Billet Surface Monitoring With Multi-Angle Automated Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing billet monitoring processes in casthouses are manual, tedious, expose operators to danger, and suffer from variable quality due to human error, posing risks of injury and inconsistent defect detection.
Innovation Solution
An automated installation and method for billet monitoring using a conveyor, orientation assembly, sensing system, and control module that provides angular orientations, surface inspections, and defect detection, enabling automated defect mapping and removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual visual inspection by operators is used, then the monitoring process can be performed with simple equipment, but the quality of defect detection is variable and operators are exposed to safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection with an automated sensing system comprising cameras and image processing algorithms. The system captures images of the billet surface, processes them through control lines to detect defects automatically, and eliminates the need for operators to physically inspect billets in hazardous environments. This substitution of mechanical/manual inspection with automated sensing technology resolves both the reliability variability and safety risks associated with manual inspection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If automated sensing systems are implemented, then operator safety is improved and detection consistency is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control module as an intermediary between the sensing system (cameras) and the monitoring outcome. The control module receives signals from multiple cameras, processes images through control lines, and automatically generates defect detection results. This intermediary architecture manages the complexity by centralizing processing functions and providing a systematic framework that coordinates multiple sensors and actuators, making the overall system more manageable despite the increased number of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing system is designed with multi-functional capabilities: cameras capture images for defect detection, the same system can monitor billet position and orientation, and the control module can trigger marking or removal operations based on detected defects. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized devices for each monitoring task, thereby managing device complexity while providing comprehensive automated monitoring.
3Measurement precision
If multiple angular orientations are provided for inspection, then surface defect detection accuracy is improved, but the time required for monitoring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic action by rotating the billet to multiple angular orientations during the inspection process. The billet is rotated to present different surface areas to the cameras at different time intervals, allowing comprehensive defect detection from multiple angles. This periodic rotation enables the system to inspect the entire billet surface systematically, improving detection accuracy while managing inspection time through structured sequential imaging at predetermined angular positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-positioning the billet on a rotating mechanism and pre-aligning cameras to capture images at specific angular orientations before the actual defect detection begins. The billet is rotated to optimal viewing angles in advance, and the sensing system is pre-configured to capture images at predetermined positions, allowing efficient multi-angle inspection without time loss during the actual measurement phase.
Data Source
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Figure 2
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AI summary
This installation comprises a conveyor (2) for conveying said billet along a so-called conveying path (PATH), an orientation assembly (3) for giving at least two different angular orientations of said billet, in a given longitudinal position of said billet, a sensing system (6) adapted to inspect at least part (16, 18) of said peripheral radial surface, in each angular configuration, and a control module (8) comprising a human machine interface, control lines adapted, upon receipt of inputs actuated by an operator, to transmit control orders to at least said conveyor, said orientation assembly and said sensing system, as well as at least one information line adapted to transmit at least information related to said representative parameters, from said sensing system towards said control module (8). The invention renders first the tasks of the workers far less arduous than in prior art, due to automation. Moreover, the invention confers a far better reliability, with respect to prior art process based on human intervention.