Rolling Mill Drawing Control Using Video Feedback to Prevent Cobble
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Solution Overview
Problem
Continuous rolling mills face issues with cobble, where material flow between rolling stands is disrupted, leading to unpredictable product exit, equipment damage, and safety risks, with existing solutions failing to provide precise control and automatic adjustment of the drawing action.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising a video monitoring system, processing system, and automation system that acquires frames of the product, identifies oscillations, and applies controlled vibrations to maintain optimal drawing action, automatically adjusting rolling parameters to prevent cobble and ensure safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the drawing action is not correctly controlled between rolling stands, then material flow becomes unstable and cobble occurs, but increasing control complexity reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses video cameras to continuously monitor product position and oscillation in inter-stand segments, feeding this information back to the control system which automatically adjusts rolling speeds to maintain stable material flow and prevent cobble
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical measurement systems with video-based optical monitoring to detect product position and oscillation, simplifying the control system while improving reliability of material flow stability
2Ease of operation
If manual intervention is used to free the line from cobble, then the line can be restored, but production time is lost and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control system automatically detects cobble conditions through video monitoring and self-corrects by adjusting rolling stand speeds, eliminating the need for manual intervention and preventing production downtime
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors product position and detects potential cobble conditions before they fully develop, allowing preventive adjustment of rolling parameters to avoid stopping the line
3Object-affected harmful factors
If spider web wire is installed to detect cobble, then damage can be limited, but the system requires manual reinstallation and causes production loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical spider web wire system with video-based optical detection, eliminating the need for physical wire installation and manual reconfiguration while continuing to protect against equipment damage
4Reliability
If rolling speeds are adjusted to prevent cobble, then material flow stability improves, but manufacturing precision of product dimensions may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts rolling speeds based on real-time video detection of product oscillation, maintaining manufacturing precision by making continuous small adjustments rather than large fixed changes to speed parameters
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
The apparatus effectively detects and prevents cobble risks, reduces manual interventions, minimizes production losses, and maintains optimal rolling conditions, enhancing safety and reducing equipment wear while minimizing shutdowns.
Implementation Method 1
a video monitoring system for acquiring a sequence of frames of the product being rolled in at least one position along the rolling mill; a processing system connected to the video monitoring system and configured to: carry out the processing of the sequence of frames and define in the sequence of frames acquired at least one normal rolling range
Implementation Method 2
determine an optimal condition of the drawing action for the product being rolled, corresponding to a condition of minimum oscillation of the product being rolled in at least one inter-stand segment
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~3c
Figure 4a~4c
AI summary
Apparatus to control and adjust the drawing action in a rolling mill (11) provided with rolling stands (12a, 12b, 12c) through which a product (13) passes. The apparatus comprises a video monitoring system (14) for acquiring frames (15a, 15b) of the product (13) in at least one position; a processing system (16) that processes the frames (15a, 15b) and defines a normal rolling range within which the product (13) being rolled has to be positioned; identifies the position of the product (13) being rolled and its geometric characteristics; and identifies a possible variation of the position of the product (13) being rolled over time based on the analysis of the sequence of frames (15a, 15b) acquired. The apparatus also comprises an automation system (18) associated with the rolling mill (11), configured to receive data relating to the position of the product (13) in order to determine the continuation of the rolling if the product (13) is correctly positioned in the range, or a variation of the rolling parameters if the position of the product (13) being rolled is able to generate a cobble, that is, it is outside of the range.