JPH1017912A - Method for filling raw material into sagger - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automate a process for filling raw material into a sagger for producing spong iron, to improve the quality and the yield of the sponge iron and to save the energy and the labor. SOLUTION: The upper surface of the sagger 2 is picked up with an image pickup unit 9 providing a CCD camera arranged at the upper part of the sagger 2 and transmitted to an image processor 8 and a pattern matching treatment is executed by comparing plural basic shaped pattern with the image processor 8. The center position of the sagger 2 is retrieved and the center poaition of the sagger is made to coincide with the center of a filling cylinder, and the raw material held in the filling cylinder is dropped and filled into the sagger. In such a way, the raw material can quickly, automatically and accurately be filled into the sagger.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for filling a raw material for a sagar, in which iron oxide and coke as raw materials are accurately and concentrically charged into a sagar in a sponge iron manufacturing process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the production of sponge iron, iron oxide and coke are concentrically filled in a cylindrical refractory container called sagar, which is processed in a reduction furnace to obtain iron for powder metallurgy. Producing flour. The sagar is a cylindrical container having an inner diameter of about 500 mm and a height of about 2 m, which is arranged on a trolley in 4 rows × 6 rows, filled with the raw materials, and moved the trolley in the reduction furnace, It is reduced in a reduction furnace to produce sponge iron.

The raw material in the sagar is filled with coke having a circular cross section at the center, iron oxide in the form of a ring around the center, and coke in the form of a ring around the periphery thereof. This has a significant effect on iron quality and productivity. For this purpose, a filling cylinder having sections concentrically sectioned in cross section is used, the required raw materials are inserted into each section, and the filling cylinder is mounted on the sagar, and the raw materials are dropped into the sagar. It is made to let.

Heretofore, in the operation of filling the raw material into the sagar, the position has been adjusted so that the filling cylinder coincides with the center of the sagar by visual observation of an operator. Such an operation is a laborious operation, and automation has been desired from the viewpoint of accuracy of positioning and operation efficiency.

[0005]

However, there has been the following problem, and automation has not been realized conventionally. That is, (a) it is difficult to mechanically hold the sagar at a fixed position on the cart by clamping. The sagar is deformed under the influence of thermal expansion in the reduction furnace, and the installation position is changed. In addition, sagar is pottery, is easily broken, and there is a risk of damaging the sagar when fixed. (B) It is also difficult to mechanically measure the upper surface profile of the sagar and guide the filling cylinder based on this. The upper surface of the sagar is not uniform in shape due to the attached matter, the loss of the upper end, and the distortion of the sagar itself, it is difficult to recognize the center position, and the sagar may fall over during contact measurement. (C) It is preferable to measure the sagar position without contact,
Although a laser distance meter or the like can be considered, the influence of noise due to loss deformation is large, and accurate measurement cannot be performed. (D) Application of image processing technology is also conceivable, but it is necessary to solve the problem of poor environment. In addition, sagar has loss, deformation, bending, inclination, etc., and its size varies. So it needs proper processing technology. For example, the center of gravity method has a large error and lacks reliability. Even in the case of the pattern matching method, it may be difficult to perform matching with one pattern. Due to these problems, it has been conventionally difficult to automate the operation of filling the raw materials.

[0006] The present invention overcomes the above difficulties, automates the process of filling the raw material into the sagar, improves the quality of sponge iron,
The purpose is to improve yield, save energy and save labor.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a technique that solves the above-mentioned problems. Basically, a pattern matching technique based on image processing is used, and a plurality of types of basic shape patterns are adapted to the actual situation. The center position of a sagar having a defect or deformation is accurately detected, and the raw material is charged.

According to the present invention, when filling a sponge iron production sagar with iron oxide and coke, the filling position is automatically and accurately confirmed by applying image processing technology, and the filling cylinder is positioned by a servomotor. It adjusts and supplies the raw material automatically. That is, the present invention concentrically fills iron oxide and coke into a sponge iron production sagar, and takes an image of the sagar from above the sagar, and stores a plurality of basic shapes of the sagar in which the captured images are stored in advance. Detecting the center position of the sagar in comparison with the pattern, adjusting the position of the filling tube so that the center of the filling tube coincides with the detected center position of the sagar, and then dropping and filling the raw material from the filling tube into the sagar This is a method for filling a raw material for sagar.

In the present invention, a CCD camera for photographing is mounted vertically above the sagar, and image data is input to an image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus prepares a plurality of sagar basic shape patterns in advance, and performs a matching process using a pattern matching method. Then, the filling operation is performed by adjusting the position of the filling tube with the coincidence point between the basic shape pattern and the captured image as the target position.

[0010]

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an embodiment. The sagars 2 are arranged and mounted on a cart 3 in four rows in the horizontal direction and six rows in the traveling direction. The carriage transfer device 4 moves the carriage 3 forward, and is driven by a motor having an encoder 6. The limit switch 5 positions the carriage 3. An imaging device 9 having a CCD camera above the sagar 2
Are arranged. The device is protected by an air purge to minimize the effects of environmental conditions. The imaging device 9 images the upper surface of the sagar 2 and sends the data to the image processing device 8. The image data is subjected to a pattern matching process in the image processing device 8, and the center position of the sagar 2 is searched. At this time, a plurality of basic shape patterns corresponding to variations in size, deformation, and the like of the sagar are recorded, and coincidence with the most approximate basic pattern is detected to determine the center position. The filling cylinder 1 is given the center position information of the sagar, is shifted in the X and Y directions, matches the center of the sagar with the center of the filling cylinder, moves down, is positioned on the sagar, and is then held in the filling cylinder. The falling raw material is dropped and filled into the sagar.

FIG. 2 shows the steps of image processing and subsequent material filling. The captured image of the CCD camera installed above the sagar is input to the image processing apparatus, and as shown in FIG. 2A, the basic pattern 10 of the sagar stored in advance on the captured image 12 is moved, and the basic pattern is moved. Then, the image is scanned, and the position where the two match best is detected. In this case, a plurality of basic patterns are applied, and the one with the highest degree of matching is used, and the matching degree check 11 is performed. This makes it possible to detect the most probable center position of the target sagar on the captured image 12 even if the sagar has variations in size, deformation, breakage, bending, and the like.
Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the position of the filling cylinder 1 is adjusted in the X and Y directions based on the result, and the center of the filling cylinder 1 and the center of the sagar 2 match. Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, the filling tube 1 is lowered in the Z direction (vertical direction), and the filling tube 1 is seated on the sagar 2. Next, the raw material 13 inserted in the filling cylinder 1 is dropped into the sagar 2, and the sagar is filled with the raw material. In this way, the raw material can be filled into the sagar accurately, quickly and automatically.

As described above, the image processing method is excellent in cost and reliability, and as a processing method, a good result can be obtained by the pattern matching method.
The process of filling the raw material into the sagar, which was considered to be extremely difficult to automate conventionally, could be automated.

[0013]

According to the present invention, it is possible to automate the filling operation of the raw material for the sagar, to eliminate the manual operation, to save labor, and to greatly contribute to the improvement of efficiency and quality.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow sheet of an example.

FIG. 2 is a flow sheet showing an overall configuration of an example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Filling cylinder 2 Sagar 3 Dolly 4 Dolly transfer device 5 Limit switch 6 Encoder 7 Control device 8 Image processing device 9 Imaging device 10 Sagar basic pattern 11 Matching check 12 Photographed image 13 Raw material

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method for concentrically filling iron oxide and coke into a sponge iron producing sagar, wherein the sagar is imaged from above the sagar and a plurality of basic shape patterns of the sagar are stored in advance. The center position of the sagar is detected in comparison with the above, the position of the filling tube is adjusted so that the center of the filling tube coincides with the detected center position of the sagar, and then the material is dropped from the filling tube into the sagar. Characteristic method of filling raw materials for sagar.