ES1300941U - INSTALLATION, ROBOT AND HEAD TO SPRAY A PRODUCT INSIDE A CONTAINER SUITABLE FOR CONTAINING MOLTEN METAL (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Head (2) for spraying a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal, said head (2) comprising: - a first segment (4) and a second segment (3), the second being endlessly rotating segment (3) with respect to the first segment (4) and said segments (3,4) being interconnected with each other; - a conduit for channeling a product to be sprayed, said conduit arranged in an internal portion of the head (2); - a lance (6) to spray a product, said lance (6) being in fluid communication with the conduit, and mounted on the second segment (3) being integral with its rotation (3), characterized in that the head (2) also comprises one or more cameras (20) arranged to capture images of an exterior area around the second segment (3), and where the one or more cameras (20) are housed in a monitoring compartment (21) mounted externally to the second segment (3), or housed within the second segment (3), with the monitoring compartment (21) or second segment (3) having an opening or a translucent surface to allow capture of images by one or more cameras (20). (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

INSTALLATION, ROBOT AND HEAD TO SPRAY A PRODUCT INSIDE A SUITABLE CONTAINER TO CONTAIN MOLTEN METAL

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

In general, the present invention refers to the technical field of shotgun heads, generally incorporated into machines, robots or supported by overhead cranes, for projecting or spraying a material, preferably a refractory material for lining containers, tundishes, sprue distributors or any other container or container suitable for containing molten metals, preferably electric furnaces in which steel is melted.

An object of the invention is to provide a head such as the one described above, which facilitates the work of monitoring and/or control of the spraying process of the product inside the container, so that the monitoring, control and surveillance of the operators is facilitated. during gunning and the dangers to which they may be exposed are reduced.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the metallurgy and other industrial sectors, containers or vessels of various sizes and shapes are commonly used which are designed to retain materials at elevated temperatures, for example, at temperatures above the melting point of the materials they are to contain. As is well known in the state of the art, these vessels are normally made of metals and are lined with a layer of refractory material (which can be laid in the form of a brick lining the internal surface of the vessel or can be projected directly onto the interior surface of the container) to protect the metal part of the container from the high temperatures that it will have to withstand.

Refractory materials have high chemical and physical stability at high temperatures. Depending on the environment in which they are used, they must be resistant to thermal shock, chemically inert, work in specific intervals of thermal conductivity and present particular coefficients of thermal expansion.

Oxides of aluminum (alumina), silicon (silica) and magnesium (magnesia) are the most common materials used in the manufacture of refractories. Other oxides that are commonly used for the manufacture of refractory materials are calcium oxide (lime) or zirconium oxide (zirconia), among others. Refractory clays and sands, as well as andalusite, are also widely used in the manufacture of refractory materials. Refractory materials must be chosen according to the conditions they will face in the vessels they are lining.

These masses of refractory material are generally produced by mixing a dry refractory material, which is in granular or powdered form, with a liquid binder. For example, for the lining of electric furnaces in which steel is melted, it is known to use magnesite sand which hardens when mixed with water, thus adhering the mixture to the refractory brick walls in the furnaces.

The refractory material is commonly used for the lining of vessels, troughs, sprue distributors or any other container or vessel configured to contain molten metals, especially in the metallurgy sector.

The gunning process for vessels or containers such as those described above, includes the pressure spraying of the refractory material on the interior walls thereof.

Currently, the techniques that are known for gunning furnaces, ladles or cylindrical containers are the manual technique and some automated techniques that include gunning machines, installations or robots that incorporate a head intended to be inserted into the container to spray the material. In both cases, the essential elements for gunning are a gunning machine (which is the set made up of a hopper for the product to be shotgunned and a pressure tank to carry out the material transport), and an anti-abrasive hose with a lance to spray the product already mixed with water.

With the manual technique, an operator is in charge of gunning. To do this, the operator stands near the furnace to perform the gunning from the slag door or from a maintenance platform. The operator has to hold the lance throughout the gunning operation with a constant force and pressure to guarantee a correct coating of the container walls, for example, the oven, ladle or cylindrical container.

The operator performs the gunning operations by displacing, turning and moving the lance and the anti-abrasive hose, in order to be able to completely cover the interior walls of the container with the corresponding product. During the movement of the operator, the anti-abrasive hose itself can trip, in the same way that it requires a high effort due to the constant flow of pressure and the weight that is transported in the anti-abrasive hose and the lance, with which the operator is working. operator. With this manual technique, the physical work of the operator is significant, having to hold pipe lances that reach six meters.

The use of gunning heads guarantees better results since the layer of gunning material extends evenly over the entire surface. Two types of gunning robots are currently known.

A first type of known gunning head is the type that is moved and maintained in the working position by means of an overhead crane. During the gunning operation, the robot is suspended in the air by means of the overhead crane.

Another type of known gunning head is intended to be fixedly installed next to the furnace, ladle or cylindrical container that is going to be gunned. This type of solution includes an actuatable arm to which the head is attached, and this, in turn, includes a lance through which the material is sprayed. The head is positioned inside the container and rotates to complete the shotgunning of the corresponding surface by means of the lance.

An example of this type of solution is described in PCT patent application publication WO2017085332A1, where a head moves through a crane bridge, and, once in position, it moves down until it rests on the upper opening of the container. These types of installations comprise a head that in turn includes the lance, where said head can move vertically and rotate around its own longitudinal axis, in such a way that the lance can project or spray refractive material at different angles on the walls. from the oven. This head has the disadvantage that it must be supported and attached to the kiln itself and must be moved with an overhead crane. In addition, its displacement with respect to the access opening is only possible through two positions, a rest position and a work position, materialized by means of a plurality of arms, some of them folding, so that the overhead crane it can be released while the operable arm is resting on said arms, raising it to the rest position when the shotgun is not being carried out by means of the folding or collapsible arms attached to the container and, in an equivalent way, lowering it during its normal operation.

Another disadvantage is that, in practice, the spraying by means of these known heads must always be supervised or even controlled by the operator by means of a control system, and for this, the operator must have a view of the interior of the oven and the area that into which the material is being dispensed. For this, the operator, either to supervise or to control the device, stands outside the oven, but relatively close enough to see its interior, which entails serious dangers due to the poor quality of vision of the area being or being must be shot. It should be noted that both the blind areas, the high temperature and the existence of metallic particles in suspension make this task extremely difficult. As a consequence, the solutions known in the state of the art lack precision and control in terms of positioning and orientation of the material to be dispensed. In the case of a fully manual mode of operation, the operator has to expose himself to the heat source in order to see where to project inside the oven.

Another disadvantage associated with the fact that the operator has to work near the furnace is that he is very exposed to possible vapors or particles that are released during gunning. This could affect the health of the operator.

Additionally, some heads known in the state of the art have complex connecting rod mechanisms to transport the water and dry material to the ejection zone while simultaneously having to be able to allow a tilting movement in the lance (up and down) and an endless rotation of a rotating segment with respect to the other that is not rotating. The known connecting rod mechanisms, due to their typology, do not allow the incorporation of electronic devices wired up to the rotating portion without affecting the endless rotation of the rotating segment, which is an essential characteristic for the correct pulverization of material inside the container. In addition, said heads are subjected to harsh conditions, both in terms of temperature and suspended metal particles, which make it difficult to incorporate electronic monitoring devices, particularly if they were to be incorporated into the endless rotating segment.

Presumably, for this reason, the heads known in the state of the art have particular drawbacks and problems for incorporating monitoring elements, thus diminishing the monitoring and/or control of the spray, particularly in the rotating segment intended to penetrate the container, and they even lack any type of monitoring element in said rotary segment. Lacking control and monitoring elements or systems, not only do they err in due precision and control during spraying, but they are also unable to detect potential dangers, both from the environment and from the machine itself.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is a head for spraying a product inside a container, especially for lining a container that can be a tundish, sprue distributors or any other container or container, for example, an electric furnace in which smelt steel.

A first aspect of the invention refers to a head for spraying a product for coating any container or container, such as ovens, ladles or cylindrical containers suitable for retaining materials at very high temperatures, for example, at temperatures above the melting point. the fusion of materials that are going to contain, and that are preferably used in the metallurgy sector. Such vessels, for example, can refer interchangeably to iron and steel ladles, basic oxygen furnaces (BOF), argon-oxygen decarburization (AOD) vessels, electric arc furnaces (EAF), aluminum and copper smelting vessels , melting furnaces, tundishes, torpedo cars (scoops formed on rails, used to transfer molten iron from the blast furnace to the steelmaking facility) and bottom blown furnaces (Q-BOPs).

In some embodiments, the product to be pulverized is a refractory material, meaning as refractory material in the context of the present invention, those materials that are resistant to high temperatures, and that are predominantly used as linings of containers for the processing of materials at high temperatures. temperatures and also in other applications where thermomechanical properties are critical.

Preferably, the refractory material to be dispensed by the head is magnesite sand mixed with water, which mixture adheres to the walls of the container for coating.

The head is intended to be inserted into the container and comprises a first segment and a second segment, the second segment being rotatable with respect to the first segment. Preferably, the second segment is endlessly rotatable with respect to the first segment, endless rotatable being understood as capable of rotating at least 360° (encompassing the entire radial section of the container). Optionally, the second segment can have a totally free rotation without any type of angular restriction or stop in its angular path.

The second segment may be interconnected to the first segment by means of a rotary joint arranged between the first segment and the second segment. The rotary joint may be one of any known type.

In a preferred embodiment, the head comprises a hydraulic slip ring attached to or forming part of the rotary joint, where said hydraulic slip ring allows the transfer of fluid from a stationary source, in this case the first segment of the head, to the rotary component, which corresponds to the second segment of said head, in such a way that the hydraulic sliding ring connects the fluid supply to the rotating part, which allows the continuous and uninterrupted flow of said fluid. The fluid to be supplied is generally water prior to its mixing with the product or solid refractory material.

The head comprises, inside, at least one conduit for channeling the solid material, for example, magnesite sand, to a lance in communication with the conduit. The lance is configured to spray, spray, dispense or spray refractory material (preferably magnesite sand mixed with water) from the conduit onto the interior walls of the conduit.

Likewise, the lance is mounted at least in part on the second segment that is rotatable, being integral with its rotation, and being arranged transversely to said second segment, in such a way that, once inside the container, the lance can rotate 360 degrees. ° (endless) inside the container.

Preferably, the lance is arranged within a lance compartment that is attached to or forms part of the second segment.

In the lance compartment, by means of a mixer arranged therein, the water channeled from the hydraulic sliding ring can be mixed with the product that passes through other internal conduits, mixing just before it is sprayed in the mixer. Optionally, the head can do without a mixer, since some spray products from this type of container do not need to be mixed with water.

In one embodiment, the lance compartment is rotatable with respect to the second segment, and is capable of rotating, together with the lance, through an axis that is transversal to said second segment, so that the lance compartment is integral with the rotation of the second segment and is rotatably interconnected with it.

The lance can be coupled to a drive shaft that projects transversely from the second segment to the head, in such a way that both the lance and the drive shaft are integral to the vertical axis of rotation (or to the longitudinal axis of the second segment). , and said actuation axis tilts in turn with respect to the horizontal (transversally to the second segment) in such a way that the lance can tilt with respect to the horizontal at least in a fork between 0 and 110°.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the head comprises a monitoring compartment attached to or forming part of the second segment of said head, where said monitoring compartment comprises a camera configured to capture images of the lance and/or of at least one area of the inside of the container. The The interior region of the container may be referred to as an exterior region of the second segment, since, in operation, this is the imaging region of the camera.

During the development of the present invention, it has been found that the implementation of wireless devices, particularly cameras in the second segment, presents drawbacks, both due to its endless rotating nature, and due to the harsh environment to which it is subjected during spraying, since It must penetrate the interior of ovens or containers at very high temperatures with a large amount of metallic particles in suspension during the spraying of refractory material, which incur undesirable interference with wireless protocols.

Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the head further comprises:

- a sliding electric ring that acts as an electrical interface to communicate the camera (arranged in the second segment that is endlessly rotating) with a control system.

The control system can be a control panel and/or a control module, as well as different elements suitable for receiving and transmitting the images from the camera to a device, screen or monitor.

In this way, said collector or electrical slip ring acts as a rotary electrical interface allowing power transfer and/or data signal transmission between a fixed component and a rotating component of said electrical slip ring.

Preferably, electrical contacts are used that connect a component integral to the rotation of the second segment with a component (which does not present rotation), allowing the flow of electrical signals and avoiding or minimizing twisting or bending of the cables. The electrical ring minimizes twisting of the cables by maintaining a constant and uninterrupted connection between the fixed parts (first segment) and the rotating part (second segment) of the head to transfer data and/or power cables to the second segment which is rotatable. endless.

The electrical commutator, or electrical slip ring, may be a brush-type commutator ring, comprising a rotating ring that is connected to a rotating component integral with the second segment, and a stationary brush connected to a stationary component, that is, it does not present rotation. Optionally, the brush can slide with the rotatable component and move freely in an annular portion. The rotating ring may be provided with metal rings or bands, and the brushes make contact with said metal rings or bands.

Optionally, the electrical slip ring or collector may be a brushless slip ring where the rotating component contains an optical or magnetic sensor that sends signals to a sensor in the stationary component.

Therefore, the electrical connectors described above can be brushes, optical sensors or magnetic sensors.

In addition, the electrical collector may comprise additional components to enhance its high frequency transfer capabilities, wherein the additional components may include capacitors, inductors, and other passive components.

In some embodiments, the one or more wires connected to the electrical slip ring are made of polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE (in English: "Polytetrafluoroethylene"), since this material can withstand the harsh conditions inside the receptacle. Optionally, the cables are fiber optic, since they minimize electromagnetic interference, including metal particles, and are also resistant to high temperatures.

In this way, the camera and, preferably also other electronic devices, which advantageously must be located in the second segment that is rotatable, can be duly connected by one or more signal and/or power cables to the electrical sliding ring, and an output cable connected to it (for example, to the stationary component) communicates the signal and/or power to a control system. In this way, the second segment can rotate endlessly about its own longitudinal axis without twisting the cables that connect the camera and optionally also other electrical monitoring devices, or at least minimizing said twisting.

Note that, in some embodiment, the camera and/or other electrical devices may be powered by batteries, so the one or more wires may be exclusively for signal transmission.

At least one element comprised in the control system can be connected to the electrical slip ring to receive and transmit signals to the electronic devices also connected, by cables, to said electrical slip ring. For example, one of the camera cables is connected to the rotating component (and rotates integral with it), and the other output cables are connected to a stationary component of the electric slip ring and with at least one element of the control system to transfer the images captured by the camera.

In addition, the one or more electronic devices (additional to the camera) can comprise one or more monitoring means or elements, one or more elements and/or different combinations of elements being from a list that includes: - one or more sensors temperature,

- one or more obstacle sensors,

- one or more pressure sensors,

- one or more position sensors,

- one or more speed sensors,

- one or more vibration sensors,

- one or more load cells,

- one or more accelerometers,

- one or more flow measurement sensors,

- one or more cameras.

Also, at least one of the monitoring elements or a combination thereof, can be integrated into the monitoring compartment described above, together or in addition to the camera.

The monitoring compartment may comprise a plurality of cameras to capture images of the lance and the interior of the container to be lined with refractory material.

At least the front portion of the monitoring compartment, the front portion being understood as that which points towards the area where the spraying occurs inside the container, can be provided with a transparent or sufficiently translucent surface to allow enough light to pass through for the camera to capture images.

Alternatively, the compartment comprises an aperture for correct image capture, and the camera is protected by a sealed casing inside the monitoring compartment.

In some embodiments, the camera may be within the monitoring compartment and one or more additional monitoring elements may be arranged within the second segment and therefore outside the compartment.

The chamber can be connected to wiring in a closed circuit, where said wiring crosses the head internally, from the chamber to connect with the electrical slip ring, and at its outlet, electrically connected to at least one element of a control system. The camera can be used by the operator both to monitor and remotely control the spraying made by the head.

Alternatively, the camera may be in communication with a control system via wireless means. For example, the wireless media may comprise any one of the following list of wireless protocols.

- Industrial Wi-Fi;

-Zigbee;

- Radiofrequency (RF);

- BLE (in English: “Bluetoohth Low Energy”- Bluetooth low energy);

- Wireless Hart;

-ISA 100.11a;

- NFC (in English: “Near Field Communication”- short field communication);

- Wireless USB (WUSB);

- DECT (in English: "Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications"- Enhanced wireless telecommunications);

-Z-Wave;

- RFID (in English: Radio-Frequency Identification- Low frequency identification).

Another aspect of the invention refers to a method for controlling the spraying of the head, by an operator with access to the control system, which may comprise the steps of:

- position the head in a desired location inside the container,

- send the captured images to the control system,

- analyzing the images received in the control system to determine an orientation and position of the lance inside the container,

- rotate the second segment and consequently the position of the lance, based on the analysis of the captured images to a desired position,

- start the spraying of refractory material.

Furthermore, the method may further comprise monitoring the spraying of refractory material using the one or more cameras and adjusting the position of the spray arm and lance as necessary.

Finally, the refractory spraying process is stopped when a desired coating level is reached on the interior walls of the vessel.

Optionally, the cameras can be used solely by the operator to monitor the spraying of refractive material.

To facilitate the introduction of the head into the container, and to avoid the need for overhead cranes or the need for arms attached to the container to, in operation, hold the head, a second aspect of the present invention relates to a robot that incorporates the head. of any one of the embodiments described above.

The robot may be provided with a positioning arm which, in operation, is attached to the head at one end thereof. Likewise, at the opposite end, a position adjustment mechanism arranged around an access opening of the container can be attached, such that said position adjustment mechanism allows, by means of motorized elements, to tilt the positioning arm on a plane in correspondence with the access opening to facilitate the introduction of the head inside the container.

Preferably, the position adjustment mechanism may comprise second motorized elements, configured to rotate the positioning arm about an axis that is perpendicular to the access opening of the container.

Another aspect of the invention refers to an installation that incorporates the head according to any of the previously described embodiments, where said installation has an overhead crane configured to hold the head inside the container.

Another aspect of the invention refers to an installation that incorporates the head according to any of the previously described embodiments, and which also comprises a plurality of arms attached to the container to support said head, avoiding the need for an overhead crane during the process of pulverized.

In some embodiments, the control system may be configured to receive one set of signals from the monitoring elements and from the camera, process said set of signals, and send another set of output signals to any of the actuators or motors in the head, robot or installation, for example, for an emergency stop, or to feed back the input parameters of the motors or actuators for their control by means of said control system or another specific control system for the motors. For example, the control system or processing unit thereof may be configured to determine the position of the head relative to the container, and send signals to various actuators to automatically insert the head through the access opening of the container, based on the input signals. sensors or by an image processor that post-processes images captured by the camera to detect the position and orientation of the head with respect to the container.

Advantageously, an image post-processing program is configured to determine the depth and surface (eg, diameter) of the container. Likewise, one or more obstacle detection sensors can alert the control system in real time of a potential problem, for example, so that it executes an emergency stop giving an order to the motorized means and/or actuators.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, a control and processing module comprises an image post-processing algorithm configured to analyze images captured by the camera, wherein the image post-processing algorithm is configured to detect at least the surface of the access opening and the depth of the container, to calculate the position and orientation of the container in relation to the head and, to adjust the position and orientation of the head based on the position calculation previously made.

The post-processing program can use edge detection, object detection, and image segmentation techniques to identify vessel opening, depth, obstacles, and other relevant features in images.

Another aspect of the present invention refers to a method for automatically or semi-automatically introducing the head into the container by means of the robot, where said method can comprise the steps of:

- place the robot with the head close to the container,

- activate the one or more cameras and/or sensors,

- collect a set of data from the sensors and/or the one or more cameras, - analyze said set of collected data,

- determine the position and orientation of the container with respect to the head based, at least in part, on the set of analyzed data,

- determining, based on the orientation and position of the determined container, an amplitude of rotation and/or tilting necessary to modify the position and orientation of the head to enter the container safely,

- actuating the motorized means to introduce the head into the container.

Advantageously, the steps are executed by a processing and control unit and this unit can further execute an algorithm for calculating the desired position and orientation of the positioning arm based on the position and orientation of the positioning arm determined above.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of its practical embodiment, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description. where, with an illustrative and non-limiting nature, the following has been represented:

Figure 1.- Shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention, illustrating a robot that incorporates a head intended to be introduced into a container to spray refractory material.

Figure 2.- Shows a perspective view of the interior of the head according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an electrical collector arranged in the first segment of the head, a second segment that is rotatable with respect to the first segment, a compartment for lance interconnected to the second segment and capable of tilting with respect to it, and a monitoring compartment that has a camera.

Figure 3.- Shows a perspective view of the head of figure 2 rigidly connected to a positioning arm of the robot of figure 1.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment example of a robot (1) and a head (2) objects of the present invention are described below with the help of figures 1-3.

More particularly, figure 1 shows an object of the invention that refers to a head (2) for spraying a product inside a container (17) by means of a lance (6), said head (2) comprising a first segment (4) and a second segment (3), the second segment (3) being endlessly rotatable with respect to the first segment (4) and said segments (3, 4) being rotatably interconnected with each other.

In addition, it is shown that the lance (6) is mounted to the second segment (3) by means of a lance compartment (16) in which said lance (6) is internally arranged, where said lance compartment (16) is capable of to tilt with respect to the second segment (3) through an axis perpendicular to it (3). The lance compartment (16), as illustrated in figure 1, is configured to carry out a tilting movement with respect to an axis that passes substantially through the horizontal (perpendicular to the second segment), presenting a tilting movement with an angular displacement beta (P) which is preferably between 0 and 110°.

In said lance compartment (6), as shown in figure 2, a mixer (14) configured to mix water from a hydraulic sliding ring (11) to the mixer can be arranged, in order to be mixed with the product that it circulates through the internal ducts, making the mixture just before it is sprayed in the lance (16).

The second segment (3) of the head (2) is provided with a monitoring compartment (21) comprising a camera (20).

Figure 1 additionally another aspect according to the present invention that refers to a robot (1) that incorporates the head (2) described above.

Likewise, it is illustrated that the robot (1) comprises a positioning arm (7) provided with a proximal end (8) and a distal end (9), said positioning arm (7) being attached to the head (2) by the distal end (9) of the latter (7). Also illustrated is a position adjustment mechanism (10) disposed around an access opening (15) of the container (17), said position adjustment mechanism (10) being connected to the proximal end (8) of the arm positioning arm (7), and said position adjustment mechanism (10) comprising motorized means configured to effect a tilting movement of said positioning arm (7) on a plane in correspondence with the access opening (15), said tilting movement being represented by an angular displacement alpha (a).

The position adjustment mechanism (10), according to the embodiment represented by figure 1, comprises second motorized means configured to rotate the positioning arm (7) with respect to an axis that is perpendicular to the access opening (15). ) of the container (17).

Figure 2 shows a view of the interior of the head (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating that the first segment (4) comprises an electrical slip ring (12). The electric sliding ring (12) comprises a rotating component (19) integral to the rotation of the second segment (3) and a stationary component (22), the rotating component (19) and the stationary component (22) being in electrical contact with each other. by means of electrical contacts (23) that allow the transmission of signals and/or electrical energy between them. Preferably, as shown in Figure 2, the electrical contacts (23) are brushes.

Furthermore, Figure 2 illustrates the rotating component (19) comprising one or more metal bands (25), where each metal band (25) is connected to a chamber (20) by means of at least one cable. The rotating component (19) can be provided with other metallic bands (25) integral to it (19), where each metallic band (25) is properly connected to a cable in correspondence with an additional monitoring element to the camera, for example , these can be: temperature sensors, obstacles, pressure, position, speed, vibration, accelerometers, etc.

As shown in figure 2, the camera (20) is arranged in a monitoring compartment (21) attached to and attached to the second segment (3) which is capable of endless rotation on its own longitudinal axis.

Figure 3 shows a perspective of a section opposite to that represented by figure 2, which also illustrates the positioning arm (7) of the robot in figure 1, rigidly attached to the head (2).

More specifically, Figure 3 illustrates a front portion of the monitoring compartment (21) comprising a surface that is transparent or translucent enough to let through enough light for the camera to capture images.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but also encompasses any variations that may be considered by any person skilled in the art within the general scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims (17)

1. - Head (2) to spray a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal, said head (2) comprising: - a first segment (4) and a second segment (3), the second segment (3) being endlessly rotatable with respect to the first segment (4) and said segments (3, 4) being interconnected with each other; - a conduit for channeling a product to be sprayed, said conduit arranged in an internal portion of the head (2); - a lance (6) to spray a product, said lance (6) being in fluid communication with the conduit, and mounted on the second segment (3) being integral with its rotation (3), characterized in that the head (2) also comprises one or more cameras (20) arranged to capture images of an exterior area around the second segment (3), and where the one or more cameras (20) are housed in a monitoring compartment (21) mounted externally to the second segment (3), or housed within the second segment (3), with the monitoring compartment (21) or second segment (3) having an opening or a translucent surface to allow capture of images by one or more cameras (20). 2. - Head (2) for spraying a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal according to claim 1, characterized in that the lance (6) is arranged inside a lance compartment (16) attached or forming part of the second segment (3). 3. - Head (2) to spray a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal according to claim 2, characterized in that the lance compartment (16) and the lance (6) inside it ( 16), are capable of tilting with respect to the second segment (3) through an axis that is transversal to said second segment (3), where the lance compartment (16) is integral with the rotation of the second segment (3) and is interconnected with it (3). 4. - Head (2) for spraying a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises an electrical sliding ring (12) connected to a control system and the camera (20), where said sliding electric ring (12) acts as an electrical interface between the control system and the camera (20) allowing uninterrupted electrical communication during the endless rotation of the second segment (3 ). 5. - Head (2) to spray a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal according to claim 4, characterized in that the electric sliding ring (12) comprises a rotating component (19) attached to the rotation of the second segment (3) and a stationary component (22), the camera (20) being connected by at least one cable to the rotating component (19) and where the rotating component (19) and the stationary component (22) are in electrical contact with each other by electrical contacts (23) that allow the transmission of signals and/or electrical energy between them. 6. - Head (2) for spraying a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal according to claim 5, characterized in that the stationary component (22) of the electric sliding ring (12) is connected by one or more cables with at least one element of the control system. 7. - Head (2) for spraying a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal according to any one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the electrical contacts (23) are selected from a list that consists in: - one or more brushes; - optical connections, and - magnetic connections. 8. - Head (2) to spray a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the chamber (20) is in communication with the system control by wireless means. 9. - Head (2) for spraying a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises additional monitoring elements arranged inside the second segment (3) or in the monitoring compartment (21), while said additional monitoring elements communicated with a control system, and selected from a list comprising: - one or more temperature sensors, - one or more obstacle sensors, - one or more pressure sensors, - one or more position sensors, - one or more speed sensors, - one or more vibration sensors, - one or more load cells, - one or more accelerometers, - one or more flow measurement sensors. 10. - Head (2) to spray a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal according to claim 4 and 9, characterized in that the additional monitoring elements are communicated with the control system by means of the ring sliding electric (12). 11. - Head (2) for spraying a product inside a container (17) suitable for containing molten metal according to claim 9, characterized in that the additional monitoring elements are communicated with the control system by wireless means. 12. - Robot (1) characterized in that it comprises the head (2) of any one of the preceding claims. 13. - Robot (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that it further comprises a positioning arm (7) provided with a proximal end (8) and a distal end (9), where said positioning arm (7) is joined to the head (2) by the distal end (9) of the latter (7). 14. - Robot (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that it further comprises a position adjustment mechanism (10) arranged around an access opening (15) of the container (17), said position adjustment mechanism ( 10) interconnectable with the proximal end (8) of the positioning arm (7), wherein said position adjustment mechanism (10) comprises motorized means configured to carry out a rocking movement of said positioning arm (7) on a plane in correspondence with the access opening (15). 15. - Robot (1) according to claim 14, characterized in that the position adjustment mechanism (10) comprises second motorized means configured to rotate the positioning arm (7) about an axis that is perpendicular to the opening of access (15) of the container (17). 16. - Installation characterized in that it comprises an overhead crane and the head (2) according to any one of claims 2-11, wherein said overhead crane is configured to hold the head (2) inside the container (17). 17. - Installation characterized in that it comprises the head (2) according to any one of claims 2-11, and also comprises a plurality of arms attached to the container (17) and to the head (2) to hold said head (2) inside of the container (17).