JPH11118064A - Shut-off valve opening / closing system using solar cells - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] Even if a disaster such as an earthquake or fire occurs, the emergency shut-off valve can be operated quickly and reliably without depending on electric power or human power to minimize human loss and economic loss. Provided is a shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell that can be minimized. SOLUTION: A small air compressor 15 is operated by electric power obtained by a solar cell 22 to accumulate compressed air of a predetermined pressure in an air tank 14, and when an emergency occurs, based on an emergency signal, Compressed air is supplied as a driving energy source to a shut-off valve 12 attached in the middle of the pipe 10 so that the shut-off valve 12 is closed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell for opening and closing a shut-off valve by converting sunlight energy into electric energy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a piping system for supplying water, oil, city gas, and the like is destroyed by an earthquake or a fire, a catastrophic disaster is caused. Therefore, even if an accident such as destruction occurs in the piping system, minimize the scale of the disaster,
To minimize human and economic losses, these piping systems are usually equipped with emergency shut-off valves. And the opening and closing operation of the emergency shutoff valve is performed manually or
It is performed using power such as electric energy.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned conventional emergency shut-off valve still has the following problems to be solved. That is, regardless of whether human power or power is used, in order to open and close the emergency shut-off valve, it is assumed that a person or a power source is near the emergency shut-off valve. For this reason, for example, in places where commercial power is not supplied, such as in mountainous areas, an emergency shutoff valve must be installed by manual operation, but even if a person actually tries to close the valve after an accident occurs, Requires a lot of time, and often cannot deal effectively with accidents and disasters. In addition, not only in mountainous areas, but also in factories and pipelines near cities, in the event of an earthquake or fire, a power failure often occurs. In this case as well, the conventional electrically driven emergency shut-off valve closes. Operation becomes impossible, and it is impossible to effectively cope with secondary disasters such as oil and gas spill accidents.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and even when a disaster such as an earthquake or fire occurs, the emergency shut-off valve can be quickly and reliably installed without depending on electric power or human power. It is an object of the present invention to provide a shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell that can operate at a minimum speed and minimize human loss and economic loss.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising:
The shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell according to the present invention is a shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell that opens and closes a shut-off valve attached to a pipe using a solar cell in an area where commercial power is not supplied, A small air compressor is operated by the electric power obtained by the battery to accumulate compressed air at a predetermined pressure in an air tank, and when an emergency occurs, the compressed air is supplied to the pipe based on an emergency signal. A supply of driving energy is provided to the shut-off valve mounted halfway so as to open and close the shut-off valve.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell, wherein the shut-off valve is mounted on a pipe through which a fluid flows, and is operated by an air cylinder.
An air tank that instantaneously supplies a large amount of compressed air as a driving energy source through an air supply pipe to the air cylinder, and a small air compressor that supplies the compressed air to the air tank over time until a predetermined pressure is reached,
A solar cell system that converts sunlight energy into electric energy to drive the air compressor; and an electromagnetic device that is mounted in the middle of the air supply pipe and that opens and closes based on an emergency signal while using the electric energy as a driving source. An on-off valve, the solar cell system includes a solar cell, a storage battery that stores electric energy generated by the solar cell, and a control device that controls supply of the electric energy from the storage battery to the air compressor. Become.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell, wherein the control device is configured to prevent overcharging of the storage battery. A charge prevention unit; and an overdischarge prevention unit for preventing overdischarge to the air compressor. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the shut-off valve opening and closing system using a solar cell according to the second or third aspect, the emergency signal is a remote control signal.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the shut-off valve opening and closing system using a solar cell according to the second or third aspect, the emergency signal is detected by disaster detection means. Output signal.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide an understanding of the present invention.

First, a configuration of a shut-off valve opening / closing system A using a solar cell according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows, as an example of a pipe for conducting fluid, a water pipe 10 for supplying water to a city area from a water source located in a mountain to which commercial power is not supplied. A large shut-off valve 12 to be actuated is mounted. Shutoff valve 1
Although various forms can be used as 2,
For example, an emergency shut-off valve including a pilot-type butterfly valve previously disclosed by the present applicant in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-42323 can be used. By using this emergency shut-off valve, the impact due to fluid closure is small, quick, easy,
In addition, the emergency closing can be safely performed, and even when the opening is performed, the opening is first opened, so that the resistance is small, no power is required for opening and closing, and the shutoff valve 12 can be simplified and reduced in weight.

In the vicinity of the shut-off valve 12, a mounting frame 13 formed of a rectangular frame is installed.
, An air tank 14, a small air compressor 15, and a solar cell system 16, which will be described below in order, are attached. The air tank 14 instantaneously supplies a large amount of compressed air to the air cylinder 11 as a driving energy source. The air tank 14 is formed of a horizontally long cylinder and is placed on the bottom plate 17 of the mounting frame 13. And
The air discharge port is connected to the air cylinder 11 through an air supply pipe 18.

The air compressor 15 supplies compressed air to the air tank 14 over time until a predetermined pressure is reached. The air compressor 15 is mounted on the upper plate 19 of the mounting frame 13 and has an air discharge port. It is connected to the air inlet of the air tank 14 through the supply pipe 20.

The solar cell system 16 converts sunlight energy into electric energy and converts the energy into air energy.
, And is mounted on the upper plate 19 of the mounting frame 13. And the solar cell system 16
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a solar cell 22 that converts sunlight energy into electric energy, a storage battery 21 that stores this electric energy and supplies it to the air compressor 15, and controls driving of the solar cell 22 and the storage battery 21. And a control unit 25 for performing the control. Also, the control device 2
Reference numeral 5 denotes overcharge prevention means for performing overcharge prevention control and overdischarge prevention control of the storage battery 21, and overdischarge prevention means for preventing overcharge of the air compressor 15. And Further, as described later, the control device 25 can also control the drive of the electromagnetic on-off valve 23 based on the emergency signal.

An electromagnetic opening / closing valve 23 that opens and closes based on an emergency signal is mounted in the middle of an air supply pipe 18 that supplies compressed air from the air tank 14 to the air cylinder 11. From 21, low-voltage control power, that is, electric energy is supplied as a drive source.

Here, the emergency signal may be, for example, a remote control signal from a computer of the disaster prevention management center 27 in an urban area as shown in FIG. in this case,
A remote control signal transmitted from a transmitter 28 installed in the disaster prevention management center 27 is received by a receiver 29 provided near a shutoff valve opening / closing system A using a solar cell, and the received emergency signal is controlled. By performing the processing by the device 25, the shutoff valve 12 can be quickly closed. Further, as the emergency signal, an output signal from a disaster detection means disposed near the shutoff valve 12 or in the installation area can be used. That is, the judging means provided in the control device 25 judges the degree of disaster based on the output signal, and can close the shutoff valve 12 promptly based on the judgment result. Further, instead of the determination means provided in the control device 25, a person may determine the degree of disaster based on the output signal and close the shutoff valve 12 promptly based on the determination result. Good. As an example of a disaster detection means, when considering not only the water pipe 10 but also the transfer of other fluids (gas, oil, etc.), a pipe strain gauge for detecting a pipe break, an increase in the internal pressure of the pipe, A pressure sensor that detects rapid pressure fluctuations, a fire sensor that detects a fire,
There are vibration sensors that detect explosions, vibrations, and earthquakes, flood sensors that detect submersion and inundation of pipes, water level sensors that detect rainfall, anemometers that measure wind power during strong winds, and barometers that detect abnormal atmospheric pressure. .

A pressure sensor 24 is attached to the air inlet of the air tank 14. When the pressure of the compressed air in the air tank 14 reaches a predetermined pressure, the pressure sensor 24 detects the pressure. The operation of the air compressor 15 is automatically stopped based on the output. Note that a pressure gauge 24a is attached to the air supply pipe 18 for periodic inspection. Reference numeral 26 indicates a safety valve.

Next, the operation of the shut-off valve opening / closing system A using the solar cell having the above configuration will be described.
If it is not an emergency, the air compressor 15 is operated by the electric power obtained by the solar cell system 16 to accumulate compressed air at a predetermined pressure in the air tank 14.
Then, when an emergency such as an earthquake occurs, the drive unit of the electromagnetic on-off valve 23 is operated by a remote control signal from a computer of the disaster prevention management center 27 to quickly open the valve and supply compressed air to the air cylinder 11. Actuated,
The shutoff valve 12 can be quickly closed.

Therefore, even when a part of the water pipe 10 is ruptured due to the earthquake, for example, by closing the shutoff valves 12 located on both sides of the rupture point, a large amount of water can be prevented from overflowing to the outside. It can be reliably prevented. Also,
In the present embodiment, when the pressure of the compressed air in the air tank 14 reaches a predetermined pressure, the pressure sensor 24 detects the pressure and automatically stops the operation of the air compressor 15 based on the detected output. Storage battery 2
1 can also save power. Further, the control device 25
Has overcharge prevention means for preventing overcharge of the storage battery 21 and overdischarge prevention means for preventing overdischarge to the air compressor 15, so that energy can be saved from this aspect as well.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to one embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment, and is described in the claims. It also includes other embodiments and modifications that can be considered within the scope of the matters described. For example, disaster detection sensors for detecting accidents and disasters are not limited to vibration detection sensors.For example, sensors that can detect physical changes in other weather phenomena, such as temperature sensors and wind speed sensors, are also available. Can be used.

[0020]

In the shut-off valve opening / closing system using the solar cell according to the first to fifth aspects, the air compressor is operated by the electric power obtained by the solar cell to accumulate compressed air of a predetermined pressure in the air tank. When an emergency occurs, even in areas where commercial power is not supplied based on the emergency signal, compressed air is supplied as a driving energy source to a shut-off valve installed in the middle of the pipe, and the shut-off valve is closed. Various secondary disasters including spills of water, oil, gas, etc. can be effectively prevented. Even if the power generated by the solar cell is small, the power can be used to store compressed air at a predetermined pressure in a large air tank over time with a small air compressor. A large shut-off valve requiring electric power can be opened and closed instantly by opening a large amount of compressed air.

In particular, in the shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell according to the present invention, not only the air compressor but also the electromagnetic shut-off valve provided between the air tank and the air cylinder can convert the solar energy. Since the opening and closing operation is performed based on the emergency signal by the received electric energy, power for operating the electromagnetic opening and closing valve is not required, and power can be saved.

In the shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell according to a third aspect, the control device includes an overcharge preventing means for preventing overcharge of the storage battery and an overdischarge prevention for preventing overdischarge of the air compressor. Means, energy saving can be achieved. In the shut-off valve opening / closing system using the solar cell according to the fourth aspect, since the emergency signal is a remote control signal, the shut-off valve can be reliably operated even from a position far away to prevent a secondary disaster.
In the shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell according to claim 5, the emergency signal is an output signal detected by the disaster detection means, so that when a disaster or the like occurs, the shut-off valve is quickly operated, Secondary disasters can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of a shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

A shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell 10 water guide pipe (piping) 11 air cylinder 12 shut-off valve 13 mounting frame 14 air tank 15 air compressor 16 solar cell system 17 bottom plate 18 air supply pipe 19 top plate 20 air supply pipe 21 storage battery 22 Solar cell 23 Electromagnetic on-off valve 24 Pressure sensor 24a Pressure gauge 25 Control device 26 Safety valve 27 Disaster prevention management center 28 Transmitter 29 Receiver

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell that opens and closes a shut-off valve attached to a pipe using a solar cell in an area where commercial power is not supplied, wherein the solar cell has a small size. The air compressor is operated to accumulate compressed air at a predetermined pressure in an air tank, and when an emergency occurs, the shut-off valve attached to the middle of the pipe based on an emergency signal based on an emergency signal A shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell, wherein the shut-off valve is opened and closed by supplying a drive energy source thereto. 2. A large shut-off valve which is mounted in the middle of a pipe for conducting a fluid and is opened and closed by an air cylinder, and an air tank which instantaneously supplies a large amount of compressed air as a driving energy source to the air cylinder through an air supply pipe. A small air compressor that supplies the compressed air into the air tank over time until a predetermined pressure is reached, a solar cell system that converts sunlight energy into electric energy to drive the air compressor, An electromagnetic on-off valve that is mounted in the middle of the supply pipe and that uses the electric energy as a driving source, and that opens and closes based on an emergency signal.The solar cell system includes a solar cell and a solar cell. A storage battery for storing electric energy, and supply of the electric energy from the storage battery to the air compressor Shut-off valve closing system using a solar cell characterized by comprising a control device for controlling. 3. The control device according to claim 2, further comprising: an overcharge preventing unit configured to prevent overcharge of the storage battery, and an overdischarge preventing unit configured to prevent overdischarge of the air compressor. 2. A shut-off valve opening / closing system using the solar cell according to 2. 4. The shut-off valve opening / closing system using a solar cell according to claim 2, wherein the emergency signal is a remote control signal. 5. The emergency signal according to claim 2, wherein the emergency signal is an output signal detected by disaster detection means.
Or a shut-off valve opening / closing system using the solar cell according to 3.