Drop trajectory measuring device, drop trajectory measuring method, and blast furnace operation method

Abstract

This invention provides a fall trajectory measuring device, a fall trajectory measuring method, and a blast furnace operation method for accurately measuring the fall trajectory of charges falling from the top of a blast furnace in three dimensions. [Solution] A fall trajectory measuring device 1 for measuring the trajectory of a charge falling from a rotating chute that loads a charge into a blast furnace while rotating at the top of the blast furnace, comprising: a two-dimensional array antenna 10 that transmits microwaves or millimeter waves as a transmitting wave into the blast furnace and receives the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected inside the blast furnace as a receiving wave; a first reflection source data acquisition unit 22 that acquires the reflection intensity or point cloud data inside the blast furnace at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace at the timing when the charge is falling from the rotating chute, as first reflection source data based on the received wave; and a trajectory measuring unit 30 that acquires falling object data, which is data corresponding to the falling charge, based on the first reflection source data, and measures the trajectory of the falling charge based on the acquired falling object data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a falling trajectory measuring device, a falling trajectory measuring method, and a blast furnace operation method.

Background Art

[0002] A blast furnace is a device that uses iron ore and coke as raw materials and removes the oxygen content contained in the iron ore by causing a chemical reaction between them at high temperatures. In a blast furnace, sintered ore obtained by consolidating iron ore into a predetermined size with a binder and coke formed into a predetermined size are freely dropped into the blast furnace from a revolving chute installed at the top of the blast furnace, so that the sintered ore and coke, which are the charged materials, are alternately stacked. At this time, due to the charging of a large amount of charged materials, the liner of the revolving chute wears and the falling trajectory of the charged materials changes, resulting in a problem that the distribution of the charged materials (charged material distribution) along the circumferential direction and the radial direction in the same layer of the blast furnace becomes non-uniform (Patent Document 1).

[0003] In a blast furnace, hot air and pulverized coal blown from the tuyeres at the lower part of the blast furnace become reducing gas and rise in the blast furnace. However, if the charged material distribution becomes non-uniform in the circumferential direction and the radial direction in the blast furnace, a bias occurs in the flow direction when such reducing gas rises. As a result, a bias occurs in the progress of the chemical reaction (reduction reaction), and the descent of the charged materials composed of coke and sintered ore in the blast furnace becomes non-uniform, and the lower part of the blast furnace cools down and stable operation becomes impossible. Therefore, it is important to accurately grasp the change in the falling trajectory of the raw materials due to the wear of the liner and adjust the angle of the revolving chute to make the charged material distribution in the circumferential direction and the radial direction in the blast furnace uniform.

[0004] The inside of a blast furnace is an unfavorable environment for measurement due to the generation of steam and dust. Therefore, even if infrared or visible light, which cannot penetrate obstacles containing fine particles such as steam and dust, is used, it is not possible to reliably measure the falling raw material. On the other hand, microwaves or millimeter waves, which have longer wavelengths, can penetrate the above obstacles and allow for stable measurement. Prior art documents disclose a method for measuring the position of charge falling from the top of a blast furnace based on the propagation time to the falling object using microwaves or millimeter waves, and in this measurement, a reflector inside the device is mechanically driven to scan the microwave or other beam (Patent Documents 1, 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-120964 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7440715 [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] H. Jiang, Q. Wei, P. Wang, Y. Dong, T. Gao and S. Zhang, “Near-field BP 3D imaging paraflap suppression method,” 2021 IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Design (AIID), Guangzhou, China, 2021, pp. 678-685, doi: 10.1109 / AIID51893.2021.9456502. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] When measuring the trajectory of a charge in three dimensions using the measurement methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a time lag occurs in the measurement timing due to the time required to change the beam irradiation direction, resulting in distortion of the true trajectory. Furthermore, while it is necessary to irradiate the charge with a beam during measurement, the charge can scatter over an extremely wide area within the blast furnace, making it difficult to adjust the angle of the reflector.

[0008] To overcome these difficulties, a method using a two-dimensional array antenna to instantly measure a wide space can be considered. In this case, since the beam will be irradiated across the entire wide space, reflected signals from objects other than the target, such as the furnace wall or the surface of the deposited material, will also be received simultaneously. Since these reflected signals from objects other than the target will have a reflection intensity equal to or greater than that of the target, simply setting a threshold for the reflection intensity will not allow for the extraction of signals from the target to be measured, such as falling material.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a fall trajectory measuring device, a fall trajectory measuring method, and a blast furnace operation method that accurately measure the fall trajectory of charges falling from the top of a blast furnace in three dimensions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A fall trajectory measuring device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is a fall trajectory measuring device for measuring the trajectory of a charge falling from a rotating chute that charges a charge into a blast furnace while rotating at the top of the blast furnace, and comprises: a two-dimensional array antenna that transmits microwaves or millimeter waves as transmitting waves into the blast furnace and receives the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected in the blast furnace as receiving waves; a first reflection source data acquisition unit that acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace as first reflection source data at the timing when the charge is falling from the rotating chute, based on the received waves; and a trajectory measuring unit that acquires falling object data which is data corresponding to the falling charge based on the first reflection source data and measures the trajectory of the falling charge based on the falling object data.

[0011] According to this invention, a two-dimensional array antenna transmits microwaves or millimeter waves into the blast furnace as transmitted waves, and receives the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected inside the blast furnace as received waves. By using microwaves or millimeter waves, which have long wavelengths and are less likely to be scattered by obstacles, the position of the charge falling inside the blast furnace can be measured stably without being interfered with by obstacles such as steam (glow) and fine particles including dust inside the blast furnace.

[0012] Furthermore, the first reflector data acquisition unit acquires the reflectance intensity or point cloud data at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace at the time the charge is falling from the rotating chute, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna, almost simultaneously without significant timing differences in measurement for each position, as first reflector data. Then, the trajectory measurement unit acquires falling object data, which corresponds to the falling charge, based on the first reflector data acquired by the first reflector data acquisition unit, and measures the trajectory of the falling charge based on the acquired falling object data. In this way, the trajectory of the falling charge can be acquired as three-dimensional data based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna. Thus, the trajectory of the falling charge from the top of the blast furnace can be measured accurately in three dimensions.

[0013] Aspect 2 of the present invention is a fall trajectory measuring device of aspect 1, comprising a 0th reflectance source data acquisition unit that acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace as 0th reflectance source data at a time when the charge is not falling from the rotating chute, based on the received wave, and the trajectory measuring unit acquires the fall object data by subtracting the 0th reflectance source data from the 1st reflectance source data and deleting data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold.

[0014] Furthermore, the 0th reflector data acquisition unit acquires the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the blast furnace at each position in the 3D space inside the blast furnace at a time when no charge material is falling from the rotating chute, based on the received waves received by the 2D array antenna, as the 0th reflector data. The trajectory measurement unit then subtracts the 0th reflector data from the 1st reflector data and deletes data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold to acquire the falling object data. This allows for the appropriate removal of, for example, the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the furnace wall (an example of data that does not change due to differences in measurement timing) included in the 1st reflector data acquired by the 1st reflector data acquisition unit. Also, assuming that the state of the raw materials accumulated inside the furnace is constant, the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the raw materials accumulated inside the furnace (an example of data that does not change due to differences in measurement timing) included in the 1st reflector data can also be appropriately removed by subtracting the 0th reflector data from the 1st reflector data. Thus, the falling trajectory of the charge material falling from the top of the blast furnace can be measured more accurately.

[0015] A third aspect of the present invention is a fall trajectory measuring device of aspect 1 or aspect 2, comprising a second reflection source data acquisition unit that, based on the received wave, acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace as second reflection source data at a timing other than the timing when the charge is falling from the rotating chute, where the orientation of the rotating chute is different from the timing when the charge is falling from the rotating chute, and the trajectory measuring unit acquires the fall object data by subtracting the second reflection source data from the first reflection source data and deleting data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold.

[0016] Furthermore, the second reflection source data acquisition unit acquires the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the blast furnace at various positions in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna, at times when the orientation of the rotating chute is different from the timing when the charge is falling from the rotating chute, as second reflection source data. The trajectory measurement unit then subtracts the second reflection source data from the first reflection source data and deletes data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold to obtain the falling object data. This makes it possible to appropriately remove, for example, the reflection intensity or point cloud data of raw materials accumulated inside the furnace, which changes over time as the charge falls from the rotating chute, in addition to the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the furnace wall included in the first reflection source data acquired by the first reflection source data acquisition unit. Therefore, the falling trajectory of the charge falling from the top of the blast furnace can be measured more accurately.

[0017] A fourth aspect of the present invention is a fall trajectory measuring device according to aspect 3, wherein the trajectory measuring unit subtracts the second reflection source data from the first reflection source data, and then deletes data that is located in a direction different from the direction in which the loaded object falls from the rotating chute at the time the first reflection source data was acquired.

[0018] Here, the second reflection source data may include reflection intensity or point cloud data of the furnace wall in the shadowed area, where microwaves or millimeter waves do not propagate due to the shadow cast by the falling charge inside the furnace. Therefore, the trajectory measurement unit subtracts the second reflection source data from the first reflection source data and then deletes data located in a different direction from the direction of the falling charge from the rotating chute when the first reflection source data was acquired. This makes it possible to remove from the acquired falling object data the parts affected by the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the shadowed area of ​​the furnace wall as described above. Thus, the falling trajectory of the charge falling from the top of the blast furnace can be measured more accurately.

[0019] Aspect 5 of the present invention is a fall trajectory measuring device of aspect 3, comprising a 0th reflectance source data acquisition unit that acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace as 0th reflectance source data at a time when the charge is not falling from the rotating chute, based on the received wave, and the trajectory measuring unit acquires the fall object data by subtracting the 2nd reflectance source data and the 0th reflectance source data from the 1st reflectance source data and deleting data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold.

[0020] Furthermore, the 0th reflector data acquisition unit acquires the reflection intensity or point cloud data within the blast furnace at each position in the 3D space inside the blast furnace at a time when no charge is falling from the rotating chute, based on the received waves received by the 2D array antenna, as the 0th reflector data. The trajectory measurement unit then subtracts the 2nd reflector data and the 0th reflector data from the 1st reflector data and deletes data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold to obtain the falling object data. In this way, the portion of the acquired falling object data that is affected by the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the furnace wall in the shaded area, as described above, can be removed by the 0th reflector data. Thus, the falling trajectory of the charge falling from the top of the blast furnace can be measured more accurately.

[0021] Aspect 6 of the present invention is a fall trajectory measuring device according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the trajectory measuring unit acquires the surface formed by the charge accumulated in the blast furnace as a reference surface based on the fall object data, and extracts only the reflectance intensity or point cloud data that is located at a position higher than a predetermined height from the reference surface from the fall object data.

[0022] Further, based on the acquired falling object data, the trajectory measurement unit acquires the surface formed by the charged material deposited in the blast furnace as a reference plane, and extracts only the reflection intensity or the point cloud data at positions higher than a predetermined height from the reference plane from the falling object data. Thereby, the reflection intensity or the point cloud data of the charged material deposited in the blast furnace can be removed from the falling object data. Therefore, the falling trajectory of the charged material falling from the top of the blast furnace can be measured more accurately.

[0023] The falling trajectory measurement method according to Aspect 7 of the present invention is a falling trajectory measurement method for measuring the trajectory of a charged material falling from a revolving chute that charges the charged material into the blast furnace while rotating at the top of the blast furnace, comprising: a transmission / reception step of transmitting microwaves or millimeter waves into the blast furnace as transmission waves using a two-dimensional array antenna and receiving the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected in the blast furnace as reception waves; a first reflection source data acquisition step of acquiring, as first reflection source data, the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space in the blast furnace or the point cloud data in the blast furnace at the timing when the charged material is falling from the revolving chute based on the reception waves; and a trajectory measurement step of acquiring falling object data which is data corresponding to the falling charged material based on the first reflection source data and measuring the trajectory along which the charged material falls based on the falling object data.

[0024] According to this invention, in the transmission / reception step, microwaves or millimeter waves are transmitted into the blast furnace as transmission waves using a two-dimensional array antenna, and the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected in the blast furnace are received as reception waves. Thus, by using microwaves or millimeter waves having the property of a long wavelength, the position of the charged material falling in the blast furnace can be stably measured.

[0025] Also, in the first reflection source data acquisition step, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna, the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or the point cloud data inside the blast furnace at the timing when the charged material falls from the swivel chute is acquired as the first reflection source data. Then, in the trajectory measurement step, based on the first reflection source data acquired in the first reflection source data acquisition step, falling object data, which is data corresponding to the falling charged material, is acquired, and based on the acquired falling object data, the trajectory along which the charged material falls is measured. Thereby, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna, the trajectory along which the charged material falls can be acquired as three-dimensional data. Therefore, the falling trajectory of the charged material falling from the top of the blast furnace can be accurately measured three-dimensionally.

[0026] The blast furnace operation method according to aspect 8 of the present invention controls the swivel chute using the falling trajectory measurement device according to any one of aspects 1 to 6 or the falling trajectory measurement method according to aspect 7.

[0027] According to this invention, the swivel chute is controlled using the falling trajectory measurement device or the falling trajectory measurement method according to the present invention. Thereby, the falling trajectory of the raw material being charged in the operating blast furnace can be accurately measured three-dimensionally. By this, the angle of the swivel chute can be appropriately adjusted to make uniform the distribution (charged material distribution) of the charged material in the circumferential direction and the radial direction of the blast furnace in the same layer. Therefore, in the blast furnace, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of phenomena such as the lower part of the furnace getting cold due to a bias in the progress of the reduction reaction of the raw material and non-uniform descent of the raw material being charged. Thus, the blast furnace can be stably operated.

Effects of the Invention

[0028] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a falling trajectory measurement device, a falling trajectory measurement method, and a blast furnace operation method for accurately measuring three-dimensionally the falling trajectory of the charged material falling from the top of the blast furnace.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029] [Figure 1] This is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a fall trajectory measuring device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of a two-dimensional array antenna according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] (a) is Figure 1, showing the state in which the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the blast furnace is being acquired at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace at the time when the charge is falling from the rotating chute, and (b) is a view of the state in (a) from directly above. [Figure 4] (a) is Figure 0, showing the state in which the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace is being acquired at a time when the charge has not yet fallen from the rotating chute, and (b) is a view of the state in (a) from directly above. [Figure 5] (a) is Figure 2, showing the state in which the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace is acquired at other times when the charge is falling from the rotating chute, and (b) is a view of the state in (a) from directly above. [Figure 6] This figure shows the point cloud data acquired by the first reflection source data acquisition unit in the embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows the reflection intensity acquired by the first reflection source data acquisition unit in the embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows the reflection intensity acquired by the second reflection source data acquisition unit in the embodiment. [Figure 9] This figure shows the result of subtracting the weighted reflection intensity obtained by the second reflection source data acquisition unit from the reflection intensity obtained by the first reflection source data acquisition unit in the embodiment. [Figure 10] This figure shows the results of the point cloud removal process for objects other than the falling object according to the second embodiment in the example. [Figure 11] This figure shows the results of the point cloud removal process for objects other than the falling object according to the third embodiment in the example. [Figure 12]This figure shows the results of the point cloud removal process for objects other than the falling object according to the fourth embodiment in the example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0030] The following describes, with reference to the drawings, a fall trajectory measuring device, a fall trajectory measuring method, and a blast furnace operation method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] (Configuration of the falling object measuring device) The drop trajectory measuring device 1 according to this embodiment is a device that measures the trajectory of a charge falling from a rotating chute that charges the blast furnace while rotating at the top of the blast furnace. Figure 1 shows a schematic block diagram of the configuration of the drop trajectory measuring device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the drop trajectory measuring device 1 has a two-dimensional array antenna 10, a reflection source data acquisition unit 20, and a trajectory measuring unit 30.

[0032] The two-dimensional array antenna 10 is a mechanism that transmits microwaves or millimeter waves as transmitting waves into the blast furnace and receives the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected inside the blast furnace as receiving waves. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a two-dimensional array antenna according to the embodiment. Figure 3(a) shows the first diagram illustrating the state in which reflection intensity or point cloud data within the blast furnace is acquired at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace at the time when the charge is falling from the rotating chute, and Figure 3(b) shows the state in Figure 3(a) viewed from directly above.

[0033] More specifically, the two-dimensional array antenna 10 comprises a transmitting antenna 11 and a receiving antenna 12, as shown in Figures 2, 3(a), and 3(b), and is installed above (for example, near the top of) a blast furnace F used for iron production in the iron industry. The transmitting antenna 11 is configured to transmit microwaves or millimeter waves within the range indicated by the dashed line B, as shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b). The two-dimensional array antenna 10 transmits microwaves or millimeter waves as transmitted waves towards the blast furnace F using the transmitting antenna 11, and receives the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected inside the blast furnace F as received waves using the receiving antenna 12.

[0034] The two-dimensional array antenna 10 is an antenna that measures the reflected signal across the entire range facing the two-dimensional array antenna 10 within the blast furnace F at the same time. As an example, as shown in Figure 2, a SIMO (Single-Input and Multiple-Output) system can be used, in which the transmitting antenna 11 is a single antenna and the receiving antennas 12 are array antennas arranged in a grid pattern in a two-dimensional plane. In addition, the two-dimensional array antenna 10 may also use a MISO (Multiple-Input and Single-Output) system in which the transmitting antenna 11 is an array antenna arranged in a grid pattern in a two-dimensional plane and the receiving antenna is a single antenna, or a MIMO (Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output) system in which both the transmitting and receiving antennas are array antennas arranged in a grid pattern in a two-dimensional plane.

[0035] In measurements using the two-dimensional array antenna 10, as shown in Figure 2, for example, the transmitted wave sent from the transmitting antenna 11 is reflected by an object O (including fixed objects such as furnace walls) located within the irradiation surface, and the reflected wave is received by each receiving antenna 12. At this time, the sum of the wave propagation time between the transmitting antenna 11 and the object and the wave propagation time between the object and the receiving antenna 12 differs depending on the position of each antenna, so a phase difference occurs in the signal received by each receiving antenna 12. By utilizing this phase difference, the position and shape of an object in three-dimensional space can be measured.

[0036] The reflection source data acquisition unit 20 is a mechanism for acquiring reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace. As shown in Figure 1, the reflection source data acquisition unit 20 includes a 0th reflection source data acquisition unit 21, a 1st reflection source data acquisition unit 22, and a 2nd reflection source data acquisition unit 23.

[0037] The No. 0 Reflection Source Data Acquisition Unit 21 is a functional unit that, based on the received waves received by the 2D array antenna 10, acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the 3D space inside the blast furnace F or point cloud data inside the blast furnace F as No. 0 reflection source data at a time when the charge M is not falling from the rotating chute C. In other words, the No. 0 reflection source data acquired by the No. 0 Reflection Source Data Acquisition Unit 21 does not include reflection intensity or point cloud data related to the charge M, but only reflection intensity or point cloud data related to objects that do not change regardless of the timing of measurement, such as the furnace walls of the blast furnace.

[0038] The first reflector data acquisition unit 22 is a functional unit that acquires the reflected intensity or point cloud data within the blast furnace F at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace F at the time when the charge M is falling from the rotating chute C, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna 10, as first reflector data. In other words, the first reflector data acquired by the first reflector data acquisition unit 22 includes reflected intensity or point cloud data relating to the charge M falling from the rotating chute C at the time when the charge M is falling from the rotating chute C, as well as reflected intensity or point cloud data relating to objects that do not change regardless of the measurement timing, such as the furnace wall of the blast furnace.

[0039] The second reflection source data acquisition unit 23 is a functional unit that, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna 10, acquires the reflection intensity or point cloud data within the blast furnace F at various positions in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace F, at times other than when the charge M is falling from the rotating chute C, where the orientation of the rotating chute C is different. In other words, both the first reflection source data and the second reflection source data are acquired at the time when the charge M is falling from the rotating chute C, but the orientation of the rotating chute C at that time is different, and as a result, the direction of the falling charge M (i.e., its position in the space where it is falling) is also different. Therefore, the second reflection source data acquired by the second reflection source data acquisition unit 23 includes not only the reflection intensity or point cloud data related to the charge M falling from the rotating chute C at times other than when the charge M is falling from the rotating chute C, but also the reflection intensity or point cloud data related to objects that do not change regardless of the measurement timing, such as the furnace walls of the blast furnace.

[0040] The 0th reflector data, the 1st reflector data, and the 2nd reflector data are acquired in the form of reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space within the blast furnace F, or as point cloud data within the blast furnace F. Furthermore, while it is preferable that the timing of acquisition of the 2nd reflector data be such that the direction of the rotating chute C differs by 180° from the timing of acquisition of the 1st reflector data, this is not necessarily limited to the timing of acquisition of the 2nd reflector data, as it makes it less likely for the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the 2nd reflector data and the 1st reflector data to overlap at the same position in space.

[0041] In this embodiment, the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace is data in which the intensity values ​​of the transmitted waves reflected by a reflection source such as a fallen object and returned to the receiving antenna 12 are assigned to pixels corresponding to each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace. The point cloud data inside the blast furnace is data in which, assuming that there is a point at a position where the intensity of the transmitted waves reflected by a reflection source such as a fallen object and returned to the receiving antenna 12 exceeds a predetermined value, a feature quantity indicating the existence of a point is assigned to the pixel corresponding to that position.

[0042] The trajectory measurement unit 30 is a functional unit that acquires falling object data, which corresponds to the charge M falling inside the blast furnace F, based on the 0th reflection source data, the 1st reflection source data, and the 2nd reflection source data, and measures the trajectory of the falling charge M based on the acquired falling object data. In other words, as will be described later, the trajectory measurement unit 30 performs various calculations, such as subtracting from each other, using the 0th reflection source data, the 1st reflection source data, and the 2nd reflection source data, thereby deleting unnecessary reflection intensity data and point cloud data other than that of the falling charge M, and making the data of the charge M more apparent, thereby enabling accurate three-dimensional measurement of the falling trajectory of the charge M.

[0043] In the fall trajectory measuring device 1 according to this embodiment, the reflection source data acquisition unit 20 and the trajectory measuring unit 30 are configured using information equipment such as a personal computer. The reflection source data acquisition unit 20 and the trajectory measuring unit 30 may be configured by having a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory connected by a bus, and by executing a pre-configured control program to ensure their respective functions. Alternatively, they may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control program may also be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include, for example, portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program may also be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0044] Furthermore, in the fall trajectory measuring device 1 according to this embodiment, the two-dimensional array antenna 10 may be integrally configured with the information equipment constituting the reflection source data acquisition unit 20 and the trajectory measuring unit 30, or the two-dimensional array antenna 10 may be provided as a separate device from the information equipment constituting the reflection source data acquisition unit 20 and the trajectory measuring unit 30 and configured to be connected via wired communication or wireless communication.

[0045] (Fall trajectory measurement method) Next, the operation of the fall trajectory measuring device 1 according to this embodiment will be described. The present invention provides a method for measuring the trajectory of a falling material as it falls from a rotating chute that charges the blast furnace while rotating at the top of the blast furnace, by performing the following process.

[0046] The drop trajectory measuring device 1 first transmits microwaves or millimeter waves as transmitted waves into the blast furnace F using a two-dimensional array antenna 10, and receives the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected inside the blast furnace F as received waves (transmission and reception step).

[0047] Next, the fall trajectory measuring device 1 acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace (reflection source data acquisition unit). More specifically, the reflection source data acquisition step includes a 0th reflection source data acquisition step, a 1st reflection source data acquisition step, and a 2nd reflection source data acquisition step.

[0048] In the first step of acquiring the first reflector data, the first reflector data acquisition unit 21 acquires the first reflector data as the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace F or point cloud data inside the blast furnace F at a time when the charge M is not falling from the rotating chute C, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna 10.

[0049] In the first reflection source data acquisition step, the first reflection source data acquisition unit 22 acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace F or point cloud data inside the blast furnace F as first reflection source data, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna 10, at the time when the charge M is falling from the rotating chute C.

[0050] In the second reflection source data acquisition step, the second reflection source data acquisition unit 23 acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace F or point cloud data inside the blast furnace F as second reflection source data, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna 10, at other timings where the orientation of the rotating chute C is different from the timing when the charge M is falling from the rotating chute C.

[0051] The timing for acquiring the first and second reflector data in the first and second reflector data acquisition steps is as described above. Specifically, the timing at which the second reflector data is acquired is when the direction of the rotating chute C is different from the timing at which the first reflector data is acquired, and it is particularly preferable that the direction of the rotating chute C is different by 180°.

[0052] After processing in the reflection source data acquisition step, the fall trajectory measuring device 1 has a trajectory measuring unit 30 that acquires falling object data, which is data corresponding to the falling charge M, based on the first reflection source data, and measures the trajectory of the falling charge M based on the acquired falling object data (trajectory measurement step).

[0053] The following describes specific examples of the processing performed in the reflection source data acquisition step and the trajectory measurement step. The first reflector data acquisition unit 22 according to this embodiment calculates the reflectance intensity I_1(x,y,z) at each position (x,y,z) in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace F (see Figures 3(a) and 3(b)) at the timing when the charge M is falling from the rotating chute C, for example, by the method described in Non-Patent Document 1. Here, the reflectance intensity I_1(x,y,z) is an absolute value. Furthermore, the data acquired by the first reflector data acquisition unit 22 may not be the reflectance intensity I_1(x,y,z) itself, but rather three-dimensional point cloud data obtained by assigning a feature quantity indicating the existence of a point to the coordinates (x,y,z) where the reflectance intensity I_1(x,y,z) is above a predetermined threshold, so that it can be treated as a point, and this is referred to as point cloud data P_1.

[0054] The first reflectance source data, which is the reflectance intensity I_1(x,y,z) or point cloud data P_1 obtained here, includes reflectance intensity or point cloud data related to the furnace wall FW, the accumulated raw material (charges M accumulated inside the blast furnace F), etc., in addition to the charge M falling from the rotating chute C. Therefore, there is a possibility that the falling trajectory of the charge M, which is the object to be measured, cannot be measured correctly. As a solution in this case, for example, a process can be considered to remove the reflectance intensity and point clouds other than those of the charge M to be measured by changing the intensity threshold value when outputting the point cloud data P_1 to a larger value. However, since the reflectance intensity of objects other than the charge M to be measured is equal to or greater than that of the falling charge M, it is difficult to extract only the reflectance intensity and point cloud data of the falling charge M by simply changing the intensity threshold value to a larger value.

[0055] Therefore, the following device configuration was adopted to remove the reflective point cloud other than that of the falling charge M. Below, four examples (Examples 1 to 4) of the specific details of the process for removing the point cloud other than that of the falling charge M will be explained.

[0056] (First example of point cloud removal process excluding falling objects) In the first example, the trajectory measurement unit 30 acquires falling object data by subtracting the data of the 0th reflector from the data of the 1st reflector and deleting data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold. Specifically, in the first example, with the aim of removing reflection intensity or point cloud data of the furnace wall FW, deposited raw materials, etc., that cannot be completely removed by the first reflection source data acquired by the first reflection source data acquisition unit 22, the 0th reflection source data acquisition unit 21 acquires 0th reflection source data, which is the reflection intensity I_0(x,y,z) or point cloud data P_0 inside the blast furnace F at a time when the charge M is not falling from the rotating chute C, in addition to the first reflection source data.

[0057] Figure 4(a) shows Figure 0, which illustrates the state in which the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace is being acquired at a time when the charge M has not yet fallen from the rotating chute, and Figure 4(b) shows the state in Figure 4(a) viewed from directly above.

[0058] As shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the 0th reflector data at the time when the charge M has not fallen from the rotating chute C includes the reflection intensity or point cloud data from the furnace wall FW that is common to the 1st reflector data, but does not include the reflection intensity or point cloud data related to the charge M. Furthermore, if the state of the deposited material in the blast furnace can be considered to be the same at the time the 1st reflector data is acquired and at the time the 0th reflector data is acquired, then the 0th reflector data and the 1st reflector data will include the reflection intensity or point cloud data from the deposited material that is common to both. In order to remove this common reflection intensity or point cloud data from the 1st reflector data, the trajectory measurement unit 30 performs the following calculation.

[0059] (I signal strength) When the 0th reflection source data acquisition unit 21 acquires the reflection intensity I_0(x,y,z), the trajectory measurement unit 30 performs a calculation based on the following equation 1, subtracting the weighted I_0(x,y,z) from the reflection intensity I_1(x,y,z) to acquire the signal intensity I_A(x,y,z).

[0060]

number

[0061] (P point group) When the 0th reflection source data acquisition unit 21 acquires point cloud data P_0, the trajectory measurement unit 30 considers the point cloud data in P_1 that is common with P_0 as reflection points other than the falling object M, subtracts the point cloud of P_0 from the point cloud of P_1, and acquires the point cloud data from the remaining point cloud that has an intensity above a predetermined threshold as falling object data, which is the data corresponding to the falling object M, and uses this as the falling trajectory point cloud data P_A of the object M. The reason for extracting only the point clouds with an intensity above a predetermined threshold here is to prevent data caused by the 0th reflection source data from remaining in the final falling trajectory point cloud data P_A. For example, by excessively subtracting the 0th reflection source data along with weighting, negative values ​​resulting from the subtraction are excluded based on a predetermined threshold.

[0062] (Second example of point cloud removal process excluding falling objects) In the first example described above, the process of removing point clouds other than those of the falling charge M changes as the charge M, which is the raw material, is charged into the blast furnace. As a result, the reflection intensity from the accumulated raw material or the point cloud related to the accumulated raw material changes, making it impossible to sufficiently remove the accumulated raw material from the falling trajectory of the charge M to be measured. Therefore, in the second example described below, the trajectory measurement unit 30 obtains falling object data by subtracting the second reflection source data from the first reflection source data and deleting data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold.

[0063] Figure 5(a) shows the second diagram illustrating the acquisition of reflection intensity or point cloud data within the blast furnace at various positions in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace at other times when the charge is falling from the rotating chute, and Figure 5(b) shows the state of Figure 5(a) viewed from directly above.

[0064] Specifically, with the aim of sufficiently removing the accumulated material, in addition to the first reflection source data, the second reflection source data acquisition unit 23 acquires second reflection source data, which is the reflection intensity I_2(x,y,z) or point cloud data P_2 inside the blast furnace F at other timings where the direction of the rotating chute C is different, as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b). Here, if the direction of the rotating chute C at the timing of the second reflection source data is not sufficiently far from the direction of the rotating chute C at the timing of the first reflection source data, the falling material trajectories acquired as both reflection source data will overlap spatially, and a portion of the point cloud of the falling material trajectories will be lost. Therefore, it is preferable that the direction of the rotating chute C be as far away as possible from the first reflection source data, for example, it is preferable to set the timing of the second reflection source data to be 180° different. Furthermore, in order to sufficiently remove the accumulated material, it is preferable that the change in the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the accumulated material included in the first reflection source data and the second reflection source data is small. Considering these favorable conditions, if the rotation period of the swivel chute C is T, then the optimal timing for the second reflection source data is T / 2 or -T / 2 relative to the timing of the first reflection source data.

[0065] (I signal strength) When the second reflection source data acquisition unit 23 acquires the reflection intensity I_2(x,y,z), the trajectory measurement unit 30 performs a calculation based on the following equation 2, subtracting the weighted I_2(x,y,z) from the reflection intensity I_1(x,y,z) to acquire the signal intensity I_A(x,y,z).

[0066]

number

[0067] (P point group) When the second reflection source data acquisition unit 23 acquires point cloud data P_2, the trajectory measurement unit 30 considers the point cloud data in P_1 that is common to P_2 as reflection points other than the falling object M, subtracts the point cloud of P_2 from the point cloud of P_1, and acquires the point cloud data from the remaining point cloud that has an intensity above a predetermined threshold as falling object data, which is the data corresponding to the falling object M, and sets this as the falling trajectory point cloud data P_A of the object M. The reason for extracting only the point clouds with an intensity above a predetermined threshold here is to prevent data caused by the second reflection source data from remaining in the final falling trajectory point cloud data P_A. For example, the second reflection source data is excessively subtracted along with weighting, and any negative values ​​resulting from the subtraction are excluded based on a predetermined threshold.

[0068] (Third example of point cloud removal process excluding falling objects) In the process of removing point cloud data other than the falling charge M in the second example described above, as shown in Figure 5(b) when Figure 5(a) is viewed from directly above the top of the blast furnace F, the second reflector data includes furnace wall FW (dashed line S on the furnace wall FW) where microwaves or millimeter waves do not propagate because they are in the shadow of the falling charge M. Therefore, the calculation process of Equation 2, which subtracts the second reflector data from the first reflector data, may include furnace wall FW that cannot be removed from the first reflector data. In cases where the furnace wall FW that is in the shadow of the falling charge M cannot be removed in the process of the second example, for example, the trajectory measurement unit 30 subtracts the second reflector data from the first reflector data and then deletes data that is located in a direction different from the direction of the falling charge M from the rotating chute C when the first reflector data was acquired. Specifically, in the third example, the trajectory measurement unit 30 further removes point clouds located in a direction different from the direction of the falling object M based on the orientation information of the rotating chute C, and this is used as the falling trajectory point cloud data P_A of the object M.

[0069] Alternatively, the trajectory measurement unit 30 may acquire falling object data by subtracting the second reflector data and the zero reflector data from the first reflector data and deleting data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold. Specifically, since the process of removing the furnace wall FW according to the first example described above is effective, the first reflector data, second reflector data, and zero reflector data may be acquired by combining the process according to the second example described above and the process according to the first example, and the trajectory measurement unit 30 may perform the following calculation.

[0070] (I signal strength) When the reflection source data acquisition unit 20 acquires reflection intensities I_1(x,y,z), I_2(x,y,z), and I_0(x,y,z), the trajectory measurement unit 30 performs a calculation based on the following equation 3, subtracting the weighted I_2(x,y,z) and I_0(x,y,z) from the reflection intensity I_1(x,y,z) to acquire the signal intensity I_A(x,y,z).

[0071]

number

[0072] (P point group) When the reflection source data acquisition unit 20 acquires point cloud data P_1, P_0, and P_2, the trajectory measurement unit 30 considers the point cloud data common to P_0 and P_2 among P_1 as reflection points other than the falling object M, subtracts the point clouds of P_2 and P_0 from the point cloud of P_1, and acquires the point cloud data from the remaining point cloud that has an intensity above a predetermined threshold as falling object data, which corresponds to the falling object M, and sets this as the falling trajectory point cloud data P_A of the object M. The reason for extracting only the point clouds with an intensity above a predetermined threshold here is to prevent data caused by the second reflection source data and the 0 reflection source data from remaining in the final falling trajectory point cloud data P_A. For example, the second reflection source data and the 0 reflection source data are excessively subtracted along with weighting, and any negative values ​​resulting from the subtraction are excluded based on a predetermined threshold.

[0073] (Fourth example of point cloud removal process excluding falling objects) In the subtraction of reflection intensity or deletion of point cloud data using Equations 1, 2, and 3 used in the first to third examples described above, the state of the deposited material does not perfectly match between the reflection source data. Therefore, the point cloud data of the falling trajectory of the charge M acquired by the trajectory measurement unit 30 retains the point cloud of the deposited material. If the point cloud of the falling trajectory cannot be correctly identified due to this remaining point cloud of the deposited material, the trajectory measurement unit 30 may acquire the surface formed by the charge M deposited in the blast furnace F as a reference plane based on the acquired falling object data, and extract only the reflection intensity or point cloud data from the falling object data that is at a height above a predetermined height from the reference plane (i.e., a height with a slight margin to accommodate measurement variations, etc., on the higher side from the reference plane). Specifically, in the fourth example, the trajectory measurement unit 30 described above acquires the surface formed by the charge M deposited inside the blast furnace F as a reference surface, and adds a process to extract only the reflection intensity or point cloud data located at a height above a predetermined height from the reference surface.

[0074] As described above, the processing in the reflection source data acquisition step and the trajectory measurement step according to this embodiment is performed. In this embodiment, the blast furnace F may be operated by controlling the rotating chute C using the aforementioned drop trajectory measuring device 1 or drop trajectory measuring method.

[0075] (Examples) While raw materials (charge material M) were being charged into the blast furnace F from a rotating chute C, the inside of a cylindrical container, which simulated the blast furnace body, was measured using radar with a two-dimensional array antenna 10.

[0076] First, in the first reflector data acquisition step described above, the coordinates with an intensity equal to or greater than a preset threshold were extracted as point cloud data from the reflectance intensity I_1(x,y,z) inside the cylindrical container acquired by the first reflector data acquisition unit 22. The extracted results are shown in Figure 6.

[0077] Here, the origin of the coordinate system is the radar installation position, and the xy-plane is parallel to the ground. Also, on the xy-plane, the central axis of the cylindrical container is parallel to the z-axis and is located at x=0mm, y=2000mm. Furthermore, the intensity of the color in the point cloud in Figure 6 corresponds to the height z value. The circled portion of the output point cloud data represents the charge material M, which is the raw material being charged during its fall. Point clouds generated by the accumulated raw material and the furnace wall FW are output around the charge material M.

[0078] Therefore, with the aim of removing the point cloud of the accumulated raw material and the furnace wall FW into which the charge M has accumulated, the point cloud removal process other than the dropped charge M described in the second example above is applied. Using the xz plane at the position y=1800mm as an example, Figure 7 shows the reflection intensity I_1 (x,y=1800mm,z) when the rotating chute C is facing a certain direction, Figure 8 shows the reflection intensity I_2 (x,y=1800mm,z) when the rotating chute C is facing the opposite direction, and Figure 9 visualizes the signal intensity I_A (x,y=1800mm,z) calculated using Equation 2 above with a coefficient n=3.0, and displays the intensity of the color according to the reflection intensity or signal intensity.

[0079] In Figure 7, I_1 (x,y=1800mm,z) shows the falling charge M, whereas in Figure 8, I_2 (x,y=1800mm,z) shows the rotating chute C facing the opposite direction, so the falling charge M does not appear in the same xz plane. Furthermore, in both I_1 (x,y=1800mm,z) and I_2 (x,y=1800mm,z), high-intensity signals corresponding to the deposited material appear in spatially close positions. Therefore, in Figure 9, I_A (x,y=1800mm,z), which subtracts these signals, only the falling charge M is output with higher intensity than the other reflectors.

[0080] The above signal intensity calculation was applied to all three-dimensional spaces, and the coordinates with an intensity above a predetermined threshold were extracted as point cloud data, as shown in Figure 10. In Figure 10, the number of point clouds other than those of the falling charge M has decreased compared to Figure 6. Also, in Figure 10, point clouds of the deposited material and the furnace wall FW remain, which is thought to be due to the fact that the state of the deposited material does not perfectly match at the timing of acquisition of the two different reflection source data, and that the point cloud of the furnace wall FW, which is shadowed by the falling charge M obstructing the microwave propagation path, cannot be canceled out. In Figure 10, the point cloud of the falling charge M can be identified, but when the reflection intensity of the charge M is weak and there are few point clouds, it is difficult to measure only the falling trajectory.

[0081] Therefore, in order to remove the point cloud of the remaining furnace wall FW, we apply the point cloud removal process for all but the falling charge M described in the third example above, which utilizes the first reflector data, second reflector data, and zero reflector data. Specifically, the signal intensity I_A(x,y,z) calculated using the coefficients m=1.5 and n=3.0 in Equation 3 above is applied to all three-dimensional spaces, and the coordinates with an intensity above a certain threshold are extracted as point cloud data, as shown in Figure 11. In Figure 11, by subtracting both the second reflector data and the zero reflector data from the first reflector data, the point clouds of the furnace wall FW and accumulated material are significantly reduced, making it easier to identify the falling charge M.

[0082] In order to remove the point cloud of the small amount of residual sediment material shown in Figure 11, the point cloud removal process other than that of the falling charge M, as described in the fourth example above, was performed to extract only the point cloud located 50 mm above the reference plane formed by the sediment material from Figure 11. The result is shown in Figure 12. With the sediment material removed from Figure 11, only the falling charge M is output, and the three-dimensional falling trajectory can be measured.

[0083] As described above, according to the fall trajectory measuring device 1 of this embodiment, a two-dimensional array antenna transmits microwaves or millimeter waves into the blast furnace F as transmitted waves, and receives the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected inside the blast furnace F as received waves. By using microwaves or millimeter waves, which have a long wavelength and are less likely to be scattered by obstacles, the position of the charge M falling inside the blast furnace F can be measured stably without being interfered with by obstacles such as steam (glow) and fine particles including dust inside the blast furnace F.

[0084] Furthermore, the first reflection source data acquisition unit 22 acquires the reflection intensity or point cloud data within the blast furnace F at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace F at the time the charge M is falling from the rotating chute C, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna 10, almost simultaneously without significant timing differences in measurement for each position, as first reflection source data. Then, the trajectory measurement unit 30 acquires falling object data, which corresponds to the falling charge M, based on the first reflection source data acquired by the first reflection source data acquisition unit 22, and measures the trajectory of the falling charge M based on the acquired falling object data. In this way, the trajectory of the falling charge M can be acquired as three-dimensional data based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna. Thus, the falling trajectory of the charge M falling from the top of the blast furnace F can be measured in three dimensions with high accuracy.

[0085] Furthermore, the 0th reflector data acquisition unit 21 acquires the reflection intensity or point cloud data within the blast furnace F at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace F, or at times when the charge M is not falling from the rotating chute C, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna 10, as the 0th reflector data. The trajectory measurement unit 30 then subtracts the 0th reflector data from the 1st reflector data and deletes data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold to acquire the falling object data. This makes it possible to appropriately remove, for example, the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the furnace wall FW (an example of data that does not change due to differences in measurement timing) included in the 1st reflector data acquired by the 1st reflector data acquisition unit 22. Also, assuming that the state of the raw materials accumulated inside the furnace is constant, the reflection intensity or point cloud data of raw materials etc. accumulated inside the furnace (an example of data that does not change due to differences in measurement timing) included in the 1st reflector data can also be appropriately removed by subtracting the 0th reflector data from the 1st reflector data. Thus, the falling trajectory of the charge M falling from the top of the blast furnace F can be measured more accurately.

[0086] Furthermore, the second reflection source data acquisition unit 23 acquires, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna 10, the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace F or point cloud data inside the blast furnace F at other timings where the orientation of the rotating chute C is different from the timing when the charge M is falling from the rotating chute C, as second reflection source data. The trajectory measurement unit 30 then subtracts the second reflection source data from the first reflection source data and deletes data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold to acquire the falling object data. This makes it possible to appropriately remove, for example, the reflection intensity or point cloud data of raw materials accumulated inside the furnace, which changes over time as the charge M falls from the rotating chute C, in addition to the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the furnace wall FW included in the first reflection source data acquired by the first reflection source data acquisition unit 22. Therefore, the falling trajectory of the charge M falling from the top of the blast furnace F can be measured more accurately.

[0087] Here, the second reflection source data may include reflection intensity or point cloud data of the furnace wall FW in the shadowed area, where microwaves or millimeter waves do not propagate due to the shadow cast by the charge M falling inside the furnace. Therefore, the trajectory measurement unit 30 subtracts the second reflection source data from the first reflection source data and then deletes data located in a different direction from the direction of the charge M falling from the rotating chute C when the first reflection source data was acquired. This makes it possible to delete parts of the acquired falling object data that are affected by the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the furnace wall FW in the shadowed area as described above. Thus, the falling trajectory of the charge M falling from the top of the blast furnace F can be measured more accurately.

[0088] Furthermore, the 0th reflector data acquisition unit 21 acquires the reflection intensity or point cloud data within the blast furnace F at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace F, or at times when the charge M is not falling from the rotating chute C, based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna 10, as the 0th reflector data. The trajectory measurement unit 30 then subtracts the 2nd reflector data and the 0th reflector data from the 1st reflector data and deletes data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold to acquire the falling object data. As a result, the portion of the acquired falling object data that is affected by the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the furnace wall FW in the shaded area, as described above, can be removed by the 0th reflector data. Therefore, the falling trajectory of the charge M falling from the top of the blast furnace F can be measured more accurately.

[0089] Furthermore, the trajectory measurement unit 30 acquires the surface formed by the charge material M accumulated inside the blast furnace F as a reference surface based on the acquired falling object data, and extracts only the reflection intensity or point cloud data that is located at a predetermined height or higher from the reference surface from the falling object data. This makes it possible to remove the reflection intensity or point cloud data of the charge material M accumulated inside the blast furnace F from the falling object data. Therefore, the falling trajectory of the charge material M falling from the top of the blast furnace F can be measured more accurately.

[0090] Furthermore, according to this invention, in the transmission and reception step, a two-dimensional array antenna 10 is used to transmit microwaves or millimeter waves into the blast furnace F as transmitted waves, and the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected inside the blast furnace F are received as received waves. In this way, by using microwaves or millimeter waves, which have the property of having a long wavelength, the position of the charge M falling inside the blast furnace F can be measured stably.

[0091] Furthermore, according to the fall trajectory measurement method of this embodiment, in the first reflection source data acquisition step, the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace F or point cloud data inside the blast furnace F at the timing when the charge M is falling from the rotating chute C is acquired as first reflection source data based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna 10. Then, in the trajectory measurement step, based on the first reflection source data acquired in the first reflection source data acquisition step, falling object data, which is data corresponding to the falling charge M, is acquired, and the trajectory of the falling charge M is measured based on the acquired falling object data. As a result, the trajectory of the falling charge M can be acquired as three-dimensional data based on the received waves received by the two-dimensional array antenna 10. Therefore, the fall trajectory of the charge M falling from the top of the blast furnace F can be measured in three dimensions with high accuracy.

[0092] Furthermore, according to the operation method of the blast furnace F according to this embodiment, the swirling chute C is controlled using the drop trajectory measuring device 1 or drop trajectory measuring method according to this embodiment. This makes it possible to accurately measure the drop trajectory of the raw materials being charged into the blast furnace F during operation in three dimensions. By doing so, the angle of the swirling chute C can be appropriately adjusted to make the distribution of the charged material M in the circumferential and radial directions of the blast furnace F (charged material M distribution) uniform. Therefore, it is possible to suppress phenomena such as unevenness in the progress of the reduction reaction of the raw materials within the blast furnace F and uneven descent of the charged raw materials, which can cause the lower part of the furnace to cool. Thus, the blast furnace F can be operated stably.

[0093] It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the drop trajectory measuring device according to this embodiment may be applied to facilities other than the blast furnace F.

[0094] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes acquiring first and second reflection source data at different timings, a third reflection source data may be acquired at a timing different from both the first and second reflection source data, in order to further improve the accuracy of the measurement.

[0095] Furthermore, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, the components in the above embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described modifications may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0096] 1 Fall trajectory measuring device 10 2D Array Antenna 11 Transmitting antenna 12 Receiving antenna 20 Reflection source data acquisition unit 21. Data acquisition unit for the 0th reflection source 22. First Reflection Source Data Acquisition Unit 23. Second Reflection Source Data Acquisition Unit 30 Trajectory measurement section C Swinging Shot F blast furnace FW furnace wall M Charge

Claims

1. A fall trajectory measuring device for measuring the trajectory of a charge falling from a rotating chute that loads a charge into a blast furnace while rotating at the top of the blast furnace, A two-dimensional array antenna that transmits microwaves or millimeter waves as a transmitting wave into the blast furnace and receives the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected within the blast furnace as a receiving wave, Based on the received wave, a first reflection source data acquisition unit acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace as first reflection source data at the timing when the charge is falling from the rotating chute, Based on the first reflection source data, data corresponding to the falling object is obtained, A trajectory measuring unit measures the trajectory of the falling object based on the aforementioned falling object data, A device for measuring the trajectory of a fall.

2. Based on the received wave, the unit acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace as the 0th reflection source data at the time when the charge is not falling from the rotating chute, and has a 0th reflection source data acquisition unit. The trajectory measurement unit is, The falling object trajectory measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the falling object data is obtained by subtracting the 0th reflection source data from the 1st reflection source data and deleting data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold.

3. The system includes a second reflection source data acquisition unit that, based on the received wave, acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace as second reflection source data at a timing other than when the orientation of the rotating chute is different from the timing when the charge is falling from the rotating chute. The trajectory measurement unit is, The falling object trajectory measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the falling object data is obtained by subtracting the second reflection source data from the first reflection source data and deleting data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold.

4. The trajectory measurement unit is, The fall trajectory measuring device according to claim 3, wherein after subtracting the second reflection source data from the first reflection source data, data located in a direction different from the direction of the object falling from the rotating chute at the time the first reflection source data was acquired is deleted.

5. Based on the received wave, the unit acquires the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace as the 0th reflection source data at the time when the charge is not falling from the rotating chute, and has a 0th reflection source data acquisition unit. The falling object trajectory measuring device according to claim 3, wherein the trajectory measuring unit obtains the falling object data by subtracting the second reflection source data and the zero reflection source data from the first reflection source data and deleting data with an intensity below a predetermined threshold.

6. The trajectory measurement unit is, Based on the aforementioned falling object data, the surface formed by the charge material accumulated inside the blast furnace is acquired as a reference surface. A fall trajectory measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which extracts only the reflection intensity or point cloud data located at a predetermined height or higher from the reference plane from the aforementioned fall object data.

7. A method for measuring the trajectory of a charge falling from a rotating chute that loads a charge into a blast furnace while rotating at the top of the blast furnace, A transmitting and receiving step of using a two-dimensional array antenna to transmit microwaves or millimeter waves into the blast furnace as transmitted waves, and receiving the microwaves or millimeter waves reflected inside the blast furnace as received waves, Based on the received wave, a first reflection source data acquisition step is performed to acquire the reflection intensity at each position in the three-dimensional space inside the blast furnace or point cloud data inside the blast furnace as first reflection source data at the timing when the charge is falling from the rotating chute, Based on the first reflection source data, data corresponding to the falling object is obtained, A trajectory measurement step, which measures the trajectory of the falling object based on the aforementioned falling object data, A method for measuring the trajectory of a fall, comprising the following features.

8. A blast furnace operation method for controlling a rotating chute using a fall trajectory measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or a fall trajectory measuring method according to claim 7.

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