Aluminum ingot centering device and method for aluminum ingot heating furnace

Abstract

The invention relates to an aluminum ingot centralizing device and method for an aluminum ingot heating furnace, and is characterized in that the aluminum ingot centralizing device for the aluminum ingot heating furnace comprises a conveying rail arranged at the front end of a furnace opening of the aluminum ingot heating furnace and a movable receiving table arranged on the conveying rail; a transverse conveyor with the conveying direction perpendicular to the conveying track is arranged on the movable receiving table, and a pair of photoelectric switch sensors used for detecting whether aluminum ingots are placed on the transverse conveyor or not and two trigger sensors oppositely arranged on the left side and the right side are arranged on the movable receiving table. The displacement sensor is arranged below the aluminum ingot and used for detecting the displacement distance of the aluminum ingot, the right middle position of the trigger sensors which are oppositely arranged left and right is aligned with the right middle position of the furnace mouth of the aluminum ingot heating furnace, and the photoelectric switch sensor, the trigger sensors and the displacement sensor are all electrically connected with the PLC. According to the device and the method, the aluminum ingot can be quickly placed in the middle.

Description

Technical fields: This invention belongs to the field of aluminum alloy strip processing and manufacturing, and specifically relates to a device and method for aligning aluminum ingots with the furnace opening before heat treatment. Background technology: In the aluminum processing industry, aluminum ingots need to be pushed into a heating furnace for heating treatment before hot rolling. This softens the aluminum ingots and makes them easier to roll into strips. Heating furnaces generally have a fixed width L0. Before the aluminum ingots are placed in the heating furnace for heating, the size of the aluminum ingots is limited by the width L0 of the heating furnace. If the aluminum ingots are placed off-center, on the one hand, it may be difficult for the aluminum ingots to enter the furnace opening. On the other hand, it may also cause uneven heating in the furnace, affecting the material properties.

[0003] To make full use of the furnace space, it is crucial to ensure that the aluminum ingots are placed in the center position. Currently, this is mainly done by operators manually aligning them (roughly controlled by manually controlling the movement time of the transverse conveyor). However, due to the limitations of manual operation, deviations often occur, which involve operations such as ingot removal, thus increasing the feeding time and affecting production. Summary of the Invention: In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an aluminum ingot centering device and method for an aluminum ingot heating furnace, which can facilitate the rapid centering of aluminum ingots.

[0005] The present invention relates to an aluminum ingot centering device for an aluminum ingot heating furnace, characterized in that: it includes a conveying track at the front end of the furnace opening of the aluminum ingot heating furnace and a movable receiving platform on the conveying track. The movable receiving platform is provided with a transverse conveyor with a conveying direction perpendicular to the conveying track. The movable receiving platform is provided with a pair of photoelectric switch sensors for detecting whether an aluminum ingot is placed on the transverse conveyor, two trigger sensors arranged to the left and right opposite each other, and a displacement sensor located below the aluminum ingot for detecting the displacement distance of the aluminum ingot. The center position of the left and right opposite trigger sensors is aligned with the center position of the furnace opening of the aluminum ingot heating furnace. The photoelectric switch sensors, trigger sensors, and displacement sensors are all electrically connected to a PLC controller.

[0006] Preferably, the transverse conveyor is a roller conveyor.

[0007] Preferably, the roller conveyor is provided with pads for placing on the lower surface of the aluminum ingot to keep the aluminum ingot level.

[0008] Preferably, the trigger sensor is a proximity sensor or a mechanical contact sensor.

[0009] Preferably, the displacement sensor described above is an optical displacement sensor installed between two rollers of the roller conveyor on the moving receiving platform.

[0010] Preferably, the displacement sensor is a photoelectric encoder mounted on a central roller of the roller conveyor.

[0011] Preferably, the trigger sensor is a proximity sensor. A swingable baffle is provided in front of the proximity sensor. The lower part of the baffle is connected to the movable receiving platform by a vertically arranged spring. When the baffle is in its natural state, the proximity sensor does not sense any trigger signal. When the baffle is brought close to the proximity sensor by an aluminum ingot, the proximity sensor senses and generates a trigger signal.

[0012] Preferably, the trigger sensors arranged opposite each other on the left and right are connected to the mobile receiving platform by mounting rods, and infrared laser heads that emit lasers to the furnace wall of the aluminum ingot heating furnace are respectively mounted on the two mounting rods.

[0013] The present invention relates to a method for centrally placing aluminum ingots in an aluminum ingot heating furnace. Specifically, it includes the following steps: Step S1: The crane places the aluminum ingot onto the mobile receiving platform. A pad is placed on the mobile receiving platform to ensure that the aluminum ingot is placed horizontally (to ensure the accuracy of the length of the aluminum ingot during subsequent measurement). When the photoelectric switch sensor detects that the aluminum ingot has been placed on the mobile receiving platform, it sends a signal to the PLC controller. Step S2: The horizontal conveyor on the moving receiving platform starts to move to the left, causing the aluminum ingot to move to the left until the trigger sensor on the left is triggered. At this time, the trigger sensor on the left sends a signal to the PLC controller, and sets the value of the displacement sensor to 0 through DP communication. Step S3: The horizontal conveyor on the moving receiving platform begins to move to the right. At this time, the displacement sensor starts recording values ​​until the trigger sensor on the right side of the moving receiving platform is triggered. Record the value measured by the displacement sensor at this time and set it as x. Set the distance between the left and right trigger sensors to L. Then the length of the aluminum ingot can be obtained. L1=Lx(1) For the centering, the midpoint length of the trigger sensors positioned relative to each other on the left and right is L / 2. Therefore, the distance the aluminum ingot moves from left to right should be: S = L / 2 - L1 / 2 (2) Combining formulas (1) and (2), the final required distance S can be obtained: S=x / 2 Step S4: Store the obtained motion distance S value in the PLC controller, and reset the displacement sensor value to 0 through DP communication. Then, the horizontal conveyor carries the aluminum ingot to the left until the displacement sensor value is the same as the distance S, which means the centering is completed.

[0014] The present invention provides a method for centering aluminum ingots in an aluminum ingot heating furnace. By adding the aforementioned sets of sensors and structures to the moving receiving platform mechanism of the heating furnace, and by setting the system, the moving receiving platform can automatically center and align aluminum ingots of different specifications, thereby improving the centering production efficiency. Attached image description: Figure 1 This is a top view of one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is the present invention. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the AA cross-section; Figure 3 This is the present invention. Figure 1 BB cross-sectional diagram; Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another embodiment; Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the construction of another working state; Figure 6 This is a top view of another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the CC cross-section. Detailed implementation method: The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0017] The aluminum ingot heating furnace of the present invention includes a conveying track 2 located at the front end of the furnace opening of the aluminum ingot heating furnace 1 and a movable receiving platform 3 located on the conveying track 2. The movable receiving platform 3 is provided with a transverse conveyor 4 whose conveying direction is perpendicular to the conveying track 2. The transverse conveyor can be a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, etc., and a roller conveyor is preferred.

[0018] The mobile receiving platform is equipped with a pair of photoelectric switch sensors 5 (which can be infrared photoelectric switches; a pair of infrared photoelectric switches can detect whether an aluminum ingot 01 is placed on the horizontal conveyor; to prevent equipment malfunctions caused by unstable photoelectric switches, the aluminum ingot detection can be delayed by about 10 seconds in the program to eliminate errors), two trigger sensors 6 arranged on the left and right, and a displacement sensor 7 located below the aluminum ingot to detect the displacement distance of the aluminum ingot. The center position of the left and right trigger sensors is aligned with the center position of the furnace opening of the aluminum ingot heating furnace. The photoelectric switch sensors 5, trigger sensors 6 and displacement sensors 7 are all electrically connected to the PLC controller 8.

[0019] Because the surface shape of aluminum ingots is not very regular, pads are provided on the roller conveyor to support the underside of the aluminum ingots, thereby keeping the aluminum ingots level and stable.

[0020] The trigger sensor can be a proximity sensor or a mechanical contact sensor. When a mechanical contact sensor is used, the mounting rod used to install the trigger sensor is easily pushed and displaced by the aluminum ingot after a period of use, resulting in inaccurate alignment (i.e., the center position of the left and right-facing trigger sensors is not aligned with the center position of the furnace opening of the aluminum ingot heating furnace). To overcome this problem, a proximity sensor is preferred. When the aluminum ingot approaches, a trigger signal is emitted. Although the proximity sensor solves the problem of the mounting rod being pushed, the proximity sensor may fail to trigger at times. Therefore, a swingable baffle 9 needs to be installed in front of the proximity sensor. The lower part of the baffle 9 is connected to the movable receiving platform 3 by a vertically installed spring 10. When the baffle is in its natural state, the proximity sensor does not sense and there is no trigger signal; when the baffle is brought close to the proximity sensor by the aluminum ingot, the proximity sensor senses and generates a trigger signal.

[0021] In addition, to ensure that the center of the left and right opposite trigger sensors is aligned with the center of the aluminum ingot heating furnace opening (if misalignment occurs due to factors such as misalignment of the conveyor track or deformation of the mounting rods), the left and right opposite trigger sensors are connected to the mobile receiving platform via mounting rods 11. Infrared laser heads 12, which emit laser light onto the furnace opening wall, are mounted on each of the two mounting rods. After a period of use (e.g., periodically once or twice a week), the infrared laser heads 12 emit laser light, which irradiates the furnace opening wall. Laser points are generated on the wall of the hot furnace opening. The distance between the laser points on both sides and the furnace opening is K1=K2 (by installing scales on the walls on both sides of the furnace opening, the lasers on both sides are projected onto the two scales respectively, and K1 and K2 are the values ​​of the laser point positions on the two scales). When K1 is not equal to K2, the position of the mounting rod 11 (or mounting base) can be adjusted to ensure that K1=K2. If the measured K1 or K2 is different when moving at different points on the conveyor track, it indicates that the conveyor track or the track wheel on the conveyor track has deviated (and needs to be replaced).

[0022] In one embodiment, the displacement sensor is an optical displacement sensor installed between two rollers of the roller conveyor on the moving receiving platform, which measures the distance the aluminum ingot moves.

[0023] In one embodiment, the displacement sensor is a photoelectric encoder installed on a central roller of the roller conveyor. The displacement of the roller is measured by the photoelectric encoder on the roller, which is also the displacement of the aluminum ingot carried on the roller.

[0024] The method for centrally placing aluminum ingots in an aluminum ingot heating furnace according to the present invention specifically includes the following steps: Step S1: The crane places the aluminum ingot onto the mobile receiving platform. A pad is placed on the mobile receiving platform to ensure that the aluminum ingot is placed horizontally (to ensure the accuracy of the length of the aluminum ingot during subsequent measurement). When the photoelectric switch sensor detects that the aluminum ingot has been placed on the mobile receiving platform, it sends a signal to the PLC controller. Step S2: The horizontal conveyor on the moving receiving platform starts to move to the left, causing the aluminum ingot to move to the left until the trigger sensor on the left is triggered. At this time, the trigger sensor on the left sends a signal to the PLC controller, and sets the value of the displacement sensor to 0 through DP communication. Step S3: The horizontal conveyor on the moving receiving platform begins to move to the right. At this time, the displacement sensor starts recording values ​​until the trigger sensor on the right side of the moving receiving platform is triggered. Record the value measured by the displacement sensor at this time and set it as x. Set the distance between the left and right trigger sensors to L. Then the length of the aluminum ingot can be obtained. L1=Lx(1) For the centering, the midpoint length of the trigger sensors positioned relative to each other on the left and right is L / 2. Therefore, the distance the aluminum ingot moves from left to right should be: S = L / 2 - L1 / 2 (2) Combining formulas (1) and (2), the final required distance S can be obtained: S=x / 2 Step S4: Store the obtained motion distance S value in the PLC controller, and reset the displacement sensor value to 0 through DP communication. Then, the horizontal conveyor carries the aluminum ingot to the left until the displacement sensor value is the same as the distance S, which means the centering is completed.

[0025] The present invention relates to a method for centering aluminum ingots in an aluminum ingot heating furnace. By adding the aforementioned sets of sensors and structures to the moving receiving platform mechanism of the heating furnace, and by setting the system, the moving receiving platform can automatically center and align aluminum ingots of different specifications, thereby improving centering production efficiency. Furthermore, it can obtain a more accurate aluminum ingot length, providing data support for subsequent heating processes.

[0026] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the specific implementation of the present invention or equivalent substitutions can be made to some technical features without departing from the spirit of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications and substitutions should be covered within the scope of the technical solutions claimed in the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for centrally placing aluminum ingots in an aluminum ingot heating furnace, characterized in that: The device includes a conveying track at the front end of the furnace opening of an aluminum ingot heating furnace and a mobile receiving platform on the conveying track. The mobile receiving platform is equipped with a transverse conveyor with a conveying direction perpendicular to the conveying track. The mobile receiving platform is equipped with a pair of photoelectric switch sensors for detecting whether an aluminum ingot is placed on the transverse conveyor, two trigger sensors arranged to the left and right opposite each other, and a displacement sensor located below the aluminum ingot for detecting the displacement distance of the aluminum ingot. The center position of the left and right trigger sensors is aligned with the center position of the furnace opening of the aluminum ingot heating furnace. The photoelectric switch sensors, trigger sensors, and displacement sensors are all electrically connected to a PLC controller.

2. The aluminum ingot centering device for an aluminum ingot heating furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transverse conveyor is a roller conveyor.

3. The aluminum ingot centering device for an aluminum ingot heating furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that: The roller conveyor is equipped with pads for placing on the lower surface of the aluminum ingot to keep the aluminum ingot level.

4. The aluminum ingot centering device for an aluminum ingot heating furnace according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The trigger sensor is a proximity sensor or a mechanical contact sensor.

5. The aluminum ingot centering device for an aluminum ingot heating furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that: The displacement sensor is an optical displacement sensor installed between two rollers of the roller conveyor on the moving receiving platform.

6. The aluminum ingot centering device for an aluminum ingot heating furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that: The displacement sensor is a photoelectric encoder mounted on a central roller of the roller conveyor.

7. The aluminum ingot centering device for an aluminum ingot heating furnace according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The trigger sensor is a proximity sensor. A swingable baffle is set in front of the proximity sensor. The lower part of the baffle is connected to the movable receiving platform by a vertically set spring. When the baffle is in its natural state, the proximity sensor does not sense any trigger signal. When the baffle is brought close to the proximity sensor by an aluminum ingot, the proximity sensor senses and generates a trigger signal.

8. The aluminum ingot centering device for an aluminum ingot heating furnace according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The left and right trigger sensors, which are arranged opposite each other, are connected to the mobile receiving platform by mounting rods. Infrared laser heads that emit lasers onto the furnace wall of the aluminum ingot heating furnace are respectively mounted on the two mounting rods.

9. A method for centrally placing aluminum ingots in an aluminum ingot heating furnace as described in any one of claims 1-8. Specifically, it includes the following steps: Step S1: The crane places the aluminum ingot onto the mobile receiving platform. A pad is placed on the mobile receiving platform to ensure that the aluminum ingot is placed horizontally. When the photoelectric switch sensor detects that the aluminum ingot has been placed on the mobile receiving platform, it sends a signal to the PLC controller. Step S2: The horizontal conveyor on the moving receiving platform starts to move to the left, causing the aluminum ingot to move to the left until the trigger sensor on the left is triggered. At this time, the trigger sensor on the left sends a signal to the PLC controller, and sets the value of the displacement sensor to 0 through DP communication. Step S3: The horizontal conveyor on the moving receiving platform begins to move to the right. At this time, the displacement sensor starts recording values ​​until the trigger sensor on the right side of the moving receiving platform is triggered. Record the value measured by the displacement sensor at this time and set it as x. Set the distance between the left and right trigger sensors to L. Then the length of the aluminum ingot can be obtained. L1=Lx(1) For the centering, the midpoint length of the trigger sensors positioned relative to each other on the left and right is L / 2. Therefore, the distance the aluminum ingot moves from left to right should be: S = L / 2 - L1 / 2 (2) Combining formulas (1) and (2), the final required distance S can be obtained: S=x / 2 Step S4: Store the obtained motion distance S value in the PLC controller, and reset the displacement sensor value to 0 through DP communication. Then, the horizontal conveyor carries the aluminum ingot to the left until the displacement sensor value is the same as the distance S, which means the centering is completed.

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