Intelligent casting control system and method for metallurgical casting

Abstract

The invention discloses an intelligent control system and method for metallurgical casting. The intelligent control system comprises a PLC, an image acquisition unit, an image processing unit and a container angle driving unit, wherein the image acquisition unit, the image processing unit and the container angle driving unit are connected with the PLC. The image acquisition unit is used for acquiring an image of the flowing-out melt in real time and transmitting the image to the image processing unit; the image processing unit processes the image, and the thickness # imgabs0 # of the molten liquid flowing out in the current state is obtained through calculation; the PLC is used for calculating a control signal of the container angle driving unit; and the container angle driving unit is used for driving the container to rotate according to the control signal calculated by the PLC. The automatic flow adjusting device has the advantages that the flow in the pouring process can be automatically adjusted, and then the flow in the pouring process tends to be stable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of metallurgical casting and pouring technology, and in particular to a metallurgical casting intelligent control system and method. Background Art

[0002] In the metallurgical casting industry, manual on-site control or manual remote control is mostly used to control the casting process. Since manual operation completely relies on manual adjustment, there are jitters and mutations in terms of control accuracy, stability, and linearity. In addition, there is a large amount of ultra-high temperature molten metal at the casting site, which poses great safety hazards and risks. Observing the high temperature molten metal with the naked eye for a long time is very harmful to the eyes and is prone to visual fatigue; therefore, it is difficult to achieve long-term stable flow control during manual control.

[0003] Unstable flow may lead to a series of adverse consequences: incomplete filling of castings, defects such as cold shut and insufficient pouring, uneven internal structure of castings, which will affect the integrity and precision of castings and lead to reduced performance of castings. It may also cause the molten metal to splash or overflow during the casting process, causing safety hazards such as burns and fire. Summary of the invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an intelligent control system and method for metallurgical casting, which can automatically adjust the flow rate during the casting process, thereby stabilizing the flow rate during the casting process.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is a metallurgical casting intelligent control system and method, including a PLC controller and an image acquisition unit, an image processing unit, and a container angle driving unit connected thereto; the image acquisition unit is used to collect images of the outflowing molten liquid in real time and transmit the images to the image processing unit; the image processing unit processes the images and calculates the thickness of the outflowing molten liquid in the current state. ; The PLC controller is used to and target thickness , calculate the control signal of the container angle driving unit; the container angle driving unit is used to drive the container to rotate according to the control signal calculated by the PLC controller.

[0006] Furthermore, if the container angle driving unit is powered by a servo motor, the control signal is the angle increment Δβ of the servo motor; if the container angle driving unit is powered by a variable frequency motor, the control signal is the electric pulse signal of the variable frequency motor.

[0007] Furthermore, it also includes a container position driving unit; the image processing unit is also used to calculate the horizontal distance between the landing point of the molten liquid and the edge of the cavity in the current state, and send the calculation result to the PLC controller; the PLC controller is also used to determine whether the horizontal distance between the landing point of the molten liquid and the edge of the cavity in the current state is within the allowable distance range, if not, calculate the moving distance and send a signal to the container position driving unit; the container position driving unit is used to change the position of the container according to the calculated moving distance.

[0008] Furthermore, it also includes a liquid level monitoring unit and an early warning unit; the liquid level monitoring unit is used to monitor the liquid level height in the cavity in real time and send it to the PLC controller; when the liquid level height reaches the set value, the PLC controller sends a signal to the container angle driving unit, and the container angle driving unit controls the container to lift and stop pouring; when the liquid level height exceeds the set value, the PLC controller controls the early warning unit to issue an audible and visual early warning.

[0009] Furthermore, a heat-insulating layer is arranged outside the container; an electric heating layer is arranged inside the container; and the PLC controller is also used to control the electric heating layer and adjust the temperature inside the container.

[0010] A metallurgical casting intelligent control method comprises the following steps: S1. Image acquisition: an image acquisition unit is used to acquire images of the outflowing melt in real time, and the images are transmitted to an image processing unit; S2. Image processing: The image processing unit processes the image and calculates the thickness of the outflowing melt in the current state. and send the result to the PLC controller; the thickness The calculation method is as follows: S21, acquiring an image; S22, intercepting an image that meets a set brightness threshold; S23, identifying the contour of the captured image; S24, correcting the position of the identified contour and confirming the center point; S25, find the shortest line between the contour lines on both sides of the center point, and the line passes through the center point; the length of the line is the thickness ; S3, calculate the control signal: the PLC controller calculates the control signal of the container angle drive unit : ; Where: is the control signal of the container angle driving unit; is the proportionality coefficient; is the integration coefficient; The current thickness of the melt With target thickness The difference.

[0011] S4. Inclination angle control: The container angle driving unit drives the container to rotate according to the control signal calculated by the PLC controller.

[0012] Furthermore, the target thickness A fixed value is set.

[0013] Furthermore, the target thickness is a curve that changes with time.

[0014] Furthermore, the image processing unit in step S2 also calculates the horizontal distance d between the landing point of the molten metal and the edge of the cavity in the current state, and sends the calculation result to the PLC controller; the PLC controller determines whether d is within the permitted distance range. If not, calculate the moving distance , and sends a signal to the container position driving unit; the container position driving unit drives the container to move ; , where is the target distance value.

[0015] Furthermore, the following steps are included: a liquid level monitoring unit monitors the liquid level height in the cavity in real time and sends it to a PLC controller; when the liquid level height reaches a set value, the PLC controller controls the container angle driving unit to lift and stop pouring; when the liquid level height exceeds the set value, the PLC controller controls the early warning unit to issue an audible and visual early warning.

[0016] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The present invention uses an image acquisition unit and an image processing unit to monitor and calculate the thickness of the outflowing molten metal in real time, and according to the real-time thickness With target thickness The control signal of the container angle drive unit is calculated by the difference, and the container angle drive unit is used to adjust the container's tilt angle in real time, so that the flow rate during the pouring process tends to be stable, and the flow rate is automatically controlled, which helps to improve the quality of castings. In addition, automatic feedback adjustment can free up labor, avoid damage to the operator's eyes, and reduce safety hazards caused by improper manual control. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a system framework diagram of Example 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The specific embodiments of the present invention are further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the description of these embodiments is used to help understand the present invention, but does not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0019] Example 1 An intelligent control system for metallurgical casting, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes a PLC controller and an image acquisition unit, an image processing unit, and a container angle driving unit connected thereto; the image acquisition unit is used to acquire images of the outflowing molten liquid in real time and transmit the images to the image processing unit; the image processing unit processes the images and calculates the thickness of the outflowing molten liquid in the current state. ; The PLC controller is used to and target thickness , calculate the control signal of the container angle driving unit; the container angle driving unit is used to drive the container to rotate according to the control signal calculated by the PLC controller.

[0020] The above-mentioned intelligent control system for metallurgical casting and pouring monitors and calculates the thickness of the molten metal in real time through the image acquisition unit and the image processing unit, calculates the control signal of the container angle drive unit, and adjusts the tilt angle of the container in real time through the container angle drive unit, thereby stabilizing the flow rate during the pouring process and realizing automatic flow control, which helps to improve the quality of castings. In addition, automatic feedback adjustment can liberate labor, avoid damage to the operator's eyes, and reduce safety hazards caused by improper manual control.

[0021] Furthermore, if the power of the container angle driving unit is a servo motor, the control signal is the angle increment Δβ of the servo motor; if the power of the container angle driving unit is a variable frequency motor, the control signal is the electric pulse signal of the variable frequency motor. Those skilled in the art can flexibly select the type of control signal according to the driving mechanism of the container angle driving unit. In principle, as long as the selected control signal is changed, the tilt angle of the container can be driven to change.

[0022] Furthermore, it also includes a container position driving unit; the image processing unit is also used to calculate the horizontal distance between the landing point of the molten liquid and the edge of the cavity in the current state, and send the calculation result to the PLC controller; the PLC controller is also used to determine whether the horizontal distance between the landing point of the molten liquid and the edge of the cavity in the current state is within the allowable distance range, if not, then calculate the moving distance and send a signal to the container position driving unit; the container position driving unit is used to change the position of the container according to the calculated moving distance. During the casting process, the container casting rotates and the relative position of the casting port changes continuously. Improper casting position may affect the performance of the casting, and once cast outside the cavity, it may even cause safety hazards. The present application adjusts the position of the container according to the calculated moving distance through the container position driving unit to avoid the adverse effects caused by improper casting position.

[0023] Furthermore, it also includes a liquid level monitoring unit and an early warning unit; the liquid level monitoring unit is used to monitor the liquid level height in the cavity in real time and send it to the PLC controller; when the liquid level height reaches the set value, the PLC controller sends a signal to the container angle driving unit, and the container angle driving unit controls the container to lift and stop pouring; when the liquid level height exceeds the set value, the PLC controller controls the early warning unit to perform sound and light early warning. The set liquid level value is less than or equal to the height of the upper wall of the cavity. In this embodiment, the liquid level monitoring unit is an industrial camera installed above the cavity, and the liquid level of the molten liquid is calculated by the image processing unit; in another embodiment, the liquid level monitoring unit can be a laser rangefinder installed above the cavity. Through the liquid level monitoring unit and the early warning unit, the container can be timely controlled to lift in time to avoid overflow of the molten metal.

[0024] Furthermore, a heat-insulating layer is arranged outside the container; and an electric heating layer is arranged inside the container.

[0025] Example 2 A metallurgical casting intelligent control method comprises the following steps: S1. Image acquisition: an image acquisition unit is used to acquire images of the outflowing melt in real time, and the images are transmitted to an image processing unit; S2. Image processing: The image processing unit processes the image and calculates the thickness of the outflowing melt in the current state. and send the result to the PLC controller; the thickness The calculation method is as follows: S21, acquiring an image; S22, intercepting an image that meets a set brightness threshold; S23, identifying the contour of the captured image; S24, correcting the position of the identified contour and confirming the center point; S25, find the shortest line between the contour lines on both sides of the center point, and the line passes through the center point; the length of the line is the thickness ; S3, calculate the control signal: the PLC controller calculates the control signal of the container angle drive unit : ; Where: is the control signal of the container angle driving unit; is the proportionality coefficient; is the integral coefficient; in actual production, it needs to be reasonably confirmed according to the equipment, working conditions, etc. and Specific value of The current thickness of the melt With target thickness The difference.

[0026] S4. Inclination angle control: The container angle driving unit drives the container to rotate according to the control signal calculated by the PLC controller.

[0027] Furthermore, the target thickness A fixed value is set. The specific value of can be set as required according to the material, structure, etc. of the casting.

[0028] Furthermore, the image processing unit in step S2 also calculates the horizontal distance d between the landing point of the molten metal and the edge of the cavity in the current state, and sends the calculation result to the PLC controller; the PLC controller determines whether d is within the permitted distance range. If not, calculate the moving distance , and sends a signal to the container position driving unit; the container position driving unit drives the container to move ; , where is the target distance value.

[0029] Furthermore, the following steps are included: a liquid level monitoring unit monitors the liquid level height in the cavity in real time and sends it to a PLC controller; when the liquid level height reaches a set value, the PLC controller controls the container angle driving unit to lift and stop pouring; when the liquid level height exceeds the set value, the PLC controller controls the early warning unit to issue an audible and visual early warning.

[0030] Example 3 A metallurgical casting intelligent control method, compared with embodiment 2, only the target thickness is The fixed value is modified to a curve that changes with time. The structural complexity of some castings is irregular. The structure of the casting may be relatively complex in a certain height range, while the structure of some other height ranges is relatively simple. Therefore, the optimal flow rate may change during the entire casting process. Through calculation and analysis, the optimal flow rate can be converted into a curve that changes with time.

[0031] Working principle of the present invention: The present invention uses an image acquisition unit and an image processing unit to monitor and calculate the thickness of the outflowing molten metal in real time, and according to the real-time thickness With target thickness The control signal of the container angle drive unit is calculated based on the difference, and the tilt angle of the container is adjusted in real time through the container angle drive unit, so that the flow rate during the pouring process tends to be stable, and the flow rate is automatically controlled, which helps to improve the quality of castings. In addition, automatic feedback adjustment can liberate labor, avoid damage to the operator's eyes, and reduce safety hazards caused by improper manual control. The container position drive unit automatically adjusts the position of the container according to the calculated moving distance to avoid adverse effects caused by improper casting position. The liquid level monitoring unit and the early warning unit can be used to control the container to be lifted in time to avoid overflow of molten metal.

[0032] The present invention can realize automatic adjustment of the tilt angle of the container, regulate the thickness of the molten metal, and thus automatically adjust the flow rate during the pouring process; it can also realize automatic adjustment of the position of the container, and thus realize automatic adjustment of the casting position.

[0033] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. For those skilled in the art, various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations of these embodiments are made without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and still fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A metallurgical casting intelligent control system, characterized in that: The system comprises a PLC controller and an image acquisition unit, an image processing unit and a container angle driving unit connected thereto; the image acquisition unit is used to acquire images of the outflowing molten liquid in real time and transmit the images to the image processing unit; the image processing unit processes the images and calculates the thickness of the outflowing molten liquid in the current state. ; The PLC controller is used to adjust the thickness of and target thickness , calculate the control signal of the container angle driving unit; the container angle driving unit is used to drive the container to rotate according to the control signal calculated by the PLC controller.

2. The metallurgical casting intelligent control system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: If the container angle driving unit is powered by a servo motor, the control signal is the angle increment Δβ of the servo motor; if the container angle driving unit is powered by a variable frequency motor, the control signal is the electric pulse signal of the variable frequency motor.

3. The metallurgical casting intelligent control system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: It also includes a container position driving unit; the image processing unit is also used to calculate the horizontal distance between the landing point of the molten liquid and the edge of the cavity in the current state, and send the calculation result to the PLC controller; the PLC controller is also used to determine whether the horizontal distance between the landing point of the molten liquid and the edge of the cavity in the current state is within the allowable distance range, if not, calculate the moving distance and send a signal to the container position driving unit; the container position driving unit is used to change the position of the container according to the calculated moving distance.

4. The metallurgical casting intelligent control system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: It also includes a liquid level monitoring unit and an early warning unit; the liquid level monitoring unit is used to monitor the liquid level height in the cavity in real time and send it to the PLC controller; when the liquid level height reaches the set value, the PLC controller sends a signal to the container angle driving unit, and the container angle driving unit controls the container to lift and stop pouring; when the liquid level height exceeds the set value, the PLC controller controls the early warning unit to issue an audible and visual early warning.

5. The metallurgical casting intelligent control system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The outside of the container is provided with a heat preservation layer; the inside of the container is provided with an electric heating layer; the PLC controller is also used to control the electric heating layer and adjust the temperature inside the container.

6. A control method for a metallurgical casting intelligent control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The steps include: S1. Image acquisition: an image acquisition unit is used to acquire images of the outflowing melt in real time, and the images are transmitted to an image processing unit; S2. Image processing: The image processing unit processes the image and calculates the thickness of the outflowing melt in the current state. and send the result to the PLC controller; the thickness The calculation method is as follows: S21, acquiring an image; S22, intercepting an image that meets a set brightness threshold; S23, identifying the contour of the captured image; S24, correcting the position of the identified contour and confirming the center point; S25, find the shortest line between the contour lines on both sides of the center point, and the line passes through the center point; the length of the line is the thickness ; S3, calculate the control signal: the PLC controller calculates the control signal of the container angle drive unit : ； Where: is the control signal of the container angle driving unit; is the proportionality coefficient; is the integration coefficient; The current thickness of the melt With target thickness The difference between S4. Inclination angle control: The container angle driving unit drives the container to rotate according to the control signal calculated by the PLC controller.

7. The metallurgical casting intelligent control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The target thickness A fixed value is set.

8. The metallurgical casting intelligent control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The target thickness is a curve that changes with time.

9. The metallurgical casting intelligent control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The image processing unit in step S2 also calculates the horizontal distance d between the landing point of the molten metal and the edge of the cavity in the current state, and sends the calculation result to the PLC controller; the PLC controller determines whether d is within the permitted distance range. If not, calculate the moving distance , and sends a signal to the container position driving unit; the container position driving unit drives the container to move ; , where is the target distance value.

10. The metallurgical casting intelligent control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes the following steps: a liquid level monitoring unit monitors the liquid level height in the cavity in real time and sends it to a PLC controller; when the liquid level height reaches a set value, the PLC controller controls the container angle driving unit to lift and stop pouring; when the liquid level height exceeds a set value, the PLC controller controls the early warning unit to issue an audible and visual early warning.

Images