Vacuum pump

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vacuum pump (1) comprising a projector (7) configured to project at least one piece of information associated with an operating variable of the vacuum pump (1) onto a wall of a protective cover (3) on the front face of the vacuum pump (1) or on a surface in the surroundings of the vacuum pump (1), in particular on the floor.

Description

Description Title of the invention: Vacuum pump

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of vacuum pumps and in particular to vacuum pumps which can be stacked on top of each other, such as those used in semiconductor manufacturing plants.

[0002] In certain applications, particularly for the manufacture of semiconductor components, vacuum pumps are used to lower the pressure, particularly in process chambers of equipment in which the various stages of manufacturing of semiconductor components are carried out or in inlet or outlet airlocks of these chambers or even transfer chambers.

[0003] The equipment is arranged in clean rooms where particle concentration is controlled and temperature and humidity are maintained at a precise level.

[0004] Due in particular to the noise, vibrations, heat they can generate, and the space they can take up, primary vacuum pumps are generally located on the lower floor of clean rooms. In addition, to limit floor space, primary vacuum pumps are generally stacked on top of each other along basement aisles.

[0005] The proper functioning of these vacuum pumps must be able to be monitored and the identification of pump faults requiring possible intervention must be able to be carried out quickly, including by a non-specialist technician.

[0006] For this, vacuum pumps are generally equipped with control boxes allowing operators to control their operating parameters.

[0007] However, this information is not immediately available due to the need to manipulate the control box. In addition, navigating the various menus on the control box can be relatively laborious due to the multitude of advanced functions available.

[0008] Also, it is not possible to easily compare the operating parameters of two adjacent vacuum pumps due to the need to access information in the respective vacuum pump control boxes.

[0009] Vacuum pumps may also have indicator lights to indicate their operating status. These indicators, generally arranged on the front panel, allow the normal, faulty or stopped operating status of the vacuum pump to be displayed via a three-color sign. However, these indicator lights are only properly visible within a restricted perimeter of the vacuum pump corresponding to the light emission cone of these indicators. It is not possible to arrange these indicators on the top panel or in a turret because this does not allow the vacuum pumps to be stacked or they may not be visible or weakened due to the stacking of the vacuum pumps. In addition, the information provided by these indicators is limited.

[0010] Additionally, some vacuum pumps may be located very close to the ground or built-in, which can make it more difficult to access the control box or read the indicator lights.

[0011] It is also possible to transfer information on the operating status of the pumps in a control room but this information is not readily available in the basement, near the relevant vacuum pumps.

[0012] It is therefore appropriate to provide a solution that allows rapid access to the status and operating parameters of the various vacuum pumps in a basement comprising a plurality of vacuum pumps that can be stacked on top of each other.

[0013] To this end, the invention relates to a vacuum pump comprising a projector configured to project at least one item of information associated with an operating parameter of the vacuum pump onto a wall of a front face protective cover of the vacuum pump or onto a surface of the environment of the vacuum pump, in particular on the ground.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, the vacuum pump also comprises at least one mirror for returning the light beam emitted by the projector.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, the deflecting mirror is orientable.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, the deflecting mirror is removable.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present invention, the projector is configured to continuously display at least one piece of information associated with an operating parameter of the vacuum pump.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present invention, the projector is configured to display information associated with an operating parameter of the vacuum pump for a predetermined time and to alternately display in a predetermined order different information associated with operating parameters of the vacuum pump.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, the projector is configured to display information associated with an operating parameter of the vacuum pump in a predetermined color based on the value of the operating parameter of the vacuum pump.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present invention, the operating parameter of the vacuum pump is included among the following list: - an electrical power for operating the vacuum pump, - a gas pressure measured at a discharge of the vacuum pump, - an operating temperature of a vacuum pump stator, - a flow of a purge gas injected into the pumped gas path, - a malfunction of the vacuum pump, - a vacuum pump operating time, - an operating condition of the vacuum pump, - a temperature of a purge gas injected into the pumped gas path.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, the vacuum pump comprises a first and a second functional block and the operating parameter of the vacuum pump is included among the following list: - a current consumed by one and / or the other of the functional blocks, - a rotation speed of one and / or the other of the functional blocks.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, the projector is configured to display the information associated with the operating parameter of the vacuum pump in the form of alphanumeric text and / or symbols and / or pictograms and / or logos.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, the vacuum pump is configured to be arranged on another vacuum pump or pumping group and / or to support another vacuum pump or pumping group.

[0024] The present invention also relates to equipment comprising a plurality of vacuum pumps and a projector connected to the plurality of vacuum pumps and configured to project at least one item of information associated with an operating parameter of the plurality of vacuum pumps onto a wall of a front face protective cover of at least one of the plurality of vacuum pumps or onto a surface of the environment of the plurality of vacuum pumps, in particular on the ground. One of the vacuum pumps of the plurality of vacuum pumps of the equipment may correspond to a vacuum pump as described previously.

[0025] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description, given by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, and the appended drawings among which:

[0026] [Fig 1] represents a schematic perspective view of a vacuum pump according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] [Fig 2] shows a schematic side view of a part of a vacuum pump according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] [Fig 3] represents a schematic perspective view of a vacuum pump according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] [Fig 4] represents a schematic view of a first type of projected display;

[0030] [Fig 5] shows a schematic view of a second type of projected display.

[0031] [Fig 6] represents a schematic perspective view of equipment comprising a plurality of vacuum pumps and a projector according to a first embodiment;

[0032] [Fig 7] represents a schematic perspective view of equipment comprising a plurality of vacuum pumps and a projector according to a second embodiment;

[0033] [Fig 8] represents a schematic perspective view of equipment comprising a plurality of vacuum pumps and a projector according to a third embodiment;

[0034] In these figures, identical elements have the same references.

[0035] The following embodiments are examples. Although the description refers to one or more embodiments, this does not necessarily mean that each reference relates to the same embodiment, or that the features apply only to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined or interchanged to provide other embodiments.

[0036] The present invention relates to a vacuum pump intended in particular to be used in a semiconductor manufacturing plant to control the pressure in particular of the process chambers. Figure 1 represents such a vacuum pump 1. The vacuum pump 1 is for example a simple pump or a pumping group which may comprise several functional groups, each functional group being able to comprise several stages arranged in series. The vacuum pump 1 may also comprise a roots-type pump so as to form a secondary pump combined with a primary-type pump.

[0037] The vacuum pump 1 includes a protective cover 3 and may include wheels 5 for facilitate its movement. The protective cover 3 has, for example, a generally parallelepiped shape allowing the vacuum pump 1 to be stacked. The vacuum pump 1 can be positioned under another vacuum pump 1 or another pumping unit or on top of another vacuum pump 1 or another pumping unit or placed on the ground. The pumps can also be arranged on supports arranged one above the other.

[0038] The vacuum pump 1 also comprises a projector 7 (visible in FIG. 2) configured to project information associated with an operating parameter of the vacuum pump 1. The information may be projected onto the ground under the vacuum pump 1 or in an area located in front of the vacuum pump 1 as in the case of FIGS. 1 and 2. The information may also be projected onto a surface in the environment of the vacuum pump 1, in particular another vacuum pump 1 or a pumping group if the vacuum pump 1 is located above another vacuum pump 1 or a pumping group or onto a wall or a wall of other equipment located near the vacuum pump 1.

[0039] The information can be projected directly by the projector 7 or via an optical device 8 comprising for example one or more mirrors 9 for reflecting the light beam emitted by the projector 7 and / or one or more lenses 10 configured to focus the light beam.

[0040] The optical device 8 is configured to allow the information to be projected in the desired direction and to easily modify this direction, in particular in the event of movement of the vacuum pump 1. Thus, the mirror(s) 9 can be orientable to allow direct projection or to adapt the projection direction (certain directions may require a greater number of mirrors so that the mirrors can be removable). The optical device 8 can also be configured to modify the size of the display and / or adjust the sharpness of the display of the information. For this, the optical device 8 can be configured to allow adjustment of the position of the lens(es).

[0041] Figure 2 represents an example of an optical device 8 comprising a lens 10 and a deflecting mirror 9 configured to deflect the light beam emitted by the projector 7 towards the ground 11, just in front of the vacuum pump 1 as shown in Figure 1.

[0042] A larger number of mirrors 9 and / or lenses 10 can also be used to achieve the desired projection.

[0043] The mirrors 9 may be orientable and the lenses 10 adjustable (for example moved in translation) to adapt to the environment of the pump 1 and provide a clear projected image on surfaces having different orientations relative to the vacuum pump 1 and / or being located at different distances from the vacuum pump 1.

[0044] The protective cover 3 comprises, for example, an opening 3a to allow the passage of the light beam. This opening 3a may also be obstructed by a transparent element such as a glass pane or a polycarbonate or Plexiglas® screen or any other material providing sufficient transparency.

[0045] According to another embodiment shown in Figure 3, the projector 7 and the optical device 8 are configured to project the information onto the wall of the protective cover 3 associated with the front face of the vacuum pump 1.

[0046] For this, the protective cover 3 comprises for example an opening 3a' arranged on the front face and which can be obstructed by a transparent element and a projection 3b projecting from the front face of the protective cover 3 and configured to come at least partially opposite the opening 3a'. The projection 3b forms for example an angle of between 15 and 45° relative to the front face of the protective cover 3 and receives a deflecting mirror 9 configured to deflect a light beam coming from the projector 7 (located inside the protective cover 3) towards the front face of the protective cover 3.

[0047] The optical device 8 may comprise other mirrors 9 located inside the protective cover 3 and configured to return the light beam from the projector 7 to the mirror 9 positioned on the projection 3b. As in the previous embodiment, the optical device 8 may also comprise lenses 10 for adjusting the sharpness of the projected image. The projection may also have other shapes, such as a curved shape or any other shape for obtaining a projection of the light beam onto the front face of the protective cover 3.

[0048] The projected information corresponds to information associated with an operating parameter of vacuum pump 1.

[0049] The operating parameter is chosen, for example, from the following list: - an electrical operating power of the vacuum pump 1, - a gas pressure measured at a discharge of the vacuum pump 1, - an operating temperature of a stator of the vacuum pump 1, - a flow of a purge gas injected into the pumped gas path, - a malfunction of vacuum pump 1, - a duration of operation of the vacuum pump 1, - an operating state of the vacuum pump 1, - a temperature of a purge gas injected into the pumped gas path.

[0050] In the case where the vacuum pump 1 comprises at least two functional blocks, the operating parameter can also be chosen from the following list: - a current consumed by one and / or the other of the functional blocks, - a rotation speed of one and / or the other of the functional blocks.

[0051] Vacuum pump 1 may be configured to project information associated with the operating parameter continuously when vacuum pump 1 is operating.

[0052] The vacuum pump 1 can also be configured to display information associated with several operating parameters, including operating parameters from the list above. Several pieces of information can be displayed simultaneously as shown in Figure 4. The information can also be displayed alternately in a predefined order and for a predefined time which can be the same for all the information or vary from one piece of information to another. The information can be displayed continuously when the vacuum pump is operating or according to a predefined periodicity.

[0053] Additionally, information can be displayed in monochrome or with different colors.

[0054] The display may be in the form of alphanumeric text and / or symbols and / or pictograms and / or logos as shown in Figure 4.

[0055] The display shows, for example, the name of the parameter and a number associated with a value of the operating parameter and possibly a unit.

[0056] The display may also include icons.

[0057] The display may include different colors associated with different values ​​of the operating parameters or different operating states of the vacuum pump 1 associated with intervals of values ​​of the operating parameters of the vacuum pump 1 as shown in Figure 5. A green color is for example associated with a normal operating state, an orange color with a faulty operating state requiring intervention while a red color may be associated with the stopped operating state of the vacuum pump 1 following a major fault. Thus, the display color can be modified according to a criticality level reached by the value of the measured operating parameter.

[0058] The display can also be performed intermittently and the frequency can be associated with the status of vacuum pump 1. An abnormal value of an operating parameter can for example be represented by a flashing mode.

[0059] The present invention also relates to equipment 100 comprising a plurality of vacuum pumps 1', for example four vacuum pumps 1' in the example of FIGS. 6 to 8, and a projector 7 connected to the different vacuum pumps 1' and configured to display at least one item of information associated with an operating parameter of the vacuum pumps 1'. The connection between the projector 7 and the vacuum pumps 1' may be a wired connection or a wireless connection, for example a Bluetooth® type connection. The vacuum pumps 1' may be arranged side by side and / or stacked on top of each other. The projector 7 can be integrated into one of the vacuum pumps 1' (as in Figure 6) or can be independent of the vacuum pumps as shown in Figures 7 and 8 (the projector 7 can then be placed on one of the vacuum pumps 1' or arranged adjacent or nearby (i.e. in the same room as the vacuum pumps 1')).The characteristics of the projector 7 may be similar to the characteristics presented in the embodiment of a vacuum pump 1 comprising a projector 7 described previously. Thus, the projection zone may also be a wall of a front face protective cover of at least one of the plurality of vacuum pumps 1'.

[0060] The projector 7 can be configured to simultaneously or sequentially display the information associated with the operating parameter(s) of the different pumps 1'. As previously, the display of information associated with an operating parameter whose value is outside a predetermined operating range can be displayed as a priority (only this information can be displayed) and / or differently from the other information, for example by a different color and / or by an intermittent (flashing) display and / or in a larger font.

[0061] The projector 7 can also be configured to divide the display into different projection zones, for example four zones zl, z2, z3, z4 associated with the four vacuum pumps 1' in the case of Figure 8, so that the information associated with the different pumps vacuum 1' are displayed in different zones which can be located in front of the associated vacuum pumps as shown in Figure 8. A number of zones different from the number of vacuum pumps can be envisaged (the display associated with several pumps is then carried out in the same zone). The use of several display zones makes it possible to quickly detect and identify a vacuum pump having an abnormal operating parameter.

[0062] Such equipment makes it possible, with a single projector 7, to display the information associated with the operating parameter(s) of different vacuum pumps 1', which makes it possible to reduce the costs linked to data projection while making it possible to quickly detect a defective pump.

[0063] Thus, the use of a vacuum pump 1 or equipment 100 comprising a plurality of vacuum pumps 1' comprising a projector 7 configured to project data or information associated with an operating parameter of the vacuum pump 1 or vacuum pumps 1' allows an operator to have rapid access to this information even in the event of stacking of the vacuum pumps 1.

[0064] The operator can thus very quickly detect a breakdown or failure of a vacuum pump 1 among a set of vacuum pumps 1 grouped in a room or basement in which the available space is limited. The display of the non-standard parameters can allow the operator to quickly identify the origin of the possible breakdown or to prevent such a breakdown by a preventive action such as maintenance of the vacuum pump 1. The rapid identification of the defective or non-standard pump and the origin of the breakdown makes it possible to prevent a breakdown or, in the event of a breakdown, to improve the efficiency of the repair and thus to reduce the downtime of the vacuum pump 1 and therefore of the associated production line.

Claims

Claims

1. Vacuum pump (1) characterized in that the vacuum pump (1) comprises a projector (7) configured to project at least one item of information associated with an operating parameter of the vacuum pump (1) onto a wall of a protective cover (3) on the front face of the vacuum pump (1) or onto a surface of the environment of the vacuum pump (1), in particular on the ground.

2. Vacuum pump (1) according to the preceding claim also comprising at least one mirror (9) for reflecting the light beam emitted by the projector (7).

3. Vacuum pump (1) according to the preceding claim in which the deflecting mirror (9) is orientable.

4. Vacuum pump (1) according to one of claims 2 or 3 in which the deflecting mirror (9) is removable.

5. Vacuum pump (1) according to one of the preceding claims in which the projector (7) is configured to permanently display at least one item of information associated with an operating parameter of the vacuum pump (1).

6. Vacuum pump (1) according to the preceding claim in which the projector (7) is configured to display information associated with an operating parameter of the vacuum pump (1) for a predetermined time and to alternately display in a predetermined order different information associated with operating parameters of the vacuum pump (1).

7. Vacuum pump (1) according to one of the preceding claims wherein the projector (7) is configured to display information associated with an operating parameter of the vacuum pump (1) in a predetermined color depending on the value of the operating parameter of the vacuum pump (1).

8. Vacuum pump (1) according to one of the preceding claims in which the operating parameter of the vacuum pump (1) is included among the following list: - an electrical operating power of the vacuum pump (1), - a gas pressure measured at a discharge of the vacuum pump (1), - an operating temperature of a stator of the vacuum pump (1), - a flow of a purge gas injected into the pumped gas path, - a malfunction of the vacuum pump (1), - a duration of operation of the vacuum pump (1), - an operating condition of the vacuum pump (1) - a temperature of a purge gas injected into the pumped gas path.

9. Vacuum pump (1) according to one of the preceding claims comprising a first and a second functional block and in which the operating parameter of the vacuum pump is included among the following list: - a current consumed by one and / or the other of the functional blocks, - a rotation speed of one and / or the other of the functional blocks.

10. Vacuum pump (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a protective cover (3) of generally parallelepiped shape and is configured to be arranged on another vacuum pump (1) or pumping group and / or to support another vacuum pump (1) or pumping group.

11. Equipment (100) comprising a plurality of vacuum pumps (F) and a projector (7) connected to the plurality of vacuum pumps (F) and configured to project at least one item of information associated with an operating parameter of the plurality of vacuum pumps (F) onto a wall of a protective cover (3) on the front face of at least one of the plurality of vacuum pumps (F) or onto a surface of the environment of the plurality of vacuum pumps (F), in particular onto the ground.

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