Vacuum pump system and interface circuit

Abstract

To provide a vacuum pump system and an interface circuit that, when a customer's monitoring and control tool monitors and controls a plurality of vacuum pumps via the interface circuit, can freely monitor and control a plurality of vacuum pumps with a single interface circuit.SOLUTION: A turbomolecular pump 100 and a controller 300 are configured as a pair. An interface circuit 23 and AC / DC power supply circuits 15A, 15B, 15C are not included in the same controller 300, but are configured in a separate integrated unit 400. Conventionally, interface circuits 13A, 13B, 13C are provided for each turbomolecular pump 100 to monitor and control controllers 200A, 200B, 200C, but the interface circuit 23 is configured to perform integrated monitoring and control of controllers 300A, 300B, 300C. Therefore, one interface circuit 23 is configured for the three turbomolecular pumps 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vacuum pump system and an interface circuit, and more particularly to a vacuum pump system and an interface circuit that can freely monitor and control multiple vacuum pumps with a single interface circuit when the multiple vacuum pumps are monitored and controlled from a customer monitoring and control tool via an interface circuit. [Background technology]

[0002] With the recent development of electronics, the demand for semiconductors such as memory and integrated circuits has increased dramatically. These semiconductors are manufactured by doping extremely pure semiconductor substrates with impurities to give them electrical properties, and by etching the semiconductor substrates to form minute circuits.

[0003] These operations must be carried out in a chamber under high vacuum conditions to avoid the effects of dust in the air, etc. Vacuum pumps are generally used to evacuate the chamber, but turbomolecular pumps, a type of vacuum pump, are often used because they leave little residual gas and are easy to maintain. Furthermore, semiconductor manufacturing processes involve many steps in which various process gases are applied to semiconductor substrates, and turbomolecular pumps are used not only to create a vacuum inside the chamber, but also to exhaust these process gases from the chamber.

[0004] Fig. 11 shows a configuration diagram of a conventional vacuum pump system in which a customer monitoring and control tool monitors and controls multiple turbomolecular pumps. In Fig. 11, a communication interface cable 3A such as RS232, RS485, EtherCAT, or Profibus is conventionally connected between the customer monitoring and control tool 1 and a control device 200A. Fig. 11 shows a case in which the control device 200A is connected to the turbomolecular pump 100A, but it may also be separated from the control device 200A.

[0005] The control device 200A is equipped with a motor control circuit 5A for driving the motor in the turbomolecular pump 100A, a magnetic bearing control circuit 7A for controlling the magnetic bearing device, a TMS control circuit 9A for preventing the accumulation of deposits caused by the process gas, a supervisor circuit 11A for detecting abnormalities in the pump state, an interface circuit 13A, and an AC / DC power supply circuit 15A. The interface circuit 13A transmits operation commands and information acquisition commands from the customer monitoring and control tool 1 to the above-mentioned circuits in the control device 200A, and transmits information acquired from the circuits in the control device 200A to the customer monitoring and control tool 1. The AC / DC power supply circuit 15A is provided to supply power to the circuits in the control device 200A (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-349295 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Incidentally, each circuit in the control device 200A is similarly arranged in the control device 200B connected to the turbomolecular pump 100B and the control device 200C connected to the turbomolecular pump 100C, and the control device 200B and the control device 200C are directly connected to the customer monitoring and control tool 1 via communication interface cables 3B and 3C, respectively. That is, the customer monitoring and control tool 1 is connected to the same number of control devices as the turbomolecular pumps 100 . This required a large number of cables to be installed, making cable wiring time-consuming and cumbersome. In addition, the same type of circuitry was built into each control device, making the control devices large and therefore expensive.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to provide a vacuum pump system and an interface circuit that can freely monitor and control multiple vacuum pumps with a single interface circuit when monitoring and controlling multiple vacuum pumps from a customer monitoring and control tool via an interface circuit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] For this reason, the present invention (Claim 1) is a vacuum pump system comprising a plurality of vacuum pumps and a plurality of control devices that respectively control the plurality of vacuum pumps, and is configured with an interface circuit that is arranged independently of the plurality of control devices and that manages the exchange of operation signals and acquired information signals between the plurality of control devices, while also having an operation processing unit that can freely control each of the control devices, and an information acquisition processing unit that acquires information from the plurality of control devices.

[0010] Since it is configured to unify the exchange of operation signals and acquired information signals between multiple control devices, it reduces costs and saves space compared to the conventional case where the same number of interface circuits were required for multiple pumps.In addition, since the communication wiring is simplified, the effort required for communication wiring is also reduced. A single interface circuit can freely monitor and control multiple vacuum pumps, so the number of interface circuits can be less than the number of vacuum pumps.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention (Claim 2) is an invention of a vacuum pump system, wherein the interface circuit comprises an input / output means for monitoring and controlling the plurality of control devices via the interface circuit, and a signal analysis means for analyzing a signal transmitted from the input / output means, the signal including a pump position for identifying one of the plurality of vacuum pumps and a command for operation or information acquisition, and wherein, as a result of analysis of the signal by the signal analysis means, if the command in the signal is an operation command, the command is passed to the operation processing unit, and if the command in the signal is an information acquisition command, the command is passed to the information acquisition processing unit.

[0012] The monitoring and control tool combines the pump position and an operation or information acquisition command to generate a single command. The pump position is an identifier for identifying one of multiple vacuum pumps, the operation command includes the operation details for the vacuum pump, and the information acquisition command includes the details of the information to be acquired from the vacuum pump. The signal analysis means of the interface circuit analyzes this command and, based on the analysis results, separates it into an operation command and an information acquisition command. The operation command is processed by the operation processing unit, while the information acquisition command is processed by the information acquisition processing unit. Although the data configured in this manner covers multiple vacuum pumps and includes multiple types of information such as rotation speed and motor current and data belonging to these information types, it can be stored as a single piece of consolidated information in the storage means, so the storage area required in the storage means can be small. Furthermore, compared to the conventional case where a storage means was provided corresponding to the interface circuit of each vacuum pump, only one storage means is required in this embodiment, so it can be configured in a space-saving manner, and therefore can be configured inexpensively.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention (Claim 3) is an invention of a vacuum pump system, characterized in that a power supply unit that supplies power to the multiple control devices is unitized together with the interface circuit and is arranged as an integrated unit independent of the multiple control devices.

[0014] The power supply and interface circuitry are integrated into one unit, saving space.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention (Claim 4) is an invention of a vacuum pump system, characterized in that the information acquisition processing unit is provided with an all-pump information collection unit that cyclically acquires information from the plurality of vacuum pumps and holds the acquired information, and when a command in the signal is received, necessary information is extracted from the all-pump information collection unit based on the pump position analyzed from the command and the type of acquired information, and the extracted information is output to the outside by the input / output means.

[0016] By collecting information from multiple vacuum pumps in a circular fashion, the information collected by the pump information collector can be kept up to date and maintained. This allows the necessary information to be extracted quickly according to the content of a command when it is received.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention (claim 5) is an invention of a vacuum pump system, characterized in that when the information acquisition processing unit receives a command in the signal, it sequentially acquires information from the plurality of control devices based on the pump position analyzed from the command and the type of acquired information, and the acquired information is output to the outside by the input / output means.

[0018] When a command is received, information is sequentially extracted from the control device based on the pump position analyzed from the command and the type of acquired information, which eliminates the need for a large-capacity storage means.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention (Claim 6) is an invention of a vacuum pump system, characterized in that it comprises a supervisor section that monitors the information acquired by the information acquisition processing section and stops a target vacuum pump among the plurality of vacuum pumps when an abnormality is detected.

[0020] The supervisor unit monitors the information acquired by the information acquisition processing unit, and can quickly detect abnormalities, thereby achieving safe operation.

[0021] Furthermore, the present invention (claim 7) is an invention of a vacuum pump system, characterized in that the communication standard between the interface circuit and the plurality of control devices is unified into one communication standard.

[0022] By unifying the communication standard for transmission from the interface circuit to multiple control devices, the receiving functions provided on the distribution cables and multiple control devices can be configured as a single type, thereby reducing costs.

[0023] Furthermore, the present invention (claim 8) is an invention of a vacuum pump system, comprising a key input reading unit that reads a key input signal and passes the input signal to the operation processing unit to perform the operation instructed by the key input, and a display data output unit that displays a signal extracted from the information acquisition processing unit, wherein the key input reading unit and the display data output unit are attached to the integrated unit.

[0024] By attaching a key input reading unit and a display data output unit to the unit, work can be done more efficiently on site, closer to the vacuum pump.

[0025] Furthermore, the present invention (Claim 9) is an invention of an interface circuit, which is an interface circuit mounted on a vacuum pump system having a plurality of vacuum pumps and a plurality of control devices that respectively control the plurality of vacuum pumps, and is arranged independently of the plurality of control devices and manages the exchange of operation signals and acquired information signals between the plurality of control devices, while also having an operation processing unit that can freely control each of the control devices and an information acquisition processing unit that acquires information from the plurality of control devices.

[0026] Furthermore, the present invention (Claim 10) is an invention of an interface circuit, characterized in that it is unitized with a power supply unit that supplies power to the multiple control devices and is arranged independently of the multiple control devices.

[0027] Furthermore, the present invention (claim 11) is an invention of an interface circuit, characterized in that it comprises a supervisor section that monitors the information acquired by the information acquisition processing section and stops a target vacuum pump among the plurality of vacuum pumps when an abnormality is detected. [Effects of the Invention]

[0028] As explained above, according to the present invention (claim 1), an interface circuit is provided that is independent of the multiple control devices and controls the exchange of operation signals and acquired information signals with the multiple control devices, while having an operation processing unit that can control each control device and an information acquisition processing unit that acquires information from the multiple control devices. This reduces costs and saves space compared to the conventional case where the same number of interface circuits were required for multiple pumps. In addition, the communication wiring is simplified, which simplifies the work required for communication wiring. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a vacuum pump system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] Turbomolecular pump configuration diagram [Figure 3] Interface circuit block diagram (method of obtaining pump information in advance) [Figure 4] Communication frame configuration diagram [Figure 5] Example of data stored in the storage device of the All Pump Information Collector [Figure 6] Interface circuit block diagram (method of sequentially collecting pump information) [Figure 7] Overall configuration diagram of a vacuum pump system in which the supervisor circuit and interface circuit are housed in an integrated unit [Figure 8] Block diagram of an interface circuit with a supervisor circuit [Figure 9] Overall configuration diagram of a vacuum pump system equipped with an input device and a display device [Figure 10] Block diagram of an interface circuit with an input device and a display device [Figure 11] Diagram of a conventional vacuum pump system DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described. Fig. 1 shows an overall configuration diagram of a vacuum pump system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows a configuration diagram of a turbomolecular pump. In FIG. 1, the control device 300 is shown integrated with the turbomolecular pump 100, but this embodiment can also be applied if the turbomolecular pump 100 and the control device 300 are separate entities.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, the motor control circuit 5, magnetic bearing control circuit 7, TMS control circuit 9, and supervisor circuit 11 housed in the control device 300 are required for drive control of the turbomolecular pump 100, and are configured and adjusted for each pump. The turbomolecular pump 100 and the control device 300 are configured as a pair. Therefore, control devices 300A, 300B, and 300C are attached to the turbomolecular pumps 100A, 100B, and 100C. On the other hand, the interface circuit 23 and the AC / DC power supply circuits 15A, 15B, and 15C are not included in the same control device 300, but are configured in a separate integrated unit 400.

[0032] Conventionally, interface circuits 13A, 13B, and 13C were provided for each turbomolecular pump 100 to monitor and control the respective control devices 200A, 200B, and 200C, but interface circuit 23 is configured as a single unit to perform integrated monitoring and control of control devices 300A, 300B, and 300C. 1, one interface circuit 23 is configured for three turbomolecular pumps 100. However, the number of turbomolecular pumps 100 is not limited to three. The turbomolecular pumps 100 may be divided into groups of several pumps, and an interface circuit 23 corresponding to each group may be disposed in the integrated unit 400.

[0033] Furthermore, the AC / DC power supply circuits 15A, 15B, and 15C are configured together within the integrated unit 400. The cable between the AC / DC power supply circuit 15A and the control device 300A and the cable between the interface circuit 23 and the control device 300A can be combined into a single cable. This also applies to the cable between the AC / DC power supply circuit 15B and the control device 300B, the cable between the interface circuit 23 and the control device 300B, the cable between the AC / DC power supply circuit 15C and the control device 300C, and the cable between the interface circuit 23 and the control device 300C. The interface circuit can control multiple pumps separately, and the power supply circuit and interface circuit are combined into a unit, allowing for a space-saving configuration. Furthermore, while multiple communication interface cables 3 were previously installed between the customer monitoring and control tool 1 and the control device 200 as shown in Figure 11, in this embodiment only one communication interface cable is used, simplifying the work of cabling.

[0034] 2, the turbomolecular pump 100 has an intake port 101 formed at the upper end of a cylindrical outer cylinder 127. Inside the outer cylinder 127, a rotor 103 is provided, on the periphery of which are a plurality of rotors 102 (102a, 102b, 102c, etc.), which are turbine blades for sucking in and exhausting gas, arranged radially and in multiple stages. A rotor shaft 113 is attached to the center of the rotor 103, and this rotor shaft 113 is levitated and supported in the air and its position is controlled by, for example, a five-axis controlled magnetic bearing. The rotor 103 is generally made of metal such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

[0035] The upper radial electromagnets 104 are arranged in pairs on the X-axis and the Y-axis. Four upper radial sensors 107 are provided adjacent to the upper radial electromagnets 104 and corresponding to each upper radial electromagnet 104. The upper radial sensors 107 are, for example, inductance sensors or eddy current sensors having conductive windings, and detect the position of the rotor shaft 113 based on changes in the inductance of the conductive windings, which change according to the position of the rotor shaft 113. The upper radial sensors 107 are configured to detect the radial displacement of the rotor shaft 113, i.e., the rotating body 103 fixed thereto, and send the detected displacement to the control device 200.

[0036] In this control device 200, for example, a compensation circuit having a PID adjustment function generates an excitation control command signal for the upper radial electromagnet 104 based on a position signal detected by the upper radial sensor 107, and an amplifier circuit (not shown) controls the excitation of the upper radial electromagnet 104 based on this excitation control command signal, thereby adjusting the upper radial position of the rotor shaft 113.

[0037] The rotor shaft 113 is made of a high magnetic permeability material (iron, stainless steel, etc.) and is attracted by the magnetic force of the upper radial electromagnets 104. Such adjustment is performed independently in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The lower radial electromagnets 105 and the lower radial sensors 108 are arranged in the same manner as the upper radial electromagnets 104 and the upper radial sensors 107, and adjust the radial position of the lower side of the rotor shaft 113 in the same manner as the radial position of the upper side.

[0038] Furthermore, axial electromagnets 106A and 106B are arranged above and below a circular metal disk 111 provided at the bottom of rotor shaft 113. Metal disk 111 is made of a highly magnetic permeable material such as iron. An axial sensor 109 is provided to detect the axial displacement of rotor shaft 113, and an axial position signal is sent to control device 200.

[0039] In the control device 200, a compensation circuit having, for example, a PID adjustment function generates excitation control command signals for the axial electromagnet 106A and the axial electromagnet 106B based on the axial position signal detected by the axial sensor 109, and an amplifier circuit controls the excitation of the axial electromagnet 106A and the axial electromagnet 106B based on these excitation control command signals, so that the axial electromagnet 106A attracts the metal disc 111 upward by magnetic force, and the axial electromagnet 106B attracts the metal disc 111 downward, thereby adjusting the axial position of the rotor shaft 113.

[0040] In this way, the control device 200 appropriately adjusts the magnetic force exerted on the metal disk 111 by the axial electromagnets 106A and 106B, magnetically levitating the rotor shaft 113 in the axial direction and holding it in space without contact.

[0041] Meanwhile, motor 121 has a plurality of magnetic poles arranged circumferentially so as to surround rotor shaft 113. Each magnetic pole is controlled by control device 200 so as to rotate rotor shaft 113 via electromagnetic force acting between the magnetic pole and rotor shaft 113. Motor 121 also incorporates a rotational speed sensor (not shown), such as a Hall element, resolver, or encoder, and the rotational speed of rotor shaft 113 is detected by the detection signal of this rotational speed sensor.

[0042] Furthermore, a phase sensor (not shown) is attached, for example, near the lower radial sensor 108, to detect the phase of rotation of the rotor shaft 113. The control device 200 uses the detection signals of both this phase sensor and the rotational speed sensor to detect the position of the magnetic pole.

[0043] A plurality of fixed blades 123 (123a, 123b, 123c...) are arranged at small gaps from the rotating blades 102 (102a, 102b, 102c...). Each of the rotating blades 102 (102a, 102b, 102c...) is formed at an angle of a predetermined degree from a plane perpendicular to the axis of the rotor shaft 113 in order to transport exhaust gas molecules downward through collision. The fixed blades 123 (123a, 123b, 123c...) are made of metal such as aluminum, iron, stainless steel, copper, or an alloy containing any of these metals as an ingredient.

[0044] Similarly, the fixed blades 123 are formed at a predetermined angle from a plane perpendicular to the axis of the rotor shaft 113, and are arranged in a staggered manner with the rows of rotor blades 102 toward the inside of the outer cylinder 127. The outer peripheral ends of the fixed blades 123 are supported by being inserted between a plurality of stacked rows of fixed blade spacers 125 (125a, 125b, 125c, etc.).

[0045] The fixed vane spacer 125 is a ring-shaped member made of a metal such as aluminum, iron, stainless steel, or copper, or an alloy containing any of these metals. An outer cylinder 127 is fixed to the outer periphery of the fixed vane spacer 125 with a small gap between them. A base portion 129 is disposed at the bottom of the outer cylinder 127. An exhaust port 133 is formed in the base portion 129 and communicates with the outside. Exhaust gas that enters the intake port 101 from the chamber (vacuum chamber) side and is transferred to the base portion 129 is sent to the exhaust port 133.

[0046] Furthermore, depending on the application of the turbomolecular pump 100, a threaded spacer 131 is disposed between the lower portion of the stator spacer 125 and the base portion 129. The threaded spacer 131 is a cylindrical member made of a metal such as aluminum, copper, stainless steel, iron, or an alloy containing any of these metals, and has multiple spiral thread grooves 131a engraved on its inner circumferential surface. The spiral direction of the threaded grooves 131a corresponds to the direction in which exhaust gas molecules are transported toward the exhaust port 133 when they move in the rotational direction of the rotor 103. A cylindrical portion 102d hangs down from the lowest portion of the rotor 103, adjacent to the rotor blades 102 (102a, 102b, 102c, etc.). The outer circumferential surface of this cylindrical portion 102d is cylindrical and protrudes toward the inner circumferential surface of the threaded spacer 131, and is adjacent to the inner circumferential surface of the threaded spacer 131 with a predetermined gap therebetween. The exhaust gas transferred to the thread groove 131a by the rotor 102 and the fixed blade 123 is sent to the base portion 129 while being guided by the thread groove 131a.

[0047] The base portion 129 is a disk-shaped member that forms the base of the turbomolecular pump 100, and is generally made of metal such as iron, aluminum, stainless steel, etc. The base portion 129 not only physically holds the turbomolecular pump 100, but also functions as a heat conduction path, so it is desirable to use a metal that is rigid and has high thermal conductivity, such as iron, aluminum, or copper.

[0048] In this configuration, when the rotor 102 is rotated together with the rotor shaft 113 by the motor 121, the action of the rotor 102 and the stator 123 draws exhaust gas from the chamber through the intake port 101. The rotational speed of the rotor 102 is typically 20,000 rpm to 90,000 rpm, and the peripheral speed at the tip of the rotor 102 reaches 200 m / s to 400 m / s. The exhaust gas drawn in through the intake port 101 passes between the rotor 102 and the stator 123 and is transported to the base 129. At this time, the temperature of the rotor 102 rises due to frictional heat generated when the exhaust gas comes into contact with the rotor 102 and conduction of heat generated by the motor 121, but this heat is transferred to the stator 123 side by radiation or conduction through gas molecules of the exhaust gas.

[0049] The stator spacers 125 are joined together at their outer peripheries and transmit to the outside heat received by the stator 123 from the rotor 102 and frictional heat generated when exhaust gas comes into contact with the stator 123.

[0050] In the above description, the threaded spacer 131 is disposed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 102d of the rotor 103, and the thread groove 131a is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the threaded spacer 131. However, there are also cases where the thread groove is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 102d, and a spacer having a cylindrical inner circumferential surface is disposed around the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 102d.

[0051] Depending on the application of the turbomolecular pump 100, the electrical equipment section may be surrounded by a stator column 122 to prevent the gas sucked in from the intake port 101 from entering the electrical equipment section, which is composed of the upper radial electromagnet 104, the upper radial sensor 107, the motor 121, the lower radial electromagnet 105, the lower radial sensor 108, the axial electromagnets 106A and 106B, the axial sensor 109, etc., and the interior of this stator column 122 may be kept at a predetermined pressure by purge gas.

[0052] In this case, piping (not shown) is provided in the base portion 129, and purge gas is introduced through this piping. The introduced purge gas is sent to the exhaust port 133 through gaps between the protective bearing 120 and the rotor shaft 113, between the rotor and stator of the motor 121, and between the stator column 122 and the inner cylindrical portion of the rotor blades 102.

[0053] Here, the turbomolecular pump 100 requires control based on specific parameters (e.g., various characteristics corresponding to the model) that have been individually adjusted and identified for the model. To store these control parameters, the turbomolecular pump 100 is provided with an electronic circuit section 141 within its body. The electronic circuit section 141 is composed of a semiconductor memory such as an EEPROM, electronic components such as semiconductor elements for accessing the memory, and a substrate 143 for mounting these components. The electronic circuit section 141 is housed below a rotational speed sensor (not shown) near the center of a base section 129 that constitutes the lower part of the turbomolecular pump 100, and is closed by an airtight bottom lid 145.

[0054] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, some process gases introduced into a chamber have the property of solidifying when their pressure exceeds a predetermined value or their temperature falls below a predetermined value. Inside the turbomolecular pump 100, the pressure of the exhaust gas is lowest at the inlet port 101 and highest at the outlet port 133. If the pressure of the process gas exceeds a predetermined value or the temperature falls below a predetermined value while the process gas is being transferred from the inlet port 101 to the outlet port 133, the process gas solidifies and adheres to and accumulates inside the turbomolecular pump 100.

[0055] For example, when SiCl4 is used as the process gas in an Al etching system, the low vacuum (760 [torr] to 10 -2The vapor pressure curve shows that at low pressures (approximately 20°C) and pressures of 100[torr], solid products (e.g., AlCl3) precipitate and adhere to and accumulate inside the turbomolecular pump 100. When process gas deposits accumulate inside the turbomolecular pump 100, these deposits narrow the pump flow path, causing a decrease in the performance of the turbomolecular pump 100. The aforementioned products tend to solidify and adhere to high-pressure areas near the exhaust port 133 and the threaded spacer 131.

[0056] To solve this problem, a heater (not shown) and a circular water-cooled pipe 149 are wound around the outer periphery of the base part 129, etc., and a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor) is embedded near the heater, and heating by the heater and cooling by the water-cooled pipe 149 (hereinafter referred to as TMS; Temperature Management System) are performed to maintain the temperature of the base part 129 at a constant high temperature (set temperature) based on the signal from this temperature sensor. A water-cooled valve (not shown) is provided in the water-cooled pipe 149 to control the cooling.

[0057] Next, the interface circuit of the vacuum pump system of this embodiment will be described. A block diagram of the interface circuit is shown in Figure 3. First, in Figure 3, a method in which the interface circuit collects and stores information on all pumps in advance will be described. In FIG. 3, the interface circuit 23 is provided with a communication frame receiving section 25 for receiving a communication frame 20 sent from an external device such as the customer monitoring control tool 1.

[0058] 4, this communication frame 20 includes a pump position 27 and a command 29 for identifying one of a plurality of vacuum pumps connected to the integrated unit 400. This command 29 may be an operation command or an information acquisition command, and an operation command / information acquisition command distinguishing unit 31 determines which command it is.

[0059] If the result of the determination by the operation command / information acquisition command distinguishing unit 31 is an operation command, the communication frame 20 is passed to the operation processing unit 30. On the other hand, if the result is an information acquisition command, the communication frame 20 is passed to the information acquisition processing unit 40. In the operation processing unit 30, a pump position analysis unit 33 analyzes which vacuum pump 100 is being operated, and an operation type analysis unit 35 analyzes the type of operation. An operation command transmission unit 37 receives the pump position 27 and the operation type, and transmits an operation command to the vacuum pump specified in the pump position 27.

[0060] The response receiving unit 38 receives a response signal from the vacuum pump 100, and a reply frame creating unit 39 creates a reply frame based on the content of the response. The reply frame created by the reply frame creating unit 39 is transmitted to an external device such as the customer monitoring and control tool 1 via a communication frame transmitting unit 41. Meanwhile, in the information acquisition processing unit 40, the pump position analysis unit 42 analyzes which vacuum pump 100 the information acquisition instruction is for. Also, the acquired information type analysis unit 43 analyzes which information of the vacuum pump 100 the instruction is to acquire.

[0061] The all-pump information collecting unit 45 periodically collects information about all pumps asynchronously with reception of an information acquisition command from the outside. The all-pump information collecting unit 45 sends an information acquisition command to the first pump via the information acquisition command sending unit 46 to acquire one or more pieces of information about the first pump. The reply receiving unit 47 receives a response from the vacuum pump 100, and passes the one or more pieces of information about the first pump included in the response to the all-pump information collecting unit 45, which then stores this information. If there is any information about the first pump that has not yet been acquired, the remaining information is acquired using the same procedure and stored in the all-pump information collecting unit 45. Once all the information about the first pump has been acquired, the second piece of information is acquired using the same procedure. This procedure is performed for all connected vacuum pumps 100.

[0062] 5 shows an example of data storage held in a storage device (not shown) of the all-pump information collection unit 45. The pump position 27 is expressed as a large range of address blocks, such as multiples of 0x0100. The type of information is expressed by an offset address of the address block within the pump position 27. For example, the offset address 0x0000 indicates the rotation speed, and 0x0002 indicates the motor current. Although the data configured in this manner covers multiple vacuum pumps and includes multiple types of information such as rotation speed and motor current and data belonging to these information types, it can be stored as a single piece of consolidated information in the storage means, so the storage area required in the storage means can be small. Also, compared to the conventional case where a storage means was provided corresponding to the interface circuit 13 of each vacuum pump, in this embodiment only one storage means is required, so it can be configured in a space-saving manner. Therefore, it can be configured inexpensively.

[0063] 3, when a reply information selection unit 44 receives an information acquisition command from outside, it queries the all-pump information collection unit 45 based on the pump position 27 and the type of acquired information. The all-pump information collection unit 45 searches for information to be sent back to the outside from the information it holds and returns it to the reply information selection unit 44. The reply information selection unit 44 passes this information to the reply frame creation unit 48, which then creates a reply frame. The created reply frame is then transmitted by the communication frame transmission unit 41 to an external device such as the customer monitoring control tool 1.

[0064] As described above, the interface circuit of this embodiment is configured so that a single interface circuit controls the exchange of operation signals and acquired information signals with multiple control devices, which reduces costs and saves space compared to the conventional case where the same number of interface circuits were required for multiple pumps.In addition, the communication wiring is simplified, which simplifies the work required for communication wiring. Furthermore, by cyclically acquiring information from multiple vacuum pumps 100, the information acquired by the all-pump information collection unit 45 can be constantly updated and maintained. Therefore, when an information acquisition command is received, necessary information can be quickly extracted according to the content of the information acquisition command.

[0065] Next, a method of collecting pump information each time an information acquisition command is sent will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Note that the same elements as those in Fig. 3 are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. 6, a communication frame receiving unit 25 that receives a communication frame 20 is arranged in the interface circuit 23 in the same manner as in FIG. 3. This communication frame 20 includes a pump position 27 and a command 29 for identifying one of a plurality of vacuum pumps connected to the integrated unit 400. This command 29 may be an operation command or an information acquisition command, and an operation command / information acquisition command separating unit 31 determines which command it is.

[0066] If the result of the determination by the operation command / information acquisition command distinguishing unit 31 is an operation command, the communication frame 20 is passed to the operation processing unit 30. On the other hand, if the result is an information acquisition command, the communication frame 20 is passed to the information acquisition processing unit 40. In the information acquisition processing unit 40, the pump position analysis unit 42 analyzes which vacuum pump 100 the information acquisition instruction is for. In addition, the acquired information type analysis unit 43 analyzes which information of the vacuum pump 100 the instruction is to acquire.

[0067] The information acquisition command sending unit 49 receives the pump position 27 and the type of information to be acquired, and sends an information acquisition command to the vacuum pump 100 specified in the pump position 27. The response receiving unit 51 then receives a response from the vacuum pump 100, and the reply frame creating unit 53 creates a reply frame based on the content of the response. The created reply frame is sent by the communication frame sending unit 41 to an external device such as the customer monitoring and control tool 1.

[0068] As a result, the interface circuit is configured to unify the exchange of operation signals and acquired information signals with multiple control devices using a single interface circuit, which reduces costs and saves space compared to the conventional case where the same number of interface circuits were required for multiple pumps.In addition, the communication wiring is simplified, which simplifies the work required for communication wiring. Furthermore, when an information acquisition command is received, information is sequentially extracted from the control device 300 based on the pump position 27 analyzed from the information acquisition command and the type of acquired information. Therefore, there is no need to provide a large-capacity storage means in the interface circuit 23.

[0069] Next, we will explain the application of a supervisor circuit that monitors the information acquired by the information acquisition processing unit and detects abnormalities. Note that the same elements as in Figure 3 are given the same reference numerals and their explanations will be omitted. 1, the supervisor circuit 11 is disposed in the control device 300 for each turbomolecular pump 100. However, in this embodiment, as shown in the overall configuration diagram of Fig. 7 and the block diagram of the interface circuit equipped with the supervisor circuit of Fig. 8, this supervisor circuit is also housed in the integrated unit 600 as the interface and supervisor circuit 50, similar to the interface circuit.

[0070] 8, the interface and supervisor circuit 50 has a supervisor section 55 in addition to the function of an interface circuit. This supervisor section 55 constantly refers to the information on each pump that is updated in real time by the all-pump information collection section 45, and monitors the status of each pump. If an abnormality is confirmed, a transmission command is used to stop the corresponding pump, or other processing is performed.

[0071] Next, an example in which an integrated unit is equipped with an input device and a display device will be described. Fig. 9 shows an overall configuration diagram equipped with an input device and a display device, and Fig. 10 shows a block diagram of the interface circuit. Note that the same elements as those in Fig. 3 are given the same reference numerals and their explanations will be omitted. In FIG. 9, an input device 61 having key switches and the like and a display device 63 such as an LCD are connected to the interface circuit 23.

[0072] 10, the interface circuit 23 has a key input reading unit 65 that reads input from an input device 61 such as a key switch. The key input is some kind of operation on any of the multiple vacuum pumps 100 connected to the interface circuit 23, and is expressed by the type of key and the method of operating the key. The pump position 27 and operation type expressed by the type of key and the key operation method are analyzed by a pump position analysis unit 33 and an operation type analysis unit 35. An operation command transmission unit 37 receives the pump position 27 and the operation type, and transmits an operation command to the vacuum pump 100 specified in the pump position 27.

[0073] The response receiving unit 38 receives a response from the vacuum pump 100, and the display data creating unit 67 creates display data based on the response content. The created display data is output to the display device 63 via the display data output unit 69. The all-pump information collecting unit 45 periodically collects information about all pumps asynchronously with the reception of an information acquisition command from outside. The display information selecting unit 71 queries the all-pump information collecting unit 45 at any timing based on the pump position 27 and the type of acquired information. In response to this query, the all-pump information collecting unit 45 searches for information to be displayed externally from the information it holds and returns the information to the display information selecting unit 71. Here, "any timing" refers to, for example, switching the pump information to be displayed at regular intervals, or switching the pump to be displayed by operating a key to switch the display.

[0074] The display information selection unit 71 passes the information acquired from the all-pump information collection unit 45 to the display data creation unit 73, which then creates display data. The created display data is output to the display device 63 via the display data output unit 69. In this way, by attaching the key input reading unit 65 and the display data output unit 69 to the interface circuit 23, work can be carried out more efficiently on site near the vacuum pump 100.

[0075] Although the control device 300 has multiple circuits such as the motor control circuit 5, magnetic bearing control circuit 7, TMS control circuit 9, and supervisor circuit 11, it is desirable that the communication standard between the interface circuit 23 and the control device 300 be unified into one single communication standard. This allows the distribution cables and receiving functions provided on the multiple control device sides to be configured as a single type, thereby reducing costs. It should be noted that the present invention can be modified and combined in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention also covers such modifications and combinations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1. Customer monitoring and control tools 3 Communication interface cable 5 Motor control circuit 7 Magnetic bearing control circuit 9. TMS Control Circuit 11 Supervisor Circuit 13, 23 Interface circuit 15 Power circuit 20 Communication Frame 25 Communication frame receiver 27 Pump Position 29 Commands 30 Operation processing section 31 Operation command / information acquisition command separation section 33 Pump position analysis section 35 Operation type analysis unit 37 Operation command transmitter 38 Response receiver 39 Reply Frame Creation Unit 40 Information Acquisition Processing Unit 41 Communication frame transmitter 42 Pump position analysis section 43 Acquired information type analysis unit 44 Reply information selection section 45 All Pump Information Collection Department 46 Information acquisition command transmitter 47 Reply Receiving Department 48 Reply Frame Creation Unit 49 Information acquisition command transmitter 50 Interface and Supervisor Circuits 51 Response receiving unit 53 Reply frame creation unit 55 Supervisor Department 61 Input Device 63 Display device 65 Key input reader 67 Display data creation unit 69 Display data output section 71 Display information selection section 73 Display data creation unit 100 Turbomolecular Pump 200, 300 control device 400, 600 Integrated Unit

Claims

1. A plurality of vacuum pumps; a plurality of control devices that respectively control the plurality of vacuum pumps; A vacuum pump system comprising: A vacuum pump system characterized by comprising an interface circuit that is arranged independently of the plurality of control devices and that controls the exchange of operation signals and acquired information signals with the plurality of control devices, while having an operation processing unit that can be controlled freely with respect to each control device, and an information acquisition processing unit that acquires information from the plurality of control devices.

2. The interface circuit an input / output means for monitoring and controlling the plurality of control devices; a signal analysis means for receiving a signal including a pump position for identifying any one of the plurality of vacuum pumps and a command for operation or information acquisition from the input / output means and analyzing the signal; When the signal analysis result by the signal analysis means indicates that the command in the signal is an operation command, the command is passed to the operation processing unit; 2. The vacuum pump system according to claim 1, wherein when the command in said signal is a command for acquiring information, said command is passed to said information acquisition processing unit.

3. 3. A vacuum pump system according to claim 1, wherein a power supply unit that supplies power to the plurality of control devices is unitized with the interface circuit and is arranged as an integrated unit independent of the plurality of control devices.

4. the information acquisition processing unit includes an all-pump information collection unit that cyclically acquires information about the plurality of vacuum pumps and holds the acquired information, 3. The vacuum pump system according to claim 2, wherein when a command in the signal is received, necessary information is extracted from the all-pump information collection unit based on the pump position analyzed from the command and the type of acquired information, and the extracted information is output to the outside by the input / output means.

5. In the information acquisition processing unit, 3. The vacuum pump system according to claim 2, wherein when a command in the signal is received, information is sequentially acquired from the plurality of control devices based on the pump position analyzed from the command and the type of acquired information, and the acquired information is output to the outside by the input / output means.

6. 6. A vacuum pump system according to claim 1, further comprising a supervisor unit that monitors the information acquired by the information acquisition processing unit and stops a target vacuum pump among the plurality of vacuum pumps when an abnormality is detected.

7. 3. The vacuum pump system according to claim 1, wherein a communication standard between said interface circuit and said plurality of control devices is unified into one communication standard.

8. a key input reading unit that reads a key input signal and passes the input signal to the operation processing unit to perform an operation instructed by the key input; and a display data output unit that displays the signal extracted by the information acquisition processing unit, 4. The vacuum pump system according to claim 3, wherein the key input reader and the display data output unit are attached to the integrated unit.

9. A plurality of vacuum pumps; a plurality of control devices that respectively control the plurality of vacuum pumps; An interface circuit mounted on a vacuum pump system comprising: An interface circuit that is arranged independently of the plurality of control devices and that controls the exchange of operation signals and acquired information signals with the plurality of control devices, while also having an operation processing unit that can be controlled freely with respect to each control device, and an information acquisition processing unit that acquires information from the plurality of control devices.

10. 10. The interface circuit according to claim 9, wherein the interface circuit is unitized together with a power supply unit that supplies power to the plurality of control devices, and is disposed independently of the plurality of control devices.

11. 11. The interface circuit according to claim 9, further comprising a supervisor unit that monitors the information acquired by the information acquisition processing unit and stops a target vacuum pump among the plurality of vacuum pumps when an abnormality is detected.

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