Air shower device and control method for air shower device

Abstract

To provide an industrial device and a control method thereof capable of preventing a user from pressing an emergency stop switch when no abnormality occurs in the device and when the user does not sense any danger, and ensuring the safety of the user even if an emergency stop state is erroneously released.SOLUTION: An industrial device includes a control unit that controls each mechanism of the industrial device and emergency stop means. The control unit is configured to extend an emergency stop state of the emergency stop means for a certain period of time in response to an action of a user to release the emergency stop state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to industrial equipment, and particularly to the emergency stop operation of industrial equipment.

Background Art

[0002] General industrial equipment is equipped with an emergency stop switch to immediately stop the equipment when an abnormality occurs in the equipment or when the user feels danger, ensuring the safety of the user. When the emergency stop switch is pressed by the user, the operation of the equipment stops immediately, and in many cases, operating the emergency stop switch again releases the emergency stop state and returns to the normal state.

[0003] Examples of industrial equipment having an emergency stop switch include an air shower device, an automatic door, and an electric drill.

[0004] An air shower device is installed at the entrance and exit of a clean room for manufacturing semiconductors, precision machinery, etc., and processing food, etc., and is a device that removes dust, pollen, etc. attached to the user with an air jet. In addition to the aforementioned industrial equipment, many air shower devices are also equipped with an emergency stop switch.

[0005] The air shower device controls to lock the door so that it cannot be opened during the air jet operation in order to expose the user to the air jet for a predetermined time. When an abnormality occurs in the air shower device or the user feels danger during the air jet operation, etc., pressing the emergency stop switch stops the operation of the air jet and releases the lock of the door. Thereby, the safety of the user can be ensured, and when it becomes necessary to evacuate from the clean room due to a disaster or the like, the air shower device can also be used as a passage. An air shower device that performs such control is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in the control method described in Patent Document 1, even when there is no abnormality in the air shower device and the user does not feel danger, the user presses the emergency stop switch and stops the air jet, so that the user can enter the clean room without being exposed to the air jet for a predetermined time. In such a case, it becomes a so-called "sneaking-through operation" in which dust or the like is brought into the clean room. Further, when an abnormality occurs in the air shower device or the user feels danger and presses the emergency stop switch to shift to the emergency stop state, and then the user accidentally releases the emergency stop state due to a malfunction or the like at hand, the device may restart or the safety of the user cannot be ensured.

[0008] As described above, Patent Document 1 only simply describes the emergency stop switch, and does not consider suppressing the intentional pressing of the emergency stop switch and ensuring safety even when the emergency stop state is accidentally released.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and it is possible to suppress the user from pressing the emergency stop switch when there is no abnormality in the device and the user does not feel danger, and also to ensure the safety of the user even if the emergency stop state is accidentally released. An industrial device and a control method thereof are provided.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The present invention, for example, is an industrial device including a control unit that controls each mechanism of the industrial device and an emergency stop means, and the control unit is configured to extend the emergency stop state for a certain period of time with respect to an operation of releasing the emergency stop state by the user in the emergency stop state by the emergency stop means.

Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a user from pressing an emergency stop switch when no abnormality has occurred in the device and the user does not feel danger, and even if the emergency stop state is accidentally released, it is possible to provide an industrial device that can ensure the safety of the user and a control method thereof.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, an air shower device will be described as an example of an industrial device.

Embodiment

[0014] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of an air shower device in the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the air shower device 1 has an air shower chamber 2 and is composed of a front chamber side door 3, a clean chamber side door 4, side walls 21 and 22 on both sides, and a ceiling (not shown). Air jet mechanisms 21a and 22a are respectively installed on the side walls 21 and 22 of the air shower chamber 2, and the air jet mechanisms are driven and controlled by a control unit 7 to jet air jets.

[0015] The sensor 5 is provided to detect the user 100 who has entered the air shower chamber 2. The control unit 7 can input the detection signal of this sensor 5 and determine whether there is a user 100 in the air shower chamber 2 (presence or absence of the user).

[0016] Here, a person using the air shower device is referred to as a "user", a person waiting on the pre-chamber side intending to use the air shower device is referred to as a "successor", and a person who manages the air shower device and intends to make the user use the air shower device optimally is referred to as an "administrator".

[0017] The emergency stop switch 6 is provided both inside and outside the air shower chamber 2, and can be pressed by the user 100, or by a successor 101 or an administrator 102 (not shown) waiting to use the air shower device from outside the room.

[0018] The emergency stop switch 6 is an emergency stop means used for the user 100 etc. to stop the air shower, and although it can be any switch, it is desirable that it is understood to be for emergency use.

[0019] The control unit 7 is provided to control each mechanism of the entire air shower device 1, inputs the detection signals of a pre-chamber side door switch (not shown), a clean room side door switch (not shown), the sensor 5, and the emergency stop switch 6, determines the entry and exit of the user, drives and controls the air jet mechanisms 21a and 22a, and activates the air jets. In this embodiment, an example is shown where the control unit 7 is provided inside the side wall 21 to make the whole compact, but it may be provided on the other side wall 22 side or outside. This control unit 7 can be realized by a device having the functions of a normal computer such as a PLC or a microprocessor.

[0020] The display setting unit 8 is installed on the side wall 21 of the air shower chamber 2, and is provided for performing settings related to the operation of the air shower device 1, displaying precautions (guidance) for the user, etc.

[0021] Although not shown, the air shower apparatus is provided with a notification means such as a buzzer or a rotating light to notify those in the vicinity of the state of the air shower apparatus.

[0022] Next, the operation of a general air shower device will be described. In the case of normal entry, user 100 passes through the detection area of ​​sensor 5 after the front room side door 3 is closed (after the opening and closing time has elapsed) and moves toward the clean room side door 4. During this movement, sensor 5 turns ON and detects user 100. In this case, control unit 7 determines that user 100 is a person entering the clean room, and activates the air jet.

[0023] The air jet continues to operate for a predetermined time to blow off dust adhering to the user 100, during which time the front room side door 3 and the clean room side door 4 are locked. This prevents the user 100 from opening the doors, so the user 100 can be exposed to the air jet for a predetermined time, but during that time the user 100 cannot freely exit the air shower room 2.

[0024] When an abnormality occurs in the air shower apparatus or when the user 100 feels danger, the air shower apparatus is put into an emergency stop state by pressing the emergency stop switch 6 provided inside and outside the air shower room. The air shower apparatus can also be put into an emergency stop state by a follower 101 or a manager 102 who senses something wrong with the air shower apparatus or the user 100 pressing the switch. As soon as the air shower apparatus is put into the emergency stop state, the air jet of the air shower apparatus stops, and the front room side door 3 and the clean room side door 4 are unlocked, allowing the doors to be opened. The emergency stop state must be continued until it is confirmed that the air shower apparatus is normal and the safety of the user 100 has been ensured. Therefore, after the emergency stop switch 6 is pressed once to put the air shower apparatus into the emergency stop state, it is often controlled so that the emergency stop state can be released by pressing it again, or, if a self-holding switch is used, the emergency stop state can be released when the self-holding switch is released.

[0025] The above is the general method of using an air shower device. However, among the users 100, there are those who are in a hurry to enter the clean room or dislike being exposed to the air jets. Such users 100 may press the emergency stop switch 6 even when there is no abnormality in the air shower device and they do not feel any danger to themselves, so as not to activate the air jets or try to stop the air jets without waiting for a predetermined time. In this case, it becomes a "sneaking-through operation" where the user enters the clean room without being exposed to the air jets for a predetermined time, and it becomes impossible to ensure the cleanliness of the clean room. Even if the emergency stop state caused by pressing the emergency stop switch is made known to the surroundings by well-known means such as a buzzer or a rotating light, if the emergency stop state is released instantly by pressing the emergency stop switch 6 again or the like, the operation of the well-known means also becomes short, so it is difficult to make it known to the surroundings.

[0026] Also, after the user 100 presses the emergency stop switch 6 and shifts to the emergency stop state when an abnormality occurs in the air shower device or the user feels danger to themselves, before the user 100 ensures safety, there may be a situation where the user accidentally releases the emergency stop state due to a malfunction of the hand. In this case, it becomes impossible to make it known to the surroundings when the device restarts or when the user 100 is unconscious. Also, even if one tries to make it known to the surroundings by well-known means such as a buzzer or a rotating light, if the emergency stop state lasts for a short time, the operation of the well-known means also becomes short, so it is difficult to make it known to the surroundings.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a time chart for explaining a conventional emergency stop state. In FIG. 2, the emergency stop switch 6 is controlled to enter the emergency stop state by being pressed once and to cancel the emergency stop state by being pressed again. However, the same applies to the control in which a self-holding switch is used and the emergency stop state is canceled by releasing the self-holding of the switch. In FIG. 2, pressing the emergency stop switch 6 causes a transition to the emergency stop state, and pressing it again immediately cancels the emergency stop state. Simultaneously with the cancellation of the emergency stop state, if the conditions for air jet operation are satisfied, the front chamber side door 3 and the clean room side door 4 are locked again, and the air jet operates. Since the notification by well-known means is only during the emergency stop state, if the emergency stop state is short, the time available for notification is also short.

[0028] Thus, conventionally, for the administrator 102, the "sneaking-through operation" of the user 100 is an undesirable act. However, the user 100 can perform the "sneaking-through operation" without being exposed to the people around, including the administrator 102, by using this mechanism. In addition, when the user 100 accidentally cancels the emergency stop state, the abnormality cannot be notified to the surroundings.

[0029] Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the user performs an operation to cancel the emergency stop state in the emergency stop state, the air shower device is controlled to extend the emergency stop state for a certain period of time. Also, in the emergency stop state, the emergency stop state is notified to the surroundings of the device by notification means such as a speaker and a rotating light.

[0030] Figure 3 is a time chart for explaining the emergency stop state in this embodiment. In Figure 3, similar to Figure 2, it shows a case where the emergency stop switch 6 enters the emergency stop state by being pressed once and releases the emergency stop state by being pressed again. In Figure 3, pressing the emergency stop switch 6 shifts to the emergency stop state, and even if the emergency stop switch 6 is pressed again, the emergency stop state is not immediately released but extended. As a result, even if the conditions for air jet operation are satisfied, the front chamber side door 3 and the clean room side door 4 are not locked and the air jet does not operate. Also, since the emergency stop state is extended, the time that can be made known by well-known means can be lengthened.

[0031] With such a configuration, even after the user 100 performs a "sneaking-through operation", the emergency stop state continues, so that the subsequent user 101 cannot use the air shower device for a certain period of time, resulting in congestion and inconvenience. Also, since it is made known to the surrounding people and the administrator 102 for a certain period of time by well-known means that the emergency stop state exists, it is revealed that the emergency stop switch 6 has been pressed. Since both are unfavorable situations for the user 100, the user 100 can be hesitant and restrained from pressing the emergency stop switch 6 to perform a "sneaking-through operation".

[0032] Also, even if the user 100 accidentally performs an operation to release the emergency stop state before confirming that there is no abnormality in the air shower device and their own safety, the emergency stop state is extended for a certain period of time, so that it can be made known to the surrounding people that there is an abnormality in the air shower device and that there is a danger to the user 100, and the safety of the user 100 can be ensured.

[0033] The time for extending the emergency stop state can be generally set in advance as a preset value ranging from about 10 seconds to 10 minutes and stored in the control unit 7, or it may be stored and set in the control unit 7 by operating the display setting unit 8. Also, it may be set so that a conventional control method of not extending the emergency stop state can be adopted. In addition, when the emergency stop state is released after a certain period of time has elapsed without releasing the emergency stop state, and the emergency stop state is released, control may be performed so as not to extend the emergency stop state assuming that the emergency stop switch has been correctly used. This function may also be set by the display setting unit 8.

[0034] In addition, when the user 100 performs an operation to release the emergency stop state and the emergency stop state is not immediately released, it is assumed that the user 100 will be confused. Therefore, the display setting unit may display that the emergency stop state is being extended.

[0035] Also, since the user 100's act of bringing the device to an emergency stop is a significant act that may reduce the cleanliness of the clean room or affect the safety of the user 100 for the administrator 102, there may be a function to notify a higher-level monitoring device, such as a personal computer for central control, of the emergency stop state and inform the administrator 102.

[0036] Next, the processing flow of the emergency stop state implemented by the control unit 7 in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the emergency stop processing in this embodiment.

[0037] In FIG. 4, first, for the air shower device in the standby state of step S1, the state of the emergency stop switch 6 is checked in step S2. If the emergency stop switch 6 is not pressed, step S2 is repeated and waiting continues until the emergency stop switch 6 is pressed. Here, the standby state of step S1 includes the state where the user opens and closes the door using the air shower device or activates the air jet. Since the emergency stop switch 6 is the highest-priority switch in the air shower device, no matter what operation the air shower device is performing, its operation can be immediately terminated to generate this operation flow. In step S2, if it is determined that the emergency stop switch 6 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, the emergency stop state is started and a notice to the surroundings by well-known means is started, and at the same time, a report is sent to the administrator through the upper-level device. Then, in step S4, a timer for counting the duration of the emergency stop state is started.

[0038] In step S5, the emergency stop state is released by pressing the emergency stop switch again in the emergency stop state. Here, in step S6, the elapsed timer value is compared with the set value. If the timer value is greater than the set value, in step S7, the timer is initialized, in step S8, the emergency stop state and the notice to the surroundings are terminated, and the process returns to the standby state of step S1. Proceeding to steps S7 and S8 means that the emergency stop switch was pressed for a legitimate reason such as an abnormality occurring in the air shower, and then the abnormality was resolved after a reasonable period of time, and the emergency stop state was released.

[0039] In step S6, when the elapsed timer value is compared with the set value and the timer value is not greater than the set value, the process proceeds to step S9, the emergency stop extension state is started, and a message indicating that the emergency stop is being extended is displayed on the display unit. Proceeding to step S9 means that the user attempted to perform a "sneak-through operation" or the user accidentally performed an operation to release the emergency stop state in a short time.

[0040] Next, the state of the emergency stop switch 6 is detected in step S10. If the emergency stop switch 6 is pressed, the timer is initialized in step S11, and the emergency stop state and notification to the surroundings are terminated in step S12. Then, the process proceeds to step S3, and the emergency stop state is started again. In this way, by pressing the emergency stop switch in the emergency stop extended state, the emergency stop state can be extended.

[0041] If the emergency stop switch 6 is not pressed in step S10, the timer value is compared with the set value in step S13. If the timer value is greater than the set value, the timer is initialized in step S14, and the emergency stop state and notification to the surroundings are terminated in step S15. Then, the process returns to the standby state of step S1. If the timer value is not greater than the set value in step S13, the process returns to step S10 and proceeds to confirm the state of the emergency stop switch 6.

[0042] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the user from pressing the emergency stop switch when there is no abnormality in the device and when the user does not feel danger, and it is also possible to provide an industrial device and its control method that can ensure the safety of the user even if the emergency stop state is accidentally canceled.

[0043] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, in the above-described embodiments, an air shower device is described as an example of the industrial device, but the present invention is also applicable to devices having an emergency stop switch such as an automatic door or an electric drill. Further, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0044] 1: Air shower device, 2: Air shower chamber, 3: Front chamber side door, 4: Clean room side door, 5: Sensor, 6: Emergency stop switch, 7: Control unit, 8: Display setting unit, 21, 22: Side walls, 21a, 22a: Air jet mechanism, 100: User, 101: Follower, 102: Administrator

Claims

1. An air shower device comprising a control unit for controlling each mechanism of an industrial device and an emergency stop means, wherein, in an emergency stop state caused by the emergency stop means, the control unit extends the emergency stop state for a certain period of time in response to an operation by a user to cancel the emergency stop state. The air shower device is characterized by this.

2. In the air shower device according to Claim 1, when the time from when the emergency stop state is caused by the emergency stop means to when an operation to cancel the emergency stop state is performed is within a predetermined time, the air shower device is characterized by extending the emergency stop state for a certain period of time.

3. In the air shower device according to Claim 1, the operation to cancel the emergency stop state is an operation of executing the emergency stop means again. The air shower device is characterized by this.

4. In the air shower device according to Claim 1, the emergency stop means is an emergency stop switch, and the operation to cancel the emergency stop state is pressing the emergency stop switch again. The air shower device is characterized by this.

5. In the air shower device according to Claim 1, it is provided with a notification means, and the control unit notifies the surroundings of the emergency stop state by the notification means. The air shower device is characterized by this.

6. In the air shower device according to Claim 1, the air shower device is characterized by having a function of notifying a higher-level monitoring device of the emergency stop state.

7. A control method for an air shower device comprising a control unit and an emergency stop means, wherein, in an emergency stop state caused by the emergency stop means, the control unit extends the emergency stop state for a certain period of time in response to an operation by a user to cancel the emergency stop state. The control method for the air shower device is characterized by this.

8. In the control method for the air shower device according to Claim 7, when the time from when the emergency stop state is caused by the emergency stop means to when an operation to cancel the emergency stop state is performed is within a predetermined time, the control method for the air shower device is characterized by extending the emergency stop state for a certain period of time.

9. In the control method for the air shower device according to Claim 7, the emergency stop means is an emergency stop switch. The control method for the air shower device is characterized by this.

10. In the control method for the air shower device according to Claim 7, A control method for an air shower device, characterized in that the control unit notifies the surroundings that it is in the emergency stop state.

11. In the control method for an air shower device according to claim 7, a control method for an air shower device, characterized in that the control unit notifies a higher-level monitoring device that it is in the emergency stop state.

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