JP7657618B2 - CONTROL DEVICE, SYSTEM, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, PRODUCT MANUFACTURING METHOD, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control device, a system, a substrate processing device, an article manufacturing method, a control method, and a program.

Some systems transmit and receive data (communicate) between a master device and a slave device, and communicate at regular intervals (periodic communication). Patent Document 1 discloses a control device that includes a first calculation unit for executing a first task in a first control cycle, a second calculation unit for executing the first task in a second control cycle, and a third calculation unit for executing a third task that is executed depending on the situation. In other words, Patent Document 1 discloses that the first and second tasks that are processed periodically and the third task that is processed non-periodically are each executed by different calculation units.

JP 2020-86481 A

In a system in which communication takes place between a master device and slave devices, an increase in the number of slave devices connected to the master device increases the time (execution time) required to execute tasks related to periodic processing (periodic tasks) executed in the processing unit of the master device. In addition, an increase in the complexity of the processing for controlling the slave devices also increases the execution time of periodic tasks executed in the processing unit of the master device. Furthermore, because periodic processing must be completed within a period, it is executed with a higher priority than non-periodic processing that is executed aperiodically. As a result, periodic tasks may be assigned to the processing unit where tasks related to non-periodic processing (non-periodic tasks) are executed. This may result in the non-periodic tasks being put into a waiting state until the periodic tasks are completed, resulting in a delay in the completion of the non-periodic tasks.

The present invention aims to provide a control device, system, substrate processing device, etc. that can suppress delays in non-periodic processing while performing periodic processing to communicate with slave devices at a constant cycle.

A control device as one aspect of the present invention that solves the above-mentioned problems is a control device having a plurality of processors that execute tasks, and controlling slave devices connected via a network, the control device having an acquisition unit that acquires an execution time required to execute a periodic task that executes periodic processing related to periodic communication of a data frame including command data for controlling the slave devices or response data from the slave devices, and a determination unit that determines a processor from among the plurality of processors that will execute the periodic task based on a period of the periodic communication and the execution time, the periodic tasks including a communication task that communicates the data frames, and a generation task that generates command data for controlling the slave devices, the acquisition unit acquires a first execution time required to execute the communication task, and after determining a processor that will execute the communication task, the determination unit determines a processor that will execute the generation task based on the period and the first execution time, and the periodic task is executed in the determined processor .

Further objects and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention provides a control device, system, substrate processing device, etc. that can suppress delays in non-periodic processing while performing periodic processing to communicate with a slave device at a constant cycle.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a master device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a processing unit. 13 is a flowchart showing a task execution process. 11 is a flowchart showing a process for determining a processor that executes a task. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a task allocation process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a task execution schedule according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of the task allocation process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a task allocation process according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a task execution schedule according to the second embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an exposure apparatus.

The following embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

First Embodiment
1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system 100. The system 100 includes a master device 110 (control device), a plurality of slave devices 120 communicatively connected to the master device 110, and units 131, 132, and 133 communicatively connected to the slave devices 121, 122, and 123, respectively. Hereinafter, the slave devices 121, 122, and 123 may be collectively referred to simply as the slave device 120. Similarly, in the following description, the units 131, 132, and 133 may be collectively referred to simply as the unit 130.

In the system 100, the master device 110 controls the slave device 120, and the slave device 120 controls the unit 130. Here, in FIG. 1, the master device 110 and the slave device 120 can be realized by computers (information processing devices) connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other, but they may also be configured as a board computer or be configured to double as a board computer. The unit 130 is, for example, a mechanism such as an input relay, various sensors, a servo motor, or any other actuator, and can be controlled by the slave device 120.

The slave device 120 is communicatively connected to the master device 110 in a daisy chain manner. The master device 110 communicates data with the slave device 120 at regular intervals (periodic communication) via the network 140. The slave devices 120 each control the units 130 based on the data received from the master device 110.

Next, EtherCAT (registered trademark), which is one of industrial Ethernet (registered trademark), will be described as an example of the network 140. In EtherCAT (registered trademark), a master device connected via a network transmits a data frame to multiple slave devices, and writes data on the fly to the data frame received by the multiple slave devices. In this case, PDO communication and SDO communication are used for communication between the master device and the multiple slave devices. PDO communication is a communication method in which communication is performed at a fixed cycle using data called a process data object (PDO). SDO communication is a communication method in which communication is performed in response to a request from a master device using data called a service data object (SDO). In PDO communication, communication of a data frame is completed at a fixed cycle (for example, 1 ms), so the arrival time of the data is guaranteed. On the other hand, in SDO communication, communication is not necessarily completed within one cycle, so the arrival time of the data is not guaranteed.

When EtherCAT (registered trademark) is used as the network 140, at least one of the nodes connected to the network 140 can function as a master device 110, and the other nodes can function as slave devices 120. The node functioning as the master device 110 manages (controls) the communication timing of data frames in the network 140.

Here, the system 100 has three slave devices 121, 122, and 123 as slave devices 120 communicatively connected to the master device 110, but the number of slave devices 120 is not limited to three. The system 100 also has three units 131, 132, and 133 as units 130 controlled by the slave devices 120. Unit 131 is controlled by slave device 121, unit 132 is controlled by slave device 122, and unit 133 is controlled by slave device 123. In this embodiment, each unit 130 corresponds to one slave device 120, but one slave device can control multiple units.

The unit 130 can also be, for example, a servo motor for driving an object. Servo motors require high control precision and therefore require periodic control. If there is a delay in communication for achieving periodic control, there is a possibility that the operation of the servo motor will be delayed. There is also a possibility that there will be a problem in that the object to be driven cannot be positioned accurately at the target position, or that the object to be driven will cause physical interference.

2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the master device. In FIG. 2, the processing unit 1101 is a central processing unit (CPU) that executes an OS (operating system) and various application programs. The processing unit 1101 is, for example, a multi-CPU having multiple CPUs, or a multi-core CPU having multiple cores, and has processors 1111, 1112, and 1113 that can process tasks in parallel. In FIG. 2, three processors 1111, 1112, and 1113 are illustrated, but the number of processors is not limited to three, and may be two or more. The processing unit 1101 may be composed of not only a central processing unit (CPU), but also a combination of processors or circuits such as a microprocessing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Here, in the following description, the processors 1111, 1112, and 1113 may be collectively referred to simply as the processor 1110.

ROM 1102 is a memory that stores fixed data among the programs executed by the processing unit 1101 and parameters for calculation. RAM 1103 is a memory that provides a working area and a temporary storage area for data for the processing unit 1101. ROM 1102 and RAM 1103 are connected to the processing unit 1101 via a bus 1108. 1105 is an input device (input device) including a mouse, a keyboard, etc., and 1106 is a display device (display device) such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display. In addition, the input device 1105 and the display device 1106 may be integrated devices such as a touch panel. In addition, the input device 1105 and the display device 1106 may be configured as devices separate from the computer. 1104 is a storage device such as a hard disk device, CD, DVD, memory card, etc., which stores various programs, various data, etc. The input device 1105, the display device 1106, and the storage device 1104 are each connected to the bus 1108 via an interface not shown. A communication device 1107 for communicating via a network is also connected to the bus 1108. The communication device 1107 is used, for example, to connect to a LAN and perform data communication using a communication protocol such as TCP/IP, and to communicate with other communication devices. The communication device 1107 functions as a data transmitter and receiver, and, for example, receives response data from a transmitter (not shown) in the slave device 120 and stores it in the RAM 1103 or the storage device 1104.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the processing unit 1101. The processing unit 1101 has a generation unit 112, a communication unit 113, an acquisition unit 114, and a determination unit 115. The generation unit 112 generates command data for controlling each slave device 120. The communication unit 113 communicates data such as command data with each slave device 120. The acquisition unit 114 acquires information such as the time required to execute a task (execution time) executed by the generation unit 112, the communication unit 113, etc. Here, a task is a unit of processing executed by the generation unit 112, the communication unit 113, etc., and each task is executed by one of the processors of the processing unit 1101. The determination unit 115 determines the processor that will execute the task.

The master device 110 causes the generation unit 112 to execute the generation task 1120 to generate command data for controlling each slave device 120. The master device 110 also causes the communication unit 113 to execute the communication task 1130 to transmit command data to the slave device 120 via the network 140 and receive response data from the slave device 120. The generation task 1120 and the communication task 1130, which are executed periodically so that the master device 110 can perform periodic communication with the slave device 120, are considered to be periodic tasks. The master device 110 may also execute a non-periodic task 1160 to perform processing other than periodic communication. For example, the processing performed by the non-periodic task 1160 includes processing for communicating at any timing to control other devices, and processing performed in response to commands at any timing from a higher-level device (e.g., a host computer) connected to the master device 110.

The generated tasks 1120 are provided corresponding to the slave devices 120 to be controlled. In this embodiment, for example, three generated tasks 1121, 1122, and 1123 are provided to control the three slave devices 121, 122, and 123, respectively. The generated task 1121 controls the slave device 121, and generates command data for controlling the processing in the slave device 121. The generated task 1122 controls the slave device 122, and generates command data for controlling the processing in the slave device 122. The generated task 1123 controls the slave device 123, and generates command data for controlling the processing in the slave device 123. In this embodiment, the generated tasks 1120 and the slave devices 120 are the same in number, but it is sufficient that there is one or more generated tasks 1120 for one slave device 120, and the generated tasks 1120 and the slave devices 120 do not necessarily have to be the same in number.

Next, the task execution process according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the task execution process. First, the process in FIG. 4 will be described. In S101, the acquisition unit 114 acquires information such as the number of processors in the processing unit 1101 and the period in periodic communication from the storage device 1104, and notifies the determination unit 115 of the acquired information.

In S102, the acquisition unit 114 acquires from the storage device 1104 the execution time during which the generation task 1120 and the communication task 1130 are executed in the processing unit 1101, and notifies the determination unit 115. Here, the execution time of the task is acquired, for example, by measuring in advance the execution time when the task is executed. Alternatively, the execution time of the task may be acquired by calculating in advance the execution time from the number of steps of the program constituting the task and the computing power of the processing unit 1101 (e.g., a numerical value that is an index of the computing power of the processing unit 1101, such as a clock frequency).

In S200, the determination unit 115 determines a processor to execute a task based on the duration (period) of one cycle of periodic communication between the master device 110 and each slave device 120 and the execution time of each task. Specifically, it determines which of processors 1111, 1112, and 1113 will execute each task and in what order.

The process in S200 will now be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process of determining the processor that will execute the task. In S201, the determination unit 115 obtains the free time for executing the generated task 1120 within the period in each processor of the processing unit 1101 from the period of the periodic communication obtained by the obtaining unit 114 and the execution time of the communication task 1130. Specifically, when the period obtained in S101 is Tc and the execution time of the communication task 1130 obtained in S102 is Tio, the free time Tb in each processor of the processing unit 1101 is calculated as Tb=Tc-Tio.

Here, the operation of the communication task 1130 will be described. The communication task 1130 performs periodic communication with the slave device 120 via the network 140 at the beginning of a certain period. For example, the communication task 1130 transmits command data generated by the generation task 1120 in the previous period to the slave device 120 via the network 140, and receives response data from the slave device 120. The response data is, for example, data indicating whether or not the processing commanded by the command data has been completed. Then, the generation task 1120 generates command data to be transmitted to the slave device next using the response data received by the communication task 1130 as input data. Therefore, there is a restriction that the generation task 1120 cannot start processing unless the reception processing of the communication task 1130 in that period is completed. Therefore, the free time Tb is the time obtained by subtracting the execution time Tio of the communication task from the period Tc. In other words, the free time Tb is the maximum time that the generation task 1120 can complete processing within a period in each processor of the processing unit 1101.

Here, the determination unit 115 prepares groups corresponding to the processors of the processing unit 1101 by the number of processors of the processing unit 1101, and assigns the generated task 1120 to each group. The generated task 1120 assigned to a group is executed by the processor of the processing unit 1101 corresponding to the assigned group. Therefore, if the generated task 1120 is assigned to a group so that the execution time of the generated task 1120 falls within the free time Tb of the processor corresponding to the group, the generated task 1120 can complete processing within the period. Also, if the total execution time of the multiple generated tasks 1120 falls within the free time Tb, it is possible to assign multiple generated tasks 1120 to one group. In the following, the free time of the processor corresponding to a group may be referred to as the free time of the group. Also, if there are n processors (n is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) of the processing unit 1101 and there are also n corresponding groups, the respective free times are referred to as Tb1 to Tbn. Note that before the task is assigned to the group, the values of Tb1 to Tbn are equal to Tb.

Next, in the process from S202 to S208, the determination unit 115 repeats the process up to n times (first repeat process) and assigns the generated task 1120 to the group. Here, as an example, in the process from S202 to S208, the determination unit 115 assigns a task to the Xth group (group X) (X is a natural number such that 1≦X≦n) and the free time of group X is Tbx.

Next, in the process from S203 to S207, the determination unit 115 performs the repetitive process (second repetitive process) the number of times equal to the number of generated tasks 1120 that are not assigned to a group, and determines the allocation of the generated tasks 1120 to group X. Here, if there are m generated tasks 1120 (m is a natural number equal to or greater than 1) that are not assigned to a group, the determination unit 115 performs the repetitive process up to m times, and determines the allocation of the generated tasks 1120 to group X. Furthermore, when assigning the generated tasks 1120 to group X, the determination unit 115 performs the repetitive process for each generated task 1120 that is not assigned to a group. Furthermore, the determination unit 115 performs the repetitive process for the generated tasks 1120 in the order of the longest execution time corresponding to the generated tasks 1120.

Here, there are m generated tasks 1120, and the execution times corresponding to the generated tasks 1120 are Tt1 to Ttm. In the following, the generated task 1120 to be processed is called generated task Y, and the execution time of generated task Y is called Tty.

Next, in S204, the determination unit 115 determines whether the generated task Y can be executed in the free time Tbx of group X. Specifically, the determination unit 115 determines whether Tbx≧Tty is true. If it is determined that the generated task Y can be executed in the free time Tbx of group X (Tbx≧Tty is true, S204 is Yes), the determination unit 115 proceeds to S205. On the other hand, if it is determined that the generated task Y cannot be executed in the free time Tbx of group X (Tbx≧Tty is not true, S204 is No), the determination unit 115 returns the process to S203. Then, the determination unit 115 executes the next second iteration process with the task with the next longest execution time as the generated task Y to be processed.

In S205, the determination unit 115 assigns the generated task Y to the group X. Then, in S206, the determination unit 115 subtracts the execution time Tty of the assigned generated task Y from the free time Tbx of the group X, and updates the free time Tbx of the group X. Specifically, the free time Tbx of the group X is updated by Tbx-Tty.

In S207, if processing has not been performed for all of the generated tasks 1120 that are not assigned to a group, the determination unit 115 returns the process to S203 and performs processing from S203 to S207 for the next generated task 1120. In addition, if processing has been performed for all of the generated tasks 1120 that are not assigned to a group, the determination unit 115 ends the processing from S203 to S207.

If processing has not been performed for all groups in S208, the determination unit 115 returns the process to S202 and performs processing from S202 to S208 for the next group. If processing has been performed for all groups, the determination unit 115 ends processing from S202 to S208.

Here, the process of allocating tasks to groups will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the task allocation process according to this embodiment. First, the period of periodic communication and the execution time of each task will be described with reference to Fig. 6(a). In the example of Fig. 6(a), the period Tc of periodic communication, the execution time Tio of the communication task 1130, and the execution times Tt1, Tt2, and Tt3 of the generated tasks 1121, 1122, and 1123 are as shown in the following formulas (1) to (5).
Tc=1[msec]...(1)
Tio=200[μsec]...(2)
Tt1=400[μsec]...(3)
Tt2=700[μsec]...(4)
Tt3=300[μsec]...(5)

As described above, the acquisition unit 114 acquires these execution times and notifies the determination unit 115 (S102).

Next, the determination unit 115 obtains the free time Tb of the group to be assigned (S201). Since the free time Tb = Tc - Tio, Tb = 800 [μsec]. Also, since the number of processors in the processing unit 1101 is three, there will also be three groups to be assigned. And, before the tasks are assigned to each group, the free times Tb1, Tb2, and Tb3 of each group are Tb = Tb1 = Tb2 = Tb3 = 800 [μsec].

Next, the determination unit 115 assigns the generated task 1120 to the group (S202 to S208). First, as shown in S301, the determination unit 115 assigns tasks to group 1 in order of longest execution time. The execution time Tt2 of the generated task 1122 is 700 [μsec], which is the longest among the three generated tasks. Here, since Tb1≧Tt2, the determination unit 115 assigns the generated task 1122 to group 1. The determination unit 115 then updates Tb1 with the value obtained by subtracting Tt2 from the free time Tb1 of group 1 (S206). The updated free time Tb1 becomes Tb1-Tt2=100 [μsec].

Next, the determination unit 115 determines whether other generated tasks can be executed during the free time Tb1 of group 1 (S204). Here, among the generated tasks not assigned to a group, the task with the longest execution time is generated task 1121. The execution time of generated task 1121 is Tt1 = 400 [μsec], and the free time Tb1 of group 1 is 100 [μsec]. Therefore, the determination unit 115 determines that generated task 1121 cannot be executed during the free time Tb1 of group 1.

Then, the determination unit 115 also determines whether the generated task 1123, which has the next longest execution time, is executable (S204). Because the execution time Tt3 of the generated task 1123 is 300 [μsec], the determination unit 115 determines that the generated task 1123 is also not executable in the free time Tb1 of group 1. Because there are no more generated tasks that can be assigned to group 1, the determination unit 115 ends the process of assigning the generated task to group 1 and proceeds to the process of assigning the generated task to group 2.

Next, as shown in S302, the determination unit 115 assigns the generated task not assigned to the group to group 2. The determination unit 115 determines whether the generated task not assigned to the group can be executed in the free time Tb2 of group 2 (S204). Here, among the generated tasks not assigned to the group, the task with the longest execution time is the generated task 1121. The execution time of the generated task 1121 is Tt1=400 [μsec], and the free time Tb1 of group 1 is 800 [μsec]. Therefore, since Tb2≧Tt1, the determination unit 115 assigns the generated task 1121 to group 2. Then, the determination unit 115 updates Tb2 with a value obtained by subtracting Tt1 from the free time Tb2 of group 2 (S206). The free time Tb2 after the update becomes Tb2-Tt1=400 [μsec].

Next, as shown in S303, the determination unit 115 further assigns the generated task not assigned to the group to group 2. The determination unit 115 determines whether the generated task not assigned to the group can be executed in the free time Tb2 of group 2 (S204). Here, among the generated tasks not assigned to the group, the task with the longest execution time is generated task 1123. The execution time of generated task 1123 is Tt3 = 300 [μsec], and the free time Tb2 of group 2 is 400 [μsec]. Therefore, since Tb2 ≧ Tt3, the determination unit 115 assigns generated task 1123 to group 2. Then, the determination unit 115 updates Tb2 with a value obtained by subtracting Tt3 from the free time Tb2 of group 2 (S206). The free time Tb2 after the update becomes Tb2 - Tt3 = 100 [μsec]. In the example of FIG. 6B, no generated tasks are assigned to group 3. Since the process up to this point has completed the assignment of all generated tasks to groups, the determination unit 115 ends the process from S202 to S208.

Next, returning to FIG. 4, the process from S103 will be described. In S103, the determination unit 115 determines whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied. If the predetermined condition is satisfied, the determination unit 115 advances the process to S104. If the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the determination unit 115 advances the process to S105.

The predetermined condition here can be that the free time of the group corresponding to processor 1110 (free time of processing unit 1101) is equal to or longer than a predetermined time. Here, the free time of processing unit 1101 can be the sum of the free times of each of a plurality of processors (in the example of FIG. 2, processors 1111, 1112, and 1113). The predetermined time, which is the criterion for determining the predetermined condition, can be set to, for example, the time of one cycle of periodic processing. The predetermined time can also be set to, for example, a time arbitrarily set by the user.

The specified condition may be that the free time of at least one of the multiple processors is equal to or longer than a predetermined time. As above, the predetermined time may be the time of one cycle of a periodic process, or may be a time arbitrarily set by the user.

The predetermined condition may be that, when all of the generated tasks 1120 are assigned to groups in S200, the number of groups to which the generated tasks 1120 are not assigned is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. For example, the condition may be satisfied if the number of groups to which the generated tasks 1120 are not assigned is 1 or greater, and in the example of FIG. 6(b), the condition is satisfied.

The specified condition may be that all generated tasks 1120 have been assigned to a group in S200. In other words, if there is even one generated task 1120 that has not been assigned to a group, the condition may not be satisfied.

The above multiple conditions can also be combined to form a predetermined condition. In this case, the predetermined condition may be satisfied when at least one of the multiple conditions is satisfied, or the predetermined condition may be satisfied when all of the multiple conditions are satisfied.

In S104, the determination unit 115 causes the processing unit 1101 corresponding to each group to execute the generated tasks 1120 assigned to each group. Here, the process of causing the processing unit 1101 to execute the generated tasks 1120 assigned to the groups will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a task execution schedule according to this embodiment. The vertical axis represents time, and the periods of the first to third periodic communications are illustrated, showing a schedule for executing processing for each task. FIG. 7 illustrates a case in which the tasks executed by the processing unit 1101 include a communication task 1130, generated tasks 1121, 1122, and 1123, and a non-periodic task 1160.

The non-periodic task 1160 is executed by the processor 1113 prior to the first communication cycle illustrated in FIG. 7 (1). The communication task 1130 is executed by the processor 1111 at the beginning of the first communication cycle (2).

The processing of communication task 1130 and generation task 1120 will now be described. Generation task 1120 generates command data for controlling slave device 120. Generation task 1120 then writes the generated command data into a data frame. Specifically, generation tasks 1121, 1122, and 1123 generate command data for slave devices 121, 122, and 123, respectively, and write the command data into areas in the data frame allocated to slave devices 121, 122, and 123.

The communication task 1130 transmits a data frame in which command data is written to the slave device 121. The slave device 121, which receives the transmitted data frame, reads out the command data assigned to itself from the command data written in the data frame, and writes response data to the command data in the data frame. The slave device 121 then transmits the data frame in which the response data is written to the next slave device 122. Next, the slave device 122, which receives the data frame from the slave device 121, reads out the command data assigned to itself from the command data written in the data frame, and writes response data to the command data in the data frame. The slave device 122 then transmits the data frame in which the response data is written to the next slave device 123. Next, the slave device 123, which receives the data frame from the slave device 122, reads out the command data assigned to itself from the command data written in the data frame, and writes response data to the command data in the data frame. Slave device 123 then transmits the data frame containing the response data to master device 110 via slave devices 122 and 121.

The data frame transmitted to the master device 110 is read by the communication task 1130 and stored in a storage device (not shown) possessed by the master device 110. Here, the storage device functions as a buffer for storing data such as the data frame, and can be, for example, a RAM, which is a memory that provides a working area for the CPU and a temporary storage area for data, or a storage device such as a hard disk drive, CD, DVD, or memory card. Then, by storing the data frame in the storage device, the generation task 1120 is placed in a state in which it can refer to the response data transmitted from the slave device 120. Also, a series of processes from when the communication task 1130 transmits the data frame to the slave device 120 until the data frame returns to the master device 110 is performed during the execution of one communication task.

Now, returning to the explanation of FIG. 7, the communication task 1130 transmits a data frame including command data generated by the generation task 1120 in the communication cycle preceding the first communication cycle to the slave device 120 in the first communication cycle. After that, the communication task 1130 receives a data frame of response data transmitted from the slave device 120 in the first communication cycle. Then, the communication task 1130 makes the received response data available for reference by the generation task 1120 and notifies the generation task 1120. In this way, the communication task 1130 is executed at the beginning of each communication cycle, transmits command data generated in the previous communication cycle to the slave device 120, receives response data from the slave device 120, and notifies the generation task.

Next, after receiving a notification from the communication task 1130, each of the generated tasks 1120 is executed. Specifically, the generated task 1121 is executed in the processor 1112 (3), the generated task 1123 is executed in the processor 1113 (4), and the generated task 1123 is executed in the processor 1112 (5). Here, the generated task 1121 is assigned to the same group (group 2), and is therefore executed in the same processor 1112. Also, in the first communication cycle, the generated task 1123 is executed after the generated task 1121 is completed, but the order may be reversed. In other words, the execution order of the generated tasks 1121 and 1123 is not limited to the example in FIG. 7. Also, it is sufficient that the generated tasks 1121 and 1123 are executed in the same processor, and they are not limited to being executed in the processor 1112. In other words, the processor that executes the communication task 1130 and the generated task 1120 is not limited to the example in FIG. 7.

In this way, the communication task 1130 is executed by processor 1111, and the generation task 1120 is executed by processors 1111 and 1112. Therefore, the execution of the communication task 1130 and the generation task 1120 does not affect the execution of the non-periodic task 1160 executed by processor 1113.

Even after the second communication cycle, the communication task 1130 and the generated task 1120 are similarly executed by the processors 1111 and 1112, and therefore the execution of the communication task 1130 and the generated task 1120 does not affect the execution of the non-periodic task 1160. In other words, the execution of the communication task 1130 and the generated task 1120 does not delay the execution of the non-periodic task 1160. In this way, even when the master device 110 performs non-periodic processing other than periodic communication, it is possible to perform periodic communication processing without delaying the non-periodic processing.

Now, let us return to the description of FIG. 4. In S105, the determination unit 115 executes an alternative process. As an alternative process, for example, the determination unit 115 can control the display device 1106 to display an error. As an alternative process, for example, the determination unit 115 can interrupt the process of periodic communication. As an alternative process, for example, the determination unit 115 can extend the period and continue the process. In addition, in S103, the determination unit 115 may determine a plurality of conditions, and in S105, different alternative processes may be executed according to the determination results of each of the plurality of conditions. For example, if all the generated tasks 1120 are not assigned to a group in S200, the process of periodic communication may be interrupted. In addition, if all the generated tasks 1120 are assigned to a group, but the free time of the processing unit 1101 is equal to or less than a predetermined time, the process of periodic communication may not be interrupted, and an error may be displayed on the display device 1106.

Here, an example of a process for allocating tasks to a group when it is determined in S103 that the predetermined condition is not satisfied will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing another example of a task allocation process according to this embodiment. First, the period of periodic communication and the execution time of each task will be described with reference to Fig. 8(a). In the example of Fig. 8(a), the period Tc of periodic communication, the execution time Tio of the communication task 1130, and the execution times Tt1, Tt2, and Tt3 of the generated tasks 1121, 1122, and 1123 are as shown in the following formulas (6) to (10).
Tc=1 [msec]...(6)
Tio=200[μsec]...(7)
Tt1=500[μsec]...(8)
Tt2=700[μsec]...(9)
Tt3=400[μsec]...(10)

Here, any explanation that overlaps with the explanation for Figure 6 will be omitted.

In S401, the determination unit 115 assigns task 1122 to group 1. The determination unit 115 then updates the free time Tb1 of group 1 to 100 [μsec]. The determination unit 115 also determines that the generated tasks 1121 and 1123 are not executable during the free time Tb1 of group 1.

In S402, the determination unit 115 assigns the generated task 1121 to group 2. The determination unit 115 then updates the free time Tb2 of group 2 to 300 [μsec]. Furthermore, since Tb2≦Tt3, the determination unit 115 determines that the generated task 1123 cannot be executed during the free time Tb2 of group 2.

In S403, the determination unit 115 assigns the generated task 1123 to group 3. The determination unit 115 then updates the free time Tb3 of group 3 to 400 [μsec].

Since the processing up to this point has completed the assignment of all generated tasks to groups, the determination unit 115 ends the processing from S202 to S208.

Here, the total free time of each group is Tb1 + Tb2 + Tb3 = 800 [μsec], and if the predetermined time is the period Tc of periodic communication, then Tb1 + Tb2 + Tb3 < Tc. If the specified condition in S103 is that the free time of the processing unit 1101 is equal to or greater than the period of periodic communication, then the example in FIG. 8 does not satisfy the specified condition in S103.

In addition, because the generation task 1120 has been assigned to all groups, the number of groups to which the generation task 1120 has not been assigned is 0. If the predetermined condition in S103 is that the number of groups to which the generation task 1120 has not been assigned is 1 or more, then the example in FIG. 8 does not satisfy the predetermined condition in S103.

Since periodic processing must be completed within the period, the communication task 1130 and the generation task 1120 are executed with priority over the non-periodic task 1160. Therefore, if a specific condition is not met in S103, the processing of the non-periodic task 1160 may be interrupted and delayed until the processor of the processing unit 1101 has free time.

As mentioned above, if the specified conditions are not met in S103, alternative processing such as displaying an error, stopping the periodic communication processing, or extending the period is performed in S105.

As described above, the control device according to this embodiment prevents the processing of non-periodic tasks from being interrupted by the processing of communication tasks and generation tasks, so that it is possible to suppress delays in non-periodic processing while periodically communicating with other devices.

Second Embodiment
Next, an information processing unit according to the second embodiment will be described. Note that matters not mentioned here may follow the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the processing unit 1101 of the master device 110 has four processors, and the system 100 has six slave devices 120. Also, it is assumed that the processing unit 1101 executes four generation tasks 1120, the same number as the number of the slave devices 120, and one communication task 1130.

The process of allocating tasks to groups will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the task allocation process according to this embodiment. First, the period of periodic communication and the execution time of each task will be described with reference to Fig. 9(a). In the example of Fig. 9(a), the period of periodic communication Tc, the execution time Tio of the communication task 1130, and the execution times Tt1 to Tt6 of the generated tasks 1121 to 1126 are as shown in the following expressions (11) to (18).
Tc=1 [msec] (11)
Tio=200[μsec]...(12)
Tt1=500[μsec]...(13)
Tt2=200[μsec]...(14)
Tt3=230[μsec]...(15)
Tt4=100[μsec]...(16)
Tt5=650[μsec]...(17)
Tt6=550 [μsec]...(18)

The process of allocating the generated tasks 1120 to groups is the same as in the first embodiment, so a detailed description will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 9(b), the generated tasks 1120 are allocated to groups 1 to 3. Group 1 is assigned generated tasks 1124 and 1125, group 2 is assigned generated tasks 1123 and 1126, and group 3 is assigned generated tasks 1121 and 1122. Furthermore, none of the generated tasks 1120 are assigned to group 4. Furthermore, there are no generated tasks 1120 that are not assigned to a group.

Here, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the generated task 1120 is assigned to a group, it is determined in S103 that the predetermined condition is satisfied. Here, the process of having the processing unit 1101 execute the generated task 1120 assigned to a group will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a task execution schedule according to this embodiment. The task execution schedule is similar to that of the first embodiment, so a detailed description will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 10, the execution of the communication task 1130 and the generated task 1120 does not affect the execution of the non-periodic task 1160. In other words, it is possible to suppress delays in the execution of the non-periodic task 1160 while executing the communication task 1130 and the generated task 1120.

As described above, the control device according to this embodiment prevents the processing of non-periodic tasks from being interrupted by the processing of communication tasks and generation tasks, so that it is possible to suppress delays in non-periodic processing while performing periodic communication with other devices.

<Embodiment of Substrate Processing Apparatus>
An embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus to which the system 100 is applied will be described. In this embodiment, an exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate to light to form a pattern on the substrate will be described as an example of a substrate processing apparatus to which the system 100 is applied, but is not limited thereto. For example, the system 100 can be applied to substrate processing apparatuses such as an imprinting apparatus that uses a mold to form a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate, and a drawing apparatus that irradiates a substrate with a charged particle beam to form a pattern on the substrate. In addition, the system 100 can be applied to substrate processing apparatuses such as a coating apparatus that coats a photosensitive medium on a surface of a substrate and a developing apparatus that develops a substrate to which a pattern has been transferred. In addition, the system 100 can be applied to substrate processing apparatuses such as a film forming apparatus (CVD apparatus, etc.), a processing apparatus (laser processing apparatus, etc.), and an inspection apparatus (overlay inspection apparatus, etc.).

Figure 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of the exposure apparatus 10. The exposure apparatus 10 is an exposure apparatus that projects a pattern of a mask M onto a substrate W via a projection optical system 14 to expose the substrate W. The exposure apparatus 10 has a light source 11, an illumination optical system 12, a mask stage 13, a projection optical system 14, a substrate stage 15, and a main controller 16. The exposure apparatus 10 also has a first driver 21 that drives the mask stage 13, a second driver 22 that drives the lens 14a of the projection optical system 14, and a third driver 51 that drives the substrate stage 15. The first driver 21, the second driver 22, and the third driver 51 are mechanisms that perform at least a part of the process of forming a pattern on the substrate W, and are controlled by the mask stage controller 31, the projection controller 32, and the substrate stage controller 41, respectively. The main control unit 16 also has, for example, a CPU (processing unit) and a storage device, and controls the mask stage control unit 31, the projection control unit 32, and the substrate stage control unit 41, thereby controlling the entire exposure apparatus 10 (each part of the exposure apparatus 10).

The light source 11 emits exposure light. The illumination optical system 12 illuminates the mask M using the light emitted from the light source 11. The mask stage 13 holds the mask M and can be configured to be movable, for example, in the X and Y directions, by a first drive unit 21. The projection optical system 14 projects the pattern of the mask M illuminated by the illumination optical system 12 onto the substrate. The projection optical system 14 includes a lens 14a that can be moved, for example, in the X direction, by a second drive unit 22. The substrate stage 15 holds the substrate W and can be configured to be movable, for example, in the X and Y directions, by a third drive unit 51.

When the system 100 is applied to the exposure apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 11, the main controller 16 can be configured as the master device 110. The mask stage controller 31 and the projection controller 32 can each be configured as a slave device 120. The first driver 21 and the second driver 22 can each be configured as a unit 130. Communication between the main controller 16, the mask stage controller 31, and the projection controller 32 is performed periodically via the network 140.

In the exposure apparatus 10, the substrate stage control unit 41 and the third drive unit 51 can be configured as a control system separate from the system 100, which also serves as the processing unit of the master device 110 in the system 100. The main control unit 16 and the substrate stage control unit 41 can be connected by, for example, a field bus that is not necessarily the same as the network 140.

Here, as an example of applying the system 100 to the exposure apparatus 10, a case where the master apparatus 110 communicates with the mask stage control unit 31, the projection control unit 32, and the substrate stage control unit 41 will be described. In the processing unit 1101 of the master apparatus 110, for example, a communication task 1130, generation tasks 1121 and 1122, and a non-periodic task 1160 can be executed. Here, the generation task 1121 is a task that generates command data to be sent to the mask stage control unit 31 to control the mask stage 13. The generation task 1122 is a task that generates command data to be sent to the projection control unit 32 to control the lens 14a of the projection optical system 14. The non-periodic task 1160 is a task that generates command data to be sent to the substrate stage control unit 41 to control the substrate stage 15, and communicates with the substrate stage control unit 41.

In addition, when operating the exposure apparatus and forming a fine pattern on the substrate, the master device 110 (main control unit 16) needs to control the first drive unit 21, the second drive unit 22, and the third drive unit 51 while synchronizing them with high precision. To achieve this, command data for control is generated for the mask stage control unit 31 and the projection control unit 32 by generation tasks 1121 and 1122, which are executed at regular intervals, and data is transmitted via the network 140 by a communication task 1130 to perform control.

On the other hand, for the substrate stage control unit 41, the main control unit 16 executes a non-periodic task 1160 to generate command data for controlling the third drive unit 51, and transmits the data to the substrate stage control unit 41 via the field bus to perform control. Typically, high-load calculations are required to control the substrate stage 15, which requires particularly high control accuracy, and these calculations need to be completed quickly in order to achieve high productivity as an exposure apparatus. In this way, the exposure apparatus is made up of multiple control systems, and there may be cases where the processing unit of the main control unit 16 is shared by multiple control systems.

In such a situation, if each task is executed by sharing the processing unit 1101 of the main control unit 16, and the generation task 1120 and the communication task 1130 are executed periodically, the time until the non-periodic task 1160 finishes execution will be delayed. This will not only delay the control of the substrate stage 15, reducing the productivity of the apparatus, but also may reduce the control accuracy due to timing discrepancies.

The determination unit 115 assigns each task to a group so that the processing of the communication task and the generation task is prevented from interrupting the processing of the non-periodic task. By executing the task in the processor 1110 of the processing unit 1101 according to the result, it is possible to minimize the number of processors 1110 of the processing unit 1101 used for periodic communication, and therefore it is possible to suppress delays in processing for controlling the substrate stage 15.

As described above, the control device according to this embodiment can suppress delays in non-periodic processing for controlling the substrate stage while performing periodic communication between the mask stage control unit and the projection control unit.

<Embodiments of a method for manufacturing an article>
The method for manufacturing an article according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing an article such as a microdevice such as a semiconductor device or an element having a microstructure. The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment includes a step of processing a substrate using the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus, and a step of manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the above step. Furthermore, the manufacturing method may include well-known steps (exposure, oxidation, film formation, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article compared to conventional methods.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

Furthermore, each embodiment can be implemented not only alone, but also in any combination of all the embodiments.

Claims (11)

A control device having a plurality of processors for executing tasks and controlling slave devices connected via a network,
an acquisition unit that acquires an execution time required for execution of a periodic task that executes periodic processing related to periodic communication of a data frame including command data for controlling the slave device or response data from the slave device;
a determination unit that determines a processor that will execute the periodic task from among the plurality of processors based on a period of the periodic communication and the execution time,
the periodic tasks include a communication task for communicating the data frame and a generation task for generating command data for controlling the slave device;
The acquisition unit acquires a first execution time required for execution of the communication task,
the determination unit determines a processor that will execute the communication task, and then determines a processor that will execute the creation task based on the period and the first execution time;
A control device, characterized in that the periodic task is executed in the determined processor. The determination unit determines whether a predetermined condition is satisfied,
If the predetermined condition is satisfied, the periodic task is executed on the determined processor;
2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the specified condition is at least one of: a total free time of the plurality of processors when the periodic task is executed on the determined processor is equal to or greater than a specified time; a number of processors among the plurality of processors on which the periodic task is not executed is equal to or greater than a specified number; and there is no periodic task on which a processor to be executed has not been determined. If the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the determination unit executes a predetermined process,
3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined process is at least one of a process of controlling a display device to display an error, a process of extending the period, and a process of interrupting communication of the data frame. the slave device includes a plurality of slave devices;
the generated task includes a plurality of generated tasks corresponding to the plurality of slave devices,
The acquisition unit acquires a second execution time required for executing each of the plurality of generated tasks;
The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines the processors that will execute the plurality of generated tasks in descending order of the second execution times acquired by the acquisition unit. 5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein, when there is a first generated task for which a processor for execution has already been determined and a second generated task for which a processor for execution has not yet been determined, the determination unit determines a processor for executing the second generated task based on the period, the first execution time, and the second execution time for which the second generated task is to be executed. 6. The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising a communication unit that communicates the data frame over the network at each of the cycles by executing the periodic task. A system including a slave device connected via a network, and a master device having a plurality of processors for executing tasks and controlling the slave devices,
The master device
an acquisition unit that acquires an execution time required for execution of a periodic task that executes periodic processing related to periodic communication of a data frame including command data for controlling the slave device or response data from the slave device;
a determination unit that determines a processor that will execute the periodic task from among the plurality of processors based on a period of the periodic communication and the execution time,
the periodic tasks include a communication task for communicating the data frame and a generation task for generating command data for controlling the slave device;
The acquisition unit acquires a first execution time required for execution of the communication task,
the determination unit determines a processor that will execute the communication task, and then determines a processor that will execute the creation task based on the period and the first execution time;
The system further comprises a processor that is configured to execute the periodic task. A substrate processing apparatus for processing semiconductor substrates,
A system according to claim 7 ,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein a slave device of the system controls a unit that performs at least a part of the processing of the semiconductor substrate. Processing the semiconductor substrate using the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8 ;
and producing an article from the processed semiconductor substrate. A control method for controlling slave devices connected via a network by a master device having a plurality of processors for executing tasks, comprising the steps of:
acquiring an execution time required for executing a periodic task that executes periodic processing related to periodic communication of a data frame including command data for controlling the slave device or response data from the slave device;
determining a processor that will execute the periodic task from among the plurality of processors based on the period of the periodic communication and the execution time;
the periodic tasks include a communication task for communicating the data frame and a generation task for generating command data for controlling the slave device;
The acquiring step acquires a first execution time required for executing the communication task,
the determining step determines a processor that will execute the communication task, and then determines a processor that will execute the creation task based on the period and the first execution time;
The control method comprises the step of executing the periodic task in the determined processor. A program for causing a computer serving as a master device to execute each step of the control method according to claim 10 .

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