Determination method for determination of the rolling or guiding gaps of the roll stands or guide stands in a multi-stand rolling mill

A determination method comprising:

• providing a multi-stand rolling mill comprising roll stands having a rolling gap or guide stands having a guiding gap, a pass line that reaches through the roll stands or guide stands that serves as a reference for a gap offset, an input side, and an output side;
• arranging a camera at one of the input side and the output side, and arranging a background illumination on an other one of the input side and the output side;
• and
• subsequently determining the rolling gap or the guiding gap of the stands using an information technology device, by,
• in a first step, calibrating the camera and the information technology device offline or inline, with reference to the rolling mill, and
• in a second step, determining the rolling gap or the guiding gap inline, using the camera and the information technology device, wherein
• (i) in the second step, only a gap form of the rolling gap or the guiding gap is determined as the rolling gap or the guiding gap is determined;
• or
• (ii) the rolling mill comprises at least two rolling machines and in the second step, only the gap offset relative to the pass line that reaches through the at least two rolling machines is determined as the rolling gap or the guiding gap;
• or
• (iii) in the information technology device, the roll stands or guide stands are successively designated based on position along the pass line, and the information technology device stores a measurement direction input option based on placement of the camera at the one of the input side and the output side and of the background illumination at the other of the input side and the output side and a measurement direction is input, and the information technology device assigns potential measurement results to each of the roll stands or guide stands independently of the measurement direction;
• or
• (iv) a first reference sensor and a second reference sensor are arranged in the pass line and in the first step, a position of the camera or of a target are changed to enable the camera to detect separately the first and second reference sensors or the target,
• wherein for the calibration in the first step, first a master calibration is carried out, then the camera and the background illumination are removed, and afterward a rolling process is carried out, and afterward the camera and the background illumination are arranged on one of the input or output sides again, for an intermediate calibration, and calibrated in the first step, before, in the second step, the camera, making use of the information technology device, determines the rolling or guiding gaps inline once again,
• wherein during the master calibration, at least two reference scales that are oriented in a linearly independent manner are measured for a reference sensor to be used for intermediate calibrations, and a pixel factor determined from the reference scales is stored in memory in the information technology device.