JP4283694B2 - Flow control system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a flow rate adjustment system used for adjusting the flow rate of a fluid such as a chemical solution or pure water in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, for example.

  Conventionally, the flow rate adjustment of the fluid in the flow path is performed using a manual flow rate adjustment valve, an electric flow rate adjustment valve, a flow rate feedback control valve, and the like. Here, the manual flow rate adjusting valve is relatively frequently used for adjusting the flow rate of the chemical solution or pure water in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. Patent Documents 1 to 3 below describe an example using a manual flow rate adjustment valve.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-164112 (pages 2, 3 and 1) JP-A-9-266190 (page 3, FIG. 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-22250 (page 2-4, FIG. 1)

  However, in recent semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses and the like, the integration of piping parts has progressed, and a manual flow rate adjustment valve may be arranged at a position that is difficult for an operator to reach. For this reason, when an attempt is made to adjust the flow rate of fluid using a manual flow rate adjustment valve, the valve is difficult to operate manually, and the flow rate adjustment may be difficult.

  On the other hand, it is also conceivable that an electric flow rate adjustment valve or a flow rate feedback control valve is provided instead of the manual flow rate adjustment valve and centralized control is performed by a controller. However, when these valves are used, electrical wiring or the like is required between the controller and the configuration becomes complicated as the number of valves increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a flow rate adjustment system that can easily adjust the flow rate with a relatively simple configuration even in an integrated piping section. is there.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is provided for each of at least one flow rate adjusting valve provided in the fluid flow path and the flow rate adjusting valve for driving the flow rate adjusting valve. A drive means and a portable remote control means detachably connected to the drive means for remotely operating the drive means, and the portable remote control means is connected to the drive means if necessary, The purpose is to adjust the flow rate of the fluid in the flow path by operating the remote control means and driving the flow rate adjustment valve by the drive means.

  According to the configuration of the above invention, even if the flow rate adjustment valve is installed at a position where it is difficult to reach in the integrated piping section, by connecting the portable remote control means to the drive means as necessary, It becomes possible to drive the flow rate adjusting valve arbitrarily by remotely operating the driving means by the portable remote control means. Thereby, the flow rate of the fluid in the flow path can be arbitrarily adjusted. Further, since the portable remote control means can be detached from the drive means, if there is one portable remote control means, it can be used for a plurality of flow rate adjusting valves.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, centralized control means for centrally controlling the driving means is provided separately from the portable remote control means. The purpose.

  According to the configuration of the above invention, in addition to the operation of the invention described in claim 1, when the portable remote control means is not used, the drive means is centrally controlled by the central control means, so that the fluid by the flow rate adjusting valve is controlled. The flow rate can be adjusted.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the portable remote control means includes an operation panel, and the operation panel is a driving amount of the flow rate adjustment valve. Drive amount display means for displaying the drive amount, drive amount input means for inputting the drive amount set for the flow rate adjusting valve, and control means for controlling the drive means based on the input drive amount The purpose is to include.

  According to the configuration of the above invention, in addition to the operation of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the operator visually recognizes the current driving amount of the target flow rate adjusting valve from the display of the driving amount display means of the operation panel. Is possible. Further, the operator inputs the drive amount set for the flow rate adjustment valve by the drive amount input unit of the operation panel, so that the control unit controls the drive unit based on the input drive amount, and the flow rate adjustment valve Driven.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising drive amount storage means for storing the drive amount of the flow regulating valve. Intended to be

  According to the configuration of the invention, in addition to the operation of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the current drive amount of the flow rate adjusting valve is determined by referring to the drive amount stored in the drive amount storage means. It can be confirmed.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4, a personal identification number storing means for storing a predetermined personal identification number is provided. The operation means includes a personal identification number input means for inputting a personal identification number, and a portable remote control means except when the personal identification number stored in the personal identification number storage means and the personal identification number input by the personal identification number input means coincide with each other. It is intended to include an operation prohibiting means for prohibiting the operation.

  According to the configuration of the invention described above, in addition to the operation of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, even if a person other than a regular worker tries to change the flow rate by the flow rate adjustment valve, the specific worker is not sure Unless the regular password is input by the number input means, the operation of the portable remote control means is prohibited by the operation prohibiting means. Therefore, the fluid flow rate in the flow path is not inadvertently changed by an unspecified worker.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the flow rate can be easily adjusted with a relatively simple configuration even in the integrated piping section.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, the usability of the flow rate adjusting valve can be improved.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the flow rate adjustment using the flow rate adjustment valve can be simplified.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3, the referenced driving amount can be used as a standard when the flow rate is readjusted.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the reliability of the adjusted flow rate can be increased.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the flow rate adjustment system of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the flow rate adjustment system. The flow rate adjusting system includes a plurality of flow rate control valves 2 provided in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 and a handy terminal 3 for operating each flow rate control valve 2. Each flow control valve 2 is installed in a position where it is difficult for an operator to reach in an integrated piping section. Each flow rate control valve 2 includes a flow rate adjustment valve 5 provided in a flow path 4 of a chemical solution or pure water as a fluid, and a motor 6 provided for each of the valve 5 to drive each flow rate adjustment valve 5. Is provided. The motor 6 corresponds to the driving means of the present invention. The motor 6 is connected to the connector 8 via the cable 7. The motor 6 is energized from the outside through the connector 8 and the cable 7. The flow rate adjusting valve 5 is configured to adjust the opening degree as a driving amount by moving the valve body with respect to the valve seat when the valve shaft is driven by the motor 6. By adjusting the opening degree, the flow rate of the chemical liquid flowing through the flow path 4 is adjusted.

  The handy terminal 3 is portable and is used for remotely operating each motor 6 and corresponds to the portable remote control means of the present invention. The handy terminal 3 includes an operation panel 10, a cable 11 extending from the operation panel 10, and a connector 12 provided at the tip of the cable 11. The connector 12 is provided so as to be connectable to each connector 8 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1. Thereby, the handy terminal 3 is detachably connected to each motor 6. Then, if necessary, the handy terminal 3 is connected to the motor 6 of each flow rate control valve 2, and the handy terminal 3 is operated to drive the flow rate adjusting valve 5 by the motor 6, whereby the flow rate of the chemical solution or the like in the flow path 4. To be adjusted.

  FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the handy terminal 3 in detail. The operation panel 10 includes a liquid crystal display 13 and a keyboard 14. The display device 13 displays characters and numbers. The keyboard 14 includes an increase / decrease key 15, a power key 16, a mode key 17 and a start key 18. The increase / decrease key 16 is operated to increase / decrease the number displayed on the display 13. The power key 16 is operated to turn on the handy terminal 3. The mode key 17 is operated to change the operation mode. In this embodiment, an “opening display mode”, an “opening setting mode”, and a “code number input mode” are provided in advance. The “setting mode” and the “password input mode” are sequentially set. Here, the “opening display mode” is a mode in which the opening of the flow rate adjusting valve 5 is replaced with a numerical value and displayed. The “opening setting mode” is a mode for setting the opening of the flow rate adjusting valve 5. The “password input mode” is a mode for inputting a predetermined password related to the handy terminal 3. The start key 18 is operated to execute the flow rate adjustment after setting the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve 5. In this embodiment, the display device 13 corresponds to the drive amount display means of the present invention for displaying the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 5 by a numerical value. The increase / decrease key 15 corresponds to the drive amount input means of the present invention for inputting the opening set for the flow rate adjusting valve 5 by a numerical value.

  In addition, the operation panel 10 includes a rechargeable battery 19, a CPU 20, and a memory 21. In this embodiment, the battery 19 supplies power to the operation panel 10 itself, and the handy terminal 3 is connected to each motor 6 via the cable 11, the connector 12, the connector 8, and the cable 7. The motor 6 is also supplied with power. In this embodiment, the CPU 20 controls the operation of the operation panel 10. The memory 21 stores a predetermined control program, the above-described personal identification number, and the like. The memory 21 stores the previously set opening degree for each flow rate adjusting valve 5. In this embodiment, the memory 21 corresponds to the drive amount storage means of the present invention for storing the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 5. The CPU 20 is for controlling the motor 6 based on the numerical value input in the “opening setting mode”, and corresponds to the control means of the present invention. Further, the CPU 20 prohibits the operation of the handy terminal 3 except when the password stored in the memory 21 matches the password entered by the increase / decrease key 15. In this embodiment, the memory 21 corresponds to a password storage means of the present invention for storing a password. The increase / decrease key 15 corresponds to a password input means of the present invention for inputting a password. The CPU 20 corresponds to an operation prohibiting unit of the present invention.

  According to the flow rate adjustment system of the present embodiment described above, the flow rate control valve 2 including the flow rate adjustment valve 5 is installed in a position where it is difficult for an operator to reach in the integrated piping section of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1. However, by connecting the handy terminal 3 to the motor 6 of each flow control valve 2 as required, the flow control valve 5 can be arbitrarily driven by remotely operating the motor 6 with the handy terminal 3. . Thereby, it becomes possible to arbitrarily adjust the flow rate of the chemical solution or the like in each flow path 4. For this reason, the flow rate can be easily adjusted with a relatively simple configuration even in the integrated piping section. Further, the opening degree of each flow rate adjustment valve 5 after the flow rate adjustment can be stored in the memory 21 of the handy terminal 3.

  Further, since the handy terminal 3 is detachably connected to each motor 6, if there is one handy terminal 3, it is used for a plurality of flow rate control valves 2 including the flow rate adjusting valve 5 and the motor 6. Is possible. For this reason, compared with the case where the operation panel is provided with respect to each of the flow control valves, the number of components can be reduced.

  In this embodiment, the operator can visually recognize the current opening degree of the target flow rate adjustment valve 5 from the display on the display 13 of the operation panel 10. Further, the operator inputs the opening set for the flow rate adjustment valve 5 by the increase / decrease key 15 of the operation panel 10, whereby the CPU 20 controls the motor 6 based on the input opening, and the flow rate adjustment valve 5. Is driven. For this reason, the flow rate adjustment using each flow rate adjustment valve 5 can be simplified. Moreover, since it is a manual adjustment feeling, it is easy to handle.

  In this embodiment, by referring to the opening degree stored in the memory 21, the current opening degree of each flow rate adjusting valve 5 can be confirmed. For this reason, the referred opening degree can be used as a standard when the flow rate is readjusted.

  In this embodiment, even if a person other than a regular operator tries to change the flow rate by the flow rate adjusting valve 5, the operation of the handy terminal 3 is performed by the CPU 20 unless a specific worker inputs a regular password using the increase / decrease key 15. Prohibited by That is, the operation of the handy terminal 3 is locked unless a password is input. Therefore, the flow rate of the chemical solution or the like in the flow path 4 is not inadvertently changed by an unspecified person. For this reason, the reliability can be improved about the flow volume after adjustment.

  In this embodiment, since the battery 19 is also provided in the handy terminal 3 to supply power to the handy terminal 3 and the motor 6, the flow rate adjustment system is excellent in mobility. Further, it is not necessary to provide a special power source for each motor 6, and the configuration of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is not particularly complicated.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment in which the flow rate adjustment system of the present invention is embodied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, different points will be mainly described.

  FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the flow rate adjustment system. In this embodiment, the host controller 31 and the motor driver 32 as central control means of the present invention for centrally controlling the motor 6 of each flow control valve 2 separately from the handy terminal 33 as portable remote control means of the present invention. The configuration is different from that of the first embodiment.

  The motor 6 of the flow control valve 2 is connected to the motor driver 32 via the cable 7 and the connector 8. A large number of motors 6 of the flow rate control valve 2 can be connected to the motor driver 32. The host controller 31 controls the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, and is configured to control the electric flow rate control valve and the flow rate feedback control valve that constitute the apparatus, and to control each flow rate control valve 2. .

  The motor driver 32 has a built-in memory 34 as drive amount storage means of the present invention. The memory 34 stores the current opening degree of each flow rate adjustment valve 5. A dedicated power source 35 is connected to the motor driver 32. Accordingly, power is supplied from the power source 35 to each motor 6.

  The handy terminal 33 is detachably connected to the connector 8 provided in the motor driver 32. In this embodiment, the handy terminal 33 is detachably connected to the motor 6 of each flow control valve 2 via the motor driver 32 and the cable 7 or the like.

  Therefore, also in this embodiment, the handy terminal 33 is connected to the motor 6 of each flow control valve 2 via the motor driver 32 as necessary, and the motor 6 is remotely operated by the handy terminal 33 to adjust the flow rate. The valve 5 can be arbitrarily driven. Thereby, it becomes possible to arbitrarily adjust the flow rate of the chemical solution or the like in each flow path 4. For this reason, the flow rate can be easily adjusted with a relatively simple configuration even in the integrated piping section. The opening degree of each flow rate adjustment valve 5 after the flow rate adjustment can be stored in a memory 34 built in the motor driver 32.

  On the other hand, when the handy terminal 33 is not used, centralized control of the motor 6 by the host controller 31 and the motor driver 32 enables the flow rate adjustment valve 5 corresponding to the motor 6 to adjust the flow rate of the chemical solution or the like. For this reason, the usability of each flow regulating valve 5 can be improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be carried out as follows without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  (1) In each of the above embodiments, the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve 5 after the flow rate adjustment is stored in the memory 21 of the handy terminal 3 or the memory 34 of the motor driver 32. However, the memory provided in the flow rate adjustment valve Alternatively, the opening after the flow rate adjustment may be stored. Further, a memory for storing a password related to the operation of the handy terminal may be provided in the flow rate adjustment valve.

  (2) In the first embodiment, the increase / decrease key 15 is used as the drive amount input means of the present invention. However, a volume type knob may be used as the drive amount input means of the present invention.

  (3) In each of the above embodiments, the rechargeable battery 19 is used as the power source for the operation panel 10, but a dry battery is used as a power source, or an AC power source is used by providing an AC / DC conversion adapter. Also good.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a flow rate adjustment system according to a first embodiment. The figure which shows a handy terminal in detail. The schematic block diagram which concerns on 2nd Embodiment and shows a flow volume adjustment system.

Explanation of symbols

3 Handy terminal (portable remote control means)
4 Flow path 5 Flow rate adjusting valve 6 Motor (drive means)
10 Operation panel 13 Display (drive amount display means)
15 Increase / decrease key (drive amount input means, password input means)
20 CPU (control means, operation prohibition means)
21 Memory (drive amount storage means, PIN number storage means)
31 Host controller 32 Motor driver (31, 32: Central control means)
33 Handy terminal (portable remote control means)
34 Memory (drive amount storage means)

Claims (5)

A pipe portion in which a plurality of flow rate adjustment valves are integrated, a first flow rate adjustment valve and a second flow rate adjustment valve provided in the fluid flow path;
A first motor provided for the first flow rate adjusting valve to adjust the opening as a driving amount by moving the valve body of the first flow rate adjusting valve with respect to the valve seat;
A second motor provided for the second flow rate adjusting valve to adjust the opening as a driving amount by moving the valve body of the second flow rate adjusting valve with respect to the valve seat;
A second connector connected removably to a first connector connected to the first motor for remotely operating the first motor, and connected to the second motor for remotely operating the second motor. Portable remote control means removably connected to the connector;
The portable remote control means has a connector for operation means for removably connecting to the first connector and the second connector;
The first connector and the second connector are arranged on respective energization paths with respect to the first motor and the second motor on an outer peripheral side of the integrated piping portion;
The connector for the operation means of the portable remote control means is connected to the first connector, and the portable remote control means is operated to cause the valve body of the first flow rate adjusting valve to the valve seat by the first motor. Adjusting the flow rate of the fluid in the flow path by adjusting the opening as its driving amount
The connector for the operation means of the portable remote control means is connected to the second connector, and the portable remote control means is operated to move the valve body of the second flow rate adjusting valve to the valve seat by the second motor. Adjusting the flow rate of the fluid in the flow path by adjusting the opening as its driving amount
A flow control system characterized by 2. The flow rate adjustment system according to claim 1, further comprising centralized control means for centrally controlling the first motor or the second motor separately from the portable remote control means. The portable remote operation means includes an operation panel, and the operation panel displays a drive amount display means for displaying a drive amount of the first flow rate adjustment valve or the second flow rate adjustment valve, and the first flow rate adjustment. Drive amount input means for inputting a drive amount set for the valve or the second flow rate adjusting valve, and control means for controlling the first motor or the second motor based on the input drive amount The flow rate adjustment system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising: 4. The flow rate adjustment system according to claim 1, further comprising drive amount storage means for storing a drive amount of the first flow rate adjustment valve or the second flow rate adjustment valve. A personal identification number storing means for storing a predetermined personal identification number; the portable remote control means; a personal identification number input means for inputting the personal identification number; a personal identification number stored in the personal identification number storage means; 5. An operation prohibiting means for prohibiting the operation of the portable remote control means except when the password entered by the password input means coincides with the password. The flow adjustment system described in.

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