A vision based system for strip tracking measurement in the finishing train of a hot strip mill

Strip steering in a hot strip rolling operation is important to maintain smooth operation of the steel mill. Automated steering control can improve the capability and productivity of a rolling mill and has previously been performed using roll force measurements. Due to the non-linear relationship of roll force measurements with strip position this method requires a complex computational model of the plant. A direct measurement method, such as a vision system is therefore preferred. Environmental factors, predominantly cooling water, make a vision system difficult to implement due to strip edges being obscured. A method has been developed, using Bezier curves and edge position prediction, to enable the use of vision as a robust measurement technique for this application.