阅读说明：本技术 真空泵、应用于该真空泵的温度调节用控制装置、检查用夹具、以及温度调节功能部的诊断方法 (Vacuum pump, temperature adjustment control device and inspection jig applied to vacuum pump, and method for diagnosing temperature adjustment function unit ) 是由 深美英夫 石桥政利 于 2018-07-06 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种不需要大规模的检查装置,能够以简单的装置对温度调节功能进行自诊断、能够通用第进行检查的真空泵、应用于该真空泵的温度调节用控制装置、检查用夹具、以及温度调节功能部的诊断方法。在步骤(5)中,检查用程序以电压转换后的电压值来检测相当于TMS温度传感器(155)的固定电阻(R1)从而判定拟似温度是否是80度。若检测到拟似温度是80度则进入接下来的步骤(6),进行相当于在TMS控制装置(300)的端子(309)和端子(311)之间使TMS加热器(151)接通的模拟的输出。在步骤(7)中,检查用程序以电压转换后的电压值来检测相当于TMS温度传感器(155)的固定电阻(R2)从而判定拟似温度是否是150度。若检测到拟似温度是150度则进入接下来的步骤(8),切断在TMS控制装置(300)的端子(309)和端子(311)之间流动的输出电流。(Provided are a vacuum pump which can self-diagnose the temperature adjusting function by a simple device without a large-scale inspection device and can carry out a universal inspection, a temperature adjusting control device applied to the vacuum pump, an inspection jig, and a diagnosis method of a temperature adjusting function part. In step (5), the test program detects a fixed resistance (R1) corresponding to the TMS temperature sensor (155) with the voltage value after voltage conversion to determine whether the pseudo temperature is 80 degrees. When the pseudo temperature is detected to be 80 degrees, the process proceeds to the next step (6), and a pseudo output corresponding to the switching on of the TMS heater (151) between the terminal (309) and the terminal (311) of the TMS control device (300) is performed. In step (7), the test program detects a fixed resistance (R2) corresponding to the TMS temperature sensor (155) with the voltage value after the voltage conversion to determine whether the pseudo temperature is 150 degrees. If the pseudo temperature is detected to be 150 degrees, the flow proceeds to the next step (8) where the output current flowing between the terminal (309) and the terminal (311) of the TMS control device (300) is cut off.)

1. A vacuum pump having:

a control unit for monitoring and controlling a motor and a magnetic bearing incorporated in the pump body;

a temperature adjustment function unit for measuring the temperature of the pump body by at least one temperature sensor provided in the pump body, and controlling at least one of the heater and the solenoid valve based on the temperature,

the vacuum pump is characterized in that it is provided with,

the temperature adjustment function unit includes:

a first terminal to which the temperature sensor can be connected or disconnected;

a second terminal capable of connecting or disconnecting the heater or the solenoid valve,

the self-diagnosis unit is provided to perform self-diagnosis as to whether or not an input signal to the first terminal is normally input or whether or not the input signal is normally output from the second terminal.

2. Vacuum pump according to claim 1,

the temperature adjustment function unit includes:

a temperature determination unit that connects a first load for simulation to the first terminal instead of the temperature sensor, and that determines pseudo-simulation that the temperature sensor has a predetermined temperature value when a voltage applied to the first load is a predetermined voltage value;

an output means for connecting a second load for simulation to the second terminal in place of the heater or the solenoid valve, and for causing or stopping a predetermined current to flow to or from the second load based on a determination result by the temperature determination means,

the preset voltage value is prepared corresponding to the on and off of the heater or the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve,

the output means is independently configured for each heater or each solenoid valve.

3. A vacuum pump according to claim 2, wherein the acceptance of the inspection is determined by determining on and off of the heater or on and off of the electromagnetic valve in time series.

4. A vacuum pump according to claim 2 or 3, comprising output determination means for determining that a predetermined output is provided to the heater or the electromagnetic valve in a pseudo manner by flowing the predetermined current to the output means.

5. A vacuum pump according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the first load is a resistor having a resistance value corresponding to each of on and off states of the heater, or a resistor having a resistance value corresponding to each of on and off states of the electromagnetic valve, and each of the resistors is switchable by a switch.

6. A vacuum pump according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the temperature adjustment function portion enters a check mode when it is confirmed that the first load is in a short-circuit state.

7. Vacuum pump according to any of claims 1 to 6,

the temperature adjustment function unit and the control unit are configured as separate units.

8. A vacuum pump according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising a determination means for determining disconnection or short-circuit of a cable with respect to the first terminal and the second terminal of the temperature adjustment function portion,

when the determination means determines that the line is disconnected or short-circuited, the input signal to the first terminal is not sensed, and the control from the second terminal to the outside is not performed.

9. A vacuum pump according to claim 8, wherein the judging means judges whether the temperature adjusting function portion is open or short-circuited.

10. A temperature adjustment control device is provided with:

a control unit for monitoring and controlling a motor and a magnetic bearing incorporated in the pump body;

a temperature adjustment function unit for measuring the temperature of the pump body by at least one temperature sensor provided in the pump body, and controlling at least one of the heater and the solenoid valve based on the temperature,

the temperature-adjustment control device is characterized in that,

the temperature adjustment function unit includes:

a first terminal to which the temperature sensor can be connected or disconnected;

a second terminal capable of connecting or disconnecting the heater or the solenoid valve,

the self-diagnosis unit is provided to perform self-diagnosis as to whether or not an input signal to the first terminal is normally input or whether or not the input signal is normally output from the second terminal.

11. An inspection jig for a temperature adjustment function unit which measures the temperature of a pump body by at least one temperature sensor provided in the pump body, controls at least one heater or solenoid valve based on the temperature,

the inspection jig is characterized in that,

the temperature adjustment function unit includes:

a first terminal to which the temperature sensor can be connected or disconnected;

a second terminal capable of connecting or disconnecting the heater or the solenoid valve,

the self-diagnosis unit is provided to perform self-diagnosis as to whether or not an input signal to the first terminal is normally input or whether or not the input signal is normally output from the second terminal.

12. A method for diagnosing the presence or absence of an abnormality in a temperature adjustment function section that measures the temperature of a pump body using at least one temperature sensor provided to the pump body, controls at least one heater or solenoid valve based on the temperature,

the method is characterized in that it consists in,

the temperature adjustment function unit includes:

a first terminal to which the temperature sensor can be connected or disconnected;

a second terminal capable of connecting or disconnecting the heater or the solenoid valve,

whether an input signal to the first terminal is normally input or whether an input signal is normally output from the second terminal can be self-diagnosed,

a first load for simulation is connected to the first terminal in place of the temperature sensor,

a second load for simulation is connected to the second terminal instead of the heater or the solenoid valve,

when the voltage applied to the first load is a preset voltage value, the temperature sensor is determined to be a preset temperature value in a simulated manner,

a predetermined current is caused to flow or the control is stopped for the second load based on the result of the pseudo determination,

the preset voltage value is prepared in accordance with the on/off of the heater or the opening/closing of the solenoid valve, and the control of the current to the second load is independently performed for each of the heater or the solenoid valve.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vacuum pump, a temperature adjustment control device, an inspection jig, and a method for diagnosing a temperature adjustment function unit applied to the vacuum pump, and more particularly, to a vacuum pump, a temperature adjustment control device, an inspection jig, and a method for diagnosing a temperature adjustment function unit applied to the vacuum pump, in which a temperature adjustment function can be self-diagnosed and a general-purpose inspection can be performed by a simple device without requiring a large-scale inspection device.

Background

With the development of electronic products in recent years, the demand for semiconductors such as memories and integrated circuits is rapidly increasing.

These semiconductors are manufactured by doping a semiconductor substrate of extremely high purity with impurities to impart electrical characteristics, and forming a fine circuit on the semiconductor substrate by etching.

These operations need to be performed in a chamber in a high vacuum state in order to avoid the influence of dust in the air and the like. A vacuum pump is generally used for the exhaust of the chamber, and a turbo-molecular pump, which is one of the vacuum pumps, is often used particularly from the viewpoint of less residual gas, easy maintenance, and the like.

In a semiconductor manufacturing process, a large number of processes are performed to apply various process gases to a semiconductor substrate, and a turbo molecular pump is used not only to vacuumize the chamber but also to exhaust the process gases from the chamber.

However, the process gas may be introduced into the chamber at a high temperature to improve the reactivity. These process gases may become solid when cooled to a certain temperature during the exhaust process, and deposit a product in the exhaust system. Further, the process gas may be cooled to a low temperature in the turbo molecular pump and may be solid, adhere to the inside of the turbo molecular pump, and be accumulated.

When the precipitates of the process gas are deposited inside the turbo molecular pump, the deposits cause a pump flow path to be narrowed, thereby degrading the performance of the turbo molecular pump.

In order to solve this problem, conventionally, a heater or an annular water-cooling tube is wound around the outer periphery of a base part or the like of a turbo-molecular pump, a Temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor) is embedded in the base part or the like, and heating of the heater or cooling of the water-cooling tube is controlled based on a signal of the Temperature sensor so that the Temperature of the base part is maintained at a constant high Temperature (set Temperature) (hereinafter referred to as a TMS (Temperature Management System)) (see patent documents 1 and 2).

Since the product is less likely to be deposited as the set temperature of TMS is higher, it is desirable that the set temperature be as high as possible.

On the other hand, when the base portion is heated to a high temperature in this way, the electronic circuit provided in the body of the turbo molecular pump may exceed the limit temperature and break the memory means formed by the semiconductor memory when the exhaust load fluctuates or the ambient temperature changes to a high temperature. At this time, the semiconductor memory is destroyed, and maintenance information data such as pump start time and error history disappears.

When the maintenance information data is lost, the time for maintenance inspection, the time for replacement of the turbomolecular pump, and the like cannot be determined. Therefore, the operation of the turbomolecular pump is greatly hindered. Thus, the cooling by the water cooling pipe is performed when the temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature.

An example of TMS control is shown in fig. 11.

In this example, the temperature of the base portion is measured by a temperature sensor (corresponding to a TMS temperature sensor described later), a heating command is sent to the heater, and the solenoid valve is opened and closed to control the flow of water to the water cooling pipe so that the measured temperature becomes equal to or lower than a preset allowable temperature of the base portion. As an example, the target set temperature is set to 60 degrees.

That is, in fig. 11, the controller turns on the heater to continue heating in the initial stage of the start of operation, and turns off the heater when the measured temperature measured by the temperature sensor exceeds 60 degrees. During this time, the solenoid valve is continuously turned off, and thus the temperature of the base portion is heated by the heater.

After the heater is turned off at 60 degrees, the temperature of the base portion does not drop rapidly due to the heat capacity, and an overshoot curve is drawn. After that, when the measured temperature exceeds 63 degrees, the electromagnetic valve is opened to supply water from the water cooling tube. When the temperature of the base part falls below 60 degrees, the electromagnetic valve is closed. After that, the heater was turned on again when the temperature of the base portion became 58 degrees or less.

In the control example of fig. 11, one heater and one solenoid valve are controlled by one temperature sensor, and a large number of temperature sensors, heaters, and solenoid valves are arranged as the capacity of the pump increases. The temperature at which the heater is turned on and off and the temperature at which the solenoid valve is opened and closed are also different. Setting the threshold value for the temperature takes hysteresis into consideration, complicating the logic.

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2011-.

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2003-278692.

In order to check whether or not the TMS control, which takes hysteresis into consideration in time series and performs a complicated operation, is normally performed, a dedicated check device has been connected to the control device. Since this inspection apparatus includes a jig for inspection, an I/O board, a personal computer, application software, and the like, which are configured to correspond to the OS used in the personal computer, the jig for inspection, the I/O board, and the application software may not be used every time the OS is upgraded.

Further, when the capacity of the pump increases and the number of sensors, heaters to be controlled, and the number of electromagnetic valves increase, it may be necessary to newly develop and prepare an inspection apparatus.

Furthermore, the inspection apparatus prepared in this way is not commonly applicable to all turbomolecular pumps, and there is a problem that it is difficult to prepare the apparatus for inspection in a service station or the like in the case of expensive inspection equipment.

Further, not only an inspection device that can be handled even when the number of sensors, heaters, and electromagnetic valves varies depending on the target pump, but also a control device that monitors and controls the temperature of the TMS is desirably prepared as a general-purpose device.

However, in this case, it is assumed that a terminal (passage) which cannot be connected to the sensor, the heater, and the solenoid valve may be present depending on the operating environment and the processing capacity of the pump, and noise and short circuit caused by disconnection may be caused by the terminal, thereby causing an error in detection and control of the abnormal signal.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vacuum pump capable of self-diagnosing a temperature adjustment function with a simple device and performing general-purpose inspection without requiring a large-scale inspection device, a temperature adjustment control device, an inspection jig, and a method for diagnosing a temperature adjustment function unit applied to the vacuum pump.

Therefore, the present invention (claim 1) is an invention of a vacuum pump, comprising: a control unit for monitoring and controlling a motor and a magnetic bearing incorporated in the pump body; a temperature adjustment function unit that measures a temperature of the pump body by at least one temperature sensor provided in the pump body and controls at least one of the heater and the solenoid valve based on the measured temperature, the temperature adjustment function unit comprising: a first terminal to which the temperature sensor can be attached or detached; and a second terminal to which the heater or the solenoid valve can be attached or detached, which has a self-diagnosis unit capable of self-diagnosing whether an input signal to the first terminal is normally input or whether the input signal is normally output from the second terminal.

And a self-diagnosis part separated from the temperature adjustment function part, the self-diagnosis part being capable of self-diagnosing whether the measurement signal from the temperature sensor is normally inputted or whether the output to the heater or the solenoid valve is normally performed. The software part of the temperature adjustment function unit is not an object to be inspected by the self-diagnosis unit because it is sufficiently inspected at the time of development. Therefore, in the inspection by the self-diagnosis unit, only the input path by the temperature sensor and the output paths of the heater and the solenoid valve are inspected. The diagnostic procedure for the examination is simple. This makes it possible to construct the system at a relatively low cost, and to easily introduce the system to each service station without requiring a large-scale inspection device such as a personal computer in which a dedicated program is embedded.

Further, since the personal computer is not required for the inspection by the self-diagnosis unit, the application software does not become unusable every time the OS is upgraded as in the conventional case.

The present invention (claim 2) is a vacuum pump, wherein the temperature adjustment function unit includes: a temperature determination unit that connects a first load for simulation to the first terminal in place of the temperature sensor, and that determines in a pseudo manner that the temperature sensor has a predetermined temperature value when a voltage applied to the first load is a predetermined voltage value; and an output means for connecting a second load for simulation to the second terminal instead of the heater or the solenoid valve, and for supplying or stopping a predetermined current to the second load based on a determination result of the temperature determination means, and for preparing the predetermined voltage value in accordance with turning on and off of the heater or turning on and off of the solenoid valve, wherein the output means is configured independently for each of the heater or the solenoid valve.

The input path can be determined in a pseudo manner, and the output path can be determined in a pseudo manner, so that the efficiency of the inspection is simpler.

Further, the present invention (claim 3) is an invention of a vacuum pump, wherein whether or not the inspection is acceptable is determined by determining on and off of the heater or on and off of the electromagnetic valve in time series.

The on/off of the heater or the on/off of the solenoid valve is determined in time series in accordance with the operation sequence of the actual temperature adjustment function section, and the accuracy of the pass/fail determination is improved.

Further, the present invention (claim 4) is a vacuum pump comprising an output determination means for pseudo-determining that a predetermined output is given to the heater or the electromagnetic valve by causing the predetermined current to flow to the output means.

The accuracy of the pass/fail determination is improved by confirming that a predetermined current has flowed to the output means.

Further, the present invention (claim 5) is a vacuum pump characterized in that the first load is a resistor having a resistance value corresponding to each of on and off states of the heater, or a resistor having a resistance value corresponding to each of on and off states of the solenoid valve, and each of the resistors is switchable by a switch.

This makes it possible to perform the inspection easily at low cost.

Further, the present invention (claim 6) is an invention of a vacuum pump, wherein the temperature adjustment function unit enters an inspection mode when it is confirmed that the first load is in a short-circuit state.

The inspection mode can be reliably entered by intentionally forming a short-circuit state.

Further, the present invention (claim 7) is an invention of a vacuum pump, wherein the temperature adjustment function unit and the control unit are configured as separate units.

Since the control unit and the temperature adjustment function unit are separated from each other, even when the capacity of the vacuum pump is large and the number of sensors, heaters, and electromagnetic valves is required to be large, there is no need to make a modification for greatly expanding the control device side, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, the present invention (claim 8) is a vacuum pump comprising a determination means for determining disconnection or short-circuit of a cable to the first terminal and the second terminal of the temperature adjustment function unit, wherein when the determination means determines that the cable is disconnected or short-circuited, the determination means does not sense an input signal to the first terminal and does not control the cable from the second terminal to the outside.

Thus, the control setting of the terminal of each temperature adjustment function portion can be automatically performed, and setting errors can be prevented. In addition, erroneous output and erroneous control based on an abnormal input signal can be prevented.

Further, the present invention (claim 9) is an invention of a vacuum pump, wherein the determination means determines whether the temperature adjustment function unit is open or short-circuited when the temperature adjustment function unit is activated.

Further, the present invention (claim 10) is an invention of a temperature adjustment control device, including: a control unit for monitoring and controlling a motor and a magnetic bearing incorporated in the pump body; a temperature adjustment function unit that measures a temperature of the pump body by at least one temperature sensor provided in the pump body and controls at least one of the heater and the solenoid valve based on the measured temperature, the temperature adjustment function unit comprising: a first terminal to which the temperature sensor can be attached or detached; and a second terminal to which the heater or the solenoid valve can be attached or detached, and which has a self-diagnosis unit capable of self-diagnosing whether an input signal to the first terminal is normally input or whether an input signal from the second terminal is normally output.

Further, the present invention (claim 11) is an invention of an inspection jig for a temperature adjustment function unit which measures a temperature of a pump body by at least one temperature sensor provided in the pump body and controls at least one of a heater and a solenoid valve based on the measured temperature, the inspection jig comprising: a first terminal to which the temperature sensor can be attached or detached; and a second terminal to which the heater or the solenoid valve can be attached or detached, and which has a self-diagnosis unit capable of self-diagnosing whether an input signal to the first terminal is normally input or whether an input signal from the second terminal is normally output.

Further, the present invention (claim 12) is a method for diagnosing the presence or absence of an abnormality in a temperature adjustment function unit that measures the temperature of a pump body using at least one temperature sensor provided in the pump body and controls at least one of a heater and a solenoid valve based on the measured temperature, the method being characterized in that the temperature adjustment function unit includes: a first terminal to which the temperature sensor can be attached or detached; a second terminal to which the heater or the solenoid valve can be attached or detached and which can self-diagnose whether an input signal to the first terminal is normally input, or a first load for simulation is connected to the first terminal instead of the temperature sensor and a second load for simulation is connected to the second terminal instead of the heater or the solenoid valve, depending on whether or not the output is normally output from the second terminal, when the voltage applied to the first load is a preset voltage value, the temperature sensor is determined to be a preset temperature value in a simulation mode, and the preset current is controlled to flow or stop relative to the second load based on the result of the determination in the simulation mode, the preset voltage value is prepared corresponding to the on and off of the heater or the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve, the control of the current to the second load is configured to be independent for each of the heaters or the solenoid valves.

According to the present invention (claim 1) described above, since the self-diagnosis unit is provided to perform self-diagnosis as to whether or not the measurement signal from the temperature sensor is normally input or whether or not the measurement signal is normally output to the heater or the electromagnetic valve, only the input path by the temperature sensor and the output paths of the heater and the electromagnetic valve are checked. Thus, the diagnostic procedure for the examination is simple. This makes it possible to construct the inspection device at low cost and eliminate the need for a large-scale inspection device such as a personal computer in which a dedicated program is embedded.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an overall system configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of a turbomolecular pump.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the front and back of the casing of the TMS control device.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a rotary switch.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an input determination method using a resistance by simulating a thermistor.

Fig. 6 is (one of) a method of detecting temperature based on a voltage generated across a dummy resistor.

Fig. 7 is a method (second) of detecting temperature based on a voltage generated across the analog resistor.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining a method of determining the output of a simulation for a heater and a solenoid valve.

FIG. 10 is a graph of the relationship between thermistor resistance and measured voltage.

Fig. 11 shows an example of conventional TMS control.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 shows an overall system configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 2 shows a configuration diagram of a turbomolecular pump.

Although fig. 1 shows the control device 200 as a separate body from the pump body 100, the present embodiment can also be applied to a turbomolecular pump in which the pump body 100 and the control device 200 are integrated.

An ac power supply of 200 v is supplied to the control device 200. The control device 200 monitors and controls the state of a motor 121 and magnetic bearings 104, 105, and 106, which will be described later, incorporated in the pump body 100. A jig for inspection, an I/O board, a personal computer, and the like dedicated to the control device 200 can be freely connected to the port 201.

A terminal 203 is provided in the control device 200, and one end of an extension cable 211 is connected to the terminal 203. On the other hand, the other end of the extension cable 211 is connected to a terminal 301 of the TMS control device 300, and the TMS control device 300 performs TMS control for adjusting the temperature of the pump body 100. The TMS control device 300 is also supplied with 200 v ac power. The extension cable 211 can be omitted depending on the arrangement of the control device 200 and the TMS control device 300.

Four channels are prepared in the TMS control device 300, and input of input signals and output of output signals are performed, respectively. In the channel 1, a signal from a TMS temperature sensor 155 provided near the arrangement of the TMS heater 151 for measuring the temperature of the surroundings heated by the TMS heater 151 is input. Then, the 200 v ac power supply is turned on or off with respect to the TMS heater 151 disposed in the pump main body 100.

In addition, a signal from a water-cooling temperature sensor 157 is input to the tunnel 2, and the water-cooling temperature sensor 157 measures a temperature at which the solenoid valve 153 is opened and closed and cooled, and is provided in the vicinity of the arrangement of the water-cooling pipe 152 described later. The water-cooling solenoid valve 153 disposed in the pump body 100 is turned on or off by a 24-volt dc power supply.

In the duct 3, a signal from an exhaust port temperature sensor 161 provided in the vicinity of the arrangement of the exhaust port heater 159 is inputted. Further, 200 v ac power is turned on or off to the exhaust port heater 159 provided on the side of the pump body 100.

In this way, the TMS control device 300 controls one solenoid valve, two heaters, and three temperature sensors independently of the control device 200. The duct 4 is provided as a preparation for additional temperature control.

The number of channels is four, but the number is not limited to this, and it is desirable to set the number appropriately according to the number of temperature controls required. The number of the solenoid valves and heaters to be controlled is not limited to the above number, and the switching of the solenoid valves and heaters in each channel can be controlled by changing the setting in the channel.

The temperature control function of the TMS control device 300 may be integrated with the control device 200.

Next, the pump main body 100 will be explained.

In fig. 2, an air inlet 101 is formed at the upper end of a cylindrical outer cylinder 127 of the pump body 100. A rotating body 103 is provided inside the outer cylinder 127, and a plurality of rotating blades 102a, 102b, and 102c … formed of turbine blades for sucking and discharging gas are formed radially on the periphery of the rotating body 103 in multiple stages.

A rotor shaft 113 is attached to the center of the rotating body 103, and the rotor shaft 113 is supported in the air by levitation and position-controlled by a so-called five-axis control magnetic bearing, for example.

The upper radial electromagnets 104 are arranged such that four electromagnets are arranged in pairs on X and Y axes mutually orthogonal as coordinate axes in the radial direction of the rotor shaft 113. An upper radial sensor 107 including four electromagnets is provided in proximity to and in correspondence with the upper radial electromagnet 104. The upper radial sensor 107 is configured to detect radial displacement of the rotor shaft 113 and transmit the detected radial displacement to the control device 200.

In the control device 200, the excitation of the upper radial electromagnet 104 is controlled via a compensation circuit having a PID adjustment function based on the displacement signal detected by the upper radial sensor 107, and the radial position of the upper side of the rotor shaft 113 is adjusted.

The rotor shaft 113 is made of a high magnetic permeability material (iron or the like) and is attracted by the magnetic force of the upper radial electromagnet 104. The correlation adjustment is performed independently in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, respectively.

The lower radial electromagnet 105 and the lower radial sensor 108 are arranged in the same manner as the upper radial electromagnet 104 and the upper radial sensor 107, and the radial position of the lower side of the rotor shaft 113 is adjusted in the same manner as the radial position of the upper side.

Further, the axial electromagnets 106A and 106B are disposed so as to vertically sandwich a disk-shaped metal plate 111 disposed below the rotor shaft 113. The metal plate 111 is made of a high magnetic permeability material such as iron. The axial sensor 109 is provided to detect axial displacement of the rotor shaft 113, and an axial displacement signal is transmitted to the control device 200.

The axial electromagnets 106A and 106B are excitation-controlled via a compensation circuit having a PID adjustment function of the control device 200 based on the axial displacement signal. The axial electromagnet 106A and the axial electromagnet 106B attract the metal plate 111 upward and downward, respectively, by magnetic force.

The control device 200 thus appropriately adjusts the magnetic force acting on the metal disk 111 by the axial electromagnets 106A and 106B, and magnetically suspends the rotor shaft 113 in the axial direction, thereby maintaining the space in non-contact.

The motor 121 includes a plurality of magnetic poles circumferentially arranged around the rotor shaft 113. Each magnetic pole is controlled by the control device 200 so as to rotationally drive the rotor shaft 113 via electromagnetic force acting with the rotor shaft 113.

A plurality of stationary blades 123a, 123b, 123c … are disposed with a slight gap from the rotary blades 102a, 102b, 102c …. The rotary blades 102a, 102b, and 102c … are formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle from a plane perpendicular to the axis of the rotor shaft 113 so as to transfer molecules of the exhaust gas downward by the collision.

Similarly, the stationary blades 123 are formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle from a plane perpendicular to the axis of the rotor shaft 113, and are disposed alternately with the stages of the rotary blades 102 toward the inside of the outer cylinder 127.

One end of the fixed wing 123 is supported in a state of being inserted between the plurality of laminated fixed wing spacers 125a, 125b, and 125c ….

The stationary vane spacer 125 is an annular member, and is made of a metal such as aluminum, iron, stainless steel, or copper, or an alloy containing these metals as a component.

An outer cylinder 127 is fixed to the outer periphery of the stationary vane spacer 125 with a slight gap. A base portion 129 is disposed at the bottom of the outer cylinder 127, and a threaded spacer 131 is disposed between the lower portion of the fixed-wing spacer 125 and the base portion 129. An exhaust port 133 is formed in the base portion 129 at a lower portion of the threaded spacer 131, and communicates with the outside. An exhaust port heater 159 is disposed around the exhaust port 133. An exhaust port temperature sensor 161 is disposed in the vicinity of the exhaust port heater 159.

The threaded spacer 131 is a cylindrical member made of metal such as aluminum, copper, stainless steel, iron, or an alloy containing these metals as a component, and has a plurality of spiral thread grooves 131a engraved on the inner circumferential surface thereof.

The spiral direction of the screw groove 131a is a direction in which molecules of the exhaust gas are transferred to the exhaust port 133 when the molecules move in the rotational direction of the rotating body 103.

A cylindrical portion 102d is suspended from the lowermost portion of the rotor 103 continuous with the rotor blades 102a, 102b, and 102c …. The outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 102d is cylindrical, and protrudes toward the inner peripheral surface of the threaded spacer 131, and approaches the inner peripheral surface of the threaded spacer 131 with a predetermined gap. A TMS heater 151 is provided on the threaded spacer 131. Further, a TMS temperature sensor 155 is embedded in the threaded spacer 131. In the present embodiment, the threaded spacer 131 is directly heated, but may be indirectly heated by heating the base portion 129.

The base portion 129 is a disk-shaped member constituting a base portion of the turbomolecular pump 10, and is generally made of metal such as iron, aluminum, and stainless steel. A water cooling pipe 152 is annularly buried in the base portion 129. A water-cooled temperature sensor 157 is disposed on a side portion of the water-cooled tube 152.

The base portion 129 physically holds the turbo-molecular pump 10 and also functions as a heat conduction path, and therefore, it is desirable to use a metal having rigidity and high thermal conductivity, such as iron, aluminum, or copper.

In the above configuration, when the rotary blades 102 are driven by the motor 121 to rotate together with the rotor shaft 113, the exhaust gas from the chamber is sucked through the inlet 101 by the action of the rotary blades 102 and the stationary blades 123.

The exhaust gas sucked from the air inlet 101 passes between the rotary blades 102 and the fixed blades 123 and is transferred to the base portion 129. At this time, the temperature of the rotary blades 102 rises due to frictional heat generated when the exhaust gas contacts or collides with the rotary blades 102, heat conduction or radiation generated by the motor 121, and the heat is transmitted to the stationary blades 123 side by radiation or conduction of gas molecules or the like by the exhaust gas.

The fixed vane spacers 125 are joined to each other at the outer peripheral portion, and the fixed vanes 123 transmit heat received from the rotary vanes 102, frictional heat generated when exhaust gas contacts or collides with the fixed vanes 123, and the like to the outer cylinder 127 and the threaded spacers 131.

The exhaust gas transferred to the threaded spacer 131 is guided to the thread groove 131a and is conveyed to the exhaust port 133.

Next, the TMS control device 300 will be explained.

The TMS control device 300 is a device having a function of adjusting the temperature of the pump main body 100, and the functions thereof are explained, and the front and back surfaces of the casing are shown in fig. 3. To the back surface of the TMS control device 300, terminals for the TMS temperature sensor 155, the water-cooled temperature sensor 157, and the exhaust port temperature sensor 161 are connected in addition to the TMS heater 151, the exhaust port heater 159, and the solenoid valve 153 during normal operation. On the other hand, in the inspection of the temperature adjustment function, the terminals for the heater, the solenoid valve, and the sensor are removed from the back surface. Instead, terminals connected to analog circuits for inspection of the heater, the solenoid valve, and the sensor are connected. All analog circuits are built in the inspection jig 400.

The inspection jig 400 can diagnose whether or not there is an abnormality in the input/output path in the temperature adjustment function without requiring an external inspection device.

A rotary switch 401 shown in fig. 4 is disposed in the inspection jig 400. The operation shaft 405 rotates about the common terminal 403, and the rotary switch 401 switches the connection from the contact 431 to the contact 434.

When the operation shaft 405 contacts the contact 431, the common terminal 403 and the terminal 407 are short-circuited. When the operating shaft 405 contacts the contact 432, the fixed resistor R1 is connected between the common terminal 403 and the terminal 407. When the operation shaft 405 is in contact with the contact 433, the fixed resistor R2 is connected between the common terminal 403 and the terminal 407. When the operation shaft 405 contacts the contact 434, the common terminal 403 and the terminal 407 are opened.

In the inspection jig 400, as shown in fig. 5, the universal terminal 403 and the terminal 407 on the inspection jig 400 side can be connected to the terminal 303 and the terminal 305 on the TMS control device 300 side, respectively. Terminal 305 is grounded and terminal 303 is connected through resistor R₀Connected to a 3.3 volt dc power supply. Further, the voltage of the terminal 303 is a/D converted and input to the CPU 307. In FIG. 5, the resistance R_TThe analog resistor corresponds to the thermistor, and is described by summarizing the fixed resistor R1, the fixed resistor R2, and the like. I.e. the resistance R_TThe thermistor is a component in which a certain temperature of a thermistor mounted inside the pump body 100 is realized as a resistor in an analog manner.

Since the thermistor normally has a resistance value that changes in accordance with the temperature, the temperature is determined if the resistance value is known. Therefore, by measuring the resistance R as shown in the equivalent circuit of FIG. 6_TThe voltage across the terminals of (a) can be read by reading a code obtained by digitally converting the voltage value as shown in fig. 7. Resistance R₀Since the 3.3 v power supply does not change during operation, if a certain temperature measured by the thermistor is replaced by the resistance value of the thermistor at that time in a pseudo manner, the same situation as when the temperature is measured by the thermistor can be experimentally realized.

For example, it is set in the following manner: the fixed resistor R1 in fig. 4 corresponds to a temperature of 80 degrees at which the TMS heater 15 is turned on when the lower limit temperature of the TMS control is 80 degrees, and the fixed resistor R2 corresponds to a temperature of 150 degrees at which the TMS heater 151 is turned off when the upper limit temperature of the TMS control is 150 degrees. The short-circuit state corresponds to a temperature of 400 degrees in the temperature characteristic of the thermistor not shown, and the open state corresponds to a temperature of-60 degrees. The assumed temperature based on the analog resistance in the diagnosis is not limited to the above temperature, and is desirably set in accordance with a set temperature at which the TMS heater and the solenoid valve are driven.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

First, in step 1 (denoted by S1 in the figure, and the same applies hereinafter), the power switch of the TMS control device 300 is turned on. The measurement is started in step 2, and in step 3, it is determined whether or not the terminal 303 and the terminal 305 shown in fig. 5 are short-circuited. In a case other than the case where the test jig 400 is connected to the TMS control device 300 and the rotary switch 401 is in contact with the contact 431 on the operating shaft 405, the mode is entered in step 4 in which the normal TMS temperature control is performed by software built in the TMS control device 300. That is, when the test jig 400 is not connected to the TMS control device 300, the mode is entered in step 4 in which the normal TMS temperature control is performed by software.

On the other hand, when the operation shaft 405 is in contact with the contact 431 and the terminal 303 and the terminal 305 are short-circuited, the operation proceeds to the self-diagnosis mode after step 5, and the inspection program independent of the normal temperature control program is executed. The test program is also incorporated in the TMS control device 300. At this time, to indicate that the test is in progress, for example, the power supply LED421 shown in fig. 3 disposed on the front surface of the TMS control device 300 is turned on and off. During the check, the check program continuously monitors the voltage between the terminal 303 and the terminal 305.

Next, the rotary switch 401 of the inspection jig 400 is switched to the contact 432. In step 6, the measurement is performed, and the inspection program detects the fixed resistor R1 corresponding to the TMS temperature sensor 155 as a voltage value after voltage conversion, for example. In step 7, it is determined whether the pseudo temperature is 80 degrees based on the voltage value. When the pseudo temperature is detected to be 80 degrees, the process proceeds to step 8, where a pseudo output corresponding to turning on the TMS heater 151 between the terminal 309 and the terminal 311 of the TMS control device 300 shown in fig. 9 is performed.

In fig. 9, a lamp 413 and a fixed resistor 415 are connected in series between a terminal 409 and a terminal 411 of the inspection jig 400. According to this configuration, the lamp 413 is turned on only when a current equal to or greater than a predetermined current value flows. The terminal 311 on the TMS control device 300 side connected to the terminal 411 is grounded. The terminal 409 is connected to the terminal 309 on the TMS control device 300 side, and in step 8, a current necessary for turning on the TMS heater 151 flows through the terminal 309. By this operation, the lamp 413 disposed in the inspection jig 400 is turned on, and thus it can be determined that the TMS heater 151 is pseudo-turned on. In addition, although the case where the lamp 413 is disposed is described here, an ammeter or the like may be disposed.

Next, the rotary switch 401 of the inspection jig 400 is switched to the contact 433. In step 9, the measurement is performed, and the inspection program detects the fixed resistor R2 corresponding to the TMS temperature sensor 155 as a voltage value after voltage conversion, for example. In step 10, it is determined whether the pseudo temperature is 150 degrees based on the voltage value. When the pseudo temperature is detected to be 150 degrees, the process proceeds to step 11, where the output current flowing between the terminal 309 and the terminal 311 of the TMS control device 300 is cut off. At this time, since the lamp 413 is turned off, it can be determined that the TMS heater 151 is pseudo-disconnected.

Next, when the rotary switch 401 is switched to the contact 434 at step 13 and the open state is detected by the measurement at step 12, it is determined that the series of inspections is passed at step 14. In step 14, the LED lamp 422 disposed on the front surface of the TMS control device 300 shown in fig. 3 is turned on, indicating that the series of input tests and output tests on the TMS temperature sensor 155 and the TMS heater 151 are passed.

That is, the rotary switch 401 is switched in the order of the short circuit state at the contact 431, the state of the temperature of 80 degrees at the contact 432, the state of the temperature of 150 degrees at the contact 433, and the open state at the contact 434, and cannot be qualified if the order cannot be confirmed to be normal.

Similarly, the combination of the exhaust port temperature sensor 161 and the exhaust port heater 159 can be similarly checked by the program of the self-diagnosis mode. In this case, since the operating temperatures are different from those of the TMS temperature sensor 155 and the TMS heater 151, the resistance value of the fixed resistor R1 and the resistance value of the fixed resistor R2 change to the resistance values for inspection of the exhaust port temperature sensor 161 and the exhaust port heater 159. The combination of the exhaust port temperature sensor 161 and the exhaust port heater 159 is indicated as acceptable by lighting an LED lamp 423 disposed on the front surface of the TMS control device 300.

The same applies to the combination of the water-cooled temperature sensor 157 and the solenoid valve 153. The resistance value of the fixed resistor R1 and the resistance value of the fixed resistor R2 may be changed to resistance values for inspection of the water-cooled temperature sensor 157 and the solenoid valve 153. In this case, the LED lamp 424 disposed on the front surface of the TMS control device 300 is turned on to indicate a pass. Since the outputs of the sensor, the heater, and the solenoid valve are in one-to-one correspondence in this way and the combinations are independent of each other, the program of the self-diagnosis mode can be independently applied to any system.

At the end of the self-diagnosis mode, the power supply of the TMS control device 300 is cut off.

In addition, the processing from step 5 to step 14 regarding the self-diagnosis mode can be omitted as necessary.

For example, when switching to the contact 431 in order to enter the self-diagnosis mode of step 5, if it is determined that the pseudo temperature is 400 degrees and the off output is to be performed at the same time, the processing from step 9 to step 11 can be performed at the same time, and the number of steps of the self-diagnosis mode can be reduced. In the inspection jig 400, components such as the fixed resistor R2, the contact 433, and the lamp 413 can be omitted, and a more simplified jig can be formed.

Here, in the conventional inspection apparatus for the temperature adjustment function section, there is no self-diagnosis mode as in the present embodiment, and the entire system is inspected in the form including the input/output function inspection of the sensor, the heater, and the solenoid valve in the inspection flow of whether or not the normal temperature control by software is normally operated.

However, the logic of temperature control, software, and inspection at the time of development are sufficiently evaluated, and there is a high possibility that no problem with the program will occur thereafter. Therefore, it is considered that the inspection is sufficient if only the presence or absence of an abnormality in the input/output passage portion mainly composed of the hardware of the sensor, the heater, and the solenoid valve can be inspected.

Therefore, in the temperature adjustment function unit of the present embodiment, a self-diagnosis function for checking only the input/output path portion is incorporated in the TMS control device 300 separately from a normal temperature control program.

However, the temperature control program and the self-diagnosis function may be embedded in the control device 200 that controls the motor 121 and the magnetic bearing together.

If the TMS control device 300 and the control device 200 are configured as separate bodies as in the present embodiment, the control device 200 and the inspection jig 400 can be used in common regardless of the capacity of the turbo molecular pump. Therefore, the TMS control device 300 may be arranged only when the turbo molecular pump has a large capacity and the number of sensors, heaters, and electromagnetic valves for temperature adjustment is large.

That is, even when the capacity of the turbo molecular pump is increased, the TMS control device 300 having only a temperature adjustment function can be added to the control device 200 used in the conventional model and expanded. The inspection can be performed by a simple apparatus that connects only the inspection jig 400. The self-diagnosis procedure for the inspection related to the input/output passage portions of the sensor and the heater, the solenoid valve is also simple. In this way, whether the input/output path is normal or not can be easily determined by a simple jig and a detection circuit in the TMS control device 300.

Therefore, even when the capacity of the turbo-molecular pump is large and the number of sensors, heaters, and electromagnetic valves is large, there is no need to make a modification for greatly expanding the control device 200, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, it is not necessary to prepare an external inspection device when developing a new model of turbomolecular pump. The corresponding items are reduced when the novel model starts to produce.

The inspection jig 400 for inspecting the TMS control device 300 has a simple structure, can be inexpensive, does not require a large-scale inspection tool such as a personal computer in which a dedicated program is embedded, and can be easily introduced into each service station.

Further, since a personal computer is not required for checking the temperature adjustment function, application software does not become unusable every time the OS is upgraded as in the conventional case.

However, when the extension cable 211 connected to the terminal 301 of the TMS control device 300 shown in fig. 1 is used and connected to a personal computer via an I/O device, it is possible to check the operation of the personal computer with the temperature adjustment function.

Next, a function of enabling safer pump operation when the TMS control device 300 is used universally as described above will be described.

In the case where the TMS control device 300 is commonly used, the channels to be used and the channels not to be used are set as follows according to the specifications such as the operating state and capacity of the turbomolecular pump.

For example, in the TMS control device 300 of fig. 1, the channels 1 to 3 are connected to a temperature sensor, a heater, and a solenoid valve, while the channel 4 is not connected. At this time, if the setting of the unused channel 4 is not invalidated in advance, there is a possibility that an abnormal signal is output to the outside if an abnormal input signal is present in the TMS control device 300 for some reason after the start of the pump operation. Further, if the setting is manually invalidated, the setting may be forgotten.

A map of thermistor resistance versus measured voltage is shown in fig. 10. This measured voltage is comparable to the voltage between terminal 303 and terminal 305 shown in fig. 5. At the time of start-up, by reading the voltage between the terminal 303 and the terminal 305, it is determined whether or not a cable is connected between the terminal 303 and the terminal 305. That is, when the voltage between the terminals 303 and 305 of each channel is between the arrow line a (corresponding to about 2.9 volts) in fig. 10 and 3 volts (line break determination region) of the power supply voltage, the line break state is determined. On the other hand, in fig. 10, the short-circuit state is determined when the voltage is between the arrow line B (corresponding to about 0.1 v) and 0 v (short-circuit determination region). In this way, when the voltage value is in the disconnection determination region or the short-circuit determination region at the time of startup, the control setting of the channel is invalidated. However, the setting of the disconnection determination region or the short-circuit determination region is desirably determined in consideration of a voltage drop, a margin, and the like of the circuit or the cable.

When the control setting of the passage is invalidated, the abnormality of the temperature sensor is not detected after the start of the pump operation. Further, the control of the output device to the heater or the electromagnetic valve with respect to the temperature sensor is not performed. After determining the disconnection state or the short-circuit state, the channel may be invalidated by being disconnected or short-circuited, and output as an alarm to the outside.

This determination and invalidation setting can be performed for all channels. That is, the unused channel can automatically disconnect control.

For example, when the specification of the exhaust port heater 159 is changed to a specification not using the exhaust port heater 159 and the cable of the exhaust port temperature sensor 161 is not connected to the duct, the control setting of the exhaust port heater 159 in the TMS control device 300 is automatically invalidated, and forgetting to change the control setting can be prevented.

Further, since the input channel in the broken line does not detect abnormality of the temperature sensor such as broken line, short circuit, low temperature, high temperature, etc., even if any abnormal signal is input after the start of the pump operation, no error is displayed to the outside and no erroneous control is performed.

In addition, the determination of the wire break and short circuit state is performed at the time of starting the TMS control device 300 (at the time of starting the temperature adjustment function portion), and resetting of the device which has once been set to be disabled can be performed by restarting the TMS control device 300.

As described above, by adopting this function in the TMS control device 300, it is possible to automatically perform control setting for each channel of the TMS control device 300, and it is possible to prevent setting errors. In addition, erroneous output and erroneous control due to an abnormal input signal can be prevented.

The present invention can be variously modified within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes the modified embodiments.

Reference numerals

10 turbo molecular pump

100 pump body

133 exhaust port

151 heater

152 water cooling tube

153 magnetic valve

155 TMS temperature sensor

157 water-cooling temperature sensor

159 air outlet heater

161 exhaust port temperature sensor

200 control device

300 TMS controlling means

301. 303, 305, 309, 311 terminal

400 inspection jig

401 rotary switch

403 universal terminal

405 operating shaft

407. 409, 411 terminal

413 lamp

415 fixed resistor

421. 422, 423, 424 and 425 LED lamp

431. 432, 433, 434 contacts.