Patent Document ID: 5548520
Application ID: 08363352
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A breakout prediction system for predicting breakout in a mold of a continuous casting machine with reference to detection signals produced from a plurality of temperature sensors located on said mold, wherein: said temperature sensors are grouped into a plurality of units each of which comprises one of said temperature sensors and at least three adjacent temperature sensors adjacent to the one of said temperature sensors; each unit being connected to a corresponding one of a plurality of prediction deciding sections; each prediction deciding section comprising: at least three cross-correlators which correspond to said at least three adjacent temperature sensors, respectively, and each of which is responsive to a detection signal from a corresponding one of said adjacent temperature sensors and a detection signal from the one of said temperature sensors and carries out a predetermined normalization operation and a cross-correlation operation to produce an operation result; a temperature variation pattern detector supplied with the detection signal from the one of said temperature sensors for detecting a temperature variation pattern indicative of a time sequential variation of a temperature; at least three peak detectors which are connected to said at least three cross-correlators, respectively, and each of which is for detecting a peak value of said operation result; and at least three breakout detection networks each of which is supplied with an output of a corresponding one of said at least three peak detectors and an output of said temperature variation pattern detector and carries out decision on breakout prediction; said system further comprising an alarm producing unit for producing an alarm when one of outputs of said at least three breakout detection networks exceeds a predetermined threshold level.