Rolling apparatus and rolling monitoring method

A rolling apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of rolling stands each including a pair of rolling mills;
• and
• an imaging unit provided between adjacent rolling stands, the imaging unit being configured to image a steel sheet entering the pair of rolling mills of the rolling stand from an upstream side of the rolling stand located on a downstream side in a rolling direction,
• wherein the imaging unit is disposed so as to satisfy the following equation (1), on the upstream side in the rolling direction of the rolling stand located on the downstream side in the rolling direction, in a central portion in the width direction of the steel sheet in an area in which the steel sheet is able to be conveyed:
• 2×L×tan(α/2)>Wmax (1)
• wherein L represents a distance in the rolling direction between the rolling stand located on the downstream side in the rolling direction and the imaging unit, α represents a horizontal viewing angle of the imaging unit, and Wmax represents a maximum width of the steel sheet.

A rolling monitoring method to monitor a rolling status of a steel sheet that is rolled by a plurality of rolling stands each including a pair of rolling mills, the rolling monitoring method comprising:

• imaging the steel sheet entering the pair of rolling mills of the rolling stand located on a downstream side in a rolling direction, with an imaging unit disposed between adjacent rolling stands so as to satisfy the following equation (1), on an upstream side in the rolling direction of the rolling stand located on the downstream side in the rolling direction, in a central portion in a width direction of the steel sheet in an area in which the steel sheet is able to be conveyed;
• and
• displaying, on a display apparatus, an image of the steel sheet entering the pair of rolling mills, the image being obtained by the imaging unit:
• 2×L×tan(α/2)>Wmax (1)
• wherein L represents a distance in the rolling direction between the rolling stand located on the downstream side in the rolling direction and the imaging unit, α represents a horizontal viewing angle of the imaging unit, and Wmax represents a maximum width of the steel sheet.