Recovery device, recovery system, and recovery method

Abstract

To provide a recovery device that automatically and efficiently recover dross generated on a molten metal surface in a molten metal pot and enable the dross to be disposal.SOLUTION: A recovery device 10 removes dross generated on a molten metal surface in a molten metal plating line for applying plating to a metal strip. The recovery device 10 includes: an imaging part 11 for imaging a state of a molten metal surface in a molten metal pot; a determination part 12 for calculating the proportion of the dross to the molten metal surface on the basis of the image captured by the imaging part 11 and comparing the proportion to a first threshold; a controller 13 for controlling a recovery part 14 so as to execute dross recovery operation when the proportion is equal to or higher than the first threshold; the recovery part 14 for recovering dross in accordance with the control by the controller 13; and a disposal part 15 for gathering the dross recovered by the recovery part 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a recovery device, a recovery system, and a recovery method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, metal dross has generally been collected by workers who make visual judgments and scoop up the dross. Attempts to automate dross collection at a level equivalent to that of manual work have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a dross removal device that identifies the location of dross on the bath surface based on the amount of change over time in the intensity of infrared light obtained by an infrared sensor, and causes a dross robot to collect the dross on the bath surface at the identified location. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 172393 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The prior art described in Patent Document 1 uses the change in infrared intensity over time, a judgment criterion that differs significantly from the standard manual work performed by visual judgment by an operator. Therefore, the timing of the dross removal device's dross collection operation could significantly deviate from the timing based on the operator's discriminatory judgment. In addition, if the dross generation rate in the molten metal pot is slow, the dross removal device's detection operation may not work even when a large amount of dross is generated. Furthermore, when collecting the dross after collection and collecting it in a disposal container, problems such as dross adhesion to the dross robot are likely to occur. However, Patent Document 1 does not fully consider such dross disposal operations.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a recovery device, recovery system, and recovery method that enable automatic and efficient recovery and disposal of dross that occurs on the surface of a molten metal pot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A recovery device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A recovery device for removing dross on the molten metal surface in a molten metal plating line that applies a plating treatment to a metal strip, comprising: an imaging unit that images the state of the molten metal surface in the molten metal pot; a determination unit that calculates a ratio of the dross to the molten metal surface based on the image captured by the imaging unit and compares the ratio with a first threshold value; a control unit that controls the collecting unit to perform a collecting operation of the dross when the ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold value; The recovery unit recovers the dross under the control of the control unit; A disposal unit that collects the dross collected by the recovery unit; Equipped with.

[0007] (2) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (1), The determination unit extracts a color component of the dross from the captured image and separates a first region of the molten metal surface from a second region of the dross using a second brightness threshold value.

[0008] (3) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (2), The determination unit generates a binary image by separating the first region and the second region, performs an erosion process on the binary image, and then further performs an expansion process on the binary image to update the binary image.

[0009] (4) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (2) or (3), The determination unit calculates the amount of dross based on the state of pixels in the binarized image.

[0010] (5) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (1) to (4), The recovery unit has a recovery tool at its tip, the recovery tool having a handle portion and a net portion, The handle has a resilient mechanism.

[0011] (6) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (5), The elastic mechanism includes a spring.

[0012] (7) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (5) or (6), The disposal unit has a box-like shape with an open top, The control unit causes the collection unit to strike the handle against an edge of the disposal unit when the collection unit moves the dross to the disposal unit.

[0013] (8) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (1) to (7), The recovery section repeats the operation of depositing the dross at each of a plurality of positions into which the dross is deposited in the disposal section, the positions being preset in the disposal section.

[0014] (9) A recovery system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A recovery system for removing dross on the molten metal surface in a molten metal plating line that applies a plating treatment to a metal strip, comprising: an imaging device for imaging the state of the molten metal surface in the molten metal pot; a determination device that calculates the ratio of the dross to the molten metal surface based on the image captured by the imaging device and compares the ratio with a first threshold value; a control device that controls the collecting device to perform a collecting operation of the dross when the ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold value; The recovery device recovers the dross under the control of the control device; a waste container that collects the dross collected by the recovery device; Equipped with.

[0015] (10) A recovery method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A method for removing dross on the molten metal surface in a molten metal plating line that applies a plating treatment to a metal strip, comprising: taking an image of the state of the molten metal surface in the molten metal pot; calculating a ratio of the dross to the molten metal surface based on the captured image and comparing the ratio with a first threshold value; Recovering the dross when the ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold value; collecting the collected dross; Includes: [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to a recovery device, recovery system, and recovery method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, dross generated on the surface of a molten metal pot can be automatically and efficiently recovered and disposed of. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a recovery device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a recovery jig attached to the tip of the recovery unit in FIG. 1 by itself. FIG. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing a first example of processing executed by the recovery device of FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a second example of the process executed by the recovery device of FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the recovery device of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a collection system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, the configurations and operations of the recovery device 10 and the recovery system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be mainly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a recovery device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. An example of the configuration and operation of the recovery device 10 according to the first embodiment will be mainly described with reference to FIG. 1. The recovery device 10 removes dross on the molten metal surface in, for example, a molten metal plating line that applies a plating process to a metal strip. The recovery device 10 includes an imaging unit 11, a determination unit 12, a control unit 13, a recovery unit 14, a disposal unit 15, and a memory unit 16.

[0020] The imaging unit 11 includes, for example, one or more imaging modules that capture images of the state of the molten metal surface in the molten metal pot. The imaging modules include any cameras, such as optical cameras and infrared cameras. The imaging unit 11 may periodically capture images of the state of the molten metal surface from the top side of the molten metal pot, or may capture images aperiodically. The imaging unit 11 may be positioned so that the field of view of the imaging modules of the imaging unit 11 includes the entire top surface of the molten metal pot, so that the recovery device 10 can accurately identify the state of the molten metal surface in the molten metal pot. The imaging unit 11 may have, for example, an imaging band that includes the entire wavelength range of visible light, so that multiple color components can be easily used in the image processing described below.

[0021] The determination unit 12 includes, for example, one or more first processors. The first processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The first processor may be included in any general-purpose electronic device used by an operator, such as a personal computer (PC), tablet PC, smartphone, or smartwatch. Without being limited thereto, the first processor may be included in one or more server devices that can communicate with each other, or may be included in another electronic device dedicated to the dross collection by the collection device 10. The determination unit 12 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU).

[0022] The determination unit 12 acquires an image including the entire top surface of the molten metal pot from the imaging unit 11. The determination unit 12 performs various arithmetic operations on the acquired image, including the following image processing. For example, the determination unit 12 calculates the proportion of the dross on the surface of the molten metal based on the image acquired by the imaging unit 11 and compares it with a first threshold. The determination unit 12 performs image processing on the image acquired from the imaging unit 11 and determines whether it is time to scoop and remove the dross from the surface of the molten metal. The following mainly describes the arithmetic operations performed by the determination unit 12.

[0023] For example, the determination unit 12 extracts the color components of dross from the captured image. The determination unit 12 extracts each color of the captured image and obtains an extracted image from the captured image using the color components that most easily extract dross, i.e., the wavelength components of light. The extracted color components are preferably color components that only dross has, so that the molten metal and dross can be clearly distinguished from each other.

[0024] The determination unit 12 generates a binary image in which a first region of the molten metal surface and a second region of dross are separated using, for example, a second brightness threshold value in the extracted image. In the present disclosure, the "first region" is, for example, an image region in which the molten metal surface is free of dross. The "second region" is, for example, an image region in which dross is present on the molten metal surface. The determination unit 12 performs a binarization process on the extracted image to generate a black and white binary image. For example, the determination unit 12 displays the first region in white and the second region in black, thereby directly separating the region on the molten metal surface where dross is present from the region where it is not present on the binary image.

[0025] The generated binary image often contains a large amount of noise, which may hinder accurate determination processing by the determination unit 12. To alleviate such problems, the determination unit 12 performs an erosion process on the acquired binary image and then performs an expansion process to update the binary image. That is, the determination unit 12 performs image processing on the binary image, including erosion and expansion, to remove noise components and obtain a binary image from which noise has been removed.

[0026] The appropriate pixel size for shrinking and expanding depends on the resolution of the captured image and the tendency of dross to occur in the image, but may be 5px or more, for example. At this time, noise components in the binarized image can be effectively removed.

[0027] The determination unit 12 calculates the amount of dross based on the state of the pixels in the binarized image. For example, the determination unit 12 calculates the ratio of pixels corresponding to dross to the entire image after noise removal as an area ratio. When this ratio is equal to or greater than a first threshold and the area where dross exists relative to the entire area corresponding to the top surface of the molten metal pot is equal to or greater than a specific threshold, the determination unit 12 determines that an amount of dross has occurred that requires scooping by the collection unit 14. In the present disclosure, the "first threshold" may be determined based on, for example, an amount of dross that is sufficient for scooping and does not cause problems in manufacturing. The first threshold may be, for example, approximately 30%.

[0028] Based on the calculation results of the above-described calculation process, the determination unit 12 outputs an operation signal to the control unit 13 to operate the control unit 13. For example, when the above-described ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the determination unit 12 instructs the control unit 13 to control the collection unit 14 to scoop up the dross.

[0029] The control unit 13 includes, for example, one or more second processors. The second processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The second processor may be included in any general-purpose electronic device used by the worker, such as a PC, tablet PC, smartphone, or smartwatch. Without being limited thereto, the second processor may be included in one or more server devices that can communicate with each other, or may be included in another electronic device dedicated to the dross collection by the collection device 10. The control unit 13 includes, for example, a CPU.

[0030] The second processor may be the same processor as the first processor, or may be a processor included in the same electronic device as the first processor but different from the first processor, or may be a processor included in an electronic device different from the first processor.

[0031] The control unit 13 operates based on an operation signal output from the determination unit 12 based on the calculation result of the calculation process in the determination unit 12. For example, the control unit 13 outputs a control signal to the collection unit 14 based on the determination result in the determination unit 12, and controls the collection unit 14. The control unit 13 controls the collection unit 14 to perform a dross collection operation when the above ratio is equal to or greater than a first threshold.

[0032] The recovery unit 14 includes, for example, a recovery robot that is driven based on a control signal output from the control unit 13. The recovery unit 14 recovers the dross under the control of the control unit 13. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a recovery jig attached to the tip of the recovery unit 14 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the recovery unit 14 has, at its tip, a recovery jig that has a handle portion 141 and a mesh portion 142. The handle portion 141 has an elastic mechanism 141a. The elastic mechanism 141a includes a spring.

[0033] In order to ensure strength and heat resistance, the recovery jig preferably has an elastic mechanism 141a realized by a spring structure, but is not necessarily limited to such a structure. In order to facilitate the operation of the recovery part 14 when scooping dross from the surface of the molten metal, the recovery jig may have a shape in which the scooping portion of the net part 142 is inclined at an angle of about 5° to 20° with respect to the handle part 141. As shown as an example in Figure 2, the recovery jig has an overall bent shape such that when the net part 142 is approximately parallel to the horizontal plane H, the handle part 141 extends obliquely upward from the connection point with the net part 142.

[0034] The disposal unit 15 includes, for example, a disposal container that is arranged separately from the collection unit 14. The disposal unit 15 has, for example, a box-like shape with an open top. The disposal unit 15 collects the dross collected by the collection unit 14.

[0035] The storage unit 16 includes storage modules such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a read-only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). The storage unit 16 may function as a main storage module, an auxiliary storage module, or a cache memory. The storage unit 16 is not limited to being built into the collection device 10, and may include storage media such as removable media. The removable media include a universal serial bus (USB) memory, a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), and a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc (BD).

[0036] The storage unit 16 stores information necessary to realize the operation of the collection device 10. The storage unit 16 stores information obtained by the operation of the collection device 10. For example, the storage unit 16 can store an operating system (OS), various programs, various images, various databases, and the like.

[0037] In the recovery device 10 described above, the control unit 13 drives the recovery unit 14 to perform an operation to recover dross from the surface of the molten metal and discard it in the disposal unit 15. The recovery unit 14 driven by the control unit 13 first performs a first operation of gathering the dross on the surface of the molten metal in the molten metal pot. Next, the recovery unit 14 performs a second operation of scooping up the gathered dross with the mesh unit 142.

[0038] The collecting unit 14 performs an operation of throwing the scooped dross into the disposal unit 15 to discard the scooped dross in the disposal unit 15. When the collecting unit 14 moves the dross to the disposal unit 15, the control unit 13 causes the collecting unit 14 to perform an operation of striking the handle portion 141 against the edge of the disposal unit 15.

[0039] For example, when the collection unit 14 shakes off dross, the dross often remains attached to the area where it has been scooped up by the net 142 during normal operation of the collection unit 14. Therefore, the collection unit 14 can easily drop the dross into the disposal unit 15 by striking the handle 141 against the edge of the disposal container of the disposal unit 15 with the impact of this action. In this case, the collection jig at the tip of the collection unit 14 has the handle 141 and the net 142, and has an elastic mechanism 141a in the part of the handle 141 adjacent to the connection point with the net 142. This allows the collection unit 14 to apply greater vibration to the net 142 based on the striking action of the handle 141, thereby efficiently disposing of the dross into the disposal unit 15.

[0040] When the collection unit 14 throws dross into the disposal unit 15 by striking the handle 141 against the disposal unit 15, if the dross falls in the same position every time, the dross will continue to accumulate in one place in the disposal unit 15 and become unevenly distributed. This reduces the efficiency of dross collection.

[0041] Therefore, the collection unit 14 repeats the operation of depositing dross at each of a plurality of positions in the disposal unit 15 into which dross is to be deposited, which are previously set in the disposal unit 15. For example, the control unit 13 pre-sets a plurality of positions in the disposal unit 15 into which the collection unit 14 is to deposit dross, and drives the collection unit 14 so that the collection unit 14 deposits dross to the plurality of positions in turn for each operation. This allows the collection unit 14 to uniformly and efficiently arrange the fallen dross in the disposal unit 15. The control unit 13 may set the drop positions of the dross in the disposal unit 15 into a plurality of sections, with each section being approximately the diameter of the area of ​​the disposal unit 15 occupied by the dross collected in one collection, based on the balance between the amount of dross discarded and the arrangement.

[0042] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing a first example of the process executed by the recovery device 10 of Fig. 1. The flowchart shown in Fig. 3 shows the overall flow of the dross recovery process by the recovery device 10. The flowchart shown in Fig. 3 corresponds to a recovery method for removing dross on the molten metal surface in a molten metal plating line that applies a plating process to a metal strip.

[0043] In step S101, the imaging unit 11 of the recovery device 10 captures an image of the state of the surface of the molten metal in the molten metal pot.

[0044] In step S102, the determination unit 12 of the recovery device 10 extracts the color components of the dross from the captured image acquired in step S101, and generates an extracted image.

[0045] In step S103, the judgment unit 12 of the recovery device 10 generates a binary image based on the extracted image acquired in step S102, in which a first region of the molten metal surface and a second region of the dross are separated using a second brightness threshold.

[0046] In step S104, the determination unit 12 of the recovery device 10 performs a contraction process on the binarized image acquired in step S103.

[0047] In step S105, following step S104, the determination unit 12 of the recovery device 10 further executes expansion processing on the binarized image to update the binarized image acquired in step S103.

[0048] In step S106, the determination unit 12 of the recovery device 10 calculates the amount of dross based on the state of the pixels in the binarized image updated in step S105. For example, the determination unit 12 calculates the proportion of pixels corresponding to dross to the entire area of ​​the generated binarized image after noise removal as an area ratio. In this way, the determination unit 12 calculates the proportion of the dross on the surface of the molten metal based on the image captured by the imaging unit 11.

[0049] In step S107, the determination unit 12 of the collection device 10 determines whether the ratio calculated in step S106 is equal to or greater than the first threshold. If the collection device 10 determines that the ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold, it executes the process of step S108. If the collection device 10 determines that the ratio is less than the first threshold, it executes the process of step S101 again.

[0050] In step S108, if the determination unit 12 determines in step S107 that the ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the control unit 13 of the recovery device 10 controls the recovery unit 14 to perform a dross recovery operation. The recovery unit 14 recovers the dross in accordance with the control of the control unit 13.

[0051] In step S109, the recovery unit 14 of the recovery device 10 collects the recovered dross in the disposal unit 15.

[0052] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a second example of the process executed by the recovery device 10 of Fig. 1. The flowchart shown in Fig. 4 mainly shows the flow of the dross recovery operation by the recovery unit 14 of the recovery device 10 and the dross disposal operation to the disposal unit 15.

[0053] In step S201, the collection unit 14 of the collection device 10 acquires a control signal from the control unit 13. The collection unit 14 of the collection device 10 starts the dross collection operation based on the acquired control signal.

[0054] In step S202, the recovery unit 14 of the recovery device 10 determines the predetermined position in the disposal unit 15 to which the dross is to be charged as the first position.

[0055] In step S203, the recovery unit 14 of the recovery device 10 performs a first operation of collecting dross on the surface of the molten metal in the molten metal pot.

[0056] In step S204, the recovery unit 14 of the recovery device 10 performs a second operation of using the net unit 142 to scoop up the dross that has been gathered in the first operation in step S203.

[0057] In step S205, the recovery unit 14 of the recovery device 10 throws the dross recovered in step S204 into the disposal unit 15 at the first position of the disposal unit 15 determined in step S202.

[0058] In step S206, the collection unit 14 of the collection device 10 determines whether collection of the dross and disposal of the dross to the disposal unit 15 are completed. If the collection unit 14 determines that collection and disposal are completed, it ends the process. If the collection unit 14 determines that collection and disposal are not completed, it executes the process of step S207.

[0059] In step S207, the recovery unit 14 of the recovery device 10 updates the predetermined position for depositing dross in the disposal unit 15, which was determined to be the first position in step S202. For example, the recovery unit 14 determines the predetermined position for depositing dross in the disposal unit 15 to be a second position different from the first position.

[0060] The recovery unit 14 of the recovery device 10 repeats the processes from step S203 to step S206. At this time, in step S205, the recovery unit 14 throws the dross into the disposal unit 15 at the second position of the disposal unit 15 determined in step S207. Thereafter, the recovery unit 14 repeats the same process for further predetermined positions such as the third position until a "Yes" determination is made in step S206.

[0061] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the recovery device 10 of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a diagram that schematically shows the state when the waste container of the disposal unit 15 is viewed from above. In Figure 5, the top of the waste container of the disposal unit 15 is open, and the state when the inside of the waste container is viewed from above is schematically shown as a top view.

[0062] In step S205 of FIG. 4, the recovery unit 14 of the recovery device 10 charges the dross scooped by the mesh unit 142 from above the surface of the molten metal into the disposal unit 15 at a predetermined position updated in the repeated process. For example, the recovery unit 14 first charges the dross at the first position P1. Next, the recovery unit 14 charges the dross at the second position P2. The recovery unit 14 charges the dross at the third position P3. The recovery unit 14 charges the dross at the fourth position P4. The recovery unit 14 charges the dross at the fifth position P5. The recovery unit 14 charges the dross at the sixth position P6.

[0063] As described above, Fig. 5 shows an example in which the disposal section 15 is divided into six regions. For example, the control unit 13 may divide the disposal section 15 into six sections, each section being approximately the diameter of the area of ​​the disposal section 15 occupied by the dross collected in one collection, based on the balance between the amount of dross to be discarded and the arrangement of the dross, in order to determine the drop positions of the dross in the disposal section 15. The number of sections in such a division does not have to be six, and may be any other number.

[0064] The recovery device 10 according to the first embodiment described above can automatically and efficiently recover and dispose of dross generated on the surface of the molten metal in a molten metal pot. The recovery device 10 calculates the proportion of dross on the molten metal surface based on the image captured by the imaging unit 11, compares it with a first threshold, and controls the recovery unit 14 to perform a dross recovery operation if the proportion is equal to or greater than the first threshold. Therefore, unlike conventional techniques, the recovery device 10 performs the dross recovery process using images. This allows the recovery device 10 to use judgment criteria similar to those used in typical manual work performed by an operator based on visual judgment, as opposed to cases where changes in infrared intensity over time are used. Therefore, the recovery device 10 can also perform the dross recovery operation at the same timing as when the dross is recovered based on the operator's discriminatory judgment.

[0065] The recovery device 10 extracts the color components of the dross from the captured image and separates the first region of the molten metal surface from the second region of the dross using a second brightness threshold, thereby enabling the recovery device 10 to more accurately distinguish between regions on the molten metal surface where dross is present and regions where it is not present.

[0066] The recovery device 10 generates a binary image that separates the first region and the second region. This allows the recovery device 10 to more accurately distinguish between regions on the molten metal surface where dross is present and regions where it is not present on the image. The recovery device 10 performs a contraction process on the binary image and then further performs an expansion process to update the binary image. This allows the recovery device 10 to effectively remove noise components in the binary image. Therefore, the recovery device 10 can more accurately distinguish between regions where dross is present on the binary image.

[0067] The recovery device 10 calculates the amount of dross based on the state of the pixels in the binary image. This allows the recovery device 10 to accurately identify the amount of dross present on the surface of the molten metal and operate the recovery unit 14 at an appropriate timing based on the first threshold. Therefore, the recovery device 10 can solve the problem of the prior art, where the detection operation of the dross removal device does not work even when a large amount of dross is generated when dross generation in the molten metal pot is slow.

[0068] The collection unit 14 of the collection device 10 has a collection tool at its tip, which has a handle 141 and a net 142. The handle 141 has an elastic mechanism 141a. The collection device 10 has the above-described configuration in the collection unit 14, which allows the collection unit 14 to smoothly discard the dross.

[0069] The elastic mechanism 141a of the collection unit 14 of the collection device 10 includes a spring. This allows the collection device 10 to further facilitate the dross disposal operation by the collection unit 14.

[0070] When the recovery unit 14 moves the dross to the disposal unit 15, the recovery device 10 causes the recovery unit 14 to strike the handle 141 against the edge of the disposal unit 15. This allows the recovery device 10 to easily drop the dross into the disposal unit 15 by the impact of this action. At this time, since the recovery unit 14 has the elastic mechanism 141a, the recovery device 10 can impart greater vibration to the net part 142 based on the action of striking the handle 141, allowing the dross to be efficiently disposed of in the disposal unit 15.

[0071] The recovery section 14 of the recovery device 10 repeats the operation of dropping dross at each of a plurality of positions in the disposal section 15 into which dross is dropped, which are pre-set in the disposal section 15. This allows the recovery section 14 to uniformly and efficiently arrange the fallen dross in the disposal section 15. In other words, the recovery device 10 can prevent the dross from falling at the same position in the disposal section 15 every time, which causes the dross to continuously accumulate in one place in the disposal section 15 and become uneven. This improves the efficiency of dross recovery.

[0072] In the first embodiment, the recovery device 10 extracts the color components of the dross from the image captured by the imaging unit 11 and separates the first region of the molten metal surface from the second region of the dross using the second brightness threshold. However, the recovery device 10 does not have to extract the color components of the dross from the image captured by the imaging unit 11.

[0073] In the first embodiment, the recovery device 10 generates a binary image in which the first region and the second region are separated, but this is not limiting. The recovery device 10 does not have to generate a binary image. Instead of or in addition to a configuration in which the recovery device 10 outputs the processing result as an image, the recovery device 10 may output the processing result in any other format, such as text information. The recovery device 10 has been described as performing an erosion process on the binary image and then further performing an expansion process to update the binary image, but this is not limiting. The recovery device 10 does not have to perform such an update process, i.e., a noise removal process.

[0074] In the first embodiment, the recovery device 10 calculates the amount of dross based on the pixel states of the updated binary image. However, this is not limiting. The recovery device 10 may calculate the amount of dross based on the pixel states of a binary image that has not been updated and that is generated directly from an image captured using the imaging unit 11. In the calculation process using the binary image, the recovery device 10 may calculate any other parameter other than the amount of dross based on any other calculation method other than the method based on the pixel states.

[0075] In the first embodiment, the recovery unit 14 of the recovery device 10 has been described as having a recovery jig at its tip, which has the handle 141 and the mesh 142, but is not limited to this. The recovery unit 14 may have any other configuration that is capable of recovering dross present on the surface of the molten metal. The handle 141 has been described as having the elastic mechanism 141a, but is not limited to this. The handle 141 does not have to have the elastic mechanism 141a.

[0076] In the first embodiment, the elastic mechanism 141a is described as including a spring, but is not limited to this. The elastic mechanism 141a may include any other configuration instead of or in addition to a spring.

[0077] In the first embodiment, the recovery device 10 has been described as causing the recovery unit 14 to strike the handle 141 against the edge of the disposal unit 15 when the recovery unit 14 moves the dross to the disposal unit 15, but this is not limiting. The recovery device 10 does not have to cause the recovery unit 14 to perform such an action.

[0078] In the first embodiment, the recovery unit 14 of the recovery device 10 repeats the operation of disposing of dross at each of a plurality of positions in the disposal unit 15 into which dross is dispensed, which are pre-set and divided in advance, but this is not limited to this. The recovery device 10 does not have to perform such divisional setting. The recovery unit 14 does not have to repeat the operation of disposing of dross at each of a plurality of positions in the disposal unit 15 into which dross is dispensed, but may, for example, continuously dispense dross at a predetermined location.

[0079] (Second embodiment) Fig. 6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of the collection system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. An example of the configuration and operation of the collection system 1 according to the second embodiment will be mainly described with reference to Fig. 6.

[0080] In the first embodiment, the imaging unit 11, determination unit 12, control unit 13, collection unit 14, and disposal unit 15 are described as being integrated together with the storage unit 16 as a single collection device 10, but this is not limited to this. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that multiple devices corresponding to these functional units are included in the collection system 1, and cases where a specific device is located remotely from other devices are also included. Other configurations, functions, effects, and modifications are the same as those of the first embodiment, and corresponding descriptions also apply to the collection system 1 of the second embodiment. Below, components similar to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. Differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0081] The recovery system 1 removes dross from the molten metal surface in, for example, a molten metal plating line that applies a plating treatment to a metal strip. The recovery system 1 includes an imaging device 110, a determination device 120, a control device 130, a recovery device 140, and a waste container 150. A functional unit corresponding to the memory unit 16 in the first embodiment may be included in various devices included in the recovery system 1, as appropriate.

[0082] The imaging device 110 corresponds to the imaging unit 11 in the first embodiment, and the same description as for the imaging unit 11 applies. For example, the imaging device 110 captures an image of the state of the surface of the molten metal in the molten metal pot.

[0083] The determination device 120 corresponds to the determination unit 12 in the first embodiment, and the same description as for the determination unit 12 applies. For example, the determination device 120 calculates the proportion of the molten metal surface occupied by dross based on the image captured by the imaging device 110, and compares it with a first threshold value.

[0084] The control device 130 corresponds to the control unit 13 in the first embodiment, and the same description as for the control unit 13 applies. For example, the control device 130 controls the collecting device 140 to perform a dross collecting operation when the above ratio is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

[0085] The recovery device 140 corresponds to the recovery section 14 in the first embodiment, and the same description as for the recovery section 14 applies. For example, the recovery device 140 recovers the dross in accordance with the control of the control device 130.

[0086] The disposal container 150 corresponds to the disposal unit 15 in the first embodiment, and the same description as for the disposal unit 15 applies. For example, the disposal container 150 collects the dross collected by the collecting device 140.

[0087] For example, in the recovery system 1, the imaging device 110, the recovery device 140, and the waste container 150 may be located near the molten metal pot, while the determination device 120 and the control device 130 may be located remotely from the molten metal pot. For example, the devices included in the recovery system 1 may be directly connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other, or may be indirectly connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network or the like.

[0088] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each configuration or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple configurations or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0089] For example, the shape, size, pattern, arrangement, orientation, type, and number of each of the above-mentioned components are not limited to those shown in the above description and drawings. The shape, size, pattern, arrangement, orientation, type, and number of each component may be configured arbitrarily as long as the function can be realized. Each component of the illustrated recovery device 10 is a functional concept. The specific form of each component is not limited to that shown in the drawings.

[0090] For example, a general-purpose electronic device such as a smartphone or computer can be configured to function as the various devices included in the collection device 10 or collection system 1 according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing the functions of the various devices included in the collection device 10 or collection system 1 according to the embodiment is stored in the memory of the electronic device, and the program is read and executed by a processor of the electronic device. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor.

[0091] Alternatively, the present disclosure may be realized as a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program that can be executed by one or more processors to cause various devices included in the recovery device 10 or recovery system 1 according to one embodiment to perform various functions. It should be understood that these are also encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1. Collection System 10 Recovery device 11 Imaging unit 12 Judgment section 13 Control Unit 14 Recovery Department 141 Handle 141a Elastic Mechanism 142 Amibe 15. Disposal Section 16 Memory section 110 Imaging device 120 Judgment device 130 Control device 140 Recovery Device 150 waste containers H horizontal plane P1 1st position P2 2nd position P3 3rd position P4 4th position P5 5th position P6 6th position

Claims

1. A recovery device for removing dross on the molten metal surface in a molten metal plating line that applies a plating treatment to a metal strip, comprising: an imaging unit that images the state of the molten metal surface in the molten metal pot; a determination unit that calculates a ratio of the dross to the molten metal surface based on the image captured by the imaging unit and compares the ratio with a first threshold value; a control unit that controls the collecting unit to perform a collecting operation of the dross when the ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold value; The recovery unit recovers the dross under the control of the control unit; A disposal unit that collects the dross collected by the recovery unit; Equipped with Recovery device.

2. The recovery device according to claim 1, the determination unit extracts a color component of the dross from the captured image and separates a first region of the molten metal surface from a second region of the dross using a second brightness threshold value. Recovery device.

3. The recovery device according to claim 2, the determination unit generates a binary image by separating the first region and the second region, performs an erosion process on the binary image, and then further performs an expansion process on the binary image to update the binary image. Recovery device.

4. The recovery device according to claim 2 or 3, The determination unit calculates the amount of dross based on the state of pixels in the binarized image. Recovery device.

5. The recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The recovery unit has a recovery tool at its tip, the recovery tool having a handle portion and a net portion, The handle has an elastic mechanism. Recovery device.

6. The recovery device according to claim 5, the elastic mechanism includes a spring; Recovery device.

7. The recovery device according to claim 5, The disposal unit has a box-like shape with an open top, The control unit causes the collection unit to strike the handle portion against an edge portion of the disposal unit when the collection unit moves the dross to the disposal unit. Recovery device.

8. The recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The recovery unit repeats the operation of throwing the dross at each of a plurality of positions into which the dross is thrown, the positions being preset in the disposal unit. Recovery device.

9. A recovery system for removing dross on the molten metal surface in a molten metal plating line that applies a plating treatment to a metal strip, comprising: an imaging device for imaging the state of the molten metal surface in the molten metal pot; a determination device that calculates a ratio of the dross to the molten metal surface based on the image captured by the imaging device and compares the ratio with a first threshold value; a control device that controls the collecting device to perform a collecting operation of the dross when the ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold value; The recovery device recovers the dross under the control of the control device; a waste container that collects the dross collected by the recovery device; Equipped with Collection system.

10. A method for removing dross on the molten metal surface in a molten metal plating line that applies a plating treatment to a metal strip, comprising: taking an image of the state of the molten metal surface in the molten metal pot; calculating a ratio of the dross to the molten metal surface based on the captured image and comparing the ratio with a first threshold value; Recovering the dross when the ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold value; collecting the collected dross; Including, Recovery method.

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