JPH0523295U - Process monitoring equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Objective] The present invention relates to a process monitoring device, and an object thereof is to realize a process monitoring device capable of integrally performing monitoring by video cameras installed at a plurality of places in a continuous casting process of steel and the like. .. [Structure] A plurality of video cameras and a plurality of sequencers are installed in a process, a state flag is set based on the state information from the sequencer and a processing result of image information by the video camera, and a value of the state flag. On the basis of the above, the monitoring control unit switches the video camera and instructs the image processing unit to start the corresponding image processing program.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a process monitoring device, and more particularly to a process monitoring device that performs integrated monitoring by video cameras installed at multiple points in a continuous casting process of steel and the like.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 In the steel manufacturing process, an automatic monitoring system has been built up to now for parts that can be monitored by line sensors or sequencers that do not use visual information. However, some parts of the process can be processed only by visual information, and such parts were generally monitored by humans.

With the progress of image processing technology in recent years, monitor monitoring performed by humans has been automated by image processing, but different image processing is required for each of a plurality of parts in the process. However, comprehensive monitoring of multiple points in such a process with a single device has not been realized.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to realize a process monitoring device that performs integrated monitoring by video cameras installed at a plurality of places in automatic monitoring of a steel manufacturing process or the like. To do.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 As shown in FIG. 1, the process monitoring device of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is configured such that a video camera 1 installed at a plurality of points in a process and a video signal output from the plurality of video cameras 1 are integrated into one. An image processing unit having a video switcher 2 for switching and outputting a video signal and a plurality of different image processing programs 31, and processing a video signal output from the video switcher 2 using the image processing program. 3, sequencers 4 installed at a plurality of locations in the process, status information output from the plurality of sequencers 4, and monitoring results by the plurality of video cameras 1 notified from the image processing unit 3. Are set as status flags 51, and the video switcher 2 is instructed to switch the video signal according to the value of the status flag 51. While, characterized by being configured to provide a monitoring control section 5 in response to the selected video signal to the image processing unit 3 instructs the start of the image processing program 31.

[0006]

[Action]

 In the process monitoring apparatus of the present invention, the status of the apparatus in the process, the sequencer output such as the sensor output, and the result of the image processing of the visual information are set as the status flag 51.

Based on the value of the state flag 51, the monitor control unit 5 selects a video signal of a portion to be processed from the signals from the video camera 1 set at a plurality of portions, and also instructs the image processing unit 3 to do so. Then, the image processing program 31 corresponding to the monitoring location is activated to execute the image processing of the video signal, and the processing result is obtained.

With this configuration, in addition to the sequencer information that has been conventionally used for monitoring, it is possible to integrally monitor the process by using the processing result of the visual information by the image processing.

Further, even a process requiring a plurality of monitoring points can be processed by a single image processing unit, so that an economical monitoring device can be provided. Further, according to the present invention, since the program structure is simple, addition of monitoring items can be easily realized by adding a monitoring program.

[0010]

【Example】

 An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a continuous steel casting process will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

The system configuration of this embodiment is common to the principle configuration diagram of FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the program structure of the process monitoring device in the continuous casting process of steel. In the figure, the part surrounded by a dotted line frame corresponds to the image processing unit 3 and the monitor control unit 5 in FIG.

The image processing unit 3 has an image processing program 31n according to the portion of the process to be video monitored. Specifically, the image processing program 31n includes a mold surface monitoring program 311, a dummy bar separation monitoring program 312, and a cutter monitoring program 313.

The monitor control unit 5 has a status flag 51, a sequencer control program 52, and a schedule monitor program 53. The sequencer control program 52 has a function of reading the value of the status flag 51, controlling the sequencers provided at a plurality of points in the process, and writing the corresponding value according to the status of each sequencer.

Further, the schedule management program 53 reads the value of the status flag 51 and selects the image processing to be executed based on the value. This is to switch the video switcher 2 so as to extract the video signal from the video camera 1 installed in the part to be monitored at the same time, and at the same time, to the image processing part 3, the image processing program corresponding to the monitoring part. This is done by instructing the activation of 31n.

Further, it has a function of receiving the notification of the processing result of the image processing program 31n notified from the image processing unit 3 and rewriting the corresponding value of the state flag 51 based on the notification.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining a part of the processing operation of monitoring the continuous casting process of this embodiment.

In the initial state, all values of the state flag 51 are off at the start of the casting process. Note that FIG. 3 shows only some of the status flags necessary for explanation.

When the casting start signal is sent from the sequencer, the sequencer control program 52 turns on the casting flag in the status flag 51. Subsequently, the sequencer control program 52 receives a CAST start signal indicating that the molten iron has started to flow into the mold, and turns on the CAST flag in the status flag 51.

When both the casting flag and the CAST flag are turned on, the schedule management program 53 issues a switching command to the video switcher 2 so as to extract the video signal from the mold surface monitoring camera. At the same time, the image processing unit 3 is instructed to start the mold surface monitoring program 311.

When the sequencer control program 52 receives information from another sequencer that the dummy bar has come (for example) 2 m before the planned separation position, the sequencer control program 52 turns on the dummy bar flag.

At the time when the dummy bar flag is turned on, the schedule management program 53 instructs the video switcher 2 to perform the dummy bar disconnection monitoring process as in the case of the mold level monitoring process described above. At the same time as issuing a switching command to extract a video signal from the dummy bar monitoring camera, the image processing unit 3 is instructed to start the dummy bar monitoring program 312.

As described above, the sequencer control program 52 sets the value of the status flag 51 based on the notification from the sequencer 4, and the schedule management program 53 switches the video switcher and starts the image processing program based on this value. Control to operate the monitoring function according to the process status.

It should be noted that basically the same control as described above is performed in the above-described processing of FIG. 3 and thereafter, but in brief description, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the dummy bar monitoring. In this case, turn off the dummy bar flag and return to the mold level monitoring (). Also for the cutter monitoring, the cutter monitoring program 313 operates based on the value of the status flag set by the information from the sequencer as in the above.

[0024]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, in addition to the conventional control by the sequencer, the schedule management is performed for the video information in accordance with the process state, and the monitoring function can be efficiently operated. For this reason, the control by the existing sequencer and the automatic monitoring of the process using the image information comprehensively are realized, which contributes to the efficiency and labor saving of the process management such as steel manufacturing. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a program structure of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Video Camera 2 Video Switcher 3 Image Processing Unit 31 Image Processing Program 4 Sequencer 5 Monitoring Control Unit 51 Status Flag

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Creator Teruhisa Tatsuji 1015 Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Fujitsu Limited (72) Creator Shuji Naito 20-1, Shintomi, Futtsu City, Chiba Prefecture Made in Japan ▲ Iron ▼ (72) Inventor Yuji Nakajima 1-1 No. 1 Tobita-cho, Tobata-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture New iron ▲ Iron ▲ Yawata Co., Ltd. ▲ Iron ▼ (72) Inventor Takanori Yamamoto Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture 1-1, Tobata-cho, Tobata-ku New Made in Japan ▲ Iron ▲ Made in Yawata Co., Ltd. ▲ Iron ▼ (72) Inventor Tomoharu Shimogasa 1-1 Tobahata-cho, Tobata-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Fukuoka Made in Japan ▲ Iron ▲ Yawata Co., Ltd. Made in ▲ Iron premises (72) Inventor Tomohiro Ito No.1 Tobata-cho, Tobata-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Japan Made in Japan ▲ Iron ▲ Yawata Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A video camera (1) installed at a plurality of points in a process, and a video switcher (2) for switching one video signal and outputting a video signal output from the plurality of video cameras (1). An image processing section (3) having a plurality of different image processing programs (31) for processing the video signal output from the video switcher (2) using the image processing program; Sequencer (4) installed at a plurality of locations, status information output from the plurality of sequencers (4), and monitoring results by the plurality of video cameras (1) notified from the image processing unit (3) Are set as status flags (51), and the video switcher (2) is instructed to switch the video signal according to the value of the status flag (51). Both are characterized by being provided with a monitor controller (5) for instructing the image processor (3) to start up the image processing program (31) corresponding to the selected video signal. Process monitoring equipment.