The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 22, 2000
Filed:
Mar. 04, 1997
Charles D Dykes, Williston, VT (US);
J F Wood, Burlington, VT (US);
Charles R Simon, Williston, VT (US);
R William Hazelett, Colchester, VT (US);
Hazelett Strip-Casting Corporation, Colchester, VT (US);
Abstract
Steering, tensioning and driving a revolving metallic casting belt in continuous casting machines wherein the belt travels along a generally straight casting plane P. Two two-axis robotic mechanisms are positioned at opposite ends of an exit-pulley drum, each including a 'floating' housing carrying a bearing rotatably supporting a journal at the respective drum end. A drive shaft connected to one of the journals rotates the drum for revolving the belt. The robotic mechanisms adjustably position opposite ends of a rotating drum in X--X plane parallel with plane P for tensioning the belt and in Y--Y plane perpendicular to plane P for steering the revolving belt. These robotic mechanisms are controlled to operate in any of several modes: (1) 'Walking-tilt' steering keeps the belt much closer to an exiting product than prior art, the belt being flatter and in better contact with the product for improving casting speed and quality. Mode (2) provides a 'virtual squaring shaft' causing a drum to simulate being constrained by a rigid mechanical squaring shaft for synchronizing downstream movements of both drum ends for regularizing tension fully across a 'cylindrical' casting belt. In modes (3), (4) and (5) the rigidity of the virtual squaring shaft may be 'softened,' or re-zeroed or eliminated, to accommodate small 'frustro-conical' errors in belt manufacture. Moreover, even a small error in built-in length dimensions of a belt carriage may effectively be canceled by mode adjustments which effectively 'twist' the virtual squaring shaft.