 310A, 310B, 310C, 310D ... Female thread 312 ... Counterbore 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 (4)

An electric actuator 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 that is linked to rotation of a shaft, and operates the displacement mechanism,
Main body case,
A motor provided in the main body case;
a transmission mechanism provided in the main body case for transmitting the driving force of the motor; a rotating shaft which is rotated by the motor via the transmission mechanism and has a lower portion extending downwardly of the main body case; and a connector for connecting the rotating shaft to the shaft,
The connector has a pair of legs for connecting to an upper end of the shaft, and a connector that connects the pair of legs at their upper ends, and further has a slit formed in the lower end of the rotating shaft, into which a part of the connector fits;
The slit is formed by a pair of slit forming parts arranged on both sides of the connecting part with a base end therebetween,
The connecting tool includes grooves formed by stoppers and the connecting portion on both sides of the connecting portion, the grooves receiving the pair of slit forming portions,
An electric actuator , wherein the width of the groove is relatively wide at the upper end and narrows toward the lower end . An electric actuator 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 that is linked to rotation of a shaft, and operates the displacement mechanism,
Main body case,
A motor provided in the main body case;
a transmission mechanism provided in the main body case and configured to transmit the driving force of the motor; and
a rotation shaft that is rotated by the motor via the transmission mechanism and has a lower portion extending downwardly of the main body case; and
A connector for connecting the rotating shaft to the shaft is provided,
The connector has a pair of legs for connecting to an upper end of the shaft, and a connector for connecting the pair of legs at their respective upper ends,
A slit is formed on a lower end of the rotating shaft and into which a part of the connecting portion is fitted,
The slit is formed by a pair of slit forming parts arranged on both sides of the connecting part with a base end therebetween,
The connecting tool includes grooves formed by stoppers and the connecting portion on both sides of the connecting portion, the grooves receiving the pair of slit forming portions,
an electric actuator, the clearance between an outer peripheral surface of the slit forming portion and an inner surface of the groove becoming narrower toward a base of the stopper; An electric actuator 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 that is linked to rotation of a shaft, and operates the displacement mechanism,
Main body case,
A motor provided in the main body case;
a transmission mechanism provided in the main body case and configured to transmit the driving force of the motor; and
a rotation shaft that is rotated by the motor via the transmission mechanism and has a lower portion extending downwardly of the main body case; and
A connector for connecting the rotating shaft to the shaft is provided,
The connector has a pair of legs for connecting to an upper end of the shaft, and a connector for connecting the pair of legs at their respective upper ends,
A slit is formed on a lower end of the rotating shaft and into which a part of the connecting portion is fitted,
The slit is formed by a pair of slit forming parts arranged on both sides of the connecting part with a base end therebetween,
The connector has grooves formed by stoppers and the connecting portion on both sides of the connecting portion, the grooves receiving the pair of slit-forming portions, and
An electric actuator comprising a bolt for tightly contacting the slit-forming portion and the stopper . 4. The electric actuator according to claim 1, wherein an upper end of said stopper exceeds said base end of said slit-forming portion .

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