KR-20260065155-A - Electric valve actuator

KR20260065155AKR 20260065155 AKR20260065155 AKR 20260065155AKR-20260065155-A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electric valve actuator, and more specifically, to an electric valve actuator that enables rapid and accurate driving control according to an input signal using a precise magnetic position sensor, allows calibration or optimization for various uses using a DIP switch depending on the type of valve connected and installed, and displays the operating status of the actuator in real time using a display unit including a plurality of LED lamps, thereby enabling general-purpose use while improving reliability.

Inventors

이승훈

Assignees

이승훈

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20241101

Claims (5)

In an electric valve actuator connected to a valve, comprising a housing, a printed circuit board, a stepper motor, a gear assembly, and a magnetic position sensor, The above printed circuit board is, Terminal block for power supply and transmission of input/output signals; A regulator for voltage regulation supplied through the above terminal block; A motor driver for driving control of the above stepper motor; A microcomputer that stores information necessary for driving control of the above actuator and controls the driving of the actuator overall; A display unit including a plurality of LED lamps that display the operating status of the above actuator in real time; and An electric valve actuator comprising a DIP switch for changing settings and calibration required for driving the above actuator.
In Article 1, The above display unit is, A power indicator that indicates whether power is supplied to the actuator, A status display unit that displays the opening rate of the above valve in real time and An electric valve actuator comprising an error indicator that indicates whether an error has occurred while the actuator is in operation or power is supplied.
In Paragraph 2, The above-described status indicator is characterized by illuminating together with the error indicator in order to indicate the type of error, prior to the valve opening amount display, according to a preset combination based on the type of error generated by the control of a microcomputer when the error indicator is illuminated, thereby indicating the type of error.
In Paragraph 2, An electric valve actuator characterized by the above-mentioned status indicator flashing according to a preset cycle under the control of a microcomputer to indicate the remaining life of the actuator.
In Article 1, An electric valve actuator characterized in that the above-described DIP switch includes a plurality of on/off adjustable switches, and each switch or combination of switches is used for setting the driving direction of the step motor, optimizing the input/output signal, actuator calibration for correcting the opening amount of the valve driven by the step motor, and adjusting the opening/closing speed of the valve driven by the step motor.

Description

Electric valve actuator The present invention relates to an electric valve actuator, and more specifically, to an electric valve actuator that enables rapid and accurate driving control according to an input signal using a precise magnetic position sensor, enables changing the driving settings of the actuator or optimizing and calibrating input/output signals using a DIP switch depending on the type of valve connected and installed, and displays the operating status of the actuator in real time using a display unit including a plurality of LED lamps, thereby enabling general-purpose use while improving reliability. Generally, an actuator is a general term for a prime mover operated by electricity, hydraulics, compressed air, etc., and typically refers to a device that performs mechanical work using fluid energy. These actuators are largely driven by pneumatic, hydraulic, and electric forces, and can also be applied to valves configured to open and close selectively. Actuators that control such valves are used in various fields, such as smart factories, smart plants, and smart ships, where core technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as IoT and big data, are applied. Furthermore, they can be used in various national infrastructures, including power plants such as nuclear, hydroelectric, thermal, and combined cycle power plants, as well as oil refineries, steelmaking, water and sewage treatment facilities, and water purification facilities. Among these, the electric actuator acts as the driving part of the valve, which receives electricity from the outside through a motor installed inside and converts it into mechanical outputs such as torque and thrust, thereby enabling remote, automatic, or on-site control of the valve load generated by fluid pressure and friction. Such electric actuators typically include a motor and a gear assembly that transmits the motor's driving force to the valve, and control the opening and closing of the valve by controlling the rotation of the motor using a sensor such as a limit switch or by controlling the rotation of the motor using a stepper motor. Recently, research and development on smart valve actuators has been conducted to optimize the management efficiency of electric actuators by providing real-time operating status information to users or enabling the prediction of failure occurrences. For example, Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2346554 discloses a smart valve actuator system comprising a communication unit that transmits operating status information of an actuator to the outside and a system that receives operating status information of the actuator from the communication unit and determines whether there is an abnormality in the actuator. In other words, the aforementioned prior art is characterized by the technical feature of transmitting actuator operating status information to an external server to monitor the actuator's operating status in real time and predicting the presence or absence of an actuator malfunction before a failure occurs through an abnormality determination unit. However, since an external server is essential for determining or predicting the presence or absence of an actuator malfunction, the initial cost of configuring the entire system—including wired and wireless communication facilities and separate user terminals—is high. Consequently, there is a disadvantage that the system is difficult to apply in locations where electric actuators are used on a small scale. In addition, the aforementioned prior art has the problem that, since the actuator itself is not equipped with a means to indicate an abnormality or failure, it is difficult to identify an unexpected abnormality or failure of the actuator, and if a problem occurs in the communication system, the fact that an abnormality or failure of the actuator has occurred cannot be conveyed to the user at the site. Furthermore, the aforementioned prior art has the disadvantage that the use of the actuator is inevitably limited because there is no means to change or calibrate the actuator settings, such as the magnitude of input and output signals. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electric valve actuator according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the operational relationship of an electric valve actuator according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a drawing showing the internal view of an electric valve actuator according to the present invention. FIGS. 4 (a) and (b) and FIGS. 5 (a) and (b) are drawings specifically illustrating embodiments of the display unit of the present invention shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram specifically showing the configuration of the DIP switch among the inventions shown in FIG. 2. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an electric valve actuator according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ele