Flow Metering Device

Abstract

To improve the convenience of operation after a device is mounted.SOLUTION: A mass flow controller includes: a display section 11; an operation section 12; a basic functional section 13 that realizes a basic function as the mass flow controller; a display control section 16 that causes the display section 11 to display a screen in an orientation corresponding to an instruction on an orientation from an operator; a layout orientation setting section 17 that sets a vertical direction of function layout of the operation section 12 to match a vertical direction of display of the display section 11; and an orientation instruction acquisition section 18 that acquires an instruction to specify an orientation of display by the display section 11 or orientation of the function layout of the operation section 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device having a flow rate measurement function, such as a flow rate sensor or a mass flow controller. [Background technology]

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing equipment, flow rate measuring devices and flow rate controlling devices such as flow sensors and mass flow controllers are used to introduce material gases and the like into a vacuum chamber at a constant flow rate (see Patent Document 1). Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a mass flow controller 10. In Fig. 8, 1 is a main body block, 2 is a sensor package, 3 is a head portion of the sensor package 2, 4 is a flow rate measuring portion (flow sensor), 5 is a valve, 6 is a flow path formed inside the main body block 1, 7 is an opening on the inlet side of the flow path 6, and 8 is an opening on the outlet side of the flow path 6.

[0003] The fluid flows into the flow path 6 from the opening 7, passes through the valve 5, and is discharged from the opening 8. At this time, the flow rate measuring unit 4 measures the flow rate of the fluid. The flow rate measuring unit 4 is mounted on the header part 3 of the sensor package 2, and is attached to the main body block 1 so as to be exposed to the fluid to be measured. A control device (not shown) of the mass flow controller 10 compares the flow rate measurement value obtained by the flow rate measuring unit 4 with the flow rate set value, and outputs a drive current to the valve 5 based on the comparison result. In this way, by driving the valve 5, the flow rate of the fluid is controlled so as to match the flow rate set value.

[0004] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a vacuum apparatus (e.g., a plasma etching apparatus) used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Such vacuum apparatuses are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 2, 3, and 4. In Fig. 9, reference numeral 100 denotes a vacuum chamber, 101 denotes an exhaust pipe provided at the bottom of the vacuum chamber 100, 102 denotes a shower head that functions as an upper electrode, 103 denotes a mounting table that functions as a lower electrode, 104 denotes a gas supply pipe connected to a gas inlet of the shower head 102, 105 denotes a pressure sensor provided in the vacuum chamber 100, and 106 denotes a high-frequency power supply. The gas supply pipe 104 is provided with the mass flow controller 10 described in Fig. 8.

[0005] In the example of the vacuum apparatus shown in FIG. 9, the internal atmosphere of a vacuum chamber 100 is evacuated through an exhaust pipe 101 to a predetermined vacuum level, and a process gas is introduced into a shower head 102 through a gas supply pipe 104. The process gas is uniformly discharged onto a wafer 107 placed on a mounting table 103 through a plurality of discharge holes (not shown) provided in the shower head 102, and the pressure inside the vacuum chamber 100 is maintained at a predetermined value. In this state, high-frequency power is applied to the mounting table 103 from a high-frequency power supply 106. This generates a high-frequency electric field between the mounting table 103 as a lower electrode and the shower head 102 as an upper electrode, causing the process gas to dissociate and become plasma. This plasma is used to etch the wafer 107.

[0006] On the other hand, flow sensors and mass flow controllers are used in industrial furnaces and other equipment that require high-precision flow control in addition to semiconductor manufacturing equipment. In these fields of use, if communication functions are not used, operators may check the flow rate and perform other tasks via the HMI (Human Machine Interface) provided with the flow sensor or mass flow controller. In such cases, it is necessary to perform operations such as finalizing the display content after installation in the industrial furnace, so a flow sensor or mass flow controller with an HMI that is easy to operate is required.

[0007] Figure 10 shows an external view of a multi-function mass flow controller equipped with a display unit 11 and an operation unit 12. As mentioned above, 5 is a valve, 7 is an opening on the inlet side of the flow path, and 8 is an opening on the outlet side of the flow path.

[0008] Recent flow sensors and mass flow controllers are multi-functional devices equipped with measurement, control, and alarm functions, and require operation of the display after installation in, for example, an industrial furnace. On the other hand, flow sensors and mass flow controllers are devices that are installed directly in the piping through which the fluid (gas or liquid) that is the target of flow measurement and control flows. Therefore, although flow sensors and mass flow controllers require operation, they are not necessarily installed with ease of operation as a priority. In other words, situations can arise where ease of operation is compromised, and improvements are needed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-039588 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-233507 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-207353 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-006380 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a flow rate measuring device that can improve the convenience of operation after mounting. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The flow rate measurement device of the present invention includes a flow rate measurement unit configured to measure the flow rate of a fluid flowing through a flow path, a display unit configured to display at least information about the flow rate measurement unit, an operation unit configured to receive an operation input from an operator, a direction command acquisition unit configured to acquire a command specifying the display direction of the display unit or the direction of function allocation of the operation unit, a display control unit configured to display a screen on the display unit oriented in accordance with the direction command, and an allocation direction setting unit configured to set the up-down direction of function allocation of the operation unit to match the up-down direction of the display on the display unit. The display unit and the operation unit are arranged along the flow direction of the fluid, the operation unit is arranged on the inlet side of the flow path, and the display unit is arranged on the outlet side of the flow path, and the display control unit can set the display orientation of the display unit in 90° increments, and can only set the direction of the fluid flow and the up-down direction of the display to be opposite, or the up-down direction of the display to be perpendicular to the direction of the fluid flow. It is characterized by the following.

[0012] In one configuration example of the flow rate measuring device of the present invention, the display unit and the operation unit are arranged in different areas as separate components. In addition, in one configuration example of the flow rate measuring device of the present invention, the display unit and the operation unit are configured as a single component having both display and input functions. Also One example configuration of the flow rate measuring device of the present invention is characterized in that an opening on the inlet side and an opening on the outlet side of the flow path are provided so that an installation direction in which the direction of flow of the fluid and the up-down direction of the display on the display unit are the same is an installation direction that is not recommended for flow rate measurement. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, by providing a direction command acquisition unit, a display control unit, and an allocation direction setting unit, the display orientation and the orientation of the function allocation of the operation unit can be set so that they are not in an orientation that is difficult for the operator to see, thereby improving the convenience of operation after implementation of the flow measurement device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example in which the orientation of the display unit and operation unit of a mass flow controller according to the present invention is changed. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example in which the orientation of the display unit and the operation unit is changed depending on the orientation of the mass flow controller in the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows an example of installation where the operation unit of the mass flow controller is on top and the display unit is on the bottom. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing directions excluded from direction change. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a mass flow controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operations of the display control unit, the allocation direction setting unit, and the direction command acquisition unit of the mass flow controller according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer that realizes a mass flow controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the mass flow controller. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the vacuum device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an external view of a multi-function mass flow controller equipped with a display unit and an operation unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] [Principle 1] Flow sensors and mass flow controllers are devices that are installed directly in the pipes through which the fluid (gas or liquid) that is the target of flow measurement and control flows, and in some cases a preferred flow direction is specified, such as the fluid flow direction in the mass flow controller shown in Figure 8. Therefore, the HMI used for operation may have to be oriented in a direction that is difficult for the operator to see (an inconvenient direction).

[0016] The inventors focused on situations in which operational convenience is impaired, and came up with the idea that by keeping the aspect ratio of the display approximately the same and allowing the display orientation to be changed in 90° increments, and by limiting the operation keys (operation key assignments) to those that can be changed in 90° increments to correspond to the display orientation, the operator will be able to select the orientation of the entire HMI after installing the flow sensor or mass flow controller, thereby improving convenience.

[0017] 1(A), 1(B), and 1(C) are diagrams showing examples in which the orientation of the display unit 11 and the operation unit 12 is changed without changing the orientation of the mass flow controller 10. 12U indicates an up arrow key (for example, a key for increasing a set value), 12D indicates a down arrow key (for example, a key for decreasing a set value), 12L indicates a left arrow key (for example, a key for moving a set value one digit to the left), and 12R indicates a right arrow key (for example, a key for moving a set value one digit to the right).

[0018] 2(A) and 2(B) are diagrams showing examples in which the orientation of the display unit 11 is changed depending on the orientation of the mass flow controller 10. In the example of Fig. 2(A), the left side is the inlet side of the flow path, and the right side is the outlet side of the flow path. In the example of Fig. 2(B), the right side is the inlet side of the flow path, and the left side is the outlet side of the flow path.

[0019] [Principle 2] The operator who installs the flow sensor or mass flow controller (for example, by mounting it on semiconductor manufacturing equipment) is not necessarily the same as the operator who actually performs operations such as parameter adjustment, and in the case of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, it is common for the installation to be performed by operators from different companies at different sites. In such cases, there is a possibility that the operator who installs the flow sensor or mass flow controller will install it without considering the convenience of the operator who will actually perform the operation.

[0020] Specifically, for example, as shown in Figure 3, the mass flow controller 10 may be installed so that the display unit 11 is on the bottom and the operation unit 12 is on the top. Although the orientation of the display unit 11 can be changed using the function described in Principle 1 of the Invention, the operator's hands may cover the display unit 11 when operating it, making it difficult to see the display.

[0021] The inventors have focused on this problem and have come up with the idea of ​​limiting the orientation of the display unit and the operation unit (allocation of operation keys) to the three orientations shown in Figure 1(A), Figure 1(B), and Figure 1(C). In other words, in terms of correspondence with Figure 1, the orientation change in Figure 4 is intentionally made impossible.

[0022] [Principle 3] When installing flow sensors and mass flow controllers in vertical piping, there are recommended and unrecommended directions (for example, when measuring the flow rate of a liquid, if the flow direction is from top to bottom in a vertical piping, the accuracy of the flow rate measurement may be affected if the piping is not filled with liquid). Considering these constraints, it is best to assign unrecommended directions to the directions shown in Figure 4.

[0023] For example, it is preferable to design the mass flow controller 10 in Figures 2(A) and 2(B) so that the fluid flow direction coincides with the bottom-to-top direction in Figure 1(A). In other words, an apparatus design such as that in Figure 3, in which the fluid flows from top to bottom in a vertical pipe, is likely to be avoided.

[0024] Similarly, in the case of a flow sensor, if the sensor is of a type in which the flow direction of the fluid is regulated, similar to a mass flow controller, it is preferable to design the flow direction to coincide with the bottom-to-top direction in FIG. 1(A).

[0025] In this way, the present invention has the effect of avoiding installations that make the display difficult to see, and also avoiding installations in directions that are not recommended. Note that Principle 3 may be applied in combination with the process shown in Principle 2.

[0026] [Example] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a mass flow controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a mass flow controller will be taken as an example of a flow rate measuring device. In addition, this embodiment will be described as a configuration in which Principle 2 and Principle 3 are applied in addition to a configuration corresponding to Principle 1 above.

[0027] The mass flow controller is composed of a display unit 11 for displaying information such as flow rate measurement values, target flow rate (set value), valve operation amount, and control status; an operation unit 12 for receiving operation input from an operator; a basic function unit 13 for realizing the basic functions of a mass flow controller; a display control unit 16 for displaying a screen on the display unit 11 in a direction corresponding to a directional command from the operator; an allocation direction setting unit 17 for setting the up and down direction of the function allocation of the operation unit 12 to match the up and down direction of the display on the display unit 11; and a direction command acquisition unit 18 for acquiring a command specifying the display direction of the display unit 11 or the direction of the function allocation of the operation unit 12.

[0028] The basic function unit 13 is composed of a valve 5 provided in the flow path, a flow rate measurement unit 14 that measures the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the flow path, and a flow rate control unit 15 that controls the opening of the valve 5 so that the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit 14 matches a predetermined target flow rate.

[0029] In this embodiment, it is preferable that the aspect ratio of the display area of ​​the display unit 11 is substantially the same, and specifically, it is preferable that the display area is a square. The flow control unit 15 of the basic function unit 13 controls the opening degree of the valve 5 based on the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit 14 and the target flow rate, but since the operation of the basic function unit 13 is similar to the conventional configuration disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0030] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operations of the display control unit 16, the allocation direction setting unit 17, and the direction command acquisition unit 18. The direction command acquisition unit 18 acquires a command from the operator specifying the display direction of the display unit 11 or the allocation direction of the operation keys of the operation unit 12 (step S100 in FIG. 6). A dedicated operation key may be provided for simply instructing the rotation of the display direction or allocation direction in 90° rotations, or a special operation (such as a long press or simultaneous press) on the operation keys 12U, 12D, 12L, and 12R of the operation unit 12 may be acquired as a command from the operator.

[0031] Next, the display control unit 16 displays on the display unit 11 a screen oriented in accordance with the direction command from the operator (step S101 in FIG. 6). The orientation can be set in increments of 90°. However, as shown in FIG. 4, a setting in which the direction of fluid flow and the vertical direction of the display (the vertical direction of the function allocation of the operation unit 12) are the same is not permitted. The only settings allowed are those in which the direction of fluid flow and the vertical direction of the display are reversed, as in FIG. 1(A), and those in which the vertical direction of the display is perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow, as in FIGS. 1(B) and 1(C).

[0032] For example, when an operator commands the display direction and layout direction in 90° increments, the orientation setting shown in FIG. 4 can be prevented from being selected. Furthermore, when the operator selects the setting of the orientation shown in FIG. 4, the display control unit 16 may cause the display unit 11 to display a message indicating that the setting is not possible.

[0033] The allocation direction setting unit 17 sets the vertical direction of the function allocation of the operation unit 12 to match the vertical direction of the display set by the display control unit 16 (step S102 in FIG. 6). For example, in the example of FIG. 1(A), the display control unit 16 recognizes, based on the settings made by the allocation direction setting unit 17, that the operation key closest to the inlet side of the flow path (the lower side of FIGS. 1(A), 1(B), and 1(C)) is the down arrow key 12D, the operation keys located on the left and right of the fluid flow direction are the left arrow key 12L and the right arrow key 12R, and the operation key farthest from the inlet side of the flow path is the up arrow key 12U.

[0034] In the example of FIG. 1(B), the display control unit 16 recognizes, based on the settings made by the allocation direction setting unit 17, that the operation key closest to the inlet side of the flow path is the left arrow key 12L, the operation keys positioned in a direction perpendicular to the fluid flow direction are the up arrow key 12U and the down arrow key 12D, and the operation key farthest from the inlet side of the flow path is the right arrow key 12R.

[0035] In the example of FIG. 1(C), the display control unit 16 recognizes, based on the settings made by the allocation direction setting unit 17, that the operation key closest to the inlet side of the flow path is the right arrow key 12R, the operation keys positioned in a direction perpendicular to the fluid flow direction are the up arrow key 12U and the down arrow key 12D, and the operation key farthest from the inlet side of the flow path is the left arrow key 12L.

[0036] Thereafter, the display control unit 16 recognizes the function allocation of each operation key of the operation unit 12 according to the setting by the allocation direction setting unit 17, and when, for example, the operator operates the operation unit 12 to change the setting of a parameter of the flow rate control unit 15 (for example, a PID parameter or a target flow rate), the display control unit 16 passes the changed value to the flow rate control unit 15. This updates the parameter of the flow rate control unit 15. Furthermore, the display control unit 16 displays, for example, the flow rate measurement value received from the flow rate control unit 15 on the display unit 11.

[0037] Thus, this embodiment improves the ease of operation of the mass flow controller flow measurement device after installation. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inlet opening 7 and outlet opening 8 of the flow path are positioned so that an installation direction in which the fluid flow direction and the vertical direction of the display are the same is not recommended for flow measurement. In other words, if the flow direction is set to bottom-to-top in a vertical pipe, the display orientation that can be set, as shown in Figure 4, is reversed. Therefore, if an attempt is made to set the display orientation to a preferred direction, as shown in Figure 3, the flow direction will be top-to-bottom in a vertical pipe, which will affect the accuracy of the flow measurement. In other words, by determining the display orientation and the installation positions of the flow path openings 7 and 8 as in this embodiment, directions that are not recommended for flow measurement can be assigned to the directions shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0038] In this embodiment, the description is given of a configuration in which the operation unit 12 is provided in a separate area from the display unit 11 and is made up of mechanical components. However, the present invention can also be applied to a case in which the display unit 11 and the operation unit 12 are made up of a single component, for example, by employing a touch panel like that of a smartphone. Furthermore, the flow rate control function is not an essential component of the present invention, and the present invention may be applied to a flow rate sensor that only has a flow rate measurement function.

[0039] The flow rate control unit 15, display control unit 16, allocation direction setting unit 17, and direction command acquisition unit 18 of this embodiment can be realized by a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device, and an interface, and a program that controls these hardware resources. An example of the configuration of this computer is shown in Figure 7.

[0040] The computer includes a CPU 200, a storage device 201, and an interface device (I / F) 202. The I / F 202 is connected to a flow rate measurement unit 4, a valve 5, a display unit 11, an operation unit 12, and the like. In such a computer, a program for realizing the method of the present invention is stored in the storage device 201. The CPU 200 executes the processing described in this embodiment in accordance with the program stored in the storage device 201. [Industrial Applicability]

[0041] The present invention can be applied to a flow sensor or a mass flow controller. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 5...valve, 7...inlet opening, 8...outlet opening, 11...display unit, 12...operation unit, 13...basic function unit, 14...flow rate measurement unit, 15...flow rate control unit, 16...display control unit, 17...assignment direction setting unit, 18...direction command acquisition unit.

Claims

1. a flow rate measuring unit configured to measure a flow rate of a fluid flowing through the flow path; a display configured to display information about at least the flow rate measuring unit; an operation unit configured to receive operation input from an operator; a direction command acquisition unit configured to acquire a command specifying a display direction of the display unit or a function allocation direction of the operation unit; a display control unit configured to display a screen in an orientation corresponding to the direction command on the display unit; an allocation direction setting unit configured to set a vertical direction of function allocation of the operation unit in accordance with a vertical direction of display on the display unit, the display unit and the operation unit are arranged along a flow direction of the fluid, the operation unit is arranged on an inlet side of the flow path, and the display unit is arranged on an outlet side of the flow path, The display control unit is capable of setting the display orientation of the display unit in 90° increments, and is only capable of setting the display orientation so that the direction of the fluid flow is opposite to the up-down direction of the display, and the up-down direction of the display is perpendicular to the direction of the fluid flow.

2. 2. The flow rate measuring device according to claim 1, A flow rate measuring device, characterized in that the display unit and the operation unit are disposed in different areas as separate components.

3. 2. The flow rate measuring device according to claim 1, A flow rate measuring device, wherein the display unit and the operation unit are configured as a single component having both display and input functions.

4. 4. The flow rate measuring device according to claim 1, A flow measurement device characterized in that an opening on the inlet side and an opening on the outlet side of the flow path are provided so that an installation direction in which the direction of flow of the fluid and the up-down direction of the display on the display unit are the same is an installation direction that is not recommended for flow rate measurement.

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