A billet continuous casting automatic billet discharging system based on visual identification and laser ranging

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of bloom continuous casting automatic bloom discharge. A bloom continuous casting automatic bloom discharge system based on visual identification and laser ranging, comprising a fire cutting machine, a conveying roller corresponding to each fire cutting machine, a first camera device for detecting whether there is a bloom on the conveying roller, a first laser ranging device for detecting whether the bloom on the conveying roller is too long, a bloom moving trolley for pushing the bloom, a bloom moving trolley roller, a bloom turning machine for turning the bloom at the tail of the conveying roller to the bloom moving trolley roller, a bloom turning cooling bed for cooling the bloom, a second camera device for detecting the number of blooms on the bloom moving trolley roller, a second laser ranging device for detecting the real-time position of the bloom moving trolley, a PLC, wherein the fire cutting machine, the conveying roller, the first camera device, the second camera device, the first laser ranging device, the bloom turning machine, the bloom moving trolley and the bloom turning cooling bed are all connected to the PLC, the head end of the bloom moving trolley roller is the initial position of the bloom moving trolley, and the tail end of the bloom moving trolley roller is the terminal position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automatic billet unloading in continuous casting of square billets. Background Technology

[0002] When billet continuous casting machines are operated manually, the high number of billets produced and the fast pace of billet output lead to high labor intensity for workers. To ensure smooth billet output, the billet output control room needs to be staffed with 3-4 operators. With the increasing capacity demands of steel mills and the advancement of continuous casting technology, the casting speed of billet continuous casting machines has increased, and the billet output time has shortened. This further increases the operating frequency of operators. Under high labor intensity, the operators' skills are increasingly tested. Under prolonged high-intensity work, workers are prone to operational errors or misjudgments, leading to unsmooth billet output or production accidents, affecting casting machine production, and in severe cases, even causing machine shutdown.

[0003] To overcome the drawbacks of manual operation in billet continuous casting machines, an automatic billet unloading system for billet continuous casting has emerged. (Publication / Announcement Number: [omitted])

[0004] Patent CN115194110A discloses an automatic billet unloading system and its control method for continuous casting of square billets. The system uses an automatic unloading mechanism. After the billet is cut, a vision camera detects the position of the billet head. When a heat sensor in the middle of the conveyor rollers detects the billet, the controller reduces the conveyor rollers to a low speed, raises a lifting baffle, and weighs and marks the billet. After confirming that steel can be fed in, the controller lowers the lifting baffle, and the billet is conveyed to the end of the conveyor rollers. Once conditions are met, a billet flipper flips the billet onto the transfer car rollers. The transfer car then conveys the billet to the cooling bed, completing the unloading process. This patent improves efficiency, reduces labor intensity, and lowers the risk of billet blockage. The difficulty in the unloading process of this type of continuous casting machine lies in the different casting speeds of each stream. Some streams unload billets quickly, while others unload slowly or not at all. Since the transfer car operates at a uniform pace, this can lead to billet accumulation on the conveyor rollers of the faster-flowing streams, potentially resulting in billet block accumulation and affecting continuous casting machine production. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is: how to solve the problem of billet accumulation on the conveyor rollers due to different casting flow rates during the automatic billet unloading process of billet continuous casting.

[0006] The technical solution adopted in this invention is: an automatic billet unloading system for continuous casting of square billets based on visual recognition and laser ranging, including a flame cutter 1, a conveyor roller conveyor 2 corresponding to each flame cutter 1, a first camera device 4 for detecting whether there is a square billet 3 on the conveyor roller conveyor 2, a first laser ranging device 5 for detecting whether the square billet 3 on the conveyor roller conveyor 2 is too long, a billet transfer cart 7 for pushing the square billet 3, a billet transfer cart roller conveyor 9, and a steel turning machine 6 for flipping the square billet 3 at the tail of the conveyor roller conveyor 2 onto the billet transfer cart roller conveyor 9. The steel-turning cooling bed 12 for cooling billets 3, the second camera device 8 for detecting the number of billets 3 on the billet-transferring roller conveyor 9, the second laser rangefinder device 13 for detecting the real-time position of the billet-transferring car 7, and the PLC are all connected to the flame cutting machine 1, the conveying roller conveyor 2, the first camera device 4, the second camera device 8, the first laser rangefinder device 5, the steel-turning machine 6, the billet-transferring car 7, and the steel-turning cooling bed 12. The first end of the billet-transferring roller conveyor 9 is the initial position of the billet-transferring car 7, and the last end of the billet-transferring roller conveyor 9 is the final position 11.

[0007] The conveyor roller conveyor 2 includes a frame 23, multiple parallel rollers 21 mounted on the frame 23, and a retaining wheel 22 mounted on the frame to restrict the deviation of the billet 3 conveyed on the rollers. The retaining wheel 22 is rotatably connected to the telescopic arm of the hydraulic cylinder 24, and the cylinder body of the hydraulic cylinder 24 is fixed on the frame 23.

[0008] During operation, first, set the number of billets 3 (n) that the billet transfer car 7 pushes to the inlet of the turning and cooling bed 12 each time. Then, proceed according to the following four billet transfer modes. When executing, the earlier billet transfer modes have a higher priority than the later billet transfer modes:

[0009] The first mode is the normal billet transfer mode. When the billet transfer car 7 is in the initial position, the PLC detects through the second camera device 8 that the number of billets at the loading position of the billet transfer car roller is n and there are no billets at the waiting position 10. The billet transfer car automatically moves to the tail end to the waiting position 10. Then it judges whether the conditions of the endpoint position 11 and the steel turning and cooling bed 12 are met. If not, it stops and waits for the conditions to be met. If the conditions are met, it continues to transfer the billet to the endpoint position 11 and then automatically returns to the initial position.

[0010] Secondly, in the n-1+1 billet transfer mode, if a production anomaly occurs during production, and only n-1 flows are producing, or if only n-1 flows have billets within a set time, the PLC automatically switches to the n-1 billet transfer mode. After the n-1 billet transfer begins, the PLC detects, via the second camera device 8, that when the number of billets at the loading position of the billet transfer carriage roller conveyor 9 reaches n-1, the billet transfer carriage 7 first pushes the n-1 billets to the waiting position 10 and then stops. Then, the PLC checks via the first camera device 4 whether there are any billets under each flow turning machine 6. If there is a billet 3 under at least one first-class billet turner 6, then the billet turner 6 closest to the billet transfer car 7 and with a billet 3 under it will turn the billet 3 to the loading position of the billet transfer car roller conveyor 9. Then the billet transfer car 7 will reverse and push the billet 3 that has just been turned up to the waiting position 10. Then it will determine whether the conditions of the endpoint position 11 and the turning and cooling bed 12 are met. If not, it will stop and wait for the conditions to be met. If the conditions are met, it will continue to move the billet forward to the endpoint position 11 and then automatically return to the initial position.

[0011] Third, in the fast-paced billet transfer mode, during the production process, when the casting machine speed exceeds the normal speed, the PLC detects through the second camera device 8 that the number of billets 3 at the loading position of the billet transfer car roller table 9 is n-1, and the PLC detects through the first camera device 4 that the number of billets 3 at the bottom of the turning machine 6 corresponding to the n-1 billets 3 reaches the set number, and automatically enters the fast-paced billet transfer mode. The PLC determines which stage has the fastest speed through the first laser ranging device 5, and allows the turning machine 6 of that stage to turn one billet 3 to the loading position of the billet transfer car roller table 9. At this time, the number of billets 3 at the loading position of the billet transfer car roller table reaches n, and then proceeds according to the normal billet transfer mode.

[0012] Fourth, the billet transfer mode where billets are directly removed from the line. If the steel turning and cooling bed 12 is completely full of billets 3, then the billets 3 will be directly removed from the waiting position 10 of the billet transfer car roller conveyor 9, and the billet transfer mode where billets are directly removed from the line will be entered. After the billets 3 in the waiting position 10 are removed from the line, the steel turning machine 6 will proceed according to the above three billet transfer modes.

[0013] The determination of whether the conditions of the endpoint position 11 and the steel-turning cooling bed 12 are met means that two conditions are met at the same time: condition 1, there is no billet 3 on the endpoint position 11, and condition 2, the steel-turning cooling bed 12 is in the descending position.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are: this invention solves the problem of billet accumulation on the conveyor rollers caused by different casting flow rates during the automatic billet unloading process of billet continuous casting. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the conveyor roller conveyor of the present invention;

[0017] Among them, 1. Fire cutting machine, 2. Conveying roller conveyor, 3. Billet, 4. First camera device, 5. First laser rangefinder, 6. Turning machine, 7. Billet transfer car, 8. Second camera device, 9. Billet transfer car roller conveyor, 10. Waiting position, 11. End point, 12. Turning cooling bed, 13. Second laser rangefinder. Detailed Implementation

[0018] like Figure 1 As shown, an automatic billet unloading system for continuous casting of billets based on visual recognition and laser ranging includes a flame cutter 1, a conveyor roller conveyor 2 corresponding to each flame cutter 1, a first camera device 4 for detecting whether a billet 3 exists on the conveyor roller conveyor 2, a first laser ranging device 5 for detecting the position of the billet 3 on the conveyor roller conveyor 2, a billet transfer car 7 for pushing the billet 3, a billet transfer car roller conveyor 9, a billet turning machine 6 for flipping the billet 3 at the tail of the conveyor roller conveyor 2 onto the billet transfer car roller conveyor 9, a billet turning cooling bed 12 for cooling the billet 3, and a billet transfer detection machine. The system includes a second camera device 8 for measuring the number of billets 3 on the roller conveyor 9, a second laser rangefinder 13 for measuring the position of the billet 3 on the conveyor roller conveyor 2, and a PLC. The fire cutting machine 1, conveyor roller conveyor 2, first camera device 4, second camera device 8, first laser rangefinder 5, steel turning machine 6, billet transfer car 7, and steel turning cooling bed 12 are all connected to the PLC. The first end of the billet transfer car roller conveyor 9 is the initial position of the billet transfer car 7, and the last end of the billet transfer car roller conveyor 9 is the end position 11. A waiting position (which can be set by the user) is set in front of the end position 11.

[0019] The first laser ranging device 5 uses an existing laser ranging device to measure the position of the billet 3 on the conveyor roller 2. In this invention, there are multiple casting streams, each casting stream corresponds to one flame cutting machine, and each flame cutting machine corresponds to one conveyor roller 2. The number of conveyor roller 2 is the same as the number of flame cutting machines.

[0020] The second laser ranging device 13 is used to employ an existing laser ranging device to measure the position of each billet 3 on the transfer car roller table 9.

[0021] The billet turning machine is a key piece of equipment in a continuous casting and rolling steel production line. It is mainly used for turning, steering, and positioning steel billets, rails, or plates to ensure the material maintains the correct posture during processing, facilitating subsequent rolling or cooling processes. The billet is turned 180° via mechanical or hydraulic drive. The billet turning machine used in this invention is installed at the end of the conveyor roller conveyor 2. The end of the conveyor roller conveyor 2 has a locking device (i.e., a baffle plate installed on both sides of the steel frame at the end of the conveyor roller conveyor 2, with the bottom of the baffle plate slightly higher than the top surface of the conveyor roller conveyor 2, so that when the billet 3 moves to the end of the conveyor roller conveyor 2, it cannot move further).

[0022] A billet transfer car is a type of mechanical equipment widely used in continuous casting production lines. It is primarily used for moving, positioning, and transferring steel billets to ensure efficient and continuous production. Driven mechanically or hydraulically, it moves the continuously cast steel billets from the cutting position to a designated area (such as a cooling bed or storage platform) for subsequent hoisting or processing. Some models are equipped with "T"-shaped claws and a reversing mechanism to achieve bidirectional movement. The billet transfer car in this invention adopts a CNC billet transfer car equipped with "T"-shaped claws and a reversing mechanism to achieve bidirectional movement, as is common in existing technologies.

[0023] A steel turning and cooling bed is a device that integrates steel turning and cooling functions. It is mainly used for turning, adjusting the posture of rolled steel, and cooling it. It adopts a stepping or rolling table and uses a lifting and translation hydraulic system to achieve smooth transport of the rolled workpieces and avoid surface scratches.

[0024] A flame cutter is an industrial device that uses the combustion of fuel gas (acetylene, propane, or natural gas) and oxygen to generate high temperatures and cut metal materials. It is mainly divided into three categories: manual cutting machines, profile cutting machines, and CNC cutting machines, which are suitable for different scenarios with different requirements for precision and efficiency. The flame cutter in this invention is a CNC cutting machine.

[0025] like Figure 2 As shown, the conveyor roller conveyor 2 includes a frame 23, multiple parallel rollers 21 mounted on the frame 23, and guide rollers 22 mounted on the frame to restrict the deviation of the billet 3 conveyed on the rollers. The guide rollers 22 are rotatably connected to the telescopic arm of a hydraulic cylinder 24, and the cylinder body of the hydraulic cylinder 24 is fixed to the frame 23. Each conveyor roller conveyor 2 has a fire-cutting machine at its beginning and a steel turning machine at its end.

[0026] In this invention, both the first and second camera devices are CMOS cameras, and there can be multiple CMOS cameras. A CMOS camera is an image sensing technology based on semiconductor technology. It uses semiconductor materials made of silicon and germanium to convert light signals into electrical signals through the photoelectric effect, and integrates functional modules such as signal amplification and analog-to-digital conversion to achieve digital image capture.

[0027] During operation, first, the number of billets 3 pushed by the billet transfer car 7 to the inlet of the turning and cooling bed 12 each time is set (in this embodiment, n=6 is used for illustration, but other numbers are also acceptable). Then, the following four billet transfer modes are used. When executing, the priority of the earlier billet transfer modes is greater than that of the later billet transfer modes:

[0028] The first mode is the normal billet transfer mode. When the billet transfer car 7 is in the initial position, the PLC detects through the second camera device 8 that the number of billets at the loading position of the billet transfer car roller is 6 and there are no billets at the waiting position 10 (if the requirements are not met, wait or proceed to the following billet transfer mode). The billet transfer car automatically moves to the tail end to the waiting position 10 (the billet transfer car completes the billet pushing during the movement process, and at the same time pushes the billet 3 to the waiting position 10). Then it judges whether the conditions of the endpoint position 11 and the steel turning cooling bed 12 are met. If they are not met, it stops and waits for the conditions to be met. If the conditions are met, it continues to move the billet forward to the endpoint position 11 and then automatically returns to the initial position.

[0029] Second, in the 5+1 billet transfer mode, if a production anomaly occurs and only 5 flows are producing, or if only 5 flows have billets within a set time, the PLC automatically switches to the 5+1 billet transfer mode. After the 5+1 billet transfer begins, the PLC detects, via the second camera device 8, that the number of billets at the loading position of the billet transfer carriage roller conveyor 9 reaches 5 (if the requirement is not met, wait or proceed with the next billet transfer mode). The billet transfer carriage 7 first pushes the 5 billets to the waiting position 10 and then stops. Then, the PLC checks the lower part (conveyor) of each flow turning machine 6 via the first camera device 4. If there is a billet 3 at the end of roller conveyor 2, and if there is a billet 3 under at least one first-order billet turner 6, then the billet turner 6 closest to the billet transfer car 7 and with a billet 3 under it will turn the billet 3 to the loading position of the billet transfer car roller conveyor 9. Then the billet transfer car 7 will reverse and push the billet 3 that has just been turned up to the waiting position 10. Then it will determine whether the conditions of the endpoint position 11 and the turning and cooling bed 12 are met. If not, it will stop and wait for the conditions to be met. If the conditions are met, it will continue to move the billet forward to the endpoint position 11 and then automatically return to the initial position.

[0030] Third, in the fast-paced billet transfer mode, during the production process, when the casting machine speed exceeds the set speed (set by the user), the PLC detects through the second camera device 8 that the number of billets 3 at the loading position of the billet transfer car roller table 9 is 5, and the PLC detects through the first camera device 4 that the number of billets 3 at the bottom of the turning machine 6 corresponding to the 5 billets 3 reaches the set number (set to 3 in this embodiment), and automatically enters the fast-paced billet transfer mode. The PLC determines which speed is the fastest through the first laser ranging device 5, and allows the turning machine 6 of that speed to turn one billet 3 to the loading position of the billet transfer car roller table 9. At this time, the number of billets 3 at the loading position of the billet transfer car roller table reaches 6, and then proceeds according to the normal billet transfer mode.

[0031] Fourth, the billet transfer mode where billets are directly removed from the line. If the steel turning and cooling bed 12 is completely full of billets 3, then the billets 3 will be directly removed from the waiting position 10 of the billet transfer car roller conveyor 9, and the billet transfer mode where billets are directly removed from the line will be entered. After the billets 3 in the waiting position 10 are removed from the line, the steel turning machine 6 will proceed according to the above three billet transfer modes.

[0032] The determination of whether the conditions of the endpoint 11 and the turning and cooling bed 12 are met means that two conditions are met at the same time: condition 1, there is no billet 3 on the endpoint 11, and condition 2, the turning and cooling bed 12 is not full of billets 3.

Claims

1. An automatic billet unloading system for continuous casting of square billets based on visual recognition and laser ranging, characterized in that: Includes a fire-cutting machine (1), a conveyor roller (2) corresponding to each fire-cutting machine (1), a first camera device (4) for detecting whether there is a billet (3) on the conveyor roller (2), a first laser rangefinder device (5) for detecting whether the billet (3) on the conveyor roller (2) is too long, a billet transfer car (7) for pushing the billet (3), a billet transfer car roller (9), a billet flipping machine (6) for flipping the billet (3) at the tail of the conveyor roller (2) onto the billet transfer car roller (9), a billet cooling bed (12) for cooling the billet (3), a second camera device (8) for detecting the number of billets (3) on the billet transfer car roller (9), and a device for measuring the real-time position of the billet transfer car (7). The second laser ranging device (13) and PLC are connected to the fire cutting machine (1), conveying roller (2), first camera device (4), second camera device (8), first laser ranging device (5), steel turning machine (6), billet moving car (7), and steel turning cooling bed (12). The first end of the billet moving car roller (9) is the initial position of the billet moving car (7), and the last end of the billet moving car roller (9) is the end position (11). During use, first set the number n of square billets (3) that the billet moving car (7) pushes to the entrance of the steel turning cooling bed (12) each time, and then proceed according to the following four billet moving modes. When executing, the priority order of the previous billet moving mode is greater than that of the later billet moving mode: The first mode is the normal billet transfer mode. When the billet transfer car (7) is in the initial position, the PLC detects through the second camera device (8) that the number of billets at the loading position of the billet transfer car roller is n and there are no billets at the waiting position (10). The billet transfer car automatically moves to the tail end to the waiting position (10), and then judges whether the conditions of the end position (11) and the steel turning and cooling bed (12) are met. If they are not met, it stops and waits for the conditions to be met. If the conditions are met, it continues to move the billet forward to the end position (11) and then automatically returns to the initial position. Second, in the n-1+1 billet transfer mode, if there is a production abnormality during the production process, and only n-1 flows are producing, or if only n-1 flows have billets within a set time, the PLC automatically switches to the n-1 billet transfer mode. After the n-1 billet transfer starts, the PLC detects through the second camera device (8) that when the number of billets at the loading position of the billet transfer car roller conveyor (9) reaches n-1, the billet transfer car (7) first pushes n-1 billets to the waiting position (10) and then stops. Then, the PLC checks through the first camera device (4) whether there are billets (3) under each flow turning machine (6). If there are billets (3), the PLC will check if there are billets (3) under each flow turning machine (6). If a first-class billet turning machine (6) has a billet (3) at its bottom, then the billet turning machine (6) that is closest to the billet transfer car (7) and has a billet (3) at its bottom will turn the billet (3) to the loading position of the billet transfer car roller conveyor (9). Then the billet transfer car (7) will move backward and push the billet (3) that has just been turned up to the waiting position (10). Then it will judge whether the conditions of the endpoint position (11) and the billet turning cooling bed (12) are met. If they are not met, it will stop and wait for the conditions to be met. If the conditions are met, it will continue to move the billet forward to the endpoint position (11) and then automatically return to the initial position. Third, in the fast-paced billet transfer mode, during the production process, when the casting machine speed exceeds the normal speed, the PLC detects through the second camera device (8) that the number of billets (3) at the loading position of the billet transfer car roller table (9) is n-1, and the PLC detects through the first camera device (4) that the number of billets (3) at the bottom of the turning machine (6) corresponding to the n-1 billets (3) reaches the set number, and automatically enters the fast-paced billet transfer mode. The PLC determines which speed is the fastest through the first laser ranging device (5), and allows the turning machine (6) of that speed to turn one billet (3) to the loading position of the billet transfer car roller table (9). At this time, the number of billets (3) at the loading position of the billet transfer car roller table reaches n, and then proceeds according to the normal billet transfer mode. Fourth, the billet transfer mode where billets are directly removed from the line. If the steel turning and cooling bed (12) is full of billets (3), the billets (3) will be directly removed from the waiting position (10) of the billet transfer car roller conveyor (9) and enter the billet transfer mode where billets are directly removed from the line. After the billets (3) in the waiting position (10) are removed from the line, the steel turning machine (6) will proceed according to the above three billet transfer modes.

2. The automatic billet unloading system for continuous casting of square billets based on visual recognition and laser ranging according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conveying roller conveyor (2) includes a frame (23), multiple parallel rollers (21) mounted on the frame (23), and a retaining wheel (22) mounted on the frame to restrict the deviation of the billet (3) conveyed on the rollers. The retaining wheel (22) is rotatably connected to the telescopic arm of the hydraulic cylinder (24), and the cylinder body of the hydraulic cylinder (24) is fixed on the frame (23).

3. The automatic billet unloading system for continuous casting of square billets based on visual recognition and laser ranging according to claim 1, characterized in that: The judgment of whether the conditions of the endpoint (11) and the steel turning cooling bed (12) are met means that two conditions are met at the same time: condition 1, there is no billet (3) on the endpoint (11), and condition 2, the steel turning cooling bed (12) is in the descending position.

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