An automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment

Abstract

This invention discloses an automatic water circuit control system for the disassembly and assembly of target materials in vacuum coating equipment, comprising a cathode water circuit, a drainage water circuit, and a control circuit system. The cathode water circuit is equipped with an inlet valve and a return valve. The drainage water circuit is connected to the cathode water circuit and is equipped with a pressure relief valve. The control circuit system includes a main power supply and a cathode water circuit control circuit and a drainage water circuit control circuit connected in parallel to the main power supply. The cathode water circuit control circuit has a first normally open contact and a parallel valve control branch connected in series. The parallel valve control branch includes an inlet solenoid valve, a return solenoid valve, and a time-delay relay connected in parallel. The inlet solenoid valve drives the inlet valve, and the return solenoid valve drives the return valve. The drainage water circuit control circuit has a second normally open contact connected in series with the drainage solenoid valve, which drives the pressure relief valve. The output contact of the time-delay relay is connected to the second normally open contact. This system can automatically operate the inlet valve, return valve, and pressure relief valve on the cooling water circuit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of vacuum coating furnace technology, specifically relating to an automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment. Background Technology

[0002] After the vacuum coating process is completed, the vacuum needs to be broken and the furnace door opened for the disassembly and installation of the target material. In traditional equipment structures, the target material water cooling system maintains a continuous water supply. Even during vacuum breaking or target material disassembly, the cooling water maintains a pressure of approximately 4 kg on the cathode base plate. However, the cathode base plate is usually a thin copper plate structure. When disassembling the target material, the cathode base plate is unsupported. If the water circuit is not closed, the continuous pressure can easily cause the thin copper plate to bulge and deform, affecting subsequent target material heat dissipation and the lifespan of the cathode structure. Therefore, in existing equipment, the operator needs to manually perform the following operations in sequence before disassembling the target material: 1. Manually close the inlet and outlet valves of the target material water circuit; 2. Manually open the pressure relief valve of the cathode water circuit to depressurize the system; 3. After the target material is reinstalled, manually close the pressure relief valve and reopen the water circuit. Manual operation has the following drawbacks: First, operators may forget to close the inlet and outlet water valves before starting to disassemble the target material, which may cause deformation of the cathode base plate, affecting the stability of the equipment and its subsequent use. Second, operators need to manually operate multiple valves each time, making the process complex and not conducive to standardized management. Third, it is easy to cause a large waste of cooling water. If the operator forgets to close the pressure relief valve after installing the target material, the cooling water will be continuously discharged during the operation of the equipment, causing the cooling water to be exhausted, affecting the normal operation of the equipment and potentially damaging the circulating water pump. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned problems and technical requirements, this invention provides an automatic water circuit control system for the disassembly and assembly of target materials in vacuum coating equipment. The control system can automatically operate the inlet valve, return valve, and pressure relief valve on the cooling water circuit according to the pressure value inside the vacuum furnace cavity and the opening and closing status of the furnace door. The entire process requires no manual operation, has a high degree of automation, and good operational stability.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: an automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment, characterized in that it includes a cathode water circuit, a drainage water circuit, and a control circuit system;

[0005] The cathode water circuit is equipped with an inlet valve and a return valve to control the inlet and return water respectively; the drainage water circuit is connected to the cathode water circuit and is equipped with a pressure relief valve.

[0006] The control circuit system includes a main power supply, and a cathode water circuit control circuit and a drainage water circuit control circuit connected in parallel to the main power supply.

[0007] The cathode water circuit control circuit includes a first normally open contact and a valve control parallel branch connected in series. The valve control parallel branch includes an inlet solenoid valve, a return solenoid valve, and a energized delay relay connected in parallel. The inlet solenoid valve drives the inlet valve, and the return solenoid valve drives the return valve. In the de-energized state, both the inlet and return solenoid valves are open, thus opening the inlet and return valves. In the energized state, both the inlet and return solenoid valves are closed, and both the inlet and return valves are closed.

[0008] The drainage water circuit control circuit has a second normally open contact connected in series with a drainage solenoid valve, and the drainage solenoid valve drives the pressure relief valve; the output contact of the energized time delay relay is connected to the second normally open contact; when the energized time delay relay is energized, its contact actuates to close the second normally open contact, the drainage solenoid valve is energized, and the pressure relief valve is opened.

[0009] Furthermore, the control circuit system also includes a vacuum pressure detection circuit and an interlocking control circuit connected in parallel to the main power supply;

[0010] The vacuum pressure detection circuit is located inside the vacuum furnace and is used to detect the furnace pressure in real time and send a signal to the interlocking control circuit.

[0011] The interlocking control circuit includes an interlocking logic unit and an intermediate relay connected in series. When the interlocking logic unit activates the interlocking control circuit, the intermediate relay is energized, and the first normally open contact controlled by it closes, thereby activating the cathode water circuit control circuit.

[0012] Furthermore, the vacuum pressure detection circuit includes a vacuum pressure relay.

[0013] Furthermore, the interlocking logic unit includes:

[0014] The first branch circuit has a third normally closed contact and a fourth normally open contact connected in series. The third normally closed contact is controlled by the furnace door opening and closing status, and the contact opens when the furnace door is closed. The fourth normally open contact is controlled by a vacuum pressure relay, and closes when the vacuum level inside the furnace is higher than a first set threshold.

[0015] The second branch is connected in parallel with the third normally closed contact and the fourth normally open contact, and the fifth normally closed contact and the sixth normally open contact are connected in series in this branch; the fifth normally closed contact is controlled by a vacuum pressure relay and opens when the vacuum level in the furnace is lower than the second set threshold; the sixth normally open contact is controlled by the intermediate relay and closes when the intermediate relay is energized.

[0016] The third branch is connected in parallel to both ends of the fifth normally closed contact, and a seventh normally closed contact is provided in this branch.

[0017] Furthermore, both the third normally closed contact and the seventh normally closed contact are furnace door switch contacts.

[0018] Furthermore, the first set threshold is 900 mbar. When the furnace pressure is ≥900 mbar, the fourth normally open contact closes.

[0019] Furthermore, the second set threshold is 800 mbar. When the furnace pressure is ≤800 mbar, the fifth normally closed contact is opened.

[0020] Furthermore, the delay time of the power-on delay relay is 2 seconds.

[0021] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0022] 1) This system uses a rigorous electrical interlocking logic to treat the opening and closing status of the furnace door and the vacuum level inside the furnace as necessary prerequisites for performing the drainage operation. Only when the furnace door is open and the vacuum level is restored to near atmospheric pressure can the process be confirmed to be over, and the system will automatically trigger the drainage process. This can prevent the pressure relief valve from being accidentally opened during the vacuum coating process, or the cooling water from putting excessive pressure on the cathode base plate during the removal of the target material after the process is over, thus avoiding equipment damage and cathode plate deformation and improving safety.

[0023] 2) The inlet and return valves in the cathode cooling water circuit of the system open when the power is off, and the pressure relief valve closes when the power is off. When the entire control system is unexpectedly powered off, the system is also in a safe state, which can ensure that the cooling water continues to flow to cool the target material, ensure that the drain valve is closed, and ensure the safety of the coating target material and the vacuum chamber.

[0024] 3) The system adopts fully automatic sequential control for multiple valves, eliminating the need for manual judgment and operation. By detecting the vacuum level inside the furnace and the furnace door opening and closing signals, it can accurately distinguish between the "normal working state", "equipment maintenance state" and "state requiring restart after maintenance" of the vacuum furnace. It also sets corresponding cooling circulation and drainage and pressure relief for these three states, reducing the risk of equipment damage due to improper operation, protecting the cathode bottom plate inside the furnace from pressure deformation, extending the service life of the cathode bottom plate, and improving maintenance efficiency and system reliability. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a connection structure diagram of the cathode water circuit and the drainage water circuit in this invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of the entire control circuit system in this invention;

[0027] The diagram is marked as follows:

[0028] Inlet valve A, return valve B, pressure relief valve C;

[0029] Vacuum pressure detection circuit 1, vacuum pressure relay KM1;

[0030] Interlocking control circuit 2, intermediate relay KM2, third normally closed contact S1, fourth normally open contact KM1-A,

[0031] Fifth normally closed contact KM1-B, sixth normally open contact KM2-A, seventh normally closed contact S2;

[0032] Cathode water circuit control circuit 3, first normally open contact KM2-B, inlet solenoid valve Y1, return solenoid valve Y2, energizing delay relay KT1;

[0033] 4. Drainage water circuit control circuit, second normally open contact KT1-A, drainage solenoid valve Y3. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0035] An automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment includes a cathode water circuit, a drainage water circuit, and a control circuit system.

[0036] The cathode water circuit is equipped with an inlet valve A and a return valve B to control the inlet and return water respectively; the drainage water circuit is connected to the cathode water circuit and is equipped with a pressure relief valve C.

[0037] The control circuit system includes a main power supply, and a cathode water circuit control circuit 3 and a drainage water circuit control circuit 4 connected in parallel to the main power supply; the control circuit system also includes a vacuum pressure detection circuit 1 and an interlock control circuit 2 connected in parallel to the main power supply; the vacuum pressure detection circuit 1 is located inside the vacuum furnace and is used to detect the furnace pressure in real time and send a signal to the interlock control circuit 2.

[0038] The interlocking control circuit 2 is connected in series with an interlocking logic unit and an intermediate relay KM2. When the interlocking logic unit turns on the interlocking control circuit 2, the intermediate relay KM2 is energized, and the first normally open contact KM2-B controlled by it closes, thereby turning on the cathode water circuit control circuit.

[0039] The vacuum pressure detection circuit 1 is equipped with a vacuum pressure relay KM1, which monitors the vacuum pressure inside the vacuum furnace in real time.

[0040] The interlocking logic unit includes:

[0041] The first branch circuit has a third normally closed contact S1 and a fourth normally open contact KM1-A connected in series. The third normally closed contact S1 is controlled by the furnace door opening and closing status, and the contact opens when the furnace door is closed. The fourth normally open contact KM1-A is controlled by a vacuum pressure relay KM1, and closes when the vacuum level inside the furnace is higher than a first set threshold. The first set threshold is 900 mbar. When the pressure inside the furnace is ≥900 mbar, the fourth normally open contact KM1-A closes.

[0042] The second branch is connected in parallel with the third normally closed contact S1 and the fourth normally open contact KM1-A. A fifth normally closed contact KM1-B and a sixth normally open contact KM2-A are connected in series in this branch. The fifth normally closed contact KM1-B is controlled by a vacuum pressure relay and opens when the vacuum level inside the furnace is lower than a second set threshold. The sixth normally open contact KM2-A is controlled by an intermediate relay KM2 and closes when the intermediate relay KM2 is energized. The second set threshold is 800 mbar. When the pressure inside the furnace is ≤800 mbar, the fifth normally closed contact KM1-B opens.

[0043] The third branch is connected in parallel to both ends of the fifth normally closed contact KM1-B, and this branch has a seventh normally closed contact KM2-A. Both the third normally closed contact S1 and the seventh normally closed contact S2 are furnace door switch contacts.

[0044] The cathode water circuit control circuit 3 includes a first normally open contact KM2-B connected in series and a valve control parallel branch. The valve control parallel branch includes an inlet solenoid valve Y1, a return solenoid valve Y2, and a energized delay relay KT1 connected in parallel. The inlet solenoid valve Y1 drives the inlet valve, and the return solenoid valve Y2 drives the return valve. In the de-energized state, both the inlet solenoid valve Y1 and the return solenoid valve Y2 are open, causing the inlet valve A and the return valve B to open. In the energized state, the inlet solenoid valve Y1 and the return solenoid valve Y2 are closed, and the inlet valve A and the return valve B are closed.

[0045] The drainage control circuit 4 includes a second normally open contact KT1-A connected in series with a drainage solenoid valve Y3, which drives a pressure relief valve C. The output contact of the energized time-delay relay KT1 is connected to the second normally open contact KT1-A. When the energized time-delay relay KT1 is energized, its contact actuates, closing the second normally open contact KT1-A, energizing the drainage solenoid valve Y3, and opening the pressure relief valve C. The delay time of the energized time-delay relay KT1 is 2 seconds.

[0046] The control logic of this invention:

[0047] I. Vacuum furnace under normal operating conditions:

[0048] The furnace door is closed, and the furnace is evacuated to a pressure ≤800mbar. At this time, the third normally closed contact S1 opens. Since the pressure is lower than 800mbar, the fifth normally closed contact KM1-B opens, the interlock control circuit 2 is disconnected, the intermediate relay KM2 cannot be energized, the first normally open contact KM2-B in the cathode water circuit control circuit 3 is in the open state, the inlet solenoid valve Y1 and the return solenoid valve Y2 are both in the open state, so that the inlet valve A and the return valve B are open, the second normally open contact KT1-A remains open, the drain solenoid valve Y3 is de-energized, and the pressure relief valve C is closed. In this state, the cathode water circuit continues to circulate, cooling the target material in the furnace.

[0049] 2. With the furnace door open, the target material disassembly and maintenance process begins:

[0050] When the furnace door is opened and the vacuum is broken, the vacuum pressure inside the furnace is ≥900mbar. The third normally closed contact S1 closes. Since the pressure inside the furnace is greater than 900mbar, the fourth normally open contact KM1-A closes, and the first branch in the interlocking logic unit is connected. At this time, the intermediate relay KM2 is energized. Therefore, the first normally open contact KM2-B in the cathode water circuit control circuit 3 closes, and the cathode water circuit control circuit 3 is open. After the inlet solenoid valve Y1 and the return solenoid valve Y2 are energized, the inlet valve A and the return valve B are closed, and the cathode water circuit circulation is closed. At the same time, after the energized delay relay KT1 is energized for 2 seconds, the second normally open contact KT1-A closes, the drain solenoid valve Y3 is energized, and the pressure relief valve C opens the drain water circuit to discharge the cooling water on the cathode bottom plate.

[0051] 3. After maintenance, close the furnace door again and restart the operation:

[0052] The equipment is still in a vacuum state. After closing the furnace door, the furnace has not yet been evacuated. At this time, since the vacuum level inside the furnace must be higher than 800mbar, the fifth normally closed contact KM1-B is closed, the second branch in the interlocking logic unit is in the conducting state, the intermediate relay KM1-A is energized, and the sixth normally open contact KM2-A is also closed. At this time, the first normally open contact KM2-B is closed. In this way, the target material water circuit is still in the draining state, the inlet valve A and the return valve B are closed, and the pressure relief valve is open. In this way, when the vacuum furnace is not operating normally, the cooling water circuit will not enter water, and the water pressure will not create pressure that could damage the cathode base plate.

[0053] IV. After the vacuum furnace stops operating and the furnace door is not opened, the target material still needs to be cooled:

[0054] If the operation ends and the furnace door is not opened, the vacuuming inside the equipment stops, and the vacuum inside the furnace is restored to above 800mbar. Even if the fifth normally closed contact KM1-B closes again, the intermediate relay KM2 will not be energized. The inlet valve A and the return valve B remain open, the cathode water circuit continues to circulate and cool, the drain solenoid valve Y3 is de-energized, the pressure relief valve C is closed, and the drain water circuit is sealed.

[0055] The above descriptions are merely several preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations and substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment, characterized in that: This includes the cathode water circuit, drainage water circuit, and control circuit system; The cathode water circuit is equipped with an inlet valve and a return valve to control the inlet and return water respectively; the drainage water circuit is connected to the cathode water circuit and is equipped with a pressure relief valve. The control circuit system includes a main power supply, and a cathode water circuit control circuit and a drainage water circuit control circuit connected in parallel to the main power supply. The cathode water circuit control circuit includes a first normally open contact and a valve control parallel branch connected in series. The valve control parallel branch includes an inlet solenoid valve, a return solenoid valve, and a energized delay relay connected in parallel. The inlet solenoid valve drives the inlet valve, and the return solenoid valve drives the return valve. In the de-energized state, both the inlet and return solenoid valves are open, thus opening the inlet and return valves. In the energized state, both the inlet and return solenoid valves are closed, and both the inlet and return valves are closed. The drainage water circuit control circuit has a second normally open contact connected in series with a drainage solenoid valve, and the drainage solenoid valve drives the pressure relief valve; the output contact of the energized time delay relay is connected to the second normally open contact; when the energized time delay relay is energized, its contact actuates to close the second normally open contact, the drainage solenoid valve is energized, and the pressure relief valve is opened.

2. The automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control circuit system also includes a vacuum pressure detection circuit and an interlocking control circuit connected in parallel to the main power supply. The vacuum pressure detection circuit is located inside the vacuum furnace and is used to detect the pressure inside the furnace in real time and send a signal to the interlocking control circuit. The interlocking control circuit includes an interlocking logic unit and an intermediate relay connected in series. When the interlocking logic unit activates the interlocking control circuit, the intermediate relay is energized, and the first normally open contact controlled by it closes, thereby activating the cathode water circuit control circuit.

3. An automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The vacuum pressure detection circuit includes a vacuum pressure relay.

4. An automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The interlocking logic unit includes: The first branch circuit has a third normally closed contact and a fourth normally open contact connected in series. The third normally closed contact is controlled by the furnace door opening and closing status, and the contact opens when the furnace door is closed. The fourth normally open contact is controlled by a vacuum pressure relay, and closes when the vacuum level inside the furnace is higher than a first set threshold. The second branch is connected in parallel with the third normally closed contact and the fourth normally open contact, and the fifth normally closed contact and the sixth normally open contact are connected in series in this branch; the fifth normally closed contact is controlled by a vacuum pressure relay and opens when the vacuum level in the furnace is lower than the second set threshold; the sixth normally open contact is controlled by the intermediate relay and closes when the intermediate relay is energized. The third branch is connected in parallel to both ends of the fifth normally closed contact, and a seventh normally closed contact is provided in this branch.

5. An automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The third normally closed contact and the seventh normally closed contact are both furnace door switch contacts.

6. An automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first set threshold is 900 mbar. When the furnace pressure is ≥900 mbar, the fourth normally open contact closes.

7. An automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second set threshold is 800 mbar. When the furnace pressure is ≤800 mbar, the fifth normally closed contact opens.

8. An automatic water circuit control system for disassembling and assembling target materials in vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The delay time of the power-on delay relay is 2 seconds.

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