Rolling equipment operation support system

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an operation support system for rolling equipment, and more particularly to an operation support system that supports manual operation (hereinafter also referred to as "manual intervention") by an operator of rolling equipment.

Background Art

[0002] For example, in a rolling plant, the rolling equipment is operated by setting process control values (hereinafter also referred to as "control values") calculated based on an operation plan to rolling equipment such as a finishing rolling mill. In order to prevent failures of the rolling equipment during operation, limit values are set for the control values. When the control value exceeds the limit value, the rolling equipment is forcibly stopped, and a great deal of recovery time is required until the rolling equipment is restarted. Therefore, when the control value is about to exceed the limit value (quasi-exceedance), the operator is notified so that the operator can manually operate (manual intervention) the control value.

[0003] Separate from such manual operations to avoid exceeding the limit value (limit conflict), manual operations are performed to maximize the production efficiency of the rolling equipment. For example, when there is a margin in the control value of the rotational speed of the motor of the finishing rolling mill, it is manually operated to the optimum value (high rotational speed) that maximizes the production efficiency.

[0004] By the way, it is known that rolling equipment deteriorates due to long-term use. Patent Document 1 below discloses a process monitoring system including state change determination means for determining the presence or absence of signs of change in the plant state.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] When rolling equipment is deteriorated, performing manual operations to achieve the same optimal values ​​as when it is not deteriorated—that is, using the same amount of manual operation as when it is not deteriorated—can lead to exceeding the limit value. Therefore, operators need to perform manual operations according to the deterioration state of the rolling equipment. However, manual operation when rolling equipment is deteriorated is not easy, especially for inexperienced operators.

[0007] This disclosure was made to solve the problems described above. The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an operation support system for rolling mills that enables inexperienced operators to manually operate deteriorated rolling mills to maximize their production efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first aspect of this disclosure relates to an operation support system that assists manual operation of a rolling mill by an operator. The operation support system comprises a control value setting unit, an operation amount acquisition unit, a performance data acquisition unit, a deterioration evaluation unit, an operation amount correction unit, and a corrected operation amount display unit. The control value setting unit sets a control value and a limit value for the control value calculated based on the rolling plan to the rolling mill. The operation amount acquisition unit acquires the operation amount by manual operation that maximizes the production efficiency of the rolling mill for which the control value has been set. The performance data acquisition unit acquires time-series performance data of the rolling mill. The deterioration evaluation unit evaluates the deterioration state of the rolling mill based on the time-series performance data. The operation amount correction unit corrects the operation amount by manual operation that maximizes the production efficiency of the rolling mill, within a range that does not exceed the limit value set for the rolling mill, based on the deterioration state of the rolling mill. The corrected operation amount display unit displays the corrected operation amount multiple Display and present to the operator. The operation support system is: multiple It further includes a corrected control variable evaluation unit that evaluates the corrected control variable. The corrected control variable display unit is multiple It is configured to display the evaluation results in relation to the corrected manipulated variable.

[0010] The third perspective, in addition to the first perspective, has the following further characteristics: The deterioration evaluation unit is configured to evaluate the deterioration state according to the amount of decrease in time-series performance data from the reference performance data, when the performance data of rolling equipment without deterioration is used as the reference performance data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to this disclosure, if a rolling mill is assessed as degraded, instead of presenting the operator with the amount of control that would maximize the production efficiency of a rolling mill without degradation, the operator is presented with an amount of control that has been corrected based on the degradation status of the rolling mill. This makes it possible for even inexperienced operators to manually operate the machine to maximize the production efficiency of the degraded rolling mill. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of a rolling mill to which the rolling equipment operation support system according to the embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an operation support system for rolling equipment according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating a method for evaluating the deterioration state of rolling mill equipment. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of how the corrected manipulated variable is displayed. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the user support system. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of an operation support system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The following describes an operation support system for a rolling mill according to an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, elements common to all parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0015] Figure 1 shows an example of a rolling plant 1 to which the rolling equipment operation support system according to the embodiment is applied. The rolling plant 1 is equipped with the following main rolling equipment: a heating furnace 2, a roughing mill 3, a crop shear 4, a finishing mill 5, a cooling device 6, and a winding machine 7. The rolling plant 1 is also equipped with a transport table (not shown) for transporting rolled material Mr between the rolling equipment. These rolling equipment are driven by an electrical system of motors and actuators.

[0016] The heating furnace 2 is configured to heat the rolled material (slab) Mr to a predetermined temperature (for example, 1200°C) before rolling. The roughing mill 3 has at least one (usually one to three) rolling stands. The roughing mill 3 rolls the heated rolled material Mr in multiple passes while switching its rolling direction. The crop shear 4 cuts off the deformed parts of the rolled material Mr with its upper and lower blades based on the shape measured by the shape detector 81, which will be described later.

[0017] The finishing rolling mill 5 is a tandem rolling mill equipped with, for example, seven rolling stands F1 to F7 arranged in parallel in the rolling direction of the rolled material Mr. Each rolling stand F1 to F7 is equipped with two upper and lower work rolls 51, two upper and lower backup rolls 52, and a motor 53 for rotating the rolls. The backup rolls 52 are provided with a reduction device 54, which is configured to adjust the gap between the upper and lower work rolls 51. The rolling load of each rolling stand F1 to F7 is measured by a rolling load sensor 55. The cooling device 6 cools the rolled material Mr by injecting water into it using a cooling bank. The cooled rolled material Mr is then wound into a coil by a winding machine 7.

[0018] Various sensors as measuring instruments are installed at key points of the rolling plant 1. The key points of the rolling plant 1 are, for example, the outlet side of the heating furnace 2, the outlet side of the rough rolling mill 3, the inlet and outlet sides of the finishing rolling mill 5, and the inlet side of the coiler 7, etc. The various sensors can also be provided between the rolling stands F1 to F7 of the finishing rolling mill 5. The various sensors include a shape detector 81 that measures the shape of the rolled material Mr at the outlet side of the rough rolling mill 3, a thermometer 82 that measures the surface temperature of the rolled material Mr at the inlet side of the finishing rolling mill 5, a speed detector 83 that measures the speed of the rolled material Mr at the outlet side of the finishing rolling mill 5, a thickness and width gauge 84 that measures the thickness and width of the rolled material Mr at the outlet side of the finishing rolling mill 5, a thermometer 85 that measures the surface temperature of the rolled material Mr at the inlet side of the coiler 7, and the rolling load sensor 55. The various sensors sequentially measure the state of the rolled material Mr and each rolling equipment. The measured values are acquired as performance data. width including the thickness and width of the rolled material Mr, and the thermometer 85 that measures the surface temperature of the rolled material Mr at the inlet side of the coiler 7, and the rolling load sensor 55. The various sensors sequentially measure the state of the rolled material Mr and each rolling equipment. The measured values are acquired as performance data.

[0019] The rolling plant 1 is operated by a control system using a computer having a hierarchical structure. The computer includes a process control computer 11 at level 1 and a host computer 12 at level 2 that are connected to each other via a network. . An interface screen 13 as an operation screen for manual operation by an operator of the rolling plant 1 is connected to the process control computer 11 via a network. When an operation plan is input to the host computer 12, a rolling plan is sent from the host computer 12 to the process control computer 11. In addition to the rolling plan, rolling information is input from the host computer 12 to the process control computer 11. The rolling information includes slab information such as the thickness, width, length, steel type, etc. of the slab which is the rolled material Mr before rolling, and coil target information such as the target plate thickness, target plate width, target temperature, etc. of the coil which is the rolled material Mr after rolling. The process control computer 11 receives the input from the host computer 12, calculates the control values of each rolling equipment that is the control target in a series of rolling processes, and sets them to each rolling equipment. Thereby, each rolling equipment of the rolling plant 1 operates and the rolled material Mr is rolled.

[0020] During such operation, the operator manually operates the control value so that the production efficiency of the rolling equipment is maximized. Hereinafter, the case where the rolling equipment is the finishing rolling mill 5 and the control value is the rotation speed of the work roll 51 will be described as an example.

[0021] By the way, when the finishing rolling mill 5 is used for a long time, the finishing rolling mill 5 deteriorates. For example, the work roll 51 and the motor 53 of the finishing rolling mill 5 deteriorate over time. The deterioration of the work roll 51 includes the roughening of the surface of the work roll 51. When the roll surface becomes rough, the rolling load increases, leading to a decrease in the rotation speed. In addition, when the motor 53 deteriorates, the motor efficiency decreases, and even if the torque is the same, the required current increases, leading to a decrease in the rotation speed. In this case, play occurs in the motor 53, and there is a risk of hitting the limit value, so the rotation speed cannot be easily increased by manual operation.

[0022] Thus, when the finishing rolling mill 5 is deteriorated and manual operation is performed so as to achieve the same optimum value as in the non-deteriorated state, that is, when manual operation is performed with the same operation amount as in the non-deteriorated state, there is a risk of exceeding the limit value. Manual operation in the state where the finishing rolling mill 5 is deteriorated is not easy especially for an operator with little experience. The rolling plant 1 includes an operation support system 110 for rolling equipment according to an embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an operation support system 110 for rolling equipment according to an embodiment. The operation support system 110 includes a control value calculation unit 111, a control value setting unit 112, an operation amount acquisition unit 113, a performance data acquisition unit 114, a deterioration evaluation unit 115, an operation amount correction unit 116, a corrected operation amount evaluation unit 117, and a corrected operation amount display unit 118.

[0024] The control value calculation unit 111 calculates the control value of each rolling equipment including the finishing rolling mill 5 and the limit value (limit value) for the control value based on the rolling plan input from the host computer​​​The control value setting unit 112 sets the control value and limit value calculated by the control value calculation unit 111 to the rolling mill equipment, respectively. The set limit value is also input to the manipulated amount correction unit 116.

[0026] The manipulated amount acquisition unit 113 acquires the manipulated amount that maximizes the production efficiency of the finishing rolling mill 5. The manipulated amount acquisition unit 113 acquires the actual value of the manipulated amount when the operator manually operates the finishing rolling mill 5 in a way that maximizes its production efficiency while it is not deteriorated.

[0027] The performance data acquisition unit 114 acquires time-series performance data of the finishing rolling mill 5. The time-series performance data includes the rolling information input from the higher-level computer 12, as well as measurement values ​​from each sensor, including the rolling load sensor 55.

[0028] The deterioration evaluation unit 115 evaluates the deterioration state of the finishing rolling mill 5 based on time-series performance data. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the method for evaluating the deterioration state of the rolling equipment. As shown in Figure 3, when performance data (rotational speed) under similar rolling conditions is viewed over the long term, the performance data gradually decreases from a certain point t1. Therefore, the deterioration evaluation unit 115 defines the performance data when there is no deterioration as the reference performance data Dst, and evaluates whether or not the rolling equipment has deteriorated based on the amount of decrease in performance data from this reference performance data Dst. In the example shown in Figure 3, the deterioration state is evaluated in two stages, but it may be evaluated in three or more stages. The evaluated deterioration state is input to the manipulated amount correction unit 116.

[0029] The manipulated amount correction unit 116 corrects the manipulated amount acquired by the manipulated amount acquisition unit 113 based on the deterioration state of the finishing rolling mill 5. The manipulated amount correction is performed within a range that does not exceed a limit value. The amount of the manipulated amount correction can be determined using tables or formulas based on the actual manual operation results performed by skilled operators in the past. Skilled operators can correct the manipulated amount according to the deterioration state of the finishing rolling mill 5 based on their extensive experience, and these corrected amounts can be used as actual values. If the deterioration evaluation unit 115 evaluates the deterioration state in three or more stages, tables or formulas should be prepared in advance so that the correction amount can also be determined in stages accordingly. The corrected manipulated amount is input to the corrected manipulated amount evaluation unit 117 and the corrected manipulated amount display unit 118.

[0030] The corrected control amount evaluation unit 117 evaluates the corrected control amount based on time-series performance data after manual operation with the corrected control amount. The evaluation of the corrected control amount itself can be performed by a skilled operator based on their extensive experience. The evaluation of the corrected control amount may be performed in two stages, good (○) and poor (×), or in three or more stages, such as excellent (◎), good (○), and poor (×), as described later. The evaluation result may be expressed at a numerical level. The evaluation result is input to the corrected control amount display unit 118.

[0031] The corrected control variable display unit 118 displays the corrected control variable on the operation screen 13. The corrected control variable display unit 118 also displays the evaluation result on the operation screen 13 in association with the corrected control variable. This is effective when there are multiple corrected control variables. Figure 4 shows an example of the display of corrected control variables. This allows the operator to easily decide whether or not to adopt the corrected control variables Mv1 and Mv2. It is also preferable to display the corrected control variable Mv3, which has a poor evaluation result, in addition to the corrected control variables Mv1 and Mv2, which have good evaluation results. When adopting the corrected control variable Mv1 or Mv2, the operator can refer to the corrected control variable Mv3, which has a poor evaluation result. This is particularly useful for less experienced operators.

[0032] Next, the operation of the rolling mill operation support system 110 will be explained. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the operation support system 110.

[0033] Based on the rolling plan input from the higher-level computer 12, the control values ​​for each rolling mill, including the finishing rolling mill 5, and the limit values ​​for those control values ​​are calculated, and the calculated control values ​​are set for each rolling mill (step S1). As a result, the rolling mill is operated, and time-series performance data of the rolling mill is acquired. During operation, the operator manually manipulates the control values ​​to maximize the production efficiency of the rolling mill. In step S2, the manipulated amounts from the manual operation are acquired.

[0034] Next, in step S3, the deterioration status of the finishing rolling mill 5 is evaluated based on time-series performance data. That is, it is determined whether or not the finishing rolling mill 5 has deteriorated (see Figure 3).

[0035] Next, in step S4, the manipulated variable Mv is corrected based on the deterioration state of the finishing rolling mill 5. Then, in step S5, the corrected manipulated variables Mv1, Mv2, and Mv3 are evaluated. That is, evaluation results corresponding to each corrected manipulated variable Mv1, Mv2, and Mv3 are obtained.

[0036] In the final step S6, the corrected manipulated variables Mv1, Mv2, and Mv3, along with the corresponding evaluation results, are displayed on the operation screen (interface screen 13).

[0037] Figure 6 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the operation support system 110. Each of the functions of the operation support system 110 described above can be realized by the processing circuit shown in Figure 5. This processing circuit may be dedicated hardware 110a. This processing circuit may include a processor 110b and memory 110c. Part of this processing circuit is dedicated hardware. 11It is formed as 0a and may further include a processor 110b and a memory 110c. In the example in Figure 6, a part of the processing circuit is formed as dedicated hardware 110a, and the processing circuit also includes a processor 110b and a memory 110c. The processing circuit may be at least one dedicated hardware 110a. In this case, the processing circuit may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof. The processing circuit may include at least one processor 110b and at least one memory 110c. In this case, each function of the operation support system 110 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software and firmware are written as programs and stored in the memory 110c. The processor 110b realizes each function of the operation support system 110 by reading and executing the programs stored in the memory 110c. The processor 110b is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP. Memory 110c includes, for example, non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM. In this way, the processing circuit can realize each function of the operation support system 110 through hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0038] As explained above, according to this embodiment, if the finishing rolling mill (rolling equipment) 5 is evaluated as being deteriorated, instead of presenting the operator with the control amount Mv that would maximize the production efficiency of a non-deteriorated finishing rolling mill 5, the operator is presented with control amounts Mv1 and Mv2 that have been corrected based on the deterioration status of the finishing rolling mill 5. This makes it possible for even inexperienced operators to manually operate the machine to maximize the production efficiency of the deteriorated finishing rolling mill 5.

[0039] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be implemented in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. When the number of elements, quantities, amounts, ranges, etc. are mentioned in the embodiments described above, this invention is not limited to the number mentioned unless it is specifically stated or clearly defined in principle. Furthermore, the structures, etc., described in the embodiments described above are not necessarily essential to this invention unless they are specifically stated or clearly defined in principle.

[0040] Furthermore, although the above embodiment was described using a finishing rolling mill 5 as an example of rolling equipment, this disclosure can also be applied to other rolling equipment in the rolling plant 1. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1...Rolling plant, 5...Finishing rolling mill (rolling equipment), 51...Work roll, 53...Motor, 55...Rolling load sensor (sensor), 11...Process control computer, 12...Host computer, 13...Interface screen, operation screen, 110...Rolling equipment operation support system, 111...Control value calculation unit, 112...Control value setting unit, 113...Operational variable acquisition unit, 114...Actual data acquisition unit, 115...Degradation evaluation unit, 116...Operational variable correction unit, 117...Corrected operational variable evaluation unit, 118...Corrected operational variable display unit

Claims

1. An operation support system that assists manual operation by operators of rolling equipment, A control value setting unit sets control values ​​calculated based on the rolling plan and limit values ​​for the control values ​​in the rolling equipment, An operation amount acquisition unit that acquires the operation amount by manual operation that maximizes the production efficiency of the rolling mill for which the control value has been set, A performance data acquisition unit that acquires time-series performance data of the aforementioned rolling equipment, A deterioration evaluation unit evaluates the deterioration state of the rolling equipment based on the aforementioned time-series performance data, Based on the deterioration state of the rolling equipment, the manual operation amount correction unit corrects the amount of operation performed so as not to exceed the limit value set for the rolling equipment, thereby maximizing the production efficiency of the rolling equipment. A correction operation amount display unit that displays multiple corrected operation amounts and presents them to the operator, Equipped with, The system further comprises a corrected manipulated variable evaluation unit that evaluates a plurality of the corrected manipulated variables, The correction operation amount display unit is configured to display the evaluation results in relation to a plurality of the correction operation amounts as part of an operation support system for a rolling mill.

2. A rolling mill operation support system according to claim 1, The deterioration evaluation unit is configured as an operation support system for a rolling mill that evaluates the deterioration state according to the amount of decrease in the time-series performance data from the reference performance data, when the performance data of the rolling mill that has not deteriorated is used as the reference performance data.