EA042702B1 - GATE VALVE OF METALLURGICAL CASTING INSTALLATION WITH ROBOTIC SYSTEM FOR REPLACEMENT OF GATE VALVE PLATE - Google Patents

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to a robotic system for replacing a slide gate plate in a slide gate in a metallurgical foundry. The invention provides a robotic system that can be fully automated, configured to remove a spent slide gate plate from its casting position in a plate support frame connected to a steel vessel, store it for repair or disposal, and pick up a new slide gate plate and install it into the casting position in the base frame of the slab.

State of the art

Slide gates have been known since 1883. Gate valves are used to control the flow of molten metal poured from an upstream metallurgical vessel into a downstream vessel. For example, from a furnace to a ladle, from a ladle to a tundish, or from a tundish to a mould. For example, US-A-0311902 or US-A-0506328 discloses slide gates located in the bottom of a pouring ladle, wherein pairs of slide gate refractory plates provided with a through hole are slidable relative to each other. When the pour holes are in the fixture and clamp or partially overlap, molten metal can flow through the sliding gate, and when there is no overlap between the pour holes, the flow of molten metal is completely stopped. Partial overlap of the pouring holes allows you to control the flow of molten metal by throttling the flow of molten metal. Although sliding gate valves have changed significantly over the past decades, the principle remains the same: one plate slides relative to the other to control the degree of overlap between the through holes of both plates.

Slide gate plates operate under harsh conditions when installed in a slide gate and wear out over time, so they must be replaced at regular intervals. Replacement nozzle systems have been proposed in the art to replace the pouring nozzle from a tundish slide gate, for example in EP 2547474. However, in many cases the smelter vessel is emptied of its contents, moved away from the foundry, checked for excessive wear and repaired, including including replace slide gate plates. Today, this operation is performed mainly manually by human operators. It's hard work: moving heavy loads under tight deadlines, at high temperatures, and with the necessary force to remove any bond between the mortar and the sliding gate plate to be replaced. In such stressful conditions, people can make mistakes. There is a need in the industry to develop automated systems for changing slide gate plates using robots instead of human operators.

However, setting up a robot to replace a slide gate plate presents many challenges. Due to the weight of the slide gate plate, it is rather difficult to move and they must be positioned with great precision in the respective receiving pockets provided in the plate support frame. The position of the smelter vessel changes depending on the operation, and the robot must adjust to the different positions of each new smelter vessel brought in for repair. The used slide gate plates are hot and the new slide gate plates are cold, causing the plates to change in size. Vapors and vapors often impair visibility. The top plate of the slide gate is connected to the inner sleeve with a mortar that must be cracked prior to removal of the top plate of the slide gate. To the applicant's knowledge, a satisfactory robotic system for changing slide gate plates has not been successfully implemented in a metallurgical plant.

US 20100017027 describes a maintenance device for a sliding gate mounted on the toe of a molten metal container. The device comprises at least one tool magazine, means for opening and closing the sliding gate, and a robot containing an automatic replacement system with a grip, wherein the robot can automatically determine the exact position of the container or slide gate. However, this document does not provide details on the automatic replacement system with capture.

JP H07 60434 discloses a device for changing the cup and plates of a metallurgical vessel. In the described system, the plates are moved through through holes, which can therefore be damaged during the operation.

DE 10 2009 050216 discloses a method and apparatus for replacing a slide gate in a metallurgical vessel, the slide gate being gripped by an industrial robot. However, this document does not provide details about the capture system.

US 5,645,793 discloses a system for replacing the entire slide gate of a metallurgical vessel, but does not disclose a system for replacing individual slide gate plates.

JP H08 19853 also discloses a system for replacing the entire slide gate of a metallurgical vessel. And this document does not disclose a system for replacing individual slide gate plates.

JP H04 66268 also discloses a system for replacing the entire slide gate of a metallurgical vessel. And this document does not disclose a system for replacing individual slide gate plates.

- 1 042702

The aim of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problems by providing a new robotic system for changing slide gate plates, combining the efficiency and reproducibility of the robot with the flexibility needed to adapt to changing conditions (temperature, dimensions, relative positions, vapors, etc.). This and other advantages of the present invention are explained in more detail in the following sections.

The essence of the invention

The objectives of the present invention have been achieved with a robotic system for fixing a sliding gate plate in a sliding gate or removing a sliding gate plate from a sliding gate, comprising:

(a) a slide gate plate, comprising a sliding surface separated from the second surface by the thickness of the slide gate plate and connected to it by a peripheral edge, and containing a through hole extending perpendicular to the sliding surface, wherein the slide gate plate is selected from:

top slide gate plate, bottom slide gate plate, and optionally an intermediate slide gate plate, the second surface being the second sliding surface, (b) a metallurgical vessel provided with a slide gate comprising a support structure comprising a plate support frame comprising a receiving pocket suitable for receiving and fixing a slide gate plate, comprising:

a fixed top plate support frame for receiving and fixing the slide gate top plate, a bottom plate support frame (11L) for receiving and fixing the slide gate bottom plate, and optionally, an intermediate plate support frame (11m) for receiving and fixing the slide gate intermediate plate placed between the top and bottom slide gate plates, the base frame of the bottom plate being a movable carriage suitable for sliding the sliding surface of the bottom slide gate plate against and relative to the sliding surface of the top slide gate plate, thus forming a double slide gate plate, or optionally, a support frame intermediate plate is a movable carriage suitable for sliding the sliding surface and the second sliding surface of the intermediate slide gate plate opposite and relative to the sliding surfaces of the upper and lower slide gate plates, respectively, thus forming a three-plate slide gate, the through holes of the upper and lower slide gate plates for insertion into and out of the holding and clamping device and optionally the slide gate intermediate plate, (c) a robot comprising a manipulation interface provided with gripping jaws for gripping the slide gate plate, and configured to:

collecting a new sliding gate plate assembly and attaching and fixing it to the corresponding platen base frame, and/or detaching the used sliding gate plate assembly from and removing it from the corresponding platen supporting frame, while (d) the gripping jaws can be moved from the open position suitable for surrounding the peripheral edge of the sliding gate plate to a gripping position suitable for connecting the gripping jaws to the gripping holders located on the peripheral edge and/or on a second surface near the peripheral edge of the sliding gate plate so that the robot can securely hold the plate slide gate and manipulate it, and (e) the platen support frame receiving pocket contains gaps allowing the gripping jaws to access the gripping holders when the sliding gate plate is fixed in the platen receiving support frame.

The slide gate plate may be a top or bottom slide gate plate, with the second surface area being less than the sliding surface area. When projected onto the sliding surface, the second surface is enclosed within the sliding surface, and the peripheral edge and/or the second surface includes beveled portions forming gripping holders.

Alternatively, the grip holders may be protrusions protruding from the peripheral edge, and are preferably part of a metal housing covering the area of the peripheral edge. The gripping holders can also be recesses opening at the peripheral edge and penetrating into the thickness of the slide gate plate. The recesses are preferably at least partially formed in the metal housing covering the area of the peripheral edge. The slide gate plate may comprise a combination of gripping holders formed by beveled portions, protrusions and/or recesses.

Alternatively, the gripping holders may be portions of the second surface adjacent to the peripheral edge, and the gaps in this case are deep enough to allow the gripping jaws to reach the position facing said portions of the second surface when the sliding gate plate is fixed in platen receiving support frame so that the gripping jaws can move into the gripping position to engage the second surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the robot manipulation interface comprises N=3 or 4 gripping jaws that are L-shaped with a free end and a connected end movably positioned to move the free end from an open position to a gripping position suitable for connecting the free end. the ends of the L-shaped gripping clamps with the sliding gate plate gripping holders. L-shaped grippers can be rotatably mounted so as to rotate between the open position and the grip position around the axis of rotation, crossing the connected end perpendicular to both the free end and the connected end to form a rocking clip (25r), or coaxial to the connected end with the formation of a rotating clamp (25g), while a number of, n, L-shaped gripping clips can rotate around one of the above axes of rotation, and the remaining (N-n) L-shaped gripping clips can rotate around the other of the above axes of rotation, and n=1- 4, preferably N=4 and n=2. Oscillating clamps can rotate about one axis or can rotate about two axes parallel to each other.

For example, a robot manipulation interface includes one or two adjacent rocking jaws and one or two adjacent rotating jaws. In a preferred embodiment, the manipulation interface or top plate support frame includes a protrusion such that when the robot faces the top plate support frame to remove the slide gate top plate therefrom, with one or two rotating jaws in the gripping position, the robot is angled with respect to the sliding surface so that one or two oscillating jaws can rotate and contact the gripping holders, but cannot reach the gripping position without pulling on one end of the slide gate top plate, which rotates about an axis passing through one or two rotating clamps and easily destroying the solution that adheres it to the metallurgical container.

The robot control interface preferably further comprises resilient members suitable for pressing against the sliding surface when the free ends of the L-shaped grippers are in the gripping position and thus fix the slide gate plate to the robot manipulation interface.

In a preferred embodiment, the robot manipulation interface includes guide pins that protrude beyond the plane containing the sliding surface when gripping the slide gate plate. The support frame of the plate contains funnel-shaped recesses for receiving guide pins and guiding the sliding gate plate when it is aligned with the receiving pocket.

The manipulation interface is preferably connected to the robot arm via a coupling element comprising a pneumatic or hydraulic system capable of controlling the compliance of the coupling element and thus the compliance of the connection of the robot manipulation interface.

The present invention also relates to a method for fixing a sliding gate plate to a supporting structure of a sliding gate plate installed in the bottom of a metallurgical vessel, comprising:

(a) providing a robotic system as defined above, (b) approaching an interface to manipulate the new slide gate assembly, (c) engaging the gripping jaws, preferably by translational movement and/or rotation, into engagement with the gripping holders of the new slide assembly, followed by reaching their gripping position such that the robot securely holds the new assembly and can manipulate it, (d) bringing the interface for handling the new assembly to the slab support frame, the gripping jaws engaging with the appropriate gaps, (e) disengaging the gripping jaws , preferably by translational movement and/or rotation, with gripping holders, (f) retracting the manipulation interface from the support frame of the plate.

The present invention also relates to a method for removing the upper slide gate plate from a slide gate plate support structure installed in the bottom of a metallurgical vessel, comprising:

(a) providing a robotic system as defined above, wherein the manipulation interface or top plate support frame comprises a protrusion, and wherein the slide gate top plate is mounted in the top plate support frame and connected to the inner nozzle with mortar, (b) entering rotating clamps to fully engage with the appropriate clearances and rotation of the rotating clamps to engage the respective gripping holders with

- 3 042702 then reaching their gripping position, (c) engaging the oscillating jaws with their respective gaps as far as the projection allows, and rotating the oscillating jaws in the direction of their gripping position to partially engage the oscillating jaws with their respective gripping holders, and so retracting one end of the slide gate top plate away from the inner sleeve and creating a crack in the solution until the rocking jaws are fully engaged with the respective gripping holders and reach their gripping position, (d) removing the slide gate top plate from the support frame the top plate by retracting the manipulation interface away from the base frame of the top plate.

Brief description of graphic materials

The figures below show the following:

in fig. 1 shows the various steps of replacing slide gate plates in a metallurgical vessel using a robot in accordance with the present invention;

in fig. 2 shows (a) a two plate slide gate and (b) a three plate slide gate;

in fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the slide gate plate and the plate support frame (a) before joining and (b) after joining;

in fig. 4 illustrates a side view and a top view of the slide gate plate and interface for robot manipulation (a) before connection and (b) after connection;

in fig. 5 shows the various steps according to the first implementation for connecting the slide gate plate to the plate support frame by means of a pneumatic or hydraulic connector;

in fig. 6 shows plan views and cross-sectional views of a slide gate plate containing gripping holders (a) as second surface portions (i) or notches (ii-iv) and (b) as protrusions;

in fig. 7 shows the various stages of rupture of the solution connecting the top plate of the slide gate with the inner nozzle of the metallurgical vessel, when the top plate of the slide gate is removed from its receiving pocket;

in fig. 8 shows an embodiment of a manipulation interface according to the present invention:

(a) a general perspective view, (b) a detailed view of the biaxial oscillating tongs, and (c)-(e) the single and biaxial oscillating tongs;

in fig. 9 shows the various steps according to the second implementation for connecting the slide gate plate to the plate support frame by means of a pneumatic or hydraulic connector.

Detailed description of the invention

In FIG. 1(a) shows a metallurgical vessel (41), such as a tundish or pouring ladle, lying on its side in a workshop where it is checked for worn parts and for repairs. The metallurgical vessel contains a slide gate opened vertically to replace worn slide gate plates (1t, 1L) and replace them with new slide gate plates (1n) stored in a suitable location and ready for use. When this operation is normally performed by a human operator, the present invention provides a solution for the entire operation of removing the used slide gate plate and replacing it with a new one, which will be performed by a robot (20). The robotic system according to the present invention for fixing the slide gate plate in the slide gate or removing the slide gate plate from the slide gate comprises a slide gate plate (1), a metallurgical vessel (41) provided with a slide gate, and a robot (20). The robot contains a means of interfacing (21) for manipulation to capture the slide gate plate and manipulate it.

As shown in FIG. 1(a) and 1(b), when the steel vessel (41) is brought into the shop, it can be placed on its side to open the slide gate. The sliding gate is opened by a robot by rotating around the hinges of the support frame (11L) of the bottom plate relative to the support frame (11t) of the top plate. The robot (20) removes the slide gate plates (1t, 1L) from their respective plate support frames (11t, 11L) and stores them for repair or disposal (see FIG. 1(c)). As shown in FIG. 1(c) and 1(d), the robot takes new slide gate plates (1n) that have been stored for use and connects them to the receiving pockets (12) of the respective plate support frames (11t, 11L). The base frame (11L) of the bottom plate can be closed to bring the sliding surfaces (1s) of the top and bottom slide gate plates (1t, 1L) into sliding contact with each other (see Fig. 1(a) but with new slide gate plates ). The features that enable all of the above operations proposed in the present invention are set forth in more detail in the following description.

Slide gate and slide gate plates.

The slide gate may be a two-plate or three-plate slide gate. As illustrated in FIG. 2(a), the double plate slide gate comprises a top slide gate plate (1t) and a bottom slide gate plate (1L), and the three plate slide gate, as illustrated in FIG. 2(b) further comprises an intermediate slide gate plate (1m) placed between the upper and lower slide gate plates (1t, 1L).

The slide gate plate (1) comprises a sliding surface (1s) separated from the second surface (1d) by the thickness of the slide gate plate and connected to it by a peripheral edge (1e). It also contains a through hole (1b) extending perpendicular to the sliding surface. The second surface (1d) of the slide gate intermediate plate is also a sliding surface. Each of the top, bottom and optionally intermediate slide gate plates is connected to a receiving pocket (12) corresponding to the support frame (11t, 11L, 11m) of the top, bottom and optionally intermediate plates with at least one sliding surface (1s) of one plate in sliding contact with the sliding surface (1s) of the second plate. The support frame of the top plate is fixed relative to the steel vessel, since the top plate (1t) of the sliding gate is usually connected to the inner sleeve (42) of the steel vessel (41) with mortar (43), as illustrated in FIG. 7. In a double plate sliding gate valve (see Fig. 2(a)) the support frame (11L) of the bottom plate is a movable carriage that can translate when driven by a pneumatic or hydraulic piston (17) so that the sliding surface the lower slide gate plate slides in contact opposite and relative to the sliding surface of the upper slide gate plate. In a three-plate slide gate, the support frame (11L) of the lower plate is fixed relative to the support frame of the upper plate and the steel vessel.

The intermediate plate support frame is a movable carriage suitable for sliding the sliding surface (1s) and the second sliding surface (1d) (which is also the sliding surface) of the intermediate slide gate plate against and relative to the sliding surfaces of the upper and lower slide gate plates, respectively. As is well known in the art, the sliding translation of the sliding surface of the sliding gate plate relative to the sliding surface of the upper sliding gate plate and optionally the lower sliding gate plate in a three plate sliding gate valve provides control over the degree of overlap between the through holes of the two (or three) plates.

The geometric configurations of the receiving pockets (12) of the support frames of the slab must match the geometric configurations of the corresponding plates of the slide gate so that one of them does not move relative to the support frame of the slab during sliding of one sliding surface relative to the other, driven by the translational movement of the movable carriage. To access the slide gate plates, the slab support frame can generally be opened like a book by rotating around the bottom slab support frame (11L) hinges relative to the top (and/or intermediate) slab support frame, as shown schematically in FIG. 1(a) and 1(b)). The sliding gate plate (1), which has just been placed in the appropriate receiving pocket (12), must be fixed only enough to prevent the plate from falling off before the support frame (11L) of the bottom plate is rotated back into its working position, with the sliding surfaces of the plates in sliding contact with each other. Mechanisms are known in the art for holding the plates in the receiving pockets during handling, such as resilient clamps, which ensure that the plate does not fall off the plate support frame during handling.

Traditionally, in order to remove the spent slide gate plate (1) from the receiving pocket (12), in particular the upper slide gate plate (1t), which is usually fixed with a solution (43) on the inner sleeve (42), the operator passes an elongated tool through a through hole in the slide gate channel plate, as well as pulling and pushing to remove the slide gate plate from the receiving pocket (12). This operation definitely destroys the through hole of the sliding gate plate, which is not so important if it is to be disposed of, but does not allow the plate to be restored. Although the elongated tool is not as difficult to manipulate when installing a new slide gate plate into the receiving pocket (12), there is a risk of damage to the through hole in the new slide gate plate. It will be appreciated that the robot may be configured to manipulate the elongated tool in a similar manner to a human operator. However, in order to avoid possible damage to the through hole, the robotic system of the present invention uses gripping means to securely grip and manipulate the slide gate plate. The gripping means ensure that the sliding gate plate is retained by means of its peripheral edges (1e) and/or its second surface (1d), and not at all by means of a through hole, as is traditionally done by a human operator. To do this, the capture tools require two components:

(a) the robot contains grippers (25g, 25r, 25t) discussed in the following description;

(b) the receiving pocket of the slab support frame contains gaps (15) allowing the gripping clips (25) to access the gripping holders (5) located on the peripheral edge (1e) and/or on the second surface (1d), close to the peripheral edge, mating with the grippers (25g, 25r, 25t) of the robot when the slide gate plate is fixed in the plate take-up support frame.

In a preferred embodiment, the gripping means of the robotic system for fixing the slide gate plate in the slide gate or removing the slide gate plate from the slide gate is designed in such a way that:

(a) the sliding gate plate comprises gripping holders (5) located on the peripheral edge (1e) and/or on the second surface (1d), near the peripheral edge, mating with the gripping jaws (25g, 25r, 25t) of the robot in such a way that so that the robot can securely hold and manipulate the slide gate plate, (b) the gripping jaws (25g, 25r, 25t) can be moved, preferably by rotation about the axis of rotation, from an open position suitable for surrounding the peripheral edge (1e) of the slide gate plate, to a gripping position suitable for connecting the gripping clips (25g, 25r, 25t) to the gripping holders (5) of the slide gate plate (1), and (c) the receiving pocket of the slab support frame contains gaps (15) allowing access of the gripping clips (25g , 25r, 25t) to the grip holders (5) when the sliding gate plate is fixed in the plate receiving support frame.

Interface (21) for robot manipulation (20) and grippers (25g, 25r, 25t).

The robot used in the present invention may be any robot available on the market with sufficient degrees of freedom, such as five to seven degrees of freedom, to perform the operations of collecting the slide gate plate, moving it between the storage position and the slide gate, and installing the slide gate plate. bolt into the corresponding receiving pocket (12). One of the essential features of the present invention is a manipulation interface (21) provided at the end of the robot arm and equipped with grippers (25g, 25r, 25t) for gripping the slide gate plate. The interface (21) for manipulations is made with the possibility of:

collecting a new assembly (1n) of the slab (1) of the sliding gate and attaching and fixing it to the corresponding support frame (11) of the slab; and/or detaching and removing the exhausted node of the plate (1) of the sliding gate from the corresponding support frame (11) of the plate; and safe transport of the slide gate plate between the storage location and the base frame (11) of the plate.

The above operations can be safely carried out using the gripper clamps (25g, 25r, 25t) that engage with the gripper holders (5) of the slide gate plates. In a preferred embodiment, the robot manipulation interface (21) comprises N=3 or 4 gripping jaws (25g, 25r, 25t) which are L-shaped as they comprise a first shaft containing a free end and a second shaft containing a connected end, wherein said first rod is movably mounted so as to move the free end from an open position suitable for surrounding the peripheral edge (1e) of the slide gate plate to a gripping position, thereby forming an L-shape such as illustrated in FIG. . 8 suitable for connecting the free end of the L-shaped grippers (25g, 25r, 25t) to the gripper holders (5) of the slide gate plate (1). In some embodiments, the gripper clips (25g, 25r, 25t) comprise more than two rods. The gripping jaws may, for example, comprise three rods, for example, be finger-shaped or T-shaped, provided that they are suitable for connection with the gripping holders (5) of the slide gate plate (1). Alternatively, instead of the first shaft with a free end, the gripping clips may include a gripping head connected to the second rod. The gripping head is then movably mounted so as to move the gripping head from an open position suitable for surrounding the peripheral edge (1e) of the slide gate plate to a gripping position suitable for connection with the gripping holders (5) of the slide gate plate (1).

The L-shaped grippers (25g, 25r, 25t) can be moved from an open position, in which the L-shaped grippers define the peripheral edge of the slide gate plate, to a gripping position, in which the free ends of the L-shaped grippers engage with the gripper holders ( 5) sliding gate plates. In the open position, the L-shaped grippers coincide with the gaps (15) of the respective gaps in such a way that the interface (21) for handling can be translated in a direction perpendicular to the sliding surface (1s) of the slide gate plate, guiding the free ends of the L-shaped grippers clamps through the gaps (15) behind the sliding surface of the slide gate plate, in the fixing device and clamping with gripping holders (5) of the slide gate plate. The L-shaped grippers can then be moved into their gripping position such that the free ends engage with the gripper holders (5) and hence the slide gate plate is securely gripped.

In a preferred embodiment, the interface (21) for robot manipulation further comprises resilient members (27) suitable for pressing against the sliding surface (1s) when the free ends of the L-shaped grippers are in the gripping position. The elastic elements are pressed against the sliding surface (1s) of the sliding gate plate in the direction away from the means

- 6 042702 interfaces (21) for manipulation, and the gripping clips hold the slide gate plate, thereby securely fixing the plate in position between the elastic elements (27) and the gripping clips (25g, 25r, 25t) of the interface (21) for manipulation. The resilient members may comprise mechanical springs such as helicoidal springs or leaf springs, or may be made from resilient materials such as rubber. Since the temperature of the slide gate plate can vary greatly depending on whether it is a new plate or a used plate delivered immediately after the casting operation, it is preferable that the elastic elements contain mechanical springs. The area of the resilient elements in contact with the sliding surface (1s) of the sliding gate plate must be designed in such a way that scratches do not damage the sliding surface. In an alternative implementation, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the interface (21) for robot manipulation further comprises rigid elements (28) for pressing against the sliding surface (1s) when the free ends of the L-shaped grippers are in the gripping position.

The movable L-shaped grippers (25g, 25r, 25t) are preferably rotatably mounted so that they rotate between an open position and a gripping position about an axis of rotation. The oscillating jaws (25r) rotate around an axis of rotation crossing the connected end and perpendicular to both rods of the L-shaped gripping jaws, including the free end and the connected end (cf. FIGS. 4, 5 and 7). The rocking jaws are advantageous because they provide a pulling force to the slide gate plate stowed in the receiving pocket (12) while rocking from the open position to the gripping position.

The rotating clamps (25g) rotate about an axis of rotation parallel, preferably coaxial, to the rod L containing the connected end (cf. FIGS. 4, 5 and 7). The rotating clamps (25g) are advantageous as they require only a small gap in the receiving pocket to reach and engage the gripper holders (5) of the sliding gate plate.

In an alternative implementation, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the gripping jaws (25t) are movably mounted between an open position and a gripping position relative to the handling interface (21). The translational movement preferably includes at least one component in a plane parallel to the sliding surface (1s).

In FIG. 9(a)-9(d) illustrate a method of fixing a new sliding gate plate (1n) to a support frame (11t) of the upper sliding gate plate, comprising:

(a) providing the robotic system as discussed above, (b) approaching the interface (21) to manipulate the new assembly (1n) of the top plate (1t) of the sliding gate, (c) engaging the gripping jaws (25t) by translational movement into engagement with gripping holders (5) of the new node (1n) and then reaching their gripping position in such a way that the robot securely holds the new node (1n) and can manipulate it, (d) bringing the interface (21) to manipulate the new node (1n) to the support frame (11t) of the slab, the grippers (25t) engaging with the respective gaps (15), (e) disengaging the grippers (25t) by translational movement with the grippers (5), (f) retracting the interface ( 21) for handling from the support frame (11t) of the top plate.

Before bringing the new assembly (1n) to the support frame (11t) of the top plate, the second surface (1d) of the top plate (1t) of the sliding gate is preferably covered with mortar so that it is engaged with the inner sleeve (42). Alternatively, the inner sleeve (42) may be coated with mortar before the new assembly (1n) is brought to the plate support frame (11t) so that it is engaged with the top plate (1t) of the sliding gate.

When the rotatable jaws are rotatably mounted, the handling interface (21) may comprise oscillating jaws (25r) only (i.e. N oscillating jaws), only rotatable jaws (25g) (i.e. N rotating jaws), or both rocking and rotating clamps (25r, 25g) (i.e. N rocking clamps and N-n rotating clamps, with n<N). In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the handling interface (21) comprises N=4 gripping jaws, of which n=2 are rocking jaws (25r) and Nn=2 are rotating jaws (25g). In an alternative implementation, N=3 gripping jaws, of which n=1 are rocking jaws (25r) and N-n=2 are rotating jaws (25g).

Slide gate plate (1) can be inscribed in a rectangle defining length L and width W, with W<L of slide gate plate. Preferably, a pair of similar grippers are positioned side by side with the first end of the length L, and one or a pair of similar grippers are positioned side by side with the second end, opposite the first end of the length L, with the pair of grippers proximate the first end may be the same or different than one or a pair of gripping clips near the second end. For example, the interface (21) for robot manipulations may comprise one or two adjacent oscillating jaws (25r) at the first end of the length

L and contains one or two adjacent rotating clamps (25g) at the second end of the length L.

In FIG. 8(a) shows a preferred embodiment of the manipulation interface (21) comprising an elastic element (27) and a pair of rotating jaws (25g) and a pair of rocking jaws (25r). As illustrated in FIG. 8(b), the oscillating jaws can oscillate along two rotational axes, x1 and x2. In FIG. 8(c) and 8(d) show uniaxial oscillating jaws (25r) having one axis of rotation x1 or x2. In FIG. 8(e) shows a two-axis oscillating jaw (25r) with two rotation axes x1 and x2, increasing the range of movement of the oscillating jaws.

The combination of rocking and rotating gripping means can be particularly advantageous for breaking a spent slide gate plate (1t) connected to the inner sleeve (42) via a solution (43), as illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 7. In this embodiment, the manipulation interface (21) or top plate support frame (11) includes a protrusion (19) such that when the robot faces the top plate support frame to remove the slide gate top plate from it, one or the two rotating jaws (25g) pass through the respective gaps (15) and rotate into the gripping position, and the lug (19) allows only a partial passage of the rocking jaws (25r) through the respective gaps in such a way that the manipulation interface (21) is at an angle in relation to the sliding surface (1s) of the top plate (1t) of the sliding gate. One or two swing jaws are still in the open position (cf. FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b)). In this position, the oscillating jaws (25r) rotate into the gripping position. As shown in FIG. 7(c), the rocking movement of the L-shaped rocker jaws pulls the corresponding end of the slide gate top plate, creating a torque on the plate about an axis passing through one or two rotating jaws, breaking the mortar (43) that engages the slide gate top plate with the inner glass (42) by advancing the crack between the mortar (43) and the second surface (1d) along the length of the top plate of the sliding gate. This solution obviously requires less energy and effort than pulling the upper slide gate plate away from the inner sleeve in a direction perpendicular to the sliding surface (1s), which would require simultaneous rupture across the entire mating area between the gate and the slide gate top plate. The lug (19) is preferably retractable so that it is only used to remove the used slide gate plate from the support frame (preferably the top slide gate plates (1t)), and can be retracted so as not to interfere with the placement of the new slide gate plate in the receiving pocket. .

Thus, this embodiment can be used in the method illustrated in FIG. 7, to remove the top plate (1t) of the slide gate from the supporting structure (11) of the slide gate plate installed in the bottom of the metallurgical vessel, including:

(a) providing the robotic system discussed above, wherein the top plate of the sliding gate is installed in the support frame (11t) of the top plate and connected to the inner nozzle (42) by the solution (43), (b) the entry of the rotating clamps (25g) into full engagement with corresponding gaps (15) and rotating the rotating jaws to engage with the respective gripping holders (5) and then reaching their grip position, (c) engaging the rocking jaws (25r) with the corresponding gaps (15) as far as the protrusion allows (19), and rotating the oscillating jaws towards their gripping position to partially engage the oscillating jaws with their respective gripping holders, and thereby pulling one end of the slide gate top plate away from the inner nozzle and creating a crack in the solution until the oscillating jaws will not fully engage with their respective gripping holders and will not reach their gripping position, (d) removing the slide gate top plate from the top plate support frame by retracting the manipulation interface away from the top plate support frame.

The rotating jaws (25g) can rotate before or simultaneously with the rocking jaws (25r). Simultaneous rotation of rotary and oscillating clamps allows the use of one drive to drive the rotation of both types of clamps.

One of the main advantages of the rotating L-shaped grippers discussed above is that they can accommodate slide gate plates of slightly different geometries, either because the plates are of a different design or because they are in different temperature conditions: indoor temperature for a new slab (1n) slide gate and significantly higher temperatures for used slide slabs that expand thermally compared to new slabs at room temperature.

Robot (20).

Since each new metallurgical vessel (41) is not necessarily located in the same position relative to the robot (20), it is not practical to configure the robot to repeat

- 8 042702 exactly the same movements in connection with each new metallurgical vessel. Therefore, it is preferable that the robot be provided with an electromagnetic wave recognition system, such as an optical camera system with element recognition, an infrared system (such as lidar), a radar, etc. These systems may not have the accuracy necessary for operations, which the robot must perform, and in the case of using an optical recognition system, vapors and vapors can impair visibility and interfere with the accuracy of movements.

In one embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 and 5, the handling interface (21) may comprise guide pins (23) protruding beyond the plane containing the sliding surface (1s) when gripping the slide gate plate (1). The support frame (11) of the plate contains funnel-shaped recesses (13) for receiving guide pins and guiding the sliding gate plate when it is aligned with the receiving pocket (12). In FIG. 4 and 5 illustrate two guide pins. It will be understood that the manipulation interface may comprise two, three or four such pins, preferably two or three. As shown in FIG. 5, if the guide pins allow realignment of the manipulation interface (21) holding the sliding gate plate relative to the plate support frame, this is only possible if the wrist joint between the robot arm (20) and the interface (21) for manipulation is flexible.

Therefore, preferably, as illustrated in FIG. 1, 5 and 7, provide the robot with a connector (29) connecting the robot arm to the interface (21) for manipulation. The coupling element (29) comprises a pneumatic or hydraulic system (29p) capable of controlling the compliance of the coupling element and thus the compliance or flexibility of the connection of the interface (21) for manipulating the robot. Examples of connecting elements (29) are described, for example, in US 2017045106 and EP 2500150. When the pneumatic or hydraulic system (29p) is under pressure, the connecting element is rigid. The rigid connector (29) is used during the transport of the slide gate plate (1) from one location to another, as shown in FIG. 5(a), 5(b), 5(d), 7(a) and 7(d).

When small movements of interface (21) are required for manipulation relative to the robot arm to which it is attached, the pressure in the pneumatic or hydraulic system (29p) is released and the coupling becomes pliable, allowing rotation and translation of interface (21) for manipulation relative to robot manipulator. The flexible connector (29) is useful when the position of the interface (21) for manipulation relative to the support frame must be fine-tuned beyond the accuracy of the movements of the robot arm (note that the plates are quite heavy, which negatively affects the accuracy of the movements of the robot arm) . For example, as shown in FIG. 5(b) and 5(c), when the guide pins (23) are in contact with the respective funnel-shaped recesses (13), the manipulation interface (21) must be readjusted relative to the platen support frame when the guide pins (23) penetrate deeper into the funnel-shaped recesses ( 13). At this stage, it is important to maintain the maximum compliance of the connecting element (29) in order to allow the interface to be reconfigured for manipulation when it is further moved to the slab support frame. Similarly in FIG. 7(b) and 7(d), the protrusion (19) causes the manipulation interface to tilt at an angle with respect to the support frame (11) of the slab. In this case again, the connecting element (29) must be flexible by reducing the pressure in the pneumatic or hydraulic system (29p).

The robot can be mounted on a rotating base and, for increased range (assuming it is reachable), can be mounted on rails to move between a storage position and a sliding gate position.

Gripping holders (5) of slide gate plates (1).

In one embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2-5 and 6(a)(iv), the slide gate plate is the top or bottom slide gate plate where the area of the second surface (1d) is smaller than the area of the sliding surface (1s) and, when projected onto the sliding surface, the second surface enclosed within the sliding surface, and while the peripheral edge (1e) and/or the second surface contain beveled sections forming the gripping holders (5). A sliding gate plate of this type is described, for example, in WO 2017129563. In addition to the advantages described herein, provided by such a geometric configuration of the sliding gate plate, beveled sections of the peripheral edge (1e) (or second surface (1d)) can be used in the formation of gripping holders (5) to interact with the grippers (25g, 25t) of the interface (21) for handling. The beveled portions of the gate plate provide access to and hold the free ends of the L-shaped grippers (25g, 25r, 25t).

In an alternative implementation illustrated in FIG. 6(a)(i), the second surface (1d) has substantially the same area as the sliding surface (1s). Then the gripping holders (5) can be sections of the second surface (1d) of the plate (1) next to the peripheral

- 9 042702 edge (1e). Such areas must be large enough to receive the gripping jaws (25g, 25r, 25t) in the gripping position so that the robot can securely hold and manipulate the slide gate plate (1).

In an alternative implementation illustrated in FIG. 6(a)(ii) and 6(a)(iii), the gripping holders (5) are recesses opening at the peripheral edge (1e) and penetrating into the thickness of the slide gate plate. If the section of the plate (1) of the sliding gate is covered with a metal case (1c), recesses are at least partially formed in said metal case. The recess can only open at the peripheral edge (1e), as illustrated in FIG. 6(a)(iii). This embodiment is particularly suitable for slide gate intermediate plates (1m) which contain two opposite sliding surfaces (1s) and should preferably not contain an opening. Alternatively, the notch may open both on the peripheral edge (1e) and on the second surface (1d), as illustrated in FIG. 6(a)(ii). This embodiment facilitates the engagement of the gripping jaws (25g, 25g) with the gripping holders (5) by simply bringing the gripping jaws in the open position to the lower limit of the receiving pocket and then moving the gripping means to the gripping position, preferably by rotation, to engage with recesses located at the level of the lower limit.

In yet another alternative implementation illustrated in FIG. 6(b), the gripping holders (5) may be protrusions protruding from the peripheral edge (1e) and are preferably part of a metal housing (1c) covering the area of the peripheral edge. Two examples of such protruding gripping holders (5) are illustrated in FIG. 6(b)(i) and 6(b)(ii). Clearances (15) of the base frame (11) of the plate

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the receiving pocket (12) may be essentially an imprint of the second surface (1d) of the slide gate plate (1). In this configuration, gaps (15) should be open at the periphery of the receiving pocket at locations corresponding to the locations of the grippers (25g, 25r, 25t) of the handling interface and should be sized to allow the grippers to pass in the open position in a direction perpendicular to the sliding surface (1s), while holding the plate in the receiving pocket (12). The gaps (15) must also be deep enough to ensure that the gripping jaws reach the position facing the gripping holders so that when rotated (or otherwise moved), they can move into the gripping position, engaging with the gripping holders. The size and geometric configuration of the gaps should be a compromise between, on the one hand, the ease of access of the gripping clamps to the gripping holders and, on the other hand, the stability of the position of the sliding gate plate provided by the receiving pocket when the sliding surface of one plate slides over the sliding surface of another plate.

When the gripping holders (5) are portions of the second surface (1d) of the plate (1) adjacent to the peripheral edge (1e), as shown in FIG. 6(a)(i), it is necessary that the gaps (15) be deep enough to ensure that the gripping jaws (5g, 5r, 5t) reach the position facing the second surface (1d) of the plate when the sliding gate plate is fixed in the receiving support frame. (11) plates so that they can move into the gripping position by engaging with the second surface (1d).

The receiving pocket may also include a lower limit and supports protruding from the lower limit and located at strategic locations to hold the slide gate plate in place when the slide gate is actuated. With these configurations, the gap (25) is easily accessible and the platen support frame (11) does not need to be modified to implement the robotic system of the present invention. Only slide gate plates need to be provided with gripping holders (5). In the case where the slide gate plates have a beveled peripheral edge as described in WO 2017129563, even the plates do not need to be modified and only a robot and a handling interface are required to implement the present invention. This is a great advantage as only minimal adaptation is required.

Advantages.

The present invention is advantageous because it saves human operators from working under harsh conditions and is more reproducible with less or no risk of human error. Only minimal changes to the installation are required to implement the present invention. The clearance (15) in the receiving pocket (12) required to allow the gripping jaws to pass through can be quite small, especially when using rotating or oscillating jaws (25g, 25r, 25t). The gripping jaws of the handling interface are fairly insensitive to dimensional changes due to temperature fluctuations in the slide gate plate. Slide gate plates require only minimal, if any, design modification in the case of beveled plates as described in WO 2017129563. relatively heavy slide gate plates from the receiving pocket and us-

Claims (9)

placing them in it with high precision, thereby reducing the risk of breakage of any part. List of reference items: 1: slide gate plate, 1b: through hole, 1c: metal body, 1d: second surface of the slab, 1e: peripheral edge, 1n: new node, 1t: slide gate top plate, 1L: slide gate bottom plate, 1m: slide gate intermediate plate, 1s: sliding surface of the plate, 5: gripping holders, 11: slab base frame, 11L: bottom plate support frame, 11m: intermediate plate support frame, 11t: top plate support frame, 12: receiving pocket, 13: funnel-shaped recesses, 15: gap, 17: piston, 19: ledge, 20: robot, 21: manipulation interface, 23: guide pins, 25r: swing clamp, 25g: rotating clip, 27: elastic element, 29: connecting element, 29r: pneumatic or hydraulic system, 41: metallurgical vessel, 42: inner glass, 43: solution. CLAIM 1. Slide gate of a metallurgical foundry with a robotic system for fixing a slide gate plate in a slide gate or removing a slide gate plate from a slide gate, comprising: (a) a sliding gate plate (1) comprising a sliding surface (1s) separated from the second surface (1d) by the thickness of the sliding gate plate and connected to it by a peripheral edge (1e), and containing a through hole (1b) extending perpendicular to the sliding surface , while the slide gate plate is selected from: top plate (1t) of the slide gate, bottom plate (1L) of the slide gate, and optionally intermediate plate (1m) of the slide gate, the second surface being the second sliding surface, (b) metallurgical vessel (41) provided by the slide gate containing a support structure containing a support frame (11) of the plate, containing a receiving pocket (12) suitable for receiving and fixing the plate (1) of the sliding gate, containing: a fixed support frame (11t) of the top plate for receiving and fixing the top plate of the slide gate, a support frame (11L) of the bottom plate for receiving and fixing the bottom plate of the slide gate, and if necessary, a support frame (11m) of the intermediate plate for receiving and fixing the intermediate plate a slide gate placed between the top and bottom slide gate plates, the base frame of the bottom slide being a movable carriage suitable for sliding the sliding surface of the bottom slide gate plate against and relative to the sliding surface of the top slide gate plate, thereby forming a two-plate slide gate, or if necessary, the support frame of the intermediate plate is a movable carriage suitable for sliding the sliding surface and the second sliding surface of the sliding gate intermediate plate against and relative to the sliding surfaces of the upper and lower slide gate plates, respectively, thus forming a three-plate sliding gate, - 11 042702 through holes of the upper and lower slide gate plates for insertion into and out of the locking and clamping device and, if necessary, an intermediate slide gate plate, (c) a robot (20) containing an interface (21) for manipulation, provided gripping clamps (25g, 25r, 25t) for gripping the slide gate plate, and configured to: collecting a new assembly (1n) of the slide gate plate (1) and attaching and fixing it to the corresponding support frame (11) of the plate and / or detaching and removing the used assembly of the slide gate plate (1) from the corresponding support frame (11) of the plate, characterized in that that (d) the gripping jaws (25g, 25r, 25t) are movable from an open position suitable for surrounding the peripheral edge (1e) of the slide gate plate to a gripping position suitable for connecting the gripping jaws (25g, 25r, 25t) with gripping holders (5) located on the peripheral edge (1e) and/or on the second surface (1d) next to the peripheral edge (1e) of the slide gate plate (1) so that the robot can securely hold the slide gate plate and manipulate it, and in that (e) the slab support frame receiving pocket contains gaps (15) allowing the gripping clamps (25g, 25r, 25t) to access the gripping holders (5) when the sliding gate plate is fixed in the screed receiving support frame. 2. Slide gate according to claim 1, characterized in that the slide gate plate is the upper or lower plate of the slide gate, while the area of the second surface (1d) is less than the area of the sliding surface (1s), and in projection onto the sliding surface the second the surface is enclosed within the sliding surface, and while the peripheral edge (1e) and/or the second surface contain beveled sections forming gripping holders (5). 3. Gate valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripping holders (5) comprise protrusions protruding from the peripheral edge (1e) and are preferably part of a metal housing (1c) covering the area of the peripheral edge (1e). 4. Slide gate according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripping holders (5) comprise recesses opening at the peripheral edge (1e) and penetrating into the thickness of the slide gate plate, the recesses being preferably at least partially formed in the metal housing (1c) covering the area of the peripheral edge. 5. Gate valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripping holders (5) comprise second surface areas (1d) close to the peripheral edge (1e) and the gaps (15) in this case are deep enough to allow the gripping clips to reach ( 25g, 25r, 25t) of the position facing the indicated areas of the second surface (1d), when the slide gate plate (1) is fixed in the plate receiving support frame (11) in such a way that the gripping clamps (25g, 25r, 25t) can be moved into the gripping position, engaging with the second surface (1d). 6. Gate valve according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the interface (21) for manipulation of the robot comprises N=3 or 4 gripping jaws (25g, 25r, 25t) which are L-shaped with a free end and a connected end, movably mounted so as to move the free end from an open position to a gripping position suitable for connecting the free end of the L-shaped gripping clamps (25g, 25r, 25t) to the gripping holders (5) of the sliding gate plate (1). 7. Slide gate according to claim 6, characterized in that the L-shaped gripping clips are installed with the possibility of rotation so as to rotate between the open position and the gripping position about the axis of rotation, crossing the connected end perpendicular to both the free end and the connected end with forming a rocking jaw (25r), or coaxially connected end to form a rotating jaw (25g), wherein the row of n L-shaped gripping jaws is rotatable about one of the above axes of rotation, and the remaining (N-n) L-shaped gripping jaws are made with the possibility of rotation about another of the above axes of rotation, and n=1-4, preferably N=4 and n=2. 8. Sliding gate according to claim 7, characterized in that the interface (21) for manipulation of the robot contains one or two adjacent rocking clamps (25r) and one or two adjacent rotating clamps (25g), and wherein the interface (21) for manipulation or the support frame (11) of the top plate contains a protrusion (19), so that when the robot is facing the support frame of the top plate to remove the top plate of the sliding gate from it, with one or two rotating clamps in the gripping position, the robot is at an angle with respect to the sliding surface in such a way that it is possible to rotate one or two oscillating jaws and contact them with the gripping holders, but not reach the gripping position without pulling on one end of the top plate of the sliding gate, which rotates about an axis passing through one or two rotating clamps and easily destroying the solution that adheres it to the metallurgical container. 9. Slide gate according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the interface (21) for robot manipulation additionally contains elastic elements (27) suitable for pressing against -