TWI903245B - Rolling risk warning device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a rolling risk warning device capable of notifying an operator of a rolling equipment of a rolling risk in order to take measures to suppress or prevent the occurrence of an alarm before rolling. The rolling risk warning device is equipped with a system database, an alarm history information classification section, an occurrence rate calculation section, and a rolling risk warning section. The database stores alarm history information that contains alarms that occurred during past rolling delays. The alarm history information classification section classifies and organizes the alarm history information stored in the system database according to the type of the rolled material and the size of the product. The occurrence rate calculation section calculates the occurrence rate of each alarm by counting the number of occurrences of each alarm organized by the alarm history information classification section according to the type and size of each type of rolled material. The rolling risk warning section displays the occurrence rate of each alarm calculated by the occurrence rate calculation section to reminding the operator of the rolling equipment before rolling the material to be rolled. The risk of rolling that may occur.

Description

Rolling risk warning device

This invention relates to a rolling risk warning device, and more specifically to a technique suitable for avoiding or reducing the risk of failure (rolling risk) that may occur when rolling a coil of material that is being rolled in a rolling equipment.

For example, in a hot rolling mill, approximately 500 to 1000 rolls of material are rolled per day. Generally, signals, settings, performance values, events, and operator actions throughout the entire rolling process—from the placement of the rolls on the hot rolling mill to their subsequent handling (from loading to unloading)—are stored in the system database. When an alarm occurs during rolling that could be the cause of a malfunction, the alarm signal and operational history information are also stored as alarm messages in the aforementioned system database.

The equipment operation support system disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an alarm and operation mode matching unit. This unit reads current data from a data file and compares it with data in an alarm and operation mode database. When current data is registered in the database, the unit retrieves similar past events from the event database to indicate potential future alarms and actions performed after an alarm occurred. Accordingly, the operator of the rolling mill can perform the prompted actions when an alarm occurs.

(Previous technical literature)

(Patent Document)

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-255929

However, the technology described in Patent 1 only indicates the response method when an alarm occurs. Furthermore, especially when there are many potential alarms, it is impossible to determine which alarm is more likely to occur. Therefore, the operator receiving the indication cannot take countermeasures to suppress or prevent the alarm from occurring before rolling.

This invention was developed to address the aforementioned problems, with the aim of providing a rolling risk warning device that alerts operators of rolling equipment to take countermeasures to suppress and prevent alarms before rolling.

This invention relates to a rolling risk warning device, which provides information on rolling risks during the rolling of rolled materials in rolling equipment. The rolling risk warning device includes: a system database, an alarm history information classification unit, an occurrence probability calculation unit, and a rolling risk warning unit. The system database stores alarm history information including alarms that occurred during past rolling operations. The alarm history information classification unit categorizes and organizes the alarm history information stored in the system database according to the type and size of each rolled material. The probability calculation department calculates the occurrence probability of each alarm based on the number of alarms categorized by alarm history information classification department according to the type and size of each rolled material. The rolling risk warning department displays the occurrence probability of each alarm calculated by the probability calculation department, thereby alerting the rolling equipment operator to potential rolling risks before rolling the material.

According to this invention, before rolling the workpiece, the operator of the rolling equipment is quantitatively informed of the probability of various alarms that may occur during the rolling process. The operator receiving the information can consider the probability of these alarms before rolling and take countermeasures to suppress or prevent their occurrence. In other words, by understanding the potential risks during the rolling of the workpiece M before rolling, countermeasures can be taken in advance to suppress or prevent alarms with a relatively high probability of occurrence.

1: Rolling Equipment

2: Heating furnace

3: Roughing Rolling Mill

4: Plate end cutting machine

5: Finishing Rolling Mill

6: Cooling device

7: Roller

10: Host Computer

11: Rolling Risk Warning Device (Process Control Computer)

12: Rolling Risk Warning Section (Interface Screen)

20a: Dedicated Hardware

20b: Processor

20c: Memory

51: Work Roller

52: Supporting saddle roll

53: Electric motor

54: Pressing device

55: Rolling Load Sensor

81: Shape Detector

82: Thermometer

83: Speed Detector

84: Plate Thickness Gauge

85: Thermometer

111: System Database

112: Police Resume Information Classification Department

113: Probability Calculation Department

F1, F2, F6, F7: Rolling mill bases

M: Rolled material

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a rolling equipment using the rolling risk warning device of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the rolling risk warning device 11 in an implemented configuration.

Figure 3 is a clear example illustrating the risks of rolling.

Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the processing circuitry in the rolling risk warning device 11.

The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, common elements across the drawings are indicated by the same symbols, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[Rolling Equipment]

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the rolling equipment 1 using the rolling risk warning device of the present invention. The rolling equipment 1 is a device that uses coils of iron, steel, or other metal materials as the workpiece M, and hot-rolls the workpiece M into a sheet shape.

The main equipment in rolling equipment 1 includes: a heating furnace 2, a rough rolling mill 3, a crop shear 4, a finishing rolling mill 5 (acting as a hot rolling mill), a cooling device 6, and a coiler 7. In this embodiment, the example given is that the plate thickness at the exit side of the finishing rolling mill 5 (acting as a hot rolling mill) is controlled to be extremely thin (e.g., less than 1.0 mm) to achieve the target product plate thickness.

The heating furnace 2 is configured to heat the blank of the workpiece M, which is to be rolled, to a predetermined temperature. The heating temperature is, for example, 1200°C. The blank at the outlet side of the heating furnace 2 is, for example, a cuboid shape with a thickness of 200 to 250 mm, a width of 800 to 2000 mm, and a length of 5 to 12 m.

The roughing mill 3 is a rolling mill stand with at least one, typically one to three, configured to roll the rolled material M, heated by the heating furnace 2, in multiple passes in both the forward (upstream to downstream) and reverse (downstream to upstream) directions of the rolling line. The roughing mill 3 may be additionally equipped with a width adjustment device, called an edger (not shown in the diagram).

The plate end shearing machine 4 is configured to cut off shaped defects present at the front or rear ends of the rolled material M using upper and lower blades, based on the shape measured by the shape detector 81 (described later).

The finishing rolling mill 5 is equivalent to the rolling mill of this embodiment. The finishing rolling mill 5 is a tandem rolling mill having N rolling mill stands Fi (1≦i≦N) arranged side by side in the transport direction of the rolled material M. In this embodiment, the case of seven rolling mill stands F1 to F7 arranged side by side is described as an example. Each rolling mill stand F1 to F7 has: two upper and lower working rollers 51, two upper and lower back-up rollers 52, and a motor 53 for rotating the rollers. A pressing device 54 is provided on the support roller 52, and is configured to adjust the gap (hereinafter simply referred to as "gap") between the upper and lower working rollers 51. The rolling load of each rolling mill stand F1 to F7 is measured by a rolling load sensor 55.

The cooling device 6 is configured to cool the rolled material M by injecting water into a cooling bank. The cooled rolled material M is then coiled into a steel coil by a coiler 7.

Various sensors serving as measuring instruments are installed at necessary locations in the rolling equipment 1. These necessary locations in the rolling equipment 1 include, for example, the outlet side of the heating furnace 2, the outlet side of the rough rolling mill 3, the outlet side of the finishing rolling mill 5, and the inlet side of the coiler 7. The various sensors can also be installed between the rolling mill stands F1 to F7 of the finishing rolling mill 5. The various sensors include: a shape detector 81, which measures the shape of the rolled material M at the exit of the roughing mill 3; a thermometer 82, which measures the surface temperature of the rolled material M at the entrance of the finishing mill 5; a speed detector 83, which measures the speed Va of the rolled material M at the exit of the finishing mill 5; a thickness gauge 84, which measures the thickness Ta of the rolled material M at the exit of the finishing mill 5; a thermometer 85, which measures the surface temperature of the rolled material M at the entrance of the coiler 7; and a rolling load sensor 55, which measures the rolling load at each rolling mill stand F1 to F5. The various sensors sequentially measure the status of the rolled material M and each machine.

The rolling mill 1 operates (works) using a computer control system. The computer system includes a host computer 10 and a process control computer 11, both connected via a network. The process control computer 11 is connected via a network to an interface screen 12, which is operated by the operator.

The process control computer 11 executes a series of settings, calculations, and controls for the objects to be controlled during the rolling process. Information such as the thickness, width, length, and steel grade of the blank (before rolling), the target thickness, target width, and target temperature of the strip (after rolling), and rolling setting information such as the gaps between the rolling mill stands of the finishing mill 5 are input from the host computer 10 to the process control computer 11.

Furthermore, the process control computer 11 also has the function of alerting users to the rolling risks of the rolled material M. That is, the process control computer 11 can also function as a risk alerting device in this embodiment. Figure 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the rolling risk alerting device 11 in this embodiment.

The rolling risk warning device 11 includes: a system database 111, an alarm history information classification unit 112, and an occurrence probability calculation unit 113.

In addition to storing past rolling performance data for rolled material M, system database 111 also stores alarm information that occurred during past rolling processes. The alarm information includes detailed information such as the type of coil (steel grade) belonging to rolled material M, product dimensions (plate thickness, plate width), alarm level (message, warning, malfunction), and the location of the alarm (event) (rough rolling mill 3, end shearing machine 4, finish rolling mill 5, etc.). Alternatively, a separate database, different from system database 111, can be set up to store alarm information.

The alarm history information classification unit 112 is configured to classify and organize the plurality of alarm information (hereinafter also referred to as "alarm history information") stored in the system database 111 according to the type and product size (classification group) of each rolled material M.

The probability calculation unit 113 calculates the probability of each alarm occurring over a past period by using the alarm history information classification unit 112, which categorizes alarms according to the type and size (classification group) of each rolled material M. The "past period" can be appropriately set to, for example, a 6-month period or a 1-year period.

In this embodiment, alarm frequency is managed by classifying the type (steel grade) and product dimensions (plate thickness, plate width) of the rolled material M. Therefore, the alarms are dependent on the steel grade and dimensions. Specific examples of alarms occurring in the roughing mill 3 include: excessive rolling torque, excessive rolling load, abnormal motor current, increased number of passes, exceeding the wide rolling capacity, abnormal temperature (low, high) at the roughing exit side, and deviation from plate width tolerance. Specific examples of alarms occurring in the end-cutting machine 4 include: exceeding load limits, speed limits, and abnormal stop position. Furthermore, specific examples of alarms generated by the finishing rolling mill 5 include: excessive rolling torque, excessive rolling load, exceeding shape control device limits, speed limits, acceleration limits, excessive reduction, abnormal exit-side temperature (low, high), and deviation from plate thickness tolerance.

Interface screen 12 also functions as a rolling risk warning unit. Interface screen 12 is configured to display the occurrence probability of each alarm calculated by the probability calculation unit 113 over a past period, thereby alerting the operator of the rolling equipment to potential rolling risks before rolling the material M. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the rolling risks displayed in interface screen 12. As shown in Figure 3, repeated alarms such as "(rolling) machine Fi torque is too high" are displayed along with their occurrence probabilities. The period for calculating the probability of occurrence is not limited to the six months shown in Figure 3, and can be appropriately set according to the production volume of the rolling equipment 1, such as three months or one year. When the probability of the alarm "excessive torque on the rolling mill Fi" is high, the operator receiving this rolling risk warning can take preventative measures (before rolling the material M) such as reducing the rolling load on the rolling mill Fi and decreasing the speed. Specifically, measures to suppress or prevent the alarm from occurring can include changing the load balance to reduce the rolling load or increasing the temperature before rolling to reduce the speed.

Furthermore, in the display screen of Figure 3, it is preferable to display the alarms in descending order of probability of occurrence to clearly indicate the priority of rolling risks. For example, the alarm with the highest probability of occurrence, "Excessive torque on frame Fi," can be displayed at the top. This display method is particularly effective when there are a large number of alarms. In addition, by clicking on an alarm, the occurrence probability of that alarm can be displayed as a chart (e.g., line graph, bar graph, etc.) in a monthly trend format, which allows the operator to identify the urgency of the countermeasures for that alarm. The display screen shown in Figure 3 can also display the specifications of the material M being cut. This specification may include: the coil ID of the rolled material (M), the steel grade, the width class, and the thickness class.

As explained above, according to this embodiment, the operator of the rolling equipment 1 can be quantitatively informed of the probability of various alarms that may occur during the rolling of the workpiece M before rolling. Upon receiving the information, the operator can consider the probability of these alarms before rolling and take countermeasures to suppress or prevent their occurrence. In other words, by understanding the potential risks during the rolling of the workpiece M before rolling, countermeasures can be taken in advance (before the rolling of the workpiece M) to suppress or prevent alarms with a relatively high probability of occurrence.

Furthermore, while the specific structure of the rolling risk warning device 11 in the above embodiment is not limited, it can also be as shown below as an example. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the processing circuit of the rolling risk warning device 11. The function of the rolling risk warning device 11 can be implemented by the processing circuit shown in Figure 4. The processing circuit can also be dedicated hardware 20a. The processing circuit can also have a processor 20b and memory 20c. The processing circuit can also be partially formed with dedicated hardware 20a, and further equipped with a processor 20b and memory 20c. In the example of Figure 4, a portion of the processing circuit is formed with dedicated hardware 20a, and the processing circuit also has a processor 20b and memory 20c.

At least a portion of the processing circuit may also be at least one dedicated hardware 20a. In this case, the processing circuit is equivalent to, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel-programmable processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

The processing circuit may also have at least one processor 20b and at least one memory 20c. In this case, the functions of the rolling risk warning device 11 are implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software and firmware are written as programs and stored in memory 20c. The processor 20b reads and executes the programs stored in memory 20c, thereby implementing the functions of each part.

Processor 20b is also known as CPU (Central Processing Unit), central processing device, processing device, computing device, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Memory 20c is equivalent to non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). In addition, memory 20c can also be configured as a system database 111.

Thus, the processing circuitry can implement the various functions of the rolling risk warning device 11 through hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The configuration of the rolling mill is not limited to the example shown in FIG1, and the present invention can be applied to rolling mills with various modified configurations. Furthermore, when the number, quantity, quantity, range, etc., of each element are mentioned in the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the numbers mentioned, unless specifically stated or explicitly designated in principle. Moreover, the structures described in the above embodiments are not necessarily necessary for the present invention, unless specifically stated or explicitly designated in principle.

3: Roughing Rolling Mill

4: Plate end cutting machine

5: Finishing Rolling Mill

10: Host Computer

11: Rolling Risk Warning Device (Process Control Computer)

12: Rolling Risk Warning Section (Interface Screen)

111: System Database

112: Police Resume Information Classification Department

113: Probability Calculation Department

Claims (1)

A rolling risk warning device is used to warn of rolling risks during the rolling of a workpiece in a rolling equipment. The rolling risk warning device includes: a system database storing alarm history information containing alarms that occurred during past rolling operations; an alarm history information classification unit that categorizes alarms according to the type and size of each workpiece based on the alarm history information stored in the system database; and an occurrence probability calculation unit that calculates the probability of occurrence based on the alarm history information classification unit for each workpiece. The system calculates the probability of each alarm occurrence from a categorized list of alarms based on the type of rolled material and product size. A rolling risk warning unit displays multiple alarms corresponding to the rolled material, arranged in descending order of probability, along with the calculated probability of each alarm. This serves as a warning to the operator of the rolling equipment about potential rolling risks before and during the rolling process.