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:
May. 25, 2004
Filed:
Feb. 24, 2003
Pekka Niemelä, Tornio, FI;
Eero Väänänen, Tornio, FI;
Outokumpu Oyj, Espoo, FI;
Abstract
The invention relates to a method for measuring the surface height of a material bed transported on a conveyor belt to continuously operated thermal treatment, i.e. to continuously operated sintering, when said material bed is formed of single spherical and fragile particles. According to the invention, the material bed ( ) formed on the conveyor belt ( ) is illuminated, essentially in the transversal direction of the conveyor belt ( ), by at least one light source ( ), so that the light beam ( ) forms an essentially linear light streak ( ) on the surface of the material bed ( ), and that for registering said light streak ( ), there is used at least one camera ( ) and at least one image processing arrangement ( ) connected to the camera ( ), and that in the image processing arrangememt ( ), the obtained surface height image is compared with a predetermined, desired surface height image in order to detect deviations in the surface height, and that said image processing arrangement ( ) is connected to an automation unit ( ) in order to correct the deviations in the surface height.