Cropping control system for hot mill operation

Abstract

A cropping system for cropping a metal slab (102) includes at least one of a cropping length (1035, 524) system and a slab positioning system. The cropping length (1035, 524) system includes optical sensors (118A, 118B, 318A, 318B, 518) for detecting defects at an end (1031) of the metal slab (102), and the cropping length (1035, 524) system can determine a cropping position of the metal slab (102) based on the detected defects. The slab positioning system includes optical sensors (118A, 118B, 318A, 318B, 518) for measuring the position of an end (1031) of the metal slab (102) relative to a cropping device of the cropping system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Reference to Related Applications This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 364,684, filed on May 13, 2022, entitled CROPPING CONTROL SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HOT MILL OPERATIONS, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] This application generally relates to metal processing, and more specifically, to systems and methods for controlling the cropping of metal slabs, particularly, but not limited to, during hot mill operations.

Background Art

[0003] Metal processing of metal slabs, such as hot mill operations, often requires cropping of one or both ends of the metal slab (commonly referred to as the head and tail of the metal slab) in order to remove defects such as rollover and / or delamination.

[0004] Conventionally, the length of the particular end to be cropped has been determined by the operator based on their assessment of the defect, and the slab has been manually positioned under the cropping device for cropping without any other guidance. Although the operator may be skilled at making such assessments and positioning of the slab, existing techniques are prone to operator error or subjectivity, and the cropping length can vary depending on the operator.

[0005] Other conventional methods may involve using encoders on the rollers of a roller table to measure the slab speed, and therefore the length of the slab under the cropping device. However, the encoder becomes inaccurate because the sliding of the metal slab on the rolls causes errors in length calculations. Yet another conventional technique has involved Doppler for measuring the length of metal slabs. However, such techniques are inaccurate and unreliable because the surface roughness of the metal slab causes errors in speed calculations, and such devices cannot measure metal slabs moving at the slow speeds that may be necessary for proper positioning of the metal slab. Thus, existing techniques are susceptible to accuracy and repeatability issues, leading to increased material waste (e.g., due to over-cropping the metal slab) and / or defects in the slab (e.g., due to under-cropping the metal slab), which can cause problems during subsequent metal processing. [Overview of the project]

[0006] The embodiments to which this patent applies are defined by the claims below, not by the summary of this invention. The summary of this invention is a high-level summary of various embodiments and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the section on embodiments for carrying out the invention below. The summary of this invention is not intended to identify any important or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used alone to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by referring to the entire specification of this patent, any or all of the drawings, and the appropriate parts of each claim.

[0007] According to a particular embodiment, a cropping system for cropping a metal slab includes a slab positioning system. The slab positioning system includes an optical sensor for measuring the position of the end of the metal slab relative to the cropping device of the cropping system. The slab positioning system also includes a controller communicatively coupled to the optical sensor. The controller can generate a position control response based on the measured position of the end of the metal slab from the optical sensor.

[0008] According to some embodiments, a cropping system for cropping a metal slab includes a slab positioning system. The slab positioning system includes an optical sensor for detecting the edge of the metal slab, and a controller communicatively coupled to the optical sensor. In some embodiments, the controller may receive visual data from the optical sensor, including the detected edge of the metal slab, measure the length of a target region at the edge of the metal slab based on the received visual data, and generate a position control response based on the measured length of the target region at the edge of the metal slab.

[0009] According to various embodiments, a method for cropping a metal slab by a cropping system includes receiving a measured position of the end of the metal slab relative to the cropping device of the cropping system from an optical sensor, and controlling the end of the metal slab relative to the cropping device based on the measured position of the end of the metal slab.

[0010] According to a particular embodiment, a cropping system for cropping a metal slab includes a cropping length system. The cropping length system includes an optical sensor for detecting defects within the end of the metal slab, and a controller communicatively coupled to the optical sensor. The controller can determine the cropping position within the metal slab based on the defects detected by the optical sensor.

[0011] According to various embodiments, a method for cropping a metal slab using a cropping system includes receiving detection of defects within the edge of the metal slab from an optical sensor, determining a cropping position within the metal slab based on the defects detected by the optical sensor, and controlling the metal slab to the cropping device of the cropping system based on the determined cropping position.

[0012] According to some embodiments, a cropping system for cropping a metal slab includes a cropping length system and a slab positioning system. The cropping length system includes a first optical sensor for detecting defects within the end of the metal slab. The slab positioning system includes a second optical sensor for measuring the position of the end of the metal slab relative to the cropping device of the cropping system. In some embodiments, the cropping system includes a controller which can determine the cropping position within the metal slab based on defects detected by the first optical sensor and the actual position of the cropping position relative to the cropping device based on the measured position of the end of the metal slab from the second optical sensor. In some embodiments, the controller can generate a position control response based on the actual position of the cropping position relative to the cropping device.

[0013] The various embodiments described herein may include additional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which are not necessarily expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. All such systems, methods, features, and advantages are intended to be contained within this disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.

[0014] This specification refers to the following attached drawings, but where similar reference numbers are used in different drawings, it is intended to indicate similar or similar components. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1A] This shows a cropping system according to an embodiment in which the metal slab is in a first position relative to the cropping device. [Figure 1B] Figure 1A is a top view of the cropping system, in which the sensing area is shown on a metal slab. [Figure 2A] Figures 1A and 1B show a cropping system in which the metal slab is in the second position relative to the cropping device. [Figure 2B] Figure 2A is a top view of the cropping system, in which the sensing area is shown on a metal slab. [Figure 3] This shows a cropping system according to an embodiment in which the metal slab is in a first position relative to the cropping device. [Figure 4] Figure 3 shows a cropping system in which the metal slab is in the second position relative to the cropping device. [Figure 5] A cropping system according to an embodiment is shown. [Figure 6] A cropping system according to an embodiment is shown. [Figure 7] Figure 6 shows an image of a metal slab obtained using the cropping system. [Figure 8] A cropping system according to an embodiment is shown. [Figure 9] Figure 8 shows a thermal image of a metal slab obtained using the cropping system. [Figure 10] This is a perspective view of a cropping system according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 10 is an end view of the cropping system. [Figure 12] Figure 10 is a top view of the cropping system. [Figure 13] Figure 10 shows an image of the defects obtained by the cropping system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] This specification describes a system and method for cropping a metal slab. In some embodiments, the systems and methods provided herein may be particularly useful for cropping metal slabs of aluminum or aluminum alloys, although in other embodiments, the systems and methods described herein may be used with any type of metal slab as needed. In some embodiments, the systems and methods described herein provide improved identification of defects within the ends of the metal slab (e.g., the head or tail of the metal slab), and determination of the cropping length based on the detected defects. Additionally, or alternatively, the disclosed systems and methods may provide improved measurement of the cropping length on the metal slab. In certain embodiments, the systems and methods provided herein may generate or cause various output responses based on the determined cropping length or the measured value of the cropping length. The disclosed systems and methods may provide a cropping operation that is optimized to improve accuracy and minimize waste compared to conventional cropping systems. Various other benefits and advantages may be realized by the systems and methods provided herein, and the above advantages should not be considered limiting.

[0017] Figures 1A-1B and 2A-2B show a cropping system 100 for a metal slab 102, with a cropping control system 112, in various embodiments. In certain embodiments, the cropping system 100 may optionally be located downstream from the hot rolling mill 101, while in other embodiments, the cropping system 100 may be located at other locations as desired. In addition to the cropping control system 112, the cropping system 100 generally includes one or more cropping devices 104 and one or more supports 106. The one or more supports 106 may be various devices or mechanisms suitable for supporting the metal slab 102 when it moves through the cropping system 100 (indicated by arrows 111). In the illustrated embodiments, the one or more supports 106 include a plurality of rollers 108, such as the rollers 108, which may be supported by a table or other support structure. The cropping device 104 may include, but is not limited to, a heavy shear or a light shear, and may be a variety of devices or mechanisms suitable for cropping or shearing the metal slab 102 as desired.

[0018] In certain embodiments, such as the result of rolling by the hot rolling mill 101, at least one of the head end 103 or the tail end 105 of the metal slab 102 may have defects and / or may need to be cropped in other ways before the metal slab 102 can be further processed. In such embodiments, a cropping control system 112 can be used to improve the cropping operation performed by the cropping device 104. In various embodiments, the cropping control system 112 includes one or more of a controller 114, and a slab positioning system (see, for example, FIGS. 1A-1B, FIGS. 2A-2B, and FIGS. 3-9) and / or a cropping length system (see, for example, FIGS. 10-14). Thus, a slab positioning system 116 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and in other embodiments, the cropping system 100 may include only a cropping length system, or both a slab positioning system and a cropping length system. As discussed in detail below, the slab positioning system of the cropping control system 112 can be utilized to determine and / or control the position of the metal slab 102 relative to the cropping device 104 for the cropping operation, and the cropping length system can be utilized to determine and / or control the specific amount of the end portion to be cropped during the cropping operation.

[0019] The controller 114 of the cropping control system 112 may include one or more processing units and / or one or more memory devices. The processing units of the controller 114 may include, but are not limited to, one or more application-specific integrated circuits, digital signal processors, digital signal processing devices, programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays, processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units, and / or combinations thereof, and may be a variety of suitable processing devices or combinations of devices. The one or more memory devices of the controller 114 may include, but are not limited to, any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other storage medium, and may be any machine-readable medium accessible by the processor, and may not be limited to any particular type of memory or number of memories, or the type of medium in which the memory is stored. Furthermore, as disclosed herein, the terms “storage medium,” “storage,” or “memory” may refer to one or more memories for storing data, including read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage medium, optical storage medium, flash memory device, and / or other machine-readable medium for storing information. The term “machine-readable media” includes, but is not limited to, portable or fixed memory devices, optical memory devices, wireless channels, and / or various other memory media that contain or transmit instructions and / or data.

[0020] In certain embodiments, the controller 114 optionally includes an associated user interface, including but not limited to a graphical user interface or a human-machine interface, thereby enabling the controller 114 to obtain information from and / or provide information to the user. In such embodiments, the user interface and / or human-machine interface may be located on the controller 114 itself or at a remote location from the controller 114. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 114 may optionally include various communication modules, enabling the controller 114 to receive and / or transmit information as needed. Non-limiting examples of communication modules may include systems and mechanisms enabling wired and / or wireless communication (e.g., short-range, cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, Bluetooth® Low Energy, etc.).

[0021] In certain embodiments, the controller 114 is communicatively coupled to the cropping device 104 and the cropping length system and / or slab positioning system to control the cropping operation based on information from the cropping length system and / or slab positioning system, as described in detail below.

[0022] Slab positioning system In various embodiments, the cropping control system 112 includes a slab positioning system for determining and / or controlling the position of the metal slab 102 relative to the cropping device 104 during the cropping operation. Such slab positioning systems can provide improved detection and / or control of the metal slab 102 relative to the cropping device 104.

[0023] Figures 1A-1B and 2A-2B show a cropping control system 112 with an example of a slab positioning system 116. As shown in Figures 1A-1B and 2A-2B, in a particular embodiment, the slab positioning system 116 includes one or more optical sensors 118 that are positioned relative to the cropping device 104 and measure the position of the end of the metal slab 102 relative to the cropping device 104. In Figures 1A-1B and 2A-2B, it is shown that the slab positioning system 116 measures the head end 103 of the metal slab 102, and the slab positioning system 116 is described in terms of measuring the head end 103. However, the slab positioning system 116 may be used similarly to measure the position of the tail end 105 of the metal slab 102.

[0024] In the embodiments of Figures 1A-1B and 2A-2B, the slab positioning system 116 includes two optical sensors 118A-118B, with optical sensor 118A located upstream of the cropping device 104 and optical sensor 118B located downstream of the cropping device 104. However, in other embodiments, any number of optical sensors 118 may be used. One or more optical sensors 118 may be of various types as desired, including, but not limited to, laser-based optical sensors, cameras for various wavelengths as desired (e.g., ultraviolet cameras, visible light cameras, infrared cameras, etc.), machine vision cameras, combinations thereof, and / or other optical sensors as desired. In some non-limiting examples, the optical sensors 118 may acquire and / or output visual data of the metal slab 102, although this is not required in other embodiments.

[0025] In the embodiments shown in Figures 1A-1B and 2A-2B, the optical sensors 118A-118B are laser-based sensors. In this embodiment, each optical sensor 118A-118B is positioned above the pass line of the metal slab 102 and optionally in the center of the support 106. As best shown in Figures 1B and 2B, each optical sensor 118A-118B generates a sensing area 120 (e.g., a laser) in a plane extending parallel to the rolling direction 111. In certain embodiments, the optical sensors 118A-118B may automatically provide measurements of the position of the head end 103 of the metal slab 102 relative to the cropping device 104. In some examples, the optical sensors 118A-118B may use projected laser lines to measure the 3D cross-sectional geometric shape of a portion or surface of the metal slab 102 and / or other parts. In other embodiments, the optical sensors 118A-118B may automatically measure the head end 103 using other techniques as desired. For example, optical sensor 118A may measure the position of the head end 103 of the metal slab 102 upstream from the cropping device 104 (Figures 1A-1B), and optical sensor 118B may measure the position of the head end 103 of the metal slab 102 downstream from the cropping device 104 (Figures 2A-2B). In various embodiments, based on the position of the head end 103 relative to the cropping device 104 detected by the optical sensors 118, the controller 114 of the cropping control system 112 may generate a position control response. In some embodiments, the position control response from the controller 114 based on the position detected by the slab positioning system 116 may include generating an alert (e.g., text, audio, image, etc.) on a display of a human-machine interface associated with the controller 114. In these embodiments, the alert may include the detected position of the headend 103, and optionally, the alert may include a comparison (or other indication) of the detected position of the headend 103 to a desired position of the headend 103 relative to the cropping device 104.

[0026] In addition or alternatively, the position control response from the controller 114 may include controlling the position of the metal slab 102 relative to the cropping device 104. In such embodiments, the position control response may include activating positioning equipment such as, but not limited to, rollers 108. In such embodiments, activating the positioning equipment may move the metal slab 102 upstream or downstream of the cropping device 104 so that it is in a desired and / or a desired (e.g., predetermined or detected) position relative to the cropping device 104. In a non-limiting example, based on detection by the optical sensor 118A, where the headend 103 is upstream of the cropping device 104, the controller 114 may activate the positioning equipment to move the metal slab 102 downstream. In such embodiments, the metal slab 102 may optionally move downstream until the optical sensor 118B detects that the head end 103 is downstream of the cropping device 104, and / or until the head end 103 is in a desired position downstream of the cropping device 104. In other non-limiting examples, based on the optical sensor 118B's detection that the head end 103 is downstream of the cropping device 104 but is shorter or longer than a desired distance from the cropping device 104, the controller 114 may control the positioning device to move the metal slab 102 upstream or downstream to position the metal slab 102 in a desired position. Based on position information from the slab positioning system 116 via the optical sensor 118, the controller 114 may implement a variety of other position controls, and the examples described above should not be considered limiting.

[0027] Figures 3 and 4 show other cropping systems 300, which are substantially similar to cropping system 100 and include a slab positioning system 316. The slab positioning system 316 is substantially similar to slab positioning system 116, except that the slab positioning system 316 includes different types of optical sensors 318A-318B. However, like optical sensors 118A-118B, optical sensors 318A-318B are laser-based sensors positioned above the pass line of the metal slab 102 and generate a sensing area 320 in a plane extending parallel to the rolling direction 111. In these embodiments, like optical sensors 118A-118B, optical sensors 318A-318B can automatically provide measurements of the position of the head end 103 of the metal slab 102 relative to the cropping device 104. Figure 3 shows an optical sensor 318A that measures the position of the head end 103 of the metal slab 102 upstream from the cropping device 104, and Figure 4 shows an optical sensor 318B that measures the position of the head end 103 of the metal slab 102 downstream from the cropping device 104. Similar to the cropping system 100, the cropping system 300 may include a controller 114 to control at least part of the positioning and / or cropping operation of the metal slab 102 based on information from the slab positioning system 316.

[0028] Figure 5 shows another cropping system 500, which is substantially similar to cropping system 100 and includes a slab positioning system 516. Compared to slab positioning system 116, slab positioning system 516 includes an optical sensor 518, which is a laser velocometer that directs a laser 520 onto the metal slab 102. In this embodiment, the optical sensor 518 may be positioned at a known distance 522 from the cropping device 104. In such embodiments, based on the known distance 522 and the scan distance or length 524 measured by the optical sensor 518, the controller 114 may determine the position of the headend 103 relative to the cropping device 104. As a non-limiting example, if the known distance 522 is 250 cm and the scan length 524 is 275 cm, the controller may determine that the position of the headend 103 is 25 cm downstream from the cropping device 104. Similar to slab positioning system 516, various position control responses may be implemented based on the determined position of the headend 103.

[0029] Figures 6 and 7 show other cropping systems 600, which are substantially similar to cropping system 100 and include a slab positioning system 316. Compared to slab positioning system 116, slab positioning system 616 includes a camera 618 having a sensing area 620. The camera 618 may include, but is not limited to, an optical or video camera, a single or multi-stereo camera, an RGB-D camera, and / or other types of cameras as desired, either alone or in any combination. Although a single camera 618 is shown, in other embodiments, slab positioning system 616 may include multiple cameras, and in such embodiments, the cameras do not need to be of the same type. Furthermore, the camera(s) 618 may be positioned or oriented in various locations or orientations as desired.

[0030] In certain embodiments, the camera 618 may be calibrated using various techniques or mechanisms as desired so that a defined portion of the visual data from the camera 618 (e.g., pixels in an image or video) corresponds to a known measurement (e.g., millimeters). In such embodiments, the camera 618 may detect a portion of the metal slab 102 within the sensing area 620, and the length or position from the head end 103 may be automatically determined based on the calibration. Figure 7 shows an example of the metal slab 102 and the detected portion of the metal slab 102 (red line 628) using the slab positioning system 616. In embodiments such as the slab positioning system 616, which includes an optical or video camera, various auxiliary devices, techniques, or mechanisms may be used to facilitate the detection of the metal slab 102 on the support 106 and / or to improve the accuracy of the detected metal slab 102. Non-limiting examples of such auxiliary devices, techniques, or mechanisms may include filters for enhancing the contrast between the metal slab 102 and the support 106, lighting devices for highlighting the metal slab 102, lighting devices for enhancing the contrast between the metal slab 102 and the support 106, combinations thereof, and / or other devices, techniques, or mechanisms as desired.

[0031] In various embodiments, in addition to detecting the position of the head end 103 of the metal slab 102, the slab positioning system 616 with camera 618 may optionally enable the definition of a cropping region. As a non-limiting example, based on visual data from camera 618, controller 114 may define the region to be cropped on the visual data. Additionally or alternatively, the visual data may be provided to an operator (e.g., on a human-machine interface), and the operator may provide identification of the portion of the metal slab 102 to be cropped. In such embodiments, controller may use calibrated visual data from camera 618 to determine the cropping region identified by the operator. Additionally or alternatively, the slab positioning system 616 with camera 618 may enable the estimation of the volume of the metal slab 102 to be cropped. For example, based on the known or detected thickness of the metal slab 102 and the defined cropping region, controller 114 may use calibrated visual data from camera 618 to determine the volume to be cropped.

[0032] Figures 8 and 9 show another cropping system 800, which is substantially similar to cropping system 100 and includes a slab positioning system 816. Compared to slab positioning system 116, slab positioning system 816 includes a thermal camera 818 having a sensing area 820. As best shown in Figure 9, a thermal image or video from the thermal camera 818 can facilitate detection of the metal slab 102 because the metal slab 102 is highlighted in the thermal image when it becomes significantly hotter than its environment. In this embodiment, the head end 103 of the metal slab 102 can be detected based on the initial detection of the highlighted head end 103. As described above, regardless of the specific slab positioning system used by the cropping control system 112, the controller 114 can use information from the slab positioning system to generate one or more position control responses.

[0033] Referring back to Figures 1 and 2, a method of controlling the cropping operation using the slab positioning system 116 may include the controller 114 receiving the detected position of the head end 103 (and / or tail end) of the metal slab 102 from one or both of the optical sensors 118A-118B. This method includes the controller 114 generating a position control response based on the detected position of the head end 103. In some embodiments, generating a position control response may include generating an alert or alarm to an operator using a human-machine interface and / or controlling the position of the metal slab 102 relative to the cropping device 104. The method may include the cropping device 104 cropping the metal slab 102 based on the metal slab 102 being in a desired position relative to the cropping device 104. Various other processes may be performed using the slab positioning system 116, and the control processes described above should not be considered limiting.

[0034] Cropping length system In certain embodiments, as described above, the cropping control system 112 includes a cropping length system for determining and / or controlling the amount by which a particular end needs to be cropped during the cropping operation. The cropping length system may include the slab positioning system described herein, but is not required in other embodiments.

[0035] Figures 10–13 show an example of a cropping system 1000 in which a cropping control system 112 includes a cropping length system 1026. In certain embodiments, the cropping length system 1026 includes one or more optical sensors 1028 positioned relative to the pass line of the metal slab 102 (for example, as defined by the support 106 in Figures 11–13) for measuring the end of the metal slab 102. In embodiments of Figures 10–15, the optical sensors 1028 are shown as measuring the head end 103, but the cropping length system 1026 may similarly measure the tail end 105.

[0036] In the embodiments shown in Figures 10–13, the cropping length system 1026 includes two optical sensors 1028A–1028B. One or more optical sensors 1028 may be various types of optical sensors as desired, including, but not limited to, laser-based optical sensors, thermal (e.g., infrared) cameras, visible light cameras, cameras of other wavelengths, machine vision cameras, combinations thereof, and / or other optical sensors as desired. In some non-limiting examples, the optical sensors 1028 may acquire and / or output visual data of the metal slab 102, although this is not required in other embodiments. In the embodiments shown in Figures 10–14, the optical sensors 1028A–1028B are laser-based sensors with a sensing area 1030 (e.g., a laser). In some examples, the optical sensors 1028A–1028B may use projected laser lines to measure the 3D geometric shape of a section or surface of the metal slab 102 and / or other parts. In the embodiments shown in Figures 10 to 14, the optical sensors 1028A to 1028B may be configured to measure the head end 103 in the thickness direction, as best shown in Figure 10, so that the cropping length system 1026 can detect and / or measure defects in the metal slab 102, such as delamination cavities 1029 within the head end 103 of the metal slab 102.

[0037] As best shown in Figures 11 and 12, the optical sensors 1028A to 1028B are mounted on the opposite side of the pass line of the metal slab 102. The optical sensors 1028A to 1028B may be mounted at various heights relative to the pass line as desired, and the sensor heights shown in Figure 11 should not be considered limiting. Furthermore, the optical sensors 1028A to 1028B do not need to be at the same height. Similarly, the optical sensors 1028A to 1028B may be mounted at various distances relative to the pass line of the metal slab 102, and the illustrated distances should not be considered limiting.

[0038] In some embodiments, as best shown in Figure 12, the light sensors 1028A-1028B are optionally oriented obliquely to the width direction of the metal slab 102. As a non-limiting example, one or both of the light sensors 1028A-1028B may be positioned at an angle of 30° to less than 90°, e.g., 45° to less than 90°, e.g., 60° to less than 90°, with respect to the width direction of the metal slab 102. In other embodiments, one or both of the light sensors 1028A-1028B may be positioned perpendicular (or 90°) to the width direction of the metal slab 102.

[0039] In certain embodiments, the optical sensors 1028A-1028B may automatically provide measurements of the head end 103 of the metal slab 102. In various embodiments, as shown in Figure 13, the optical sensors 1028A-1028B may provide measurements of at least a portion 1033 of the delamination cavity 1029 within the head end 103. As shown in Figure 13, in some embodiments, the optical sensors 1028A-1028B may not be able to measure up to the end 1031 of the delamination cavity 1029 (i.e., the end 1031 is hidden from optical detection). In such embodiments, if the detected portion 1033 is determined to be the cropping length, a portion of the delamination defect remains in the metal slab 102, which may cause problems during subsequent processing of the metal slab 102. In various embodiments, the actual length 1035 of the delamination cavity 1029 can be determined by the controller 114 (and / or operator) by adding an adjustment value 1037 for the hidden length to a portion 1033 measured by optical sensors 1028A-1028B. In various embodiments, the adjustment value 1037 can be determined statistically, by modeling and / or by other techniques, as desired. In certain embodiments, the adjustment value 1037 may be predetermined, while in other embodiments, the adjustment value 1037 may be determined based on the portion 1033 of the delamination cavity 1029 and / or other characterizations or properties of the metal slab 102.

[0040] In various embodiments, based on measurements from optical sensors 1028A-1028B and / or the determined actual length 1035 of the delamination cavity 1029 in the headend 103, the controller 114 of the cropping control system 112 may generate a length control response. In some embodiments, the length control response may include generating an alert (e.g., text, audio, image, etc.) on a display of a human-machine interface associated with the controller 114. In such embodiments, the alert may include the determined cropping length or the distance from the headend 103 to which cropping should be performed by the cropping device. Additionally or alternatively, the length control response from the controller 114 may include controlling the cropping device 104 so that the metal slab 102 is cropped by the determined cropping length. Optionally, such control may optionally include providing the determined cropping length to a slab positioning system, which may position the metal slab based on the determined cropping length. Based on the cropping length information determined from the cropping length system 1026, the controller 114 may implement various other position controls, and the examples described above should not be considered limiting.

[0041] A method for controlling the cropping operation using the cropping length system 1026 may include the controller 114 receiving the measured length of at least a portion 1033 of the delamination cavity 1029 from one or both of the optical sensors 1028A-1028B. Optionally, the method includes determining the actual length of the delamination cavity, which may be the minimum cropping length, by adding an adjustment value to the measured cavity length. In some embodiments, the method includes the controller 114 determining the adjustment value based on modeling or other techniques as desired. The method also includes the controller 114 generating a length control response based on the determined cropping length of the head end 103. In some embodiments, generating the length control response includes generating an alert or alarm to an operator using a human-machine interface and / or controlling the position of the metal slab 102 relative to the cropping device 104 so that the cropping device 104 crops the metal slab to the determined cropping length. Optionally, the method includes controlling the position of the metal slab 102 using one or more slab positioning systems described herein. Various other processes may be performed using the cropping length system 1026, and the aforementioned control processes should not be considered limiting.

[0042] Example A collection of exemplary embodiments is provided below, including at least some expressly listed as “exemplary” to provide further explanation of various exemplary embodiments of the concepts described herein. These examples are not intended to be mutually exclusive, exhaustive, or restrictive, and this disclosure is not limited to these exemplary explanatory examples, but rather encompasses all possible modifications and variations within the scope of the issued claims and their equivalents.

[0043] Example 1. A cropping system for cropping a metal slab, the cropping system comprising a slab positioning system, the slab positioning system comprising: an optical sensor configured to measure the position of the end of the metal slab relative to a cropping device of the cropping system; and a controller communicatively coupled to the optical sensor, the controller configured to generate a position control response based on the measured position of the end of the metal slab by the optical sensor.

[0044] Example 2. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or subsequent examples or combination of examples, wherein the optical sensor is a first optical sensor configured to measure the position of the end of the metal slab upstream of the cropping device, and the slab positioning system further includes a second optical sensor configured to measure the position of the end of the metal slab downstream of the cropping device.

[0045] Example 3. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or succeeding examples or a combination of examples, wherein the optical sensor is positioned above the pass line of the metal slab through the cropping system, and the optical sensor is configured to measure the metal slab in a plane parallel to the processing direction of the metal slab.

[0046] Example 4. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or following examples or a combination of examples, wherein the optical sensor is a laser-based optical sensor.

[0047] Example 5. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or succeeding examples or combination thereof, wherein the optical sensor is a thermal camera.

[0048] Example 6. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or following examples or combination thereof, wherein the controller is configured to position the metal slab relative to the cropping device, or to generate a display on a human-machine interface as a position control response.

[0049] Example 7. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or succeeding examples or a combination of examples, wherein the optical sensor is a machine vision camera positioned above the pass line of the metal slab through the cropping system.

[0050] Example 8. A cropping system for cropping a metal slab, the cropping system comprising a slab positioning system, the slab positioning system comprising: an optical sensor configured to detect an end of the metal slab; and a controller communicatively coupled to the optical sensor, the controller configured to receive visual data from the optical sensor including the detected end of the metal slab; measure the length of a target region of the end of the metal slab based on the received visual data; and generate a position control response based on the measured length of the target region of the end of the metal slab.

[0051] Example 9. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or succeeding examples or a combination of examples, wherein the optical sensor is a machine vision camera positioned above the pass line of the metal slab through the cropping system.

[0052] Example 10. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or succeeding examples or combination thereof, wherein the optical sensor is a thermal camera.

[0053] Example 11. A method for cropping a metal slab using a cropping system, comprising: receiving a measured position of the end of the metal slab relative to a cropping device of the cropping system from an optical sensor; and controlling the end of the metal slab relative to the cropping device based on the measured position of the end of the metal slab.

[0054] Example 12. The method by any preceding or subsequent example or combination of examples, wherein the optical sensor is a first optical sensor located upstream of the cropping device, and the method further includes receiving a measured position of the end of the metal slab downstream of the cropping device from a second optical sensor located downstream of the cropping device.

[0055] Example 13. The method by any preceding or succeeding example or combination of examples, further comprising cropping the metal slab based on the measured position of the end of the metal slab.

[0056] Example 14. A cropping system for cropping a metal slab, the cropping system comprising a cropping length system, the cropping length system comprising an optical sensor configured to detect defects within the end of the metal slab, and a controller communicatively coupled to the optical sensor, the controller configured to determine a cropping position within the metal slab based on the defects detected by the optical sensor.

[0057] Example 15. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or succeeding examples or combination thereof, wherein the optical sensor is a laser-based optical sensor.

[0058] Example 16. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or succeeding examples or combination of examples, wherein the optical sensor is mounted at an angle between the rolling direction and the width direction as defined by the cropping system for the metal slab.

[0059] Example 17. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or succeeding examples or a combination of examples, wherein the angle is between 45° and less than 90° (including both ends) with respect to the width direction.

[0060] Example 18. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or following examples or a combination of examples, wherein the optical sensor is configured to detect the defect in the thickness direction of the metal slab.

[0061] Example 19. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or succeeding examples or combination of examples, wherein the optical sensor is a first optical sensor, the cropping length system further includes a second optical sensor, the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor are configured to detect the defect in the thickness direction of the metal slab, the first optical sensor is at a first angle between the rolling direction and the width direction as defined by the cropping system for the metal slab, and the second optical sensor is at a second angle different from the first angle, between the rolling direction and the width direction.

[0062] Example 20. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or following examples or a combination of examples, wherein the controller is configured to determine the cropping position by determining the total length of the defect, and the controller is configured to determine the total length of the defect by determining a measured length of the defect based on the detection by the optical sensor and by adding the hidden length of the defect to the measured length of the defect to determine the total length of the defect.

[0063] Example 21. A cropping system according to any of the preceding or succeeding examples or a combination of examples, wherein the hidden length of the defect is a predetermined estimated hidden length.

[0064] Example 22. A method for cropping a metal slab using a cropping system, comprising: receiving detection of a defect within the end of the metal slab from an optical sensor; determining a cropping position within the metal slab based on the defect detected by the optical sensor; and controlling the metal slab to the cropping device of the cropping system based on the determined cropping position.

[0065] Example 23. The method of any of the preceding or following examples or a combination of examples, further comprising the optical sensor detecting the defect in the end of the metal slab while the optical sensor is mounted at an angle between the rolling direction and the width direction as defined by the cropping system for the metal slab.

[0066] Example 24. A method by which determining the cropping position includes determining the overall length of the defect, and determining the overall length of the defect includes determining a measured length of the defect based on the detection by the optical sensor, and adding the hidden length of the defect to the measured length of the defect to determine the overall length of the defect, either a preceding or succeeding example or a combination of examples.

[0067] Example 25. A method by which determining the overall length of the defect further includes determining the hidden length of the defect based on a model, either a preceding or succeeding example or a combination of examples.

[0068] Example 26. A cropping system for cropping a metal slab, comprising: a cropping length system including a first photosensor configured to detect defects within the end of the metal slab; a slab positioning system including a second photosensor configured to measure the position of the end of the metal slab relative to a cropping device of the cropping system; and a controller configured to determine a cropping position within the metal slab based on the detected defects from the first photosensor, to determine the actual position of the cropping position relative to the cropping device based on the measured position of the end of the metal slab from the photosensor, and to generate a position control response based on the actual position of the cropping position relative to the cropping device.

[0069] The subject matter of the embodiments is described herein with specificity to satisfy statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be construed as implying any particular order or arrangement between different steps or elements, except where the order of individual steps or the arrangement of elements is explicitly described. Directional references such as “top,” “bottom,” “highest,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “front,” and “rear” are intended to refer to orientations illustrated and described in, among other things, in one or more figures to which the components and directions refer. Throughout this disclosure, reference figures accompanied by letters refer to specific examples of elements, while reference figures without letters refer to elements in general or collectively. Therefore, as an example (not shown), device "12A" refers to instances of a device class collectively called device "12," and any one of these may be collectively referred to as device "12." In the drawings and descriptions, similar numbers are intended to represent similar elements. As used herein, "a," "an," and "the" include singular and plural references unless explicitly indicated otherwise by the context.

[0070] The embodiments described above are merely possible examples of embodiments and are described solely to provide a clear understanding of the principles of this disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the embodiments(s) described above without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of this disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be incorporated herein within the scope of this disclosure, and all possible claims for individual embodiments or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by this disclosure. Furthermore, certain terms are used herein and in the following claims, but they are used only in a general and descriptive sense and are not intended to limit the embodiments described or the following claims. The inventions disclosed herein include the following embodiments: [1] A cropping system for cropping a metal slab, the cropping system includes a slab positioning system, The aforementioned slab positioning system is A light sensor configured to measure the position of the end of the metal slab relative to the cropping device of the cropping system, A controller, which is communicatively coupled to the optical sensor and configured to generate a position control response based on the measured position of the end of the metal slab by the optical sensor, including, The aforementioned cropping system. [2] The cropping system according to [1], wherein the optical sensor is a first optical sensor configured to measure the position of the end of the metal slab upstream of the cropping device, and the slab positioning system further includes a second optical sensor configured to measure the position of the end of the metal slab downstream of the cropping device. [3] The cropping system according to [1], wherein the optical sensor is positioned above the pass line of the metal slab through the cropping system, and the optical sensor is configured to measure the metal slab in a plane extending in a direction parallel to the processing direction of the metal slab. [4] The cropping system according to [1] above, wherein the optical sensor is a laser-based optical sensor. [5] The cropping system according to [1] above, wherein the optical sensor is a thermal camera. [6] The cropping system according to [1], wherein the controller is configured to position the metal slab relative to the cropping device or to generate a display on a human-machine interface as a position control response. [7] The cropping system according to [1] above, wherein the optical sensor is a machine vision camera positioned above the pass line of the metal slab through the cropping system. [8] A cropping system for cropping a metal slab, the cropping system includes a slab positioning system, The aforementioned slab positioning system is A light sensor configured to detect the end of the metal slab, A controller that is communicatively coupled to the aforementioned optical sensor, Includes, The aforementioned controller, Visual data including the detected end of the metal slab is received from the optical sensor. Based on the received visual data, the length of the target region at the end of the metal slab is measured. A position control response is generated based on the measured length of the target region at the end of the metal slab. The cropping system is configured as follows. [9] The cropping system according to [8], wherein the optical sensor is a machine vision camera positioned above the pass line of the metal slab through the cropping system.

[10] The cropping system according to [8] above, wherein the optical sensor is a thermal camera.

[11] The cropping system according to [8], wherein the controller is configured to position the metal slab relative to the cropping device or to generate a display on a human-machine interface as a position control response.

[12] The cropping system according to [8], further comprising a cropping device for cropping the metal slab.

[13] A cropping system for cropping a metal slab, the cropping system comprising a cropping length system, The cropping length system is A light sensor configured to detect defects at the end of the metal slab, A controller, which is communicatively coupled to the optical sensor and configured to determine the cropping position within the metal slab based on the malfunction detected by the optical sensor, The cropping system, including the cropping system.

[14] The cropping system according to

[13] above, wherein the optical sensor is a laser-based optical sensor.

[15] The cropping system according to

[13] above, wherein the optical sensor is mounted at an angle between the rolling direction and the width direction defined by the cropping system for cropping the metal slab.

[16] The cropping system according to

[15] , wherein the angle is between 45° and less than 90°, or 90°, with respect to the width direction.

[17] The cropping system according to

[13] , wherein the optical sensor is configured to detect the defect in the thickness direction of the metal slab.

[18] The cropping system according to

[13] , wherein the optical sensor is a first optical sensor, the cropping length system further includes a second optical sensor, the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor are configured to detect the defect in the thickness direction of the metal slab, the first optical sensor is at a first angle between the rolling direction and the width direction defined by the cropping system for cropping the metal slab, and the second optical sensor is at a second angle different from the first angle, between the rolling direction and the width direction.

[19] The controller is configured to determine the cropping position by determining the total length of the malfunction, The controller measures the entire length of the malfunction, Based on the detection by the optical sensor, the measured length of the defect is determined. The total length of the defect is determined by adding the hidden length of the defect to the measured length of the defect, The cropping system described in

[13] above, configured to be determined by

[13] .

[20] The cropping system according to

[19] above, wherein the hidden length of the defect is a predetermined estimated hidden length.

Claims

1. A cropping system for cropping metal slabs, wherein the cropping system includes a slab positioning system. The aforementioned slab positioning system is A light sensor configured to measure the position of one end of the metal slab relative to the cropping device of the cropping system, A controller, which is communicatively coupled to the optical sensor and configured to generate a position control response based on the measured position of the end of the metal slab by the optical sensor, Includes, The optical sensor is a first optical sensor configured to measure the position of the end of the metal slab upstream of the cropping device, and the slab positioning system further includes a second optical sensor configured to measure the position of the end of the metal slab downstream of the cropping device. The aforementioned cropping system.

2. The cropping system according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is positioned above the pass line of the metal slab through the cropping system, and the optical sensor is configured to measure the metal slab in a plane extending in a direction parallel to the processing direction of the metal slab.

3. The cropping system according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is a laser-based optical sensor.

4. The cropping system according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is a thermal camera.

5. The cropping system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to position the metal slab relative to the cropping device or to generate a display on the human-machine interface as a position control response.

6. The cropping system according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is a machine vision camera positioned above the pass line of the metal slab through the cropping system.

7. A cropping system for cropping metal slabs, wherein the cropping system includes a slab positioning system. The aforementioned slab positioning system is A light sensor configured to detect one end of the metal slab, A controller that is communicatively coupled to the aforementioned optical sensor, Includes, The aforementioned controller, Visual data including the detected end of the metal slab is received from the optical sensor. Based on the received visual data, the length of the target region at the end of the metal slab is measured. A position control response is generated based on the measured length of the target region at the end of the metal slab. The cropping system is configured as follows.

8. The cropping system according to claim 7, wherein the optical sensor is a machine vision camera positioned above the pass line of the metal slab through the cropping system.

9. The cropping system according to claim 7, wherein the optical sensor is a thermal camera.

10. The cropping system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to position the metal slab relative to the cropping device or to generate a display on the human-machine interface as a position control response.

11. The cropping system according to claim 7, further comprising a cropping device for cropping the metal slab.

12. A cropping system for cropping a metal slab, wherein the cropping system includes a cropping length system. The cropping length system is A light sensor configured to detect defects at the end of the metal slab, A controller, which is communicatively coupled to the optical sensor and configured to determine the cropping position within the metal slab based on the malfunction detected by the optical sensor, Including; The optical sensor is a first optical sensor, the cropping length system further includes a second optical sensor, the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor are configured to detect the defect in the thickness direction of the metal slab, the first optical sensor is at a first angle between the rolling direction and the width direction defined by the cropping system for cropping the metal slab, and the second optical sensor is at a second angle different from the first angle, between the rolling direction and the width direction; The controller is configured to determine the cropping position by determining the total length of the malfunction. The controller measures the entire length of the malfunction, Based on the detection by the optical sensor, the measured length of the defect is determined. The total length of the defect is determined by adding the hidden length of the defect to the measured length of the defect, It is configured to be determined by, The aforementioned cropping system.

13. The cropping system according to claim 12, wherein the optical sensor is a laser-based optical sensor.

14. The cropping system according to claim 12, wherein the optical sensor is mounted at an angle between the rolling direction and the width direction defined by the cropping system for cropping the metal slab.

15. The cropping system according to claim 14, wherein the angle is between 45° and less than 90°, or 90°, with respect to the width direction.

16. The cropping system according to claim 12, wherein the hidden length of the defect is a predetermined estimated hidden length.

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