Metallurgical Plant Component Identification via Mobile Signal Triggering

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Solution Overview

Problem

Metallurgical plants face challenges in easily accessing and displaying information about components, such as usage, maintenance data, and location, due to the need for user-initiated actions like emitting electromagnetic fields for RFID tag reading.

Innovation Solution

A method and system where transmission devices in the metallurgical plant send identification signals (UUID, Major, and Minor) automatically, triggering applications on mobile terminals for information display and control, allowing for precise location determination and operational influence without operator action, using Bluetooth or similar technologies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If RFID tags with readers are used to provide component information, then information accessibility is improved, but user activity and electromagnetic field emission are required which complicates operation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation accessibilityVSAvoiduser activity requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The transmitting devices continuously emit identification signals without waiting for user initiation. This preliminary action ensures that information is always available to be retrieved by mobile devices, eliminating the need for users to actively trigger RFID reading operations while maintaining constant information accessibility

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of information

If RFID tags are used for component identification, then information storage is improved, but the system complexity increases due to active electromagnetic field generation requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation storageVSAvoidelectromagnetic field generation
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of passive RFID tags waiting to be read by active readers, the system inverts the roles: transmitting devices actively emit identification signals that can be passively received by mobile devices. This inversion eliminates the need for complex electromagnetic field generation at the component level while maintaining information storage and retrieval capabilities

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The transmitting devices autonomously emit identification signals without requiring external activation or complex electromagnetic field generation infrastructure. Each transmitting device independently provides its own identification information, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining comprehensive information storage across multiple components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Device complexity

If manual information retrieval is used in metallurgical plants, then system simplicity is maintained, but productivity and information access speed deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoidinformation access speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The transmitting devices automatically emit identification signals without requiring manual triggering or complex infrastructure. This self-service approach maintains relative system simplicity while dramatically improving information access speed, as information is continuously available and can be retrieved by mobile devices without manual intervention or complex electromagnetic field generation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables automatic and efficient display of information and control over metallurgical components, improving accessibility and safety by reducing the need for user interaction and enhancing location-based information and hazard warnings, while allowing for real-time monitoring and control commands.

Implementation Method 1

at least one transmitting device (50, 52) is provided which emits an identification signal (16)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic radiation: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP3245568B1Method and system for operating a metallurgical plant
Publication Date: 2023.06.07 SMS GROUP GMBH
  • EP3245568B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

The invention relates to a method and to a system for operating a metallurgical plant (1) having at least one metallurgical component (2, 3), preferably a component of a casting line or a component of a rolling line, wherein there is at least one transmitting device (50, 52) which transmits an identification signal which triggers an application on a mobile end device (8).