Measuring system of the slab's position in a metallurgical plant using artificial vision techniques

The paper deals with the artificial vision system. It measures the dimensions and the position of the slabs in a rolling mill and it is part of a positioning system for furnace loading. The structure of the vision system, the geometrical transforms and the image processing operations are presented. This system was designed by the authors and validated on a scale-down physical model. The main result is the validation of the structure and of the processing algorithms, which confirms that the requested accuracy and speed can be obtained, using an industrial camera with an ordinary resolution. The main disturbance is the improper light, which is rejected by a good artificial lighting system.