Redundant controller of gas conveying equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a redundancy controller for gas delivery equipment, which adopts two control panels to realize redundancy control of the gas delivery equipment, realizes communication with the outside through a communication board, triggers corresponding alarms when the control panels and the communication board fail, and can replace any one of the control panels without power off and shutdown at the moment. According to the method, the operation state of equipment is not influenced at all, intervention of an engineer is not needed, relevant configuration is not needed either, the maintenance difficulty is greatly reduced, the product stability is high, the cost of taking a PLC as a controller is reduced, the problems that a traditional PLC redundancy scheme is high in cost, difficult to maintain, large in shutdown risk and the like are effectively solved, and the reliability of the system is improved. And a high-reliability and low-cost control solution is provided for gas conveying equipment in the high-precision manufacturing fields of semiconductors, photovoltaics and the like.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of gas delivery equipment, and particularly relates to a redundant controller of a gas delivery equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] The gas delivery equipment is commonly used in the fields of semiconductors, photovoltaics and panel factories, and is used for delivering special gas to the equipment end (the equipment requiring special gas, such as a photoetching machine, a cleaning machine and an etching machine).

[0003] The gas delivery equipment itself has extremely high requirements for stability and reliability, needs to ensure 24-hour uninterrupted supply, and is usually controlled by using a traditional basic PLC. Once the PLC fails, the equipment will stop working, and the consequences may be irreparable. However, the use of a redundant PLC will exponentially increase the cost and the use rate of the PLC is extremely low, resulting in a large amount of waste. The fault between the basic PLC and the redundant PLC is serious. The redundant series products of various brands of PLCs have a very high price, and the delivery period of the redundant PLCs is very long, which cannot meet the growing project demand. The redundant PLC generally does not have the function of online CPU replacement, so that once one of the CPUs fails, the CPU needs to be replaced after the whole machine is stopped, or the risk of the device being unable to use after the other CPU also fails. After the CPU of the redundant PLC is replaced, the new replaced CPU needs to be configured to be normally used, which has a high configuration difficulty and is difficult to ensure online replacement, has a great risk of causing the device to stop, affects supply, and the construction difficulty of replacing the CPU of the redundant PLC is large, and only a professional engineer trained can perform the operation, so that the maintenance cost and period are greatly improved. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, in view of the above technical problems, the application provides a redundant controller of a gas delivery equipment.

[0005] The technical scheme adopted by the application is as follows. A redundant controller of a gas delivery equipment, characterized by comprising: two control boards, which are used for receiving configuration data synchronized by a communication board, receiving state data collected from the gas delivery equipment, determining a gas delivery equipment state according to the state data, outputting a corresponding first control signal to an execution component of the gas delivery equipment through an output buffer according to the configuration data and the gas delivery equipment state, sending the state data, the gas delivery equipment state and a first health signal to the communication board in real time, receiving backup data sent by the communication board and covering corresponding local data by using the backup data, receiving a notification sent by the communication board and determining the master-slave identity of itself according to the notification, and reminding of communication board replacement by a master control board when a second health signal of the communication board is not received. The communication board capable of communicating with the outside, the communication board is signal connected with the two control boards, the communication board is used for: receiving configuration data from the outside and synchronizing to the two control boards; receiving the state data, gas delivery equipment state and first health signal sent by the two control boards; initially default one of the control boards as the master control board, when the first health signal of the control board is not received, the corresponding control board is regarded as the fault board, and the fault board replacement prompt is carried out, if the fault board is the master control board, the other control board is switched as the master control board, the notification is sent to the two control boards after the initial default and the switching of the master control board; real-time backup data from the master control board, the state data and the gas delivery equipment state and the configuration data are sent to the other control board; the second health signal is sent to the two control boards; according to the master-slave identity of the two control boards, the corresponding second control signal is sent to the output buffer, and the current second control signal is kept when the self fails; The output buffer connected between the two control boards and the execution component of the gas delivery equipment is used for: according to the second control signal, only the signal path between the current master control board and the execution component is formed.

[0006] The beneficial effects of the application are as follows: I. Significantly reduce the cost of equipment, fill the fault of traditional PLC redundancy scheme The application adopts the redundancy architecture of "double control board + communication board" to replace the traditional redundant PLC. Compared with the high-priced and long-delivery redundant PLC series products, the redundancy scheme of double control boards can greatly reduce the hardware cost, avoid the "fault" problem between the traditional basic PLC without redundancy function and the high-cost redundant PLC, and meet the growing project cost control requirements by considering the economic and reliability requirements.

[0007] II. Realize non-stop maintenance and guarantee 24-hour uninterrupted gas supply Through the independent health monitoring of the control board and the communication board and the path keeping mechanism of the output buffer, the system can realize continuous power supply and non-stop replacement when any single board (control board or communication board) fails: Control board failure: the communication board monitors the "first health signal" in real time, the slave control board is automatically switched as the master control board when the master control board fails, and the output buffer always keeps the master control board path according to the master-slave identity of the two control boards, so that the execution component of the equipment is not affected; Communication board failure: the master control board triggers the replacement prompt through the loss of the "second health signal", the communication board keeps the current second control signal to prevent the logic confusion of the execution component of the gas delivery equipment or cause internal circuit short circuit.

[0008] The design completely solves the problem of replacing the CPU of the traditional redundant PLC, avoids the interruption of gas supply caused by maintenance, and guarantees the core demand of "24-hour uninterrupted operation" of the equipment in the fields of semiconductors, photovoltaics, etc.

[0009] III. Automatic master-slave switching and data backup to improve system reliability and stability The communication board realizes full-automatic redundant control through the following mechanisms without manual intervention: Initial and dynamic master-slave definition: by default, one control board is the master control board, which automatically switches to the slave control board in case of failure, and sends identity notifications to both boards to ensure seamless connection of control logic; Real-time data synchronization: the communication board sends the "state data", "gas delivery equipment status", and configuration data of the master control board as backup data to the slave control board in real time, so that the slave control board can directly use the backup data after failure switching without the need for reconfiguration.

[0010] This process avoids the manual configuration step during switching of traditional redundant PLCs, eliminates the risk of human error, and significantly improves system reliability.

[0011] Real-time backup data ensures consistency of control logic and avoids control abnormalities caused by data loss.

[0012] IV. Simplify maintenance process, reduce maintenance cost and technical threshold Traditional redundant PLCs require professional engineers to perform complex configuration when replacing the CPU, resulting in long maintenance cycles and high costs. The invention simplifies maintenance through the following design: Plug-and-play replacement: the replaced control board automatically covers local data by receiving backup data from the communication board, without the need for additional configuration; No need for professional training: maintenance personnel can complete single-board replacement without professional training, significantly reducing dependence on professional engineers, shortening maintenance cycles, and reducing maintenance costs.

[0013] In summary, the invention, through innovative redundant architecture, achieves core advantages such as non-stop maintenance, automatic redundant switching, and simplified maintenance process while reducing costs, effectively solving the problems of high cost, difficult maintenance, and high risk of downtime of traditional PLC redundant solutions, providing a high-reliability, low-cost control solution for gas delivery equipment in the fields of high-precision manufacturing such as semiconductors and photovoltaics. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] The invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments: Figure 1 A structural diagram of a gas delivery equipment redundant controller according to an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described in this specification are not exhaustive and do not represent the only embodiments of the present invention. The corresponding embodiments below are only for clearly illustrating the inventive content of this patent and are not intended to limit its implementation. For those skilled in the art, different variations and modifications can be made based on the embodiments described. Any variations or modifications that fall within the technical concept and inventive content of this invention and are obvious are also within the protection scope of this invention.

[0016] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, this application provides a redundant controller for a gas delivery device, including two control boards 1100, a communication board 1200, and two terminal boards.

[0017] The two control boards 1100, the communication board 1200, and the two terminal boards are all microcontroller boards. The control boards 1100 and 1200 are both embedded systems responsible for logic processing. Both control boards 1100 are connected to the communication board 1200 via signal connections. The communication board 1200 can communicate with external systems, specifically with a human-machine interface (HMI) and external systems. Users can configure the control board 1100 using the HMI, including configuration data (such as judgment conditions, etc., for the control board 1100 to generate corresponding first control signals). The wiring board is responsible for connecting the control board 1100 to the instruments, sensors, buttons, and other components of the gas delivery equipment 2 (collecting data characterizing the status of the gas delivery equipment) and the execution components of the gas delivery equipment 2. It functions similarly to a relay terminal and is not responsible for logic processing. In addition, the wiring board is also equipped with an input buffer 1310 and an output buffer 1320, so that the status data collected from the gas delivery equipment can be sent to the two control boards 1100 via the input buffer 1310 and the first control signal of the control board can be sent to the execution components via the output buffer 1320.

[0018] The input buffer 1310 is used to ensure that the status data collected from the gas delivery equipment can only be input to the two control boards 1100 in a positive direction, preventing the signals from affecting each other in reverse if either control board 1100 fails. In this embodiment, the input buffer 1310 includes two first latches 1311 (74HC573) corresponding one-to-one with the two control boards 1100. The first latches 1311 are always enabled, with their input pins connected to the status data collected from the gas delivery equipment and their output pins connected to the corresponding control board 1100.

[0019] Control board 1100 is used for: 1. Receive configuration data synchronized from communication board 1200; 2. The status data collected from the gas conveying equipment is received through the input buffer 1310, the status of the gas conveying equipment is determined based on the status data, and the corresponding first control signal is output to the execution component of the gas conveying equipment through the output buffer 1320 based on the configuration data and the status of the gas conveying equipment. 3. Real-time transmission of status data, gas conveying equipment status, and first health signal to communication board 1200; 4. Receive backup data sent by communication board 1200 and overwrite the corresponding local data with the backup data; 5. Receive notifications sent by communication board 1200 and determine its master / slave status (master control board or slave control board) based on the notifications. When the second health signal is not received from communication board 1200, the master control board will remind the user to replace the communication board. The communication board is not responsible for process logic processing, and even if it fails, it will not affect the normal supply of gas conveying equipment.

[0020] Of course, an identity switching button can also be set on the control board 1100, allowing users to manually change the master / slave identity and notify the communication board 1200 after the change.

[0021] The control board 1100 can use an alarm light and a buzzer to remind users when the communication board needs to be replaced.

[0022] Communication board 1200 is used for: 1. Receive configuration data from external sources and synchronize it to the two control boards 1100; 2. Receive status data, gas conveying equipment status, and first health signal sent by the two control boards 1100; 3. Initially, one of the control boards 1100 is designated as the master control board. When the first health signal is not received from the control board 1100, the corresponding control board 1100 is regarded as a faulty board, and a faulty board replacement reminder is issued. If the faulty board is the master control board, the other control board is switched to become the master control board. Both the initial default and the master control board switching are notified to both control boards 1100 so that the two control boards 1100 can determine their master and slave status.

[0023] Among these features, a faulty board replacement reminder can be sent through a human-computer interaction device.

[0024] 4. In real time, the status data of the autonomous control board, the status of the gas delivery equipment, and the configuration data are used as backup data and sent to another control board (slave control board) so that the slave control board can use the backup data to overwrite the corresponding local data; 5. Send a second health signal to the two control boards 1100 so that the control boards can determine whether the communication board 1200 is faulty; 6. Based on the master-slave status of the two control boards, send the corresponding second control signal to the output buffer. In the event of a failure, maintain the current second control signal. In this embodiment, the second control signal is a level signal.

[0025] The output buffer 1320 is connected between the two control boards 1100 and the actuator of the gas delivery device, and is used to: form a signal path only between the main control board and the actuator according to the second control signal, and maintain the current signal path when the communication board 1200 fails.

[0026] Specifically, the output buffer 1320 includes a NOR gate 1321 and two second latches 1322 (74HC573) corresponding one-to-one with the two control boards 1100. The two input terminals of the NOR gate 1321 and the enable terminal of one of the second latches 1322 are connected to the second control signal. The enable terminal of the other second latch 1322 is connected to the output terminal of the NOR gate 1321. The two second latches 1322 are respectively connected between the corresponding control board 1100 and the execution component of the gas delivery device 2.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, assuming the control board 1100 on the left is the main control board, when the enable input of the second latch 1322 is high, the second control signal output by the communication board 1200 is low. The low level is input through the two inputs of the NOR gate 1321, and the output of the NOR gate 1321 outputs a high level to enable the second latch 1322 on the left, thereby opening the signal path between the control board 1100 on the left and the execution unit. At the same time, the low level is also input to the enable input of the second latch 1322 on the right, so that the signal path between the control board 1100 on the right and the execution unit is closed. When the communication board 1200 fails, it will automatically keep the second control signal low.

[0028] When it is necessary to switch the control board 1100 on the right to the main control board, the second control signal output by the communication board 1200 is high level.

[0029] Based on the above description, the redundant controller of the gas conveying equipment in this application embodiment can achieve the following functions: 1. The status data collected from the gas delivery equipment will be sent to two control boards 1100 through the input buffer 1310. The two control boards 1100 will synchronize the status data and the status of the gas delivery equipment to the communication board 1200 in real time. The communication board 1200 will control the output buffer 1320 through the second control signal to ensure that the first control signal is sent only to the execution component of the gas delivery equipment 2 by the main control board.

[0030] 2. During normal operation, only one of the two control boards 1100 functions as the master control output. However, the communication board 1200 transmits data from the master control board to the slave control board in real time to ensure data consistency between the two control boards 1100. If a control board 1100 fails, the communication board 1200 will notify the user to replace the faulty board. After the new master control board is installed, the communication board 1200 will immediately back up the data from the current master control board to the new master control board. This entire process will not affect the normal operation of the equipment; the backup is performed automatically without human intervention. If the current master control board fails, the other control board 1100 becomes the master control board, while the new master control board that replaces the faulty board assumes the backup role.

[0031] 3. When the communication board 1200 fails, the output buffer 1320 maintains the current signal path to lock the control logic of which main control board is the main control board, ensuring that the gas delivery equipment can still operate according to the data of the current main control board. This is because the channel for the main control board to synchronize data to the slave control board is damaged at this time. If the two control boards 1100 are out of sync, and different signals are output at the same time, it will cause the logic of the execution components of the gas delivery equipment to be confused or cause a short circuit in the internal circuit.

[0032] 4. When the communication board fails, the HMI function will be lost, but the equipment alarm light and buzzer will operate normally under the control of the main control board and will trigger an alarm to remind the user to replace the communication board. After the communication board is replaced, the data synchronization channel between the control boards 1100, HMI operation, and external communication functions will be restored immediately.

[0033] This application provides a redundant controller for a gas conveying device, which has the following advantages: I. Significantly reduces equipment costs and fills the gap in traditional PLC redundancy solutions. This invention employs a redundant architecture of "dual control boards + communication boards" to replace traditional redundant PLCs. Compared to expensive and time-consuming redundant PLC products, the dual control board redundancy solution can significantly reduce hardware costs. It also avoids the "gap" between the lack of redundancy in traditional basic PLCs and the high cost of redundant PLCs, balancing economic efficiency and reliability requirements to meet the growing demands for project cost control.

[0034] II. Enable non-stop maintenance and ensure uninterrupted 24-hour gas supply. Through independent health monitoring of the control board and communication board, and the path maintenance mechanism of the output buffer, the system can achieve uninterrupted power and no-shutdown replacement in the event of a failure of any single board (control board or communication board). Control board failure: The communication board monitors the "first health signal" in real time. In case of failure, it will automatically switch from the slave control board to the master control board. The output buffer will always maintain the master control board path only according to the master and slave status of the two control boards, and the equipment execution components will not be affected. Communication board failure: The main control board triggers a replacement reminder when the "second health signal" is lost. The communication board automatically maintains the current second control signal to prevent the logic of the gas delivery equipment's actuators from becoming disordered or causing a short circuit in the internal circuit.

[0035] This design completely solves the problem of traditional redundant PLCs requiring complete machine shutdown for CPU replacement, avoids gas supply interruptions due to maintenance, and ensures the core requirement of "24-hour uninterrupted operation" for equipment in fields such as semiconductors and photovoltaics.

[0036] III. Automated master-slave failover and data backup enhance system reliability and stability. The communication board achieves fully automated redundancy control through the following mechanism, requiring no manual intervention: Initial and dynamic master-slave definition: By default, one control board is the master control board. In case of failure, it automatically switches to the slave control board and sends an identity notification to both boards to ensure seamless connection of control logic; Real-time data synchronization: The communication board sends the "status data", "gas conveying equipment status" and configuration data of the main control board as backup data to the slave control board in real time. After a fault switch, the slave control board can directly use the backup data without reconfiguration.

[0037] This process avoids the manual configuration step during traditional redundant PLC switching, eliminates the risk of human error, and significantly improves system reliability.

[0038] Real-time backup data overwriting ensures the consistency of control logic and avoids control anomalies caused by data loss.

[0039] IV. Simplify maintenance procedures and reduce maintenance costs and technical barriers. Replacing the CPU in a traditional redundant PLC requires complex configuration by a professional engineer, resulting in long maintenance cycles and high costs. This invention simplifies maintenance through the following design: Plug and play replacement: The replaced control board automatically overwrites the local data by receiving backup data from the communication board, without requiring additional configuration; No professional training required: Maintenance personnel can replace individual boards without professional training, greatly reducing reliance on professional engineers, shortening maintenance cycles, and lowering maintenance costs.

[0040] In summary, this invention, through its innovative redundant architecture, achieves core advantages such as non-stop maintenance, automated redundant switching, and simplified maintenance processes while reducing costs. It effectively solves the problems of high cost, difficult maintenance, and high downtime risk of traditional PLC redundancy solutions, providing a highly reliable and low-cost control solution for gas conveying equipment in high-precision manufacturing fields such as semiconductors and photovoltaics.

[0041] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A redundant controller for a gas conveying device, characterized in that, include: Two control boards are configured to: receive configuration data synchronized from the communication board; receive status data collected from the gas delivery equipment, determine the status of the gas delivery equipment based on the status data, and output a corresponding first control signal to the execution component of the gas delivery equipment via an output buffer based on the configuration data and the status of the gas delivery equipment; send the status data, the status of the gas delivery equipment, and the first health signal to the communication board in real time; receive backup data sent by the communication board and overwrite the corresponding local data with the backup data; receive notifications sent by the communication board, determine their master / slave status based on the notifications, and when the second health signal from the communication board is not received, the master control board will issue a communication board replacement reminder. A communication board capable of communicating with external systems is connected to the two control boards via signals. The communication board is used for: receiving configuration data from the outside and synchronizing it to the two control boards; receiving status data, gas delivery equipment status, and a first health signal sent by the two control boards; initially defaulting to one control board as the master control board; when the first health signal from the control board is not received, the corresponding control board is considered a faulty board, and a faulty board replacement reminder is issued; if the faulty board is the master control board, the other control board is switched to become the master control board; notifications are sent to the two control boards both initially and after switching the master control board. The status data of the future autonomous control board, the status of the gas delivery equipment, and the configuration data are used as backup data and sent to another control board in real time; a second health signal is sent to the two control boards; according to the master-slave status of the two control boards, the corresponding second control signal is sent to the output buffer, and the current second control signal is maintained in the event of a failure. An output buffer connected between the two control boards and the actuator of the gas delivery device is used to: form a signal path only between the current main control board and the actuator according to the second control signal.

2. The redundant controller for a gas conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes multiple terminal blocks for sending status data collected from the gas delivery equipment to the two control boards and for the output buffer to send the first control signal to the execution component, the output buffer being located on the terminal block.

3. A redundant controller for a gas conveying device according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes an input buffer located on the terminal block, which restricts the status data collected from the gas delivery equipment to be input to the two control boards only in a positive direction.

4. A redundant controller for a gas conveying device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The input buffer includes two first latches that correspond one-to-one with the two control boards. The input pins of the first latches are connected to the status data collected from the gas delivery equipment, and the output pins are connected to the corresponding control boards.

5. A redundant controller for a gas conveying device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The output buffer includes a NOR gate and two second latches corresponding to the two control boards. The two input terminals of the NOR gate and the enable terminal of one of the second latches are connected to the second control signal, which is a level signal. The enable terminal of the other second latch is connected to the output terminal of the NOR gate. The two second latches are respectively connected between the corresponding control board and the execution component of the gas delivery device.

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