JP5817633B2 - Inspection system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection system for inspecting the inside of a chamber such as a diffusion furnace.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for inspecting the inside of a chamber (sealed tank) used in a thermal power plant, a nuclear power plant, a chemical plant, or the like. In this technique, an inspection apparatus having a camera case attached at the tip is inserted into the chamber, and the interior of the chamber is inspected smoothly and rapidly by moving the camera case up and down and swiveling inside the chamber.

JP-A-4-070551

  Since the inspection apparatus of the cited document 1 is one in which an operator skillfully operates an operation handle or an operation handle to manually operate the inspection apparatus, the inspection process is complicated. For this reason, if the operation of the inspection apparatus is mistaken, the inspection apparatus may hit the inner wall of the chamber. In particular, when inspecting the inside of a chamber in which heater wires are stretched, if the inspection apparatus collides with the heater element, the heater element is damaged.

  In order to prevent this problem, it is conceivable to visually inspect the inside of the chamber from the outside of the chamber. However, for example, when the inside of the vertical diffusion furnace is visually inspected from below the vertical diffusion furnace, there is a problem that it is difficult to perform the visual inspection above the vertical diffusion furnace.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inspection system capable of inspecting the inside of a chamber by an easy method.

An inspection system according to the present invention is an inspection system for photographing the inside of a chamber, wherein the video camera, a rotation motor for rotating the video camera, and the video camera in a direction perpendicular to a rotation direction by the rotation motor. A moving motor to be moved , a ball screw for changing the rotation of the moving motor to a linear motion, a moving plate fixed to the ball screw and linearly moving in the chamber, and a guide on which the moving plate is slidably attached And a central controller that individually controls the rotation motor and the movement motor , and the video camera, the rotation motor, and the rotation sensor constitute an integrated inspection apparatus that moves in the chamber. The inspection apparatus is mounted on the movable plate .

  According to the present invention, the inside of the chamber can be automatically inspected using the central controller.

It is a figure showing an inspection system concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is an electric circuit diagram which shows the input / output of a microcomputer. It is an external view of the chamber used as an inspection object of an inspection system. It is a figure which shows the inside of a chamber. It is a figure which shows having put the inspection apparatus on the movement board. It is a figure which shows having introduced the moving mechanism and the inspection apparatus inside the chamber. It is a timing chart which shows operation of a motor etc. after a start button is pushed. It is a flowchart which shows the test | inspection procedure which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The inspection system of the present invention includes a central controller 10. A movement mechanism 14 is connected to the central controller 10 via a movement controller 12. The central controller 10 is connected to an inspection device 16 with a cable. In the inspection system according to the embodiment of the present invention, the central controller 10 controls the moving mechanism 14 and the inspection device 16 to photograph the inside of the chamber. Hereinafter, details of each unit will be described.

  First, the inspection device 16 will be described. The inspection device 16 includes a video camera 18. The video camera 18 is mounted on the transmitter 20. The transmitter 20 transmits the video of the video camera 18 to the outside wirelessly. The inspection device 16 includes a rotation motor 22 that rotates the video camera 18. A rotation sensor 26 is attached to the rotation motor 22 via a shaft 24. The rotation sensor 26 detects the rotation of the video camera 18 by the rotation motor 22. More specifically, the rotation sensor 26 outputs a signal every time the video camera 18 makes one rotation.

  The inspection device 16 is placed on a tripod 30. The legs of the tripod 30 are connected by a connecting member 32 to increase the strength of the tripod 30. A lighting device 34 is attached to the tripod 30. A weight body 36 is attached to the lower part of the tripod 30. Note that a receiver 40 that receives an image transmitted from the transmitter 20 is prepared as an accessory device of the inspection device 16. The video received by the receiver 40 is displayed on the monitor 42.

  Next, the moving mechanism 14 will be described. The moving mechanism 14 is used for moving the inspection device 16 described above. The moving mechanism 14 includes a guide member 50. The guide member is formed of, for example, a linear motion guide. A movable plate 52 is slidably attached to the guide member 50.

  The moving mechanism 14 further has a ball screw 54. The ball screw 54 has a screw shaft 54a and an outer ring 54b. The aforementioned moving plate 52 is fixed to the outer ring 54b. Further, since the screw shaft 54a is connected to the movement motor 56 and can be rotated by the movement motor 56, the rotation of the movement motor 56 is converted into a linear motion of the outer ring 54b by the ball screw 54. Therefore, the moving plate 52 fixed to the outer ring 54 b of the ball screw 54 can move linearly along the guide member 50.

  Thus, the moving mechanism 14 is configured to function as an elevator that moves (moves up and down) the moving plate 52. The moving mechanism 14 having the above-described configuration is placed on a flat table 58.

  Next, the central controller 10 will be described. The central controller 10 includes a photocoupler 60 that receives information from the rotation sensor 26. A motor driver 62 connected to the rotation motor 22 is also provided. The photocoupler 60 and the motor driver 62 are connected to the microcomputer 64.

  A plurality of buttons and the like are provided on the surface of the central controller 10 for operator operation. Specifically, a start button 66, a stop button 68, a rotation speed adjustment knob 70, a movement display LED 72 that lights during operation of the movement motor 56, and a rotation display LED 74 that lights during operation of the rotation motor 22 are provided. It has been.

  Since the central controller 10 controls the rotation motor 22 with the motor driver 62 and the movement motor 56 is controlled via the movement controller 12, the rotation motor 22 and the movement motor 56 can be individually controlled. . This control is automatically executed exclusively by the microcomputer 64. FIG. 2 is an electric circuit diagram showing input / output of the microcomputer.

  FIG. 3 is an external view of a chamber to be inspected by the inspection system. The chamber 80 is formed by a vertical diffusion furnace used in the wafer process. FIG. 4 is a view showing the inside of the chamber. Inside the chamber 80, heater wires 82a, 82b, 82c, 82d, and 82e (hereinafter simply referred to as heater wires 82) are stretched. Each heater wire is fixed with a insulator 84 formed of an insulator.

  Next, inspection inside the chamber 80 by the inspection system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the inspection device 16 is placed on the moving plate 52. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing that the inspection apparatus is placed on the moving plate. By placing the tripod 30 on the moving plate 52, the inspection device 16 fixed to the tripod 30 is placed on the moving plate 52.

  Next, the moving mechanism 14 and the inspection device 16 are introduced into the chamber 80. FIG. 6 is a view showing that the moving mechanism 14 and the inspection device 16 are introduced into the chamber. The work so far is preparation work for inspection. When the operator presses the start button 66 after the preparation work is completed, the automatic inspection starts. During the inspection, the worker monitors the video displayed on the monitor 42.

  Hereinafter, an operation after the start button 66 is pressed will be described. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the operation of the motor and the like after the start button is pressed. When the operator presses the start button 66, the central controller 10 rotates the rotation motor 22 (T1). Then, an image inside the chamber 80 is taken while rotating the video camera 18. The transmitter 20 attached to the inspection apparatus sends the video camera 18 image to the receiver 40 outside the chamber 80. The video from the video camera 18 is displayed on the monitor 42. The rotation display LED 74 is lit while the rotation motor 22 is rotating.

  Next, the rotation sensor 26 outputs a signal when the video camera 18 makes one rotation (T2). The signal of the rotation sensor 26 is received by the photocoupler 60 of the central controller 10. When receiving the signal from the rotation sensor 26, the central controller 10 stops the rotation motor 22 (T3).

  The central controller 10 makes full use of the movement controller 12 to drive the movement motor 56 simultaneously with the stop of the rotation motor 22. By driving the moving motor 56, the inspection device 16 placed on the moving plate 52 is moved upward by a predetermined distance. As a result, the video camera 18 moves in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction by the rotation motor 22. Note that the movement display LED 72 is lit while the movement motor 56 is being driven.

  When the inspection apparatus 16 has been moved by a predetermined distance, the central controller 10 stops the movement motor 56 and drives the rotation motor 22 (T4). Thereby, the video in the chamber 80 is photographed while rotating the video camera 18 at a position different from the previous position, and this is monitored.

  Next, the rotation sensor 26 outputs a signal when the video camera rotates once (T5). The signal of the rotation sensor 26 is received by the photocoupler 60 of the central controller 10. When receiving the signal from the rotation sensor 26, the central controller 10 stops the rotation motor 22 (T6).

  Simultaneously with the stop of the rotation motor 22, the movement motor 56 is driven to slide the moving plate 52 along the guide member 50 in the longitudinal direction of the chamber 80, thereby moving the inspection apparatus upward by a predetermined distance.

  Thus, the central controller 10 operates the rotation motor 22 and the movement motor 56 so as to alternately repeat the rotation and movement of the video camera 18. The timing for switching from rotation to movement is the timing at which the video camera 18 has detected one rotation based on a signal from the rotation sensor 26. The timing for switching from movement to rotation is a desired timing determined by the microcomputer 64.

When the stop button 68 is pressed by the operator after the video camera 18 has been rotated and moved a plurality of times, photographing inside the chamber 80 is terminated. Alternatively, the central controller 10 may automatically stop the moving motor 56 and the rotating motor 22 after moving the video camera 18 a predetermined number of times. When the video camera 18 is moved to the initial position before the automatic stop by the central controller 10, the inspection device 16 can be easily collected, so that the inspection time can be shortened.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an inspection procedure according to the embodiment of the present invention. The reason why “moving plate up / down” is described in S5 is as follows. That is, the inspection is normally terminated when the moving plate 52 rises to the upper limit, but the moving plate 52 needs to be lowered when the heater element wire state needs to be inspected again. In such a case, the moving plate is automatically lowered unless the operator presses the stop button. The inspection by the inspection system according to the embodiment of the present invention is performed as described above.

  By the way, in order to confirm the state of the heater wire 82, a method using a change in the heater wire resistance value is generally used. However, with this method, it is impossible to see the progress of deterioration such as deformation and cracking of the wire. In the first place, the heater wire resistance value does not gradually change in proportion to the deterioration state of the heater wire. For this reason, it is difficult to predict the occurrence of a sudden disconnection. However, according to the inspection system according to the embodiment of the present invention, the deformation, crack, and disconnection (element state) of the heater element wire 82 can be directly confirmed on the image, so that the portion of the heater element wire 82 that is likely to be disconnected is preliminarily shown. Can understand and respond to

  In the inspection system according to the embodiment of the present invention, the video camera 18, the rotation motor 22, and the rotation sensor 26 constitute an integrated inspection device 16 that moves inside the chamber 80, and the inspection device 16 itself can rotate. It has become. Furthermore, the video camera 18 can be moved by placing the inspection device 16 on the moving plate 52 of the moving mechanism 14. The central controller 10 controls the rotation motor 22 and the movement motor 56 so that the inspection device 16 repeats the rotation and movement, so that the operator can check all the wire states from the bottom to the top inside the chamber 80.

  In particular, if the heater wire 82 of the vertical oxidation diffusion furnace is disconnected, a desired process cannot be performed on the wafer. However, by confirming the wire state as described above, it is possible to grasp in advance the portion of the heater wire 82 that is likely to be disconnected and take action.

  When the heater element wire 82 is removed from the chamber and inspected, it takes about 96 hours for the removal work and the degassing process when the operation is resumed. However, in the present invention, it is not necessary to remove the heater wire 82 from the chamber 80, and since the confirmation work is performed simultaneously with the photographing by the video camera 18, the working time can be reduced.

  Since the rotation and movement of the video camera 18 are performed by automatic control of the central controller 10, complicated operations are unnecessary. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the problem that the inspection apparatus hits the heater wire of the chamber due to carelessness of the operator.

  By the way, the heater wire inspection inside the chamber is carried out about once a year. Therefore, it is possible to see the change with time by recording the photographing contents by the video camera 18 and comparing the wire state at the time of measurement with the previous wire state. Future change in heater wire can be predicted by grasping the change over time. The inspection device 16 is basically controlled automatically, but the operator can adjust the position of the inspection device 16 using the movement controller 12 only when necessary.

  By turning on the illumination device 34 after the start button 66 is pressed, the inside of the chamber 80 is illuminated, and the heater wire state can be easily confirmed. The illumination device 34 may be a battery built-in type. Moreover, the tripod 30 and the inspection device 16 can be prevented from falling by attaching the weight body 36 to the tripod 30.

  An important feature of the inspection system according to the embodiment of the present invention is that the inside of the chamber 80 can be observed by alternately rotating and moving the video camera 18 by automatic control. Therefore, various modifications are possible within a range not losing this characteristic. For example, the chamber to be inspected may be a horizontal chamber as well as a vertical diffusion furnace. Moreover, it is not limited to the case of inspecting the heater element wire, and can be widely applied to the inspection of the state inside the chamber.

  10 central controller, 12 moving controller, 14 moving mechanism, 16 inspection device, 18 video camera, 20 transmitter, 22 rotation motor, 24 axis, 26 rotation sensor, 30 tripod, 32 connecting material, 34 lighting device, 36 weight Body, 40 receiver, 42 monitor, 50 guide member, 52 moving plate, 54 ball screw, 54a shaft, 54b outer ring, 56 moving motor, 58 units, 60 photocoupler, 62 motor driver, 64 microcomputer, 66 start button, 68 Stop button, 72 Movement display LED, 74 Rotation display LED, 80 Chamber, 82 Heater wire

Claims (6)

An inspection system for photographing the inside of a chamber,
A video camera,
A motor for rotating the video camera;
A moving motor for moving the video camera in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating motor;
A ball screw that changes the rotation of the moving motor into a linear motion;
A moving plate fixed to the ball screw and moving linearly in the chamber;
A guide member on which the moving plate is slidably attached;
A central controller for individually controlling the rotation motor and the movement motor;
A rotation sensor for detecting the rotation of the video camera ,
The video camera, the rotation motor, and the rotation sensor constitute an integrated inspection apparatus that moves in the chamber,
The inspection system, wherein the inspection device is mounted on the movable plate . Before Symbol central controller receives a signal of the rotation sensor,
The central controller operates the rotation motor and the movement motor so as to alternately repeat the rotation and movement of the video camera, and the timing of switching from rotation to movement is determined by the video camera according to a signal from the rotation sensor. The inspection system according to claim 1, wherein it is a time when it is detected that the rotation has occurred.   3. The central controller according to claim 2, wherein the central controller automatically stops the movement motor and the rotation motor after moving the video camera a predetermined number of times, or moves the video camera to an initial position. Inspection system. A tripod fixed to the inspection device and placed on the movable plate;
A weight attached to the lower part of the tripod;
The inspection system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a connection member that connects the legs of the tripod. The inspection system according to claim 4 , further comprising an illumination device attached to the tripod. A transmitter attached to the inspection apparatus and transmitting the video camera image to the outside of the chamber;
A receiver for receiving a signal of the transmitter outside the chamber;
The inspection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a monitor that displays an image received by the receiver.

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