METHOD FOR MARKING A STEEL STRIP, AND STEEL STRIP WITH A PLURALITY OF MARKERS

Abstract

A steel strip with a plurality of markers and a method for marking a steel strip with material properties is provided. The method comprises measuring material properties of the steel strip at a plurality of discrete strip positions. A plurality of markers are applied to the strip edge at the strip positions, each marker from the plurality of markers containing a material identifier relating to the measured material properties at the respective strip position of the marker.

Claims

1. A method for marking a steel strip with material properties of the steel strip, comprising the following steps: measuring material properties of the steel strip at a plurality of discrete strip positions, applying a plurality of markers to the strip edge at the discrete strip positions, each marker from the plurality of markers containing a material identifier relating to the measured material properties at the respective strip position of the marker.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the following steps: assigning the measured material properties at the respective strip positions and optionally the discrete strip positions to data sets with unique data set identifiers, storing all data sets of a steel strip in a data container associated with the steel strip.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the material identifier is designed as a unique material identifier, each material identifier being assigned to a unique data set identifier such that this results in a unique assignment of each marker to a data set, with each marker being assigned to the data set which contains the material properties of its strip position.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, comprising the following steps: compiling a set of production parameters of the steel strip, storing the production parameters in the data container associated with the steel strip.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, comprising the following steps: creating a unique steel strip identifier, storing the unique steel strip identifier in the data container associated with the steel strip.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the material identifier of each marker from the plurality of markers is designed as at least one material property at its strip position in coded or uncoded form.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, comprising the following steps: compiling a set of production parameters of the steel strip, and creating a unique steel strip identifier, with each marker from the plurality of markers containing the set of production parameters and/or the steel strip identifier in coded or uncoded form.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein each marker from the plurality of markers comprises an optically readable identification, in particular an alphanumeric character string, a bar code and/or a QR code.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein each marker from the plurality of markers comprises at least one of a local structural change in the steel strip and/or a locally impressed remanent magnetic field.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the distance between adjacent markers is less than 1 m.

11. A steel strip set, comprising a steel strip and a data container associated with the steel strip, with the data container comprising a plurality of data sets with unique data set identifiers, with each data set containing material properties of the steel strip at a discrete strip position and optionally the discrete strip position, and with the steel strip having a plurality of markers on the strip edge at discrete strip positions, each marker from the plurality of markers comprising a unique material identifier, which is assigned to a unique data set identifier such that this results in a unique assignment of each marker to a data set, with each marker being assigned to the data set which contains the material properties of its strip position.

12. The steel strip set as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of the data container comprises a set of production parameters of the steel strip and/or the data container comprises a unique steel strip identifier.

13. The steel strip set as claimed in claim 12 wherein each marker from the plurality of markers comprises an optically readable identification including at least one of an alphanumeric character string, a bar code and/or a QR code.

14. The steel strip set as claimed in claim 13 wherein each marker from the plurality of markers comprises at least one of a local structural change in the steel strip and/or a locally impressed remanent magnetic field.

15. The steel strip set as claimed in claim 14 wherein the distance between adjacent markers is less than 1 m.

16. A steel strip with a plurality of markers on the strip edge at discrete strip positions, each marker from the plurality of markers containing at least one material property at its respective strip position in coded or uncoded form.

17. The steel strip as claimed in claim 16, wherein each marker from the plurality of markers contains a set of production parameters and/or a unique steel strip identifier in coded or uncoded form.

18. The steel strip as claimed in claim 17 wherein each marker from the plurality of markers comprises an optically readable identification, including at least one of an alphanumeric character string, a bar code and a QR code.

19. The steel strip as claimed in claim 18 wherein each marker from the plurality of markers comprises a local structural change in the steel strip and/or a locally impressed remanent magnetic field.

20. The steel strip as claimed in claim 19 wherein the distance between adjacent markers is less than 1 m.

21. A method for processing a steel strip set as claimed in claim 15, comprising the following steps: reading at least one marker from the plurality of markers on the steel strip, the marker having a material identifier, reading out the data set assigned to the read material identifier and containing material properties at the strip position of the read marker from the data container, controlling a processing unit on the basis of the read-out material properties; reading out a set of production parameters of the steel strip and/or the unique steel strip identifier from the data container, controlling a processing unit on the basis of the read-out production parameters and/or the read-out steel strip identifier.

22-24. (canceled)

Description

[0100] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the figures. In the drawings:

[0101] FIG. 1a shows a schematic representation of the marking of a steel strip in a first embodiment,

[0102] FIG. 1b shows an enlarged schematic representation of a marker,

[0103] FIG. 1c shows a schematic representation of the processing of a steel strip in a first embodiment,

[0104] FIG. 2a shows a schematic representation of the marking of a steel strip in a second embodiment,

[0105] FIG. 2b shows a schematic representation of a data container,

[0106] FIG. 2c shows an enlarged schematic representation of a marker, and

[0107] FIG. 2d shows a schematic representation of the processing of a steel strip in a second embodiment,

[0108] FIG. 1a shows a schematic representation of the processing of a steel strip in a first embodiment of the invention. A steel strip 11 which is moved along its longitudinal direction 13 is shown. In the process, the steel strip 11 moves past a measuring device 15 by means of which the local material properties of the steel strip 11 are measured at a plurality of discrete strip positions 17.

[0109] A discrete strip position 17 is understood to mean a position along the longitudinal side 19 of the steel strip. A material property present at a discrete strip position refers to material properties of a portion of the steel strip at this said position along the longitudinal side. This means that the material property is measured on a band 21 perpendicular to the longitudinal side 19 of the steel strip 11 at this position along the longitudinal side 19. However, this does not mean that the entire band 21 has to be measured. The material property can also be a local thickness in the center of the steel strip 11, for example. In such a case, a measurement is naturally only taken at one point of the band 21.

[0110] In the embodiment shown, the discrete strip positions 17 are additionally measured by the position measuring equipment 22. The position measuring equipment 22 is optional since the discrete strip positions 17 can also be calculated automatically on the basis of the known speed of the movement of the steel strip 11 in the longitudinal direction 13.

[0111] A plurality of markers 25 are applied to the strip edge 27 by means of the marking device 23. In this case, the marking device 23 is designed as a laser marking unit. The markers 25 each have the same distance 37 from one another in the longitudinal direction 13. For better clarity, the distance 37 is only depicted for two adjacent markers 25.

[0112] A marker 25 is shown enlarged in FIG. 1b. The marker 25 comprises a material identifier 29 which is designed as at least one material property 49 at its strip position in encoded form. By way of example, the material identifier is designed as two material properties 49, specifically the mean steel strip thickness of 2.3 mm and the mean roughness Rpm of 1.4 ?m at this strip position. Moreover, the marker comprises a set of production parameters 31, a steel strip identifier 33, and the strip position 35 itself. For better clarity of the representation, only the empty fields without an entry are shown in FIG. 1b. The set of production parameters 31 and the steel strip identifier 33 can be stored in advance in a memory of the marking unit 23, while the material identifier 29 in the form of the material properties 49 is transmitted online by the measuring device 15. To this end, the measuring device 15 is signal connected to the marking unit 23 (represented by the dashed connecting lines). The strip position 35 can either be calculated or transmitted online by the position measuring equipment 22.

[0113] FIG. 1c shows the processing of a steel strip 11 which has been marked in the above-described manner. A steel strip 11 which is moved along its longitudinal direction 13 is shown. In the process, the steel strip 11 moves past a reading unit 39, by means of which the material properties of the steel strip 11, the production parameters 31, the steel strip identifier 33, and the strip position 35 are read out from the marker 25. A downstream processing unit 41 is controlled on the basis of these read-out values. To this end, the reading unit 39 is signal connected to the processing unit 41 (represented by the dashed connecting lines). The processing unit 41 is shown here by way of example as a rolling device with an upper and a lower roller.

[0114] FIG. 2a shows a schematic representation of the processing of a steel strip in a second embodiment of the invention. A steel strip 11 which is moved along its longitudinal direction 13 is shown. In the process, the steel strip 11 moves past a measuring device 15 by means of which the material properties of the steel strip 11 are measured at a plurality of discrete strip positions 17.

[0115] A discrete strip position 17 is understood to mean a position along the longitudinal side 19 of the steel strip. A material property present at a discrete strip position refers to material properties of a portion of the steel strip at this said position along the longitudinal side. This means that the material property is measured on a band 21 perpendicular to the longitudinal side 19 of the steel strip 11 at this position along the longitudinal side 19. However, this does not mean that the entire band 21 has to be measured. The material property can also be a local thickness in the center of the steel strip 11, for example. In such a case, a measurement is naturally only taken at one point of the band 21.

[0116] In the embodiment shown, the discrete strip positions 17 are additionally measured by the position measuring equipment 22. The position measuring equipment 22 is optional since the discrete strip positions 17 can also be calculated automatically on the basis of the known speed of the movement of the steel strip 11 in the longitudinal direction 13.

[0117] The measured material properties at the respective strip positions and the discrete strip positions are combined to form data sets 45 and a unique data set identifier 47 is assigned thereto. The data sets 45 are assigned to a data container 43 associated with the steel strip 11.

[0118] The data container 43 is shown schematically in FIG. 2b. Each row corresponds to a data set 45. The first column contains the unique data set identifier 47, the second column the material property 49, and the third column the strip position 35. For the sake of clarity, only six data sets are depicted. The data set identifier 47 is designed as a sequential number (1, . . . , 6). The steel strip thickness in mm and the mean roughness Rpm in ?m are given in the second column as exemplary material properties. The third column gives the strip position 35 in mm from a reference point. The strip positions 35 and thus also the markers 25 are at a distance of 500 mm from one another.

[0119] The data container 43 furthermore contains a set of production parameters 31 and a unique steel strip identifier 33. These two pieces of information, which relate to the steel strip 11 as a whole, can be added to the data container 43 at any time.

[0120] A marker 25 is shown enlarged in FIG. 2c. The marker 25 comprises a material identifier 29 which is designed as a unique material identifier and is assigned to exactly one unique data set identifier 47. By way of example, the material identifier is designed as a bar code 51 which refers to the corresponding data set 45 with the assigned data set identifier 47.

[0121] The plurality of markers 25 were applied to the strip edge 27 by means of the marking device 23 (see FIG. 2a). In this case, the marking device 23 is designed as a laser marking unit. The markers 25 each have the same distance 37 from one another in the longitudinal direction 13. For better clarity, the distance 37 is only depicted for two adjacent markers 25.

[0122] FIG. 2d shows the processing of a steel strip set 53, comprising a steel strip 11 and a data container 43, which has been marked in the above-described manner. A steel strip 11 which is moved along its longitudinal direction 13 is shown. In the process, the steel strip 11 moves past a reading unit 39 by means of which the material identifier 29 of the steel strip 11 is read out from the marker 25. The material identifier 29 is transmitted to a control unit 55. To this end, the reading unit 39 is signal connected to the control unit 55 (represented by the dashed lines). The control unit 55 is signal connected to the data container 43 and reads out the data set 45 assigned to the read-out material identifier 29 and containing material properties 49 at the strip position of the read marker 25 from the data container 43. Optionally, the control unit moreover reads out the production parameters 31 and/or the steel strip identifier 33 from the data container 43. A downstream processing unit 41 is controlled on the basis of these read-out values. To this end, the control unit 55 is signal connected to the processing unit 41 (represented by the dashed connecting lines). The processing unit 41 is shown here by way of example as a rolling device with an upper and a lower roller.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0123] 11 Steel strip [0124] 13 Longitudinal direction [0125] 15 Measuring device [0126] 17 Strip positions [0127] 19 Longitudinal side [0128] 21 Band [0129] 22 Position measuring equipment [0130] 23 Marking unit [0131] 25 Marker [0132] 27 Strip edge [0133] 29 Material identifier [0134] 31 Set of production parameters [0135] 33 Steel strip identifier [0136] 35 Strip position (in the marker) [0137] 37 Distance between two adjacent markers [0138] 39 Reading unit [0139] 41 Processing unit [0140] 43 Data container [0141] 45 Data set [0142] 47 Data set identifier [0143] 49 Material property [0144] 51 Bar code [0145] 53 Steel strip set [0146] 55 Control unit