Shutoff valve device

• US 9,528,624 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Naganuma, Naoto, Nakabayashi, Yuji, Morihana, Hideaki, Sugiyama, Masaki, Nakai, Hiroshi, Adachi, Akihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Bastianelli, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rost, Andrew J
• Application Number:
  US13/983,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20130306893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 251/129.11, 251/129.12, 251/129.13, 251/226, 251/227, 251/215
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0242 Shut-off valves; Check valves; Safety valves; Pressure relief valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2025/249 Special materials or coatings for screws or nuts lubrication F16H57/0497
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/04 using a motor
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/046 with electric means, e.g. electric switches, to control the motor or to control a clutch between the valve and the motor F16K31/041 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/047 characterised by mechanical means between the motor and the valve, e.g. lost motion means reducing backlash, clutches, brakes or return means F16K31/043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2235/14 electromagnetically operated
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2235/24 Valve details
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/005 Valves valves in general F16K
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels

Abstract

A shutoff valve according to the present invention includes: a motor configured to cause a rotating shaft to rotate; a lead screw formed on the rotating shaft; a lead nut into which the lead screw is screwed; and a valve element configured to block a passage, the valve element being configured to move in an axial direction in accordance with rotation of the rotating shaft. A dry lubricating coating is formed on a contact surface where the lead screw and the lead nut come into contact with each other. A thread pitch of the lead screw is set such that a current applied to the motor, the current being in relation to an inductance of the motor, is in a range that does not cause explosion of the fuel gas and that allows thrust force necessary for moving the valve element to be obtained.

Claims

1. A flow rate measuring device configured to measure a flow rate of a fuel gas flowing through a passage and including a shutoff valve device serving to shut off the passage, the measuring device comprising:

a device controller;

a stepping motor that rotates a rotating shaft, the stepping motor including a stator having a plurality of coils and configured to rotate by a constant angle depending upon an applied pulse current;

a male screw portion on the rotating shaft, the device controller configured to set the number of pulses and frequency of the pulse current applied to each of the coils to control a rotation speed and a rotation angle of the rotating shaft; and

a valve element configured to block the passage, the valve element including a female screw portion accommodating the male screw portion, the valve element moving in an axial direction in accordance with rotation of the rotating shaft,

wherein a dry lubricating coating resides on a contact surface of the male screw portion and the female screw portion, and a thread pitch of the male screw portion is a in a range from 0.3 to 1 mm, such that the pulse current applied to the motor by the device controller, in relation to an inductance of the motor, is in a range that does not cause explosion of the fuel gas and that allows a thrust force necessary for moving the valve element to be obtained,

wherein the device controller adjusts the rotational speed of the motor thereby adjusting the applied pulse current, voltage and inductance to be within intrinsic safety standards.

2. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the inductance of the motor has a range of 5 to 50 mH, and a maximum value of the current applied to the motor by the controller has a range from 80 to 250 mA.

3. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the dry lubricating coating comprises a fluorocarbon resin having a particle diameter that is smaller than a gap between a male screw thread and a female screw thread at the contact surface.

4. The measuring according to claim 1, wherein the device controller further comprises:

a current application module that applies the pulse current to the motor; and

a changing module that changes a rotational speed of the motor by changing a number of pulses and a frequency of the pulse current applied by the current application module.

5. A flow rate measuring device configured to measure a flow rate of a fuel gas flowing through a passage, and including a shutoff valve device serving to shut off the passage, the measuring device comprising:

a device controller;

a motor that rotates a rotating shaft;

a male screw portion on the rotating shaft, the device controller controlling a rotation speed and a rotation angle of the rotating shaft; and

a valve element configured to block the passage, the valve element including a female screw portion accommodating the male screw portion, the valve element moving in an axial direction in accordance with a rotation of the rotating shaft,

wherein a dry lubricating coating resides on a contact surface of the male screw portion and the female screw portion, an inductance of the motor has a range from 5 to 50 mH, and a resistance value of an internal resistance of the motor has a range from 8 to 15 Ω

, and based on the range of the inductance and the range of the resistance value, a maximum value of a current applied to the motor by the controller has a range from 80 to 250 mA, which does not cause explosion of the fuel gas and allows a thrust force necessary for moving the valve element, and a thread pitch of the male screw portion has a range from 0.3 to 1 mm.

6. The measuring device according to claim 5, wherein the dry lubricating coating comprises a fluorocarbon resin having a particle diameter that is smaller than a gap between a male screw thread and a female screw thread at the contact surface.

7. The measuring device according to claim 5, wherein the motor comprises a stepping motor, and the device controller further comprises:

a current application module that applies a pulse current to the motor; and

a changing module that changes a rotational speed of the motor by changing the number of pulses and frequency of the pulse current applied by the current application module.