Sensing Thickness Patents (Class 72/11.8)
  • Patent number: 11938528
    Abstract: A method ascertains control variables for active profile and flatness control elements for at least one rolling stand for hot rolling metal strip with a plurality of i=1 . . . I successive passes and for ascertaining profile and center flatness values for the hot-rolled metal strip. The occurrence of fluctuations in the center flatness of the metal strip after the individual passes and the resulting disadvantages for the rolling stability and the product quality are prevented. The method provides that, also for the target center flatness of the metal strip after a predetermined pass k with i=1 . . . <k< . . . I and for the target center flatness after the subsequent passes, pass-specific interval ranges are also specified in each case, and in that the successive calculation of the control variables and profile values is then carried out taking into account such additional specifications as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Jürgen Seidel, Uwe Baumgärtel, Ralf Wachsmann, Peter Bonekemper
  • Patent number: 11845118
    Abstract: In thickness control processing, transfer processing of an entry thickness He(N) is performed (step S1). In the transfer processing, data of the entry thickness He(N) is transferred from a position P11 to a position P12 at the same speed as the speed of a material to be rolled M. Subsequently, an amount of change in a thickness ?H(N) is calculated (step S2). The amount of the change in the thickness ?H(N) is calculated based on data of a delivery thickness Hd(N) and data of a transferred thickness Hc(N) transferred to the position P12 at a timing when the data of the delivery thickness Hd(N) is measured. Then, a target entry thickness He(N)_tgt is calculated (step S3). Subsequently, a manipulated amount of rolling speed VR(N?2) and VR(N?k) are calculated (step S4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MITSUBISHI-ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Tezuka
  • Patent number: 11806768
    Abstract: An edge drop control device calculates a first calculated manipulated amount of a work roll shift device for bringing a difference between a measured edge drop amount and a target amount close to zero without using a work roll bender device. The edge drop control device calculates a second calculated manipulated amount of the work roll bender device for bringing a difference between a measured edge drop amount and the target amount close to zero without using a work roll shift device. The edge drop control device outputs, when the first calculated manipulated amount is out of an allowable range, the second calculated manipulated amount to the work roll bender device and also outputs a difference between an amount that corresponds to the second calculated manipulated amount and the first calculated manipulated amount, to the work roll shift device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MITSUBISHI-ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Tezuka
  • Patent number: 11602779
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for controlling a stretch-reducing mill. Tube ends of stretched tubes are optimized by controlling one or more motors of the stretch-reducing mill. The method includes at least one outlet-side wall thickness measurement and an automatic adjustment of the value of a speed change of the motors to the tube wall thickness profile. The progression of the speed changes over time of individual or all motors is also automatically adjusted on the basis of the tube wall thickness measured values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: SMS group GmbH
    Inventor: Alexander Gohr
  • Patent number: 11534808
    Abstract: Prior to the rolling of a flat rolling material (2) on a rolling line that includes a number of roll stands (1), a control system (3) receives actual variables (I) and target variables (Z) of the material (2). The control system (3) determines desired values (S*) for the roll stands (1), based on the actual (I) and target variables (Z) in combination with a model (10) of the rolling line, such that expected variables (E1) of the material (2) after its rolling are aligned as far as possible with the target variables (Z) and transfers the desired values (S*) to the roll stands (1) such that the material (2) is rolled according to the desired values (S*). The target variables (Z) comprise at least one freely selectable, discrete characteristic variable (K1 to K5, K2? to K4?, K2? to K4?) defining the contour (K) of the flat rolling material (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Inventors: Jens Frenzel, Christopher Gusek, Matthias Kurz, Marco Miele, Friedemann Schmid, Alexander Thekale, Martin Vogt
  • Patent number: 11480427
    Abstract: A structured light projector outputting light which is adapt to variations in distance between an object under test and the structured light projector can efficiently obtain data as to three dimensions of the object. The structured light projector includes a lens, an infrared laser source, a voice coil motor, a first camera, and a second camera. The infrared laser source can emit infrared light towards the voice coil motor, the first camera is movably housed in the voice coil motor. The voice coil motor can adjust a focal length of the first camera. The first camera is disposed on a transmission path of the infrared light, so that the infrared light enters the to-be-tested object. The second camera is disposed on the second surface, to receive light reflected by the to-be-tested object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: TRIPLE WIN TECHNOLOGY(SHENZHEN) CO.LTD.
    Inventor: Zhe-Ming Lin
  • Patent number: 10695808
    Abstract: In an aluminum foil rolling process, first and second aluminum foils are provided, each having first and second faces, one face between the first and second faces is lubricated to obtain a first lubricated face. The foils are coupled to obtain a coupled foil having two outer faces and rolling the coupled foil, reducing the thickness of the coupled foil. One face between the two outer faces of the coupled foil is lubricated to obtain a coupled foil having a second lubricated face. The coupled foil is then wound to obtain a wound coupled foil. The coupled foil is partially separated by unwinding one of the first and second foils, to obtain a wound coupled foil. The wound coupled foil is unwound and rolled to obtain a coupled foil with reduced thickness and is then separated to obtain first and second foils with respective first and second reduced thicknesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Inventor: Fabrizio Guasta
  • Patent number: 9399245
    Abstract: A method of providing flatness control for rolling a strip in a mill including a plurality of rolls controllable by actuators. The method includes the steps of: receiving flatness measurement data pertaining to a flatness of the strip; determining a flatness error as a difference between a reference flatness of the strip and the flatness measurement data; determining an adjusted flatness error based on the flatness error and weights for actuator position combinations which provide a flatness effect below a threshold value; and utilizing the adjusted flatness error for the control units to control the actuators to thereby control the flatness of the strip. A computer program product and a control system for carrying out the above method are also presented herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Markus Holm, Per-Erik Moden
  • Patent number: 9272478
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for reducing a thickness of an absorbent body having liquid absorbent fiber as a main material. The apparatus includes a pressing device that reduces the thickness of the absorbent body transported in a transport direction, by sandwiching and pressing the absorbent body in a thickness direction orthogonal to the transport direction, a pair of rollers that are positioned on a downstream side of the pressing device along the transport direction, and rotate while passing the absorbent body through a gap formed by outer circumferences of the pair of rollers opposing each other, a sensor that outputs measurement information relating to the thickness of the absorbent body at a position between the pressing device and the pair of rollers, and a controller that sets a size of the gap between the pair of rollers based on the measurement information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: UNICHARM CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazuhiko Hoshika
  • Patent number: 8850860
    Abstract: Provided is a method of controlling operation of a tandem rolling mill which enables large reduction rolling in the latter-stage stand of the tandem rolling mill necessary for manufacturing fine-grained steel, and so on. The method comprises: a step of determining a first exit-side sheet thickness in rolling a constant portion of a material to be rolled; and a step of determining a second exit-side sheet thickness in rolling a front end portion of the material, such that a pre-tightening load becomes a set value or less; the material is rolled into the second exit-side sheet thickness, until the front end portion is fed into the stands; the constant portion is rolled by the stand given a pre-tightening load into the first exit-side sheet thickness; and the second exit-side sheet thicknesses of the stands given the pre-tightening load are made larger than the first exit-side sheet thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignees: Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation, Mitsubishi-Hitachi Metals Machinery, Inc.
    Inventors: Daisuke Nikkuni, Suguhiro Fukushima, Yoshiro Washikita, Tetsuo Kajihara, Kenji Horii, Taro Sato
  • Patent number: 8584498
    Abstract: The present invention provides a mandrel mill and the like that is capable of not only enhancing the elongation ratio of the pipe or tube, but also suppressing a pinhole defect from occurring. The first means of the present invention provides a mandrel mill comprising a plurality of rolling stands in which two grooved rolls R11, R12 are disposed, respectively, the mandrel mill being characterized in that the roll diameter ratio for the first rolling stand and the second rolling stand is set at a value of 4.6 or over. The second means of the present invention provides a mandrel mill comprising a plurality of rolling stands in which three grooved rolls R21, R22 and R23 are disposed, respectively, the mandrel mill being characterized in that the roll diameter ratio for the first rolling stand and the second rolling stand is set at a value of 2.8 or over.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation
    Inventor: Akihito Yamane
  • Patent number: 8539804
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for controlling a roll gap when rolling a strip (1) in a rolling mill including at least two rolls (3a-b,4a-b), and at least two roll gap actuators (6,7) that independently control the size of the roll gap. The device is adapted to receive information on the amount of wedge shape (POSactOS,POSactDS) in the strip thickness profile across the strip width, and to control said actuators, based on said information on the amount of wedge shape in the strip thickness profile, such that the relative reduction of the strip on both sides of the rolling mill become essentially the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: ABB AB
    Inventor: Lars Jonsson
  • Patent number: 8516869
    Abstract: In a multi-staged cold-rolling line, a strip is rolled. An actual rolling force of a last rolling stage of the cold-rolling line is detected and fed to a force control unit which determines a control parameter using the actual rolling force and a target rolling force and outputs a control parameter. An actual thickness is detected directly downstream of the last rolling stage and is sent to a thickness control unit which acts on the last rolling stage. Another actual strip thickness is detected directly upstream of the last rolling stage. Enter and exit speeds of the last rolling stage are detected and with a pre-determined final strip thickness following the last rolling stage fed to a setpoint determination unit which determines a target thickness which is used as a setpoint for another thickness control unitacting on the next to last rolling stage and receiving the other actual thickness value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Hans-Joachim Felkl
  • Patent number: 8490447
    Abstract: In a method and a control device for adjusting a state of a rolling stock, particularly a near-net strip, defined at least by an out-of-parallel condition and/or a curvature of the rolling stock, the rolling stock is transitioned from an initial into an intermediate state by a roll stand and by impressing a stress onto the rolling stock by an additional processing device, and the rolling stock is transitioned from the intermediate into a final state by at least one processing aggregate. By determining whether rolling stock should be fed into the at least one processing aggregate, the intermediate state requiring a non-zero out-of-parallel condition and/or curvature in order to achieve a predetermined final state, and the roll stand and/or the processing device are controlled and/or regulated as a function thereof to adjust the required intermediate state, the shape reliability of an ultimately parallel, non-curved rolling stock can be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Matthias Kurz, Birger Schmidt, Klaus Weinzierl
  • Patent number: 8459075
    Abstract: A cold-rolling train has a plurality of rolling stands and a strip feeding device to which an initial setpoint speed is sent to feed the cold strip to the first stand at an initial actual speed corresponding to the initial setpoint speed. A first setpoint speed is sent to the first stand so that associated rolls rotate. Between the first and next passed-through rolling stand is a thickness detection device detecting a first actual thickness. A base output signal is determined using the first actual and setpoint thicknesses and is used to adjust the first setpoint speed, but not the initial setpoint speed, conforming the first actual to the first setpoint thickness. Between the feeding device and the first rolling stand is an initial thickness detection device detecting an initial actual thickness. The initial setpoint speed is adjusted by a initial feed-forward controller to adjusted a setpoint product mass flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Hans-Joachim Felkl
  • Patent number: 8459073
    Abstract: A method for measuring flatness of a sheet material in which a light and dark pattern composed by a light portion and a dark portion is projected onto a surface of the sheet material running in a longitudinal direction, a pattern image is acquired by photographing the light and dark pattern by an image pickup device having an image pickup visual field larger than a width of the sheet material, and the flatness of the sheet material is measured by analyzing the acquired pattern image. A staggered pattern is used for the projecting step and for light to be specularly reflected for receipt by the image pickup device. Calculating the flatness also includes steps of setting a shape measurement line, averaging picture element concentrations, calculating a distribution of the concentrations, and calculating the flatness based on surface shape using the distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshito Isei, Tomoya Kato, Masahiro Osugi
  • Patent number: 8365562
    Abstract: Apparatus and method of controlling strip geometry in casting strip having a rolling mill. A target thickness profile is calculated as a function of the measured entry thickness profile of the strip while satisfying profile and flatness parameters. A differential strain feedback from longitudinal strain in the strip is calculated by a control system by comparing the exit thickness profile with the target thickness profile, and a control signal is generated to control a device capable of affecting the geometry of the strip processed by the hot rolling mill. A feed-forward control reference and/or sensitivity vector may also be calculated as a function of the target thickness profile, and used in generating the control signal sent to the control device. The control device may be selected from one or more of the group consisting of a bending controller, gap controller and coolant controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Britanik, Tino Domanti, Terry L. Gerber, Jason A. Mueller, Glen Wallace, Harold Bradley Rees
  • Publication number: 20130019646
    Abstract: Provided is a method of controlling operation of a tandem rolling mill which enables large reduction rolling in the latter-stage stand of the tandem rolling mill necessary for manufacturing fine-grained steel, and so on. The method comprises: a step of determining a first exit-side sheet thickness in rolling a constant portion of a material to be rolled; and a step of determining a second exit-side sheet thickness in rolling a front end portion of the material, such that a pre-tightening load becomes a set value or less; the material is rolled into the second exit-side sheet thickness, until the front end portion is fed into the stands; the constant portion is rolled by the stand given a pre-tightening load into the first exit-side sheet thickness; and the second exit-side sheet thicknesses of the stands given the pre-tightening load are made larger than the first exit-side sheet thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2012
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Inventors: Daisuke NIKKUNI, Suguhiro Fukushima, Yoshiro Washikita, Tetsuo Kajihara, Kenji Horii, Taro Sato
  • Patent number: 8302440
    Abstract: A thickness control apparatus of a reversing rolling mill has an entry thickness gauge that measures the thickness of the material to be rolled, and entry material speed detector that detects the speed of the material to be rolled. Measured thickness measured by the entry thickness gauge is tracked on the basis of the speed of the material to be rolled detected by the entry material speed detector. A mill delivery thickness calculator calculates thickness on the delivery side of the reversing rolling mill on the basis of the thickness on the entry side and the roll gap detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Tezuka, Masashi Tsugeno
  • Patent number: 8215142
    Abstract: An elongation rolling control method is provided which can manufacture a hollow shell of high dimensional accuracy and can suppress rolling problems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 8205474
    Abstract: Apparatus and method of controlling strip geometry in casting strip having a rolling mill. A target thickness profile is calculated as a function of the measured entry thickness profile of the strip while satisfying profile and flatness parameters. A differential strain feedback from longitudinal strain in the strip is calculated by a control system by comparing the exit thickness profile with the target thickness profile, and a control signal is generated to control a device capable of affecting the geometry of the strip processed by the hot rolling mill. A feed-forward control reference and/or sensitivity vector may also be calculated as a function of the target thickness profile, and used in generating the control signal sent to the control device. The control device may be selected from one or more of the group consisting of a bending controller, gap controller and coolant controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Britanik, Tino Domanti, Terry L. Gerber, Jason A. Mueller, Glen Wallace, Harold Bradley Rees
  • Patent number: 8185232
    Abstract: The present invention provides a learning method of rolling load prediction which uses a prediction error of a rolling load at an actual pass of a stock in hot rolling to correct a predicted value of rolling load at a subsequent rolling pass. The method comprises changing a gain for multiplying with the prediction error of the rolling load at the actual pass in accordance with a thickness of the stock to thereby set the learning coefficient of the rolling load prediction and improve the precision of the prediction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Higo, Yosuke Mizoguchi, Kazutsugu Igarashi, Yasushi Fukuoka
  • Patent number: 8136215
    Abstract: An uncoiling device having an uncoiler for uncoiling a strip is described. The uncoiler is arranged downstream from a thickness measuring device which measures the thickness of the strip. The thickness measuring device is arranged downstream from a straightening device which straightens the strip. The straightening device is arranged downstream from a machining device which further machines the strip. The thickness of the strip is transmitted to a control device which controls the straightening machine and/or the machining device in accordance with the measured thickness of the strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Bertram Schulze
  • Patent number: 8050792
    Abstract: A method and a device for optimization of flatness control in the rolling of a strip using any number of mill stands and actuators. A mill model is used represented by a mill matrix that includes information of the flatness effect of each actuator. Each actuator's flatness effect is translated into a coordinate system having a dimension less than or equal to the number of actuators used. The actual flatness values are monitoring/sampling across the strip. A vector of the flatness error/deviation is computed as the difference between the monitored/sampled strip flatness and a reference flatness vector. The flatness error is converted into a smaller parameterized flatness error vector. A dynamic controller is used to calculate optimized actuator set-points in order to minimize the parameterized flatness error, thereby achieving the desired strip flatness. Also a system for optimization of flatness control in rolling a strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: ABB AB
    Inventor: Pontus Bergsten
  • Patent number: 8020417
    Abstract: A method and device for controlling the final thickness of a rolled product at a tandem rolling mill exit which make it possible to remove the cyclic defects of the product thickness variation. The method includes using at least one rolling stand provided with hydraulic adjustment devices located on the tandem rolling mill exit and in compensating the cyclic defects of the product thickness variation generated upstream through the entire rolling mill on the stand with the aid of an adjuster (R) coordinated with the frequency of defects. The method and device are suitable for tandem cold rolling mills producing metal strips. The thickness defects are detectable by a thickness sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens VAI Metals Technologies SAS
    Inventors: Michel Abi Karam, Stéphane Gouttebroze
  • Patent number: 7937978
    Abstract: An elongation rolling control method is provided which can manufacture a hollow shell of high dimensional accuracy and can suppress rolling problems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Iwamoto
  • Publication number: 20100326154
    Abstract: A cold-rolling train has a plurality of rolling stands and a strip feeding device to which an initial setpoint speed is sent to feed the cold strip to the first stand at an initial actual speed corresponding to the initial setpoint speed. A first setpoint speed is sent to the first stand so that associated rolls rotate. Between the first and next passed-through rolling stand is a thickness detection device detecting a first actual thickness. A base output signal is determined using the first actual and setpoint thicknesses and is used to adjust the first setpoint speed, but not the initial setpoint speed, conforming the first actual to the first setpoint thickness. Between the feeding device and the first rolling stand is an initial thickness detection device detecting an initial actual thickness. The initial setpoint speed is adjusted by a initial feed-forward controller to adjusted a setpoint product mass flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Inventor: Hans-Joachim Felkl
  • Patent number: 7849722
    Abstract: Apparatus and method of controlling strip geometry in casting strip having a rolling mill. A target thickness profile is calculated as a function of the measured entry thickness profile of the strip while satisfying profile and flatness operating requirements. A differential strain feedback from longitudinal strain in the strip is calculated by a control system by comparing the exit thickness profile with the target thickness profile, and a control signal is generated to control a device capable of affecting the geometry of the strip processed by the hot rolling mill. A feed-forward control reference and/or sensitivity vector may also be calculated as a function of the target thickness profile, and used in generating the control signal sent to the control device. The control device may be selected from one or more of the group consisting of a bending controller, gap controller and coolant controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Britanik, Tino Domanti, Terry L. Gerber, Jason A. Mueller, Glen Wallace, Harold Bradley Rees
  • Publication number: 20100064749
    Abstract: Cold rolled material manufacturing equipment comprises: an unwinding device (21a) for unwinding a hot rolled coil after acid pickling; joining means (23), disposed on the exit side of the unwinding device, for joining the tail end of a preceding coil (25b) to the leading end of a succeeding coil (22a) unwound from the unwinding device; a rolling mill (10a, 10b) for continuously rolling the coils, with the leading end and the tail end of the coils being joined, in one direction; a strip storage device (50), disposed between the joining means and the rolling mill, for storing a strip S in order to perform continuous rolling by the rolling mill during joining of the preceding coil and the succeeding coil by the joining means; a strip cutting device (28) for cutting the strip to a desired length; a winding device (24) for winding the rolled coil; transport means (30) for withdrawing the coil from the winding device, and transporting the coil to the unwinding device (21a, 21b) so that the coil is rolled a pluralit
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2006
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: Mitsubishi-Hitachi Metals Machinery, Inc.
    Inventors: Shinichi Kaga, Mitsuru Onose, Noriaki Tominaga, Takehiko Saito, Yasutsugu Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 7578155
    Abstract: A rolling system has a rolling mill a rod workpiece, a wire block comprised of at least two roll stands downstream of the rolling mill, and a calibrating block comprised of three roll stands spaced apart in the direction downstream of the wire block. The workpiece is passed in the direction downstream in the direction from the rolling mill through the wire block and thereafter through the calibrating block with thickness reduction in each block. The gaps of the stands of the calibrating block are set at a fixed spacing and not varied during a rolling operation. A sensor measures the thickness of the workpiece upstream of the calibrating block, and gaps of the roll stands of the rolling mill or wire block are adjusted in accordance with the measured thickness such that the workpiece has a predetermined thickness on entering the calibrating block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: SMS Meer GmbH
    Inventors: Georg-Albert Kleinfeldt, Lutz Kümmel
  • Patent number: 7540178
    Abstract: The invention relates to a rolling plant (100) and to a method for its operation. Known rolling plants (100) typically comprise a reversing stand (110) for rolling a metal strip (200) in a plurality of rolling operations until the metal strip has reached the desired thickness. The reversing stand (110) is typically assigned at least one reversing reel device (130), which has a reel mandrel (132), for temporarily storing the metal strip (200) after individual rolling operations. The known rolling plants (100) also have a sensor device for determining the thickness of the metal strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: SMS Demag AG
    Inventors: Martin Peter, Ulrich Patzelt, Hans-Peter Richter
  • Patent number: 7513136
    Abstract: An apparatus for and method of manufacturing lithium or lithium alloy anodes for electrochemical cells by a lamination process wherein a lithium or lithium alloy sheet is reduced into a thin lithium or lithium alloy film. The method and apparatus provide adjustments of the profile defined by the meeting surfaces of a pair of working rollers to compensate for thermal dilation of the working rollers or to compensate for irregular thickness of the lithium or lithium alloy sheet to control the shape and profile of the lithium or lithium alloy film being laminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Bathium Canada Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Laliberté, Pierre Sirois, Régis Gagnon
  • Publication number: 20080216537
    Abstract: A flaw detection apparatus and flaw detection method for automatically detecting the occurrence of a flaw in a mother tube manufactured by rolling a hollow shell using a mandrel mill are provided. A flaw detection apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes a wall thickness gauge 1 which is installed on the exit side of a mandrel mill M and which measures the tube wall thickness in each of the reducing directions of a hollow shell P in the #1-#5 stands of the mandrel mill, rolling load measuring devices 2 which measure the rolling load in the #1-#5 stands, and a decision unit 3 which determines whether there are flaws in the mother tube based on the measured value of the tube wall thickness in each of the reducing directions of the hollow shell P and the measured value of the rolling load in each stand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventor: Kenichi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7333925
    Abstract: A complex Fourier transform is performed on measured values of wall thickness at points in a cross section of a pipe in an axial direction, types of thickness deviation are classified, thickness deviation amount is calculated from the absolute value of the complex Fourier component, the position of a thick or thin portion of thickness deviation is calculated from the phase of the complex Fourier component, and manufacturing conditions of the pipe are adjusted based on these variables. The relationship r·exp(j?) between the thickness deviation amount r and phase ? of a first-order thickness deviation obtained for cross sections in the axial direction is subjected to a complex Fourier transform as a function of pipe longitudinal direction, the thickness deviation is further classified by the frequency of twist of the thickness deviation, and an action is taken to prevent the thickness deviation according to the classified thickness deviation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Akihito Yamane
  • Patent number: 7293440
    Abstract: A wedge setup/control method for plate material rolling ensures that the work side and drive side are equal in the rolled plate thickness. The wedge setup/control method, which is used in reversible rolling of a plate material with a rough mill for hot rolling, includes preparing a wedge meter on the outlet side of the rough mill to measure the plate thickness in the direction of the plate width; performing calculations on a wedge measured by the wedge meter, using the influence coefficient of the wedge for roll gap leveling of the rough mill; determining amount of roll gap leveling control; and exercising feedback control to apply the amount of roll gap leveling control to the roll gap leveling of the rough mill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Tokujiro Horikawa, Kazuyuki Maruyama, Minoru Choka, Masaru Miyokawa, Yoshiharu Ambe
  • Patent number: 7185520
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for correcting the thickness of a metal strip during rolling comprising a roll stand with adjusting elements to regulate the thickness of the strip and at least one take-up coiler. The object to provide a method and a device to correct the thickness of a metal strip during rolling using a roll stand which ensures the production of rolled strip with a reduced thickness tolerance is solved according to method by the fact that an average strip thickness of a strip section is determined from at least one strip length measurement and the measurement of the dedicated rotation of the take-up coiler and the adjusting elements of the roll stand are controlled at least depending on the average strip thickness of the strip section. With the method according to the invention the adjusting elements can be controlled almost independently of the ambient conditions of the roll stand so that the thickness tolerances of the rolled strip can be effectively reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Aluminium Norf GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Pampel, Günter Pampel, Manfred Jeude
  • Patent number: 7093469
    Abstract: A complex Fourier transform is performed on measured values of wall thickness at points in a cross section of a pipe in an axial direction, types of thickness deviation are classified, thickness deviation amount is calculated from the absolute value of the complex Fourier component, the position of a thick or thin portion of thickness deviation is calculated from the phase of the complex Fourier component, and manufacturing conditions of the pipe are adjusted based on these variables. The relationship r·exp(j?) between the thickness deviation amount r and phase ? of a first-order thickness deviation obtained for cross sections in the axial direction is subjected to a complex Fourier transform as a function of pipe longitudinal direction, the thickness deviation is further classified by the frequency of twist of the thickness deviation, and an action is taken to prevent the thickness deviation according to the classified thickness deviation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Akihito Yamane
  • Patent number: 7076979
    Abstract: In a method and a device for producing curved lengths of spring band steel in order to produce precisely toleranced, dimensionally stable bending radii, the spring band steel (10) pass through a bending unit (20), which is comprised of three support points (23-25) spaced apart from one another, and passes through a reverse bending unit (22), which is disposed after the bending unit (20) in the advancing direction of the spring band steel (10) and is comprised of a fourth support point (32), and in a cutting unit (21), the curved and recurved lengths of spring band steel (11) are cut from the spring band steel (10). The central support point (24) of the bending unit (20) and the fourth support point (32) of the reverse bending unit (22) are embodied so that they can be moved and are controlled in their advancing in relation to the spring band steel (10) by means of a numerical control unit (20) in accordance with predetermined programs (FIG. 1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Wilhelm, Thomas Blum, Julius Mazurkiewicz, Theo Troester
  • Patent number: 7028518
    Abstract: A method of producing a seamless steel tube to enable it to suppress not only the deviations in wall thickness occurring in the direction of reduction in a mandrel mill but also the derivations in thickness occurring at places deviating from the direction of reduction: measuring the wall thicknesses within the circumferential directions of a seamless steel tube 14 rolled in a production line comprising a mandrel mill 11 consisting of a plurality of reduction stands 111 to 115 having reduction rolls disposed in succession with the directions of reduction varied each other, and controlling, separately and individually based on the results of the measurement, the positions of both ends of each axis of the reduction rolls 114, 115 in the final reduction stands of the mandrel mill 11 so that the deviations in wall thickness can be minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Sasaki, Akihito Yamane
  • Patent number: 7031797
    Abstract: Input variables, which describe a metal strip prior to and after the passage of a rolling stand, are fed to a material flow model. The material flow model determines online a rolling force progression in the direction of the width of the strip and fees said progression to a roller deformation model. The latter determines roller deformations from said progression and feeds them to a desired value calculator, which calculates the desired values for the controlling elements of profile and surface evenness using the calculated roller deformations and a contour progression on the runout side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Johannes Reinschke, Friedemann Schmid, Marco Miele
  • Patent number: 6945083
    Abstract: The eccentricity of a hollow billet is measured at the outlet of an inclined-roll rolling mill by launching an ultrasonic pulse into the billet from a laser of a measuring device and measuring the transit time of an echo pulse also utilizing a laser and an optical analyzer. The measuring device is moved, during travel of the hollow billet along a path from the rolling mill linearly into the direction of travel or angularly around the hollow billet to eliminate the effect of the internal helical formation of the eccentricity on the measurements. The wall thickness measurements are evaluated by a computer and subjected to Fourier analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: SMS Meer GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Sauerland, Karl Heinz Häusler
  • Patent number: 6305206
    Abstract: A pass schedule calculation apparatus calculates pass schedule and inputs the schedule to a preset apparatus which is plate thickness control means. The present apparatus controls a draft motor before rolling to set an appropriate initial roll clearance, and instructs a control target value to a plate thickness control apparatus and rolling speed control apparatus to perform control. A method of determining the pass schedule comprises: obtaining a product of a function which includes a pass rolling parameter and has a correlation of monotonic increase with respect to each pass draft amount, and another function including a rolling parameter which increases with the number of passes; using the product of the functions as a function substantially independent of a rolling speed; solving optimization problem of the parameter for equalizing the function value in the respective passes to calculate each pass draft amount; and using the draft amount as a draft schedule to determine the rolling pass schedule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yujirou Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6286348
    Abstract: A strip thickness controller for a rolling mill, which is capable of reducing a delivery-side strip thickness deviation due to an eccentricity of a backup roll even in a rolling mill incapable of easily performing a kiss-roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kunio Sekiguchi, Yosuke Tonami, Takashi Chujo
  • Patent number: 6263714
    Abstract: A control system is provided for a rolling mill that feeds sheet material from an unwind reel to a rewind reel, passing it between a pair of work rolls. The control system includes a speed sensor for sensing speed of the sheet material and a sensor for measuring material thickness. A force controller controls force exerted on the sheet material by the work rolls. A tension controller controls tension on the unwind reel. A programmed controller is operatively connected to the speed sensor, the force controller and the tension controller, and stores information representing cyclical deviations in thickness of the sheet material and controls the force controller and the tension controller using the stored information and the sensed speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignees: Telepro, Inc., Spectrum Systems Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: James Johnson, David Knapp, A. J. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6240756
    Abstract: A tandem rolling mill (FM) has mill stands (Fi; i=1 to 7) to be controlled in conformity with given rolling conditions (j) to execute a given path schedule for a coil (1) to be rolled by rolls (WR) of the mill stands (Fi) to scheduled thicknesses (hi) at exit sides of the mill stands (Fi), with scheduled peripheral speeds (Vi) of the rolls (WR).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Masashi Tsugeno
  • Patent number: 6240757
    Abstract: A process for rolling a metal strip, in particular a steel strip, using a cold-rolling train, which is followed by an annealing section and a temper pass section, the outflow thickness, i.e., the setpoint thickness of the metal strip at the outflow from the cold-rolling train being determined as a function of the setpoint hardness and the setpoint thickness of the metal strip at the outflow from the temper pass section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Roland Brüstle, Eckhard Wilke
  • Patent number: 6227021
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a hot rolling mill having a plurality of rolling stands, including a roll gap tension controller configured to control a roll gap of one of the rolling stands so that a detected interstand tension value of a rolled material positioned between the adjacent rolling stands accords with a target interstand tension value thereof; and a tension width controller configured to control a width of the rolled material by correcting the target interstand tension value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Imanari
  • Patent number: 6220068
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for reducing the edge drop of a rolled strip in a roll train having one or more roll stands, at least one roll stand having actuators for reducing the edge drop, which are set as a function of the edge drop of the rolled strip running out of the roll stand and, if appropriate, of the edge drop of the rolled strip running into the roll stand, the edge drop being measured with at least one edge drop measuring device, and the values of the edge drop of the rolled strip being determined using a roll gap model, in order to set the actuators for reducing the edge drop at those points on the rolled strip at which the edge drop is not measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Siemens AG
    Inventors: Roland Brüstle, Eckhard Wilke
  • Patent number: 6216504
    Abstract: Set values of a gauge-alteration-in-rolling amount after the next (i+1)-th stand and subsequent stands are modified, using the rolling results obtained when a leading end of a succeeding material passes through the i-th stand and the gauge results of the leading end portion of the succeeding material detected by the i-th stand outlet side gauge detector. The gauge results of the leading end of the succeeding material on the i-th stand outlet side is tracked up to the (i+1)-th stand, to thereby control the rolling speed of the i-th stand so as to make constant a mass-flow from the leading end of the succeeding material on the (i+1)-th stand inlet side. Thereby, the reverse off gauge caused at the succeeding stand, by turning on the AGC of the preceding stand, can be prevented and the gauge can be controlled to a desired value from the coil leading end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignees: Kawasaki Steel Corporation, Hitachi Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kurakake, Hisashi Tsuchida, Yutaka Saito, Satoshi Hattori