Sliding Nozzle Plate Holding with Force-Sensed Two-Stage Pressing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing plate holding devices and apparatuses for sliding nozzle devices in continuous casting of molten steel face challenges in reliably attaching and detaching plates due to high-temperature conditions, positional measurement inaccuracies, and mechanical deformations, leading to issues with plate fixation and leakage risks.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a plate holding device equipped with a pressing unit and a force sensor, which allows for a two-stage pressing operation to ensure secure attachment and detachment by controlling the distance between holding members and inhibiting swingable metal frame movement, thereby enhancing the reliability of plate attachment and detachment processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual plate replacement is performed under high temperature conditions, then the plate can be replaced, but the operator burden is heavy and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated robot arm system. The robot arm equipped with a parallel gripper and holding members automatically grasps, detaches, transports, and attaches plates to the sliding nozzle device, eliminating the need for operators to work in high-temperature environments and significantly reducing operational burden while improving safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables automated self-service plate replacement through the robot arm that autonomously performs the entire plate replacement cycle including approaching the sliding nozzle device, grasping plates with holding members, detaching old plates, transporting them away, and attaching new plates without human intervention.
2Extent of automation
If image processing is used for position measurement, then automation is enabled, but measurement accuracy in the front-rear direction deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a laser irradiator as an intermediary measurement tool that projects laser beams to create precise reference lines on the sliding nozzle device. These laser reference lines serve as accurate position markers that the camera can detect, thereby enabling automated position measurement while maintaining high accuracy in the front-rear direction that pure image processing cannot achieve.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the swingable metal frame is allowed to move freely, then the device is more adaptable, but plate attachment reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the swingable metal frame by introducing a pressing mechanism that can actively adjust the frame's position and state. The pressing mechanism presses the swingable metal frame against the fixed metal frame to inhibit its movement during plate attachment operations, providing the stability needed for reliable attachment while preserving the frame's inherent adaptability when pressing is not required.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a plate holding device, a plate detaching apparatus, a plate attaching apparatus and a plate attaching-detaching apparatus which are capable of reliably attaching and/or detaching a plate with respect to a plate-receiving metal frame. The plate holding device comprises: a plurality of holding members for holding a plate for a sliding nozzle device; widening and narrowing mechanisms to selectively widen and narrow a distance between the holding members; a pressing unit for pressing a central region of the plate when the plate is held by the holding members; and a force sensor for detecting a force received by the holding members and/or the pressing unit from the held plate. The plate holding device is configured to be mounted to a distal end of a robot arm.