State estimation of automatic pouring system with load cell in casting process

We describe here a method for estimating the pouring flow rate for tilting-ladle-type automatic pouring systems used in casting industries. To precisely pour molten metal into the mold, controlling the flow rate of liquid flowing out of the ladle is mandatory. However, it is difficult to directly measure the pouring flow rate by using a conventional flow meter, because the flow meter damaged by the molten metal. Therefore, in this study, we used a soft sensing technique as part of the pouring flow rate estimation system. For estimation of the flow rate, the weight of liquid in the ladle and the tilting angle of the ladle are measured by a load cell and an encoder, respectively. Then, the flow rate is estimated by using an extended Kalman filter, since in this study, the flow rate model was built as a nonlinear model. The advantage of the proposed system is that the flow rate can be precisely estimated by the load cell and the encoder. The effectiveness of the proposed flow rate estimation method is demonstrated through experiments.