Auxiliary Pump Redundancy for Substrate Film Forming Machine Tables
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate film formation machines are inefficient due to the need for complete shutdown and repair when any pump is damaged, disrupting production and affecting yield.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of auxiliary pumps connected to critical chambers and control switches to enable continuous operation by switching to auxiliary pumps in case of primary pump failure, allowing for on-the-fly replacement without halting the machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a substrate film formation machine uses a single pump system for vacuum maintenance, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability drops significantly when a pump fails requiring complete shutdown
Solution Approach 1:
The patent configures auxiliary pumps in advance as backup systems before any pump failure occurs. The auxiliary pumps are pre-connected to the vacuum chambers and can be activated immediately when a primary pump fails, eliminating the need for complete machine shutdown and enabling continuous production operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a redundancy strategy by adding auxiliary pumps as cushioning backup systems. When a primary pump fails, the auxiliary pump provides immediate compensatory vacuum pumping capability, cushioning the impact of the failure and allowing the machine to continue operating without interruption.
2Productivity
If the machine shuts down completely for pump repair, then the reliability is maintained by ensuring proper repair, but the productivity decreases due to production interruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous vacuum pumping action by implementing auxiliary pumps that take over when primary pumps fail. This ensures the vacuum environment is maintained continuously without interruption, allowing film formation processes to proceed without shutdown and maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary pumps are prepared in advance and can be activated immediately upon primary pump failure. This preliminary preparation ensures that the vacuum environment stability is maintained without interruption, allowing repair work to be performed on the failed pump without halting production.
3Reliability
If multiple pumps are used in the system, then the reliability improves through redundancy, but the device complexity increases with more components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent strategically places auxiliary pumps at specific locations where they can serve multiple vacuum chambers. The auxiliary pumps are pre-configured with connection pathways to different chambers, allowing a single auxiliary pump to back up multiple primary pumps, thus achieving redundancy without proportionally increasing the number of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary pumps are designed with multi-functionality to serve multiple vacuum chambers and replace multiple primary pumps. A single auxiliary pump can be activated to support different chambers depending on which primary pump fails, reducing the total number of auxiliary pumps needed while maintaining system reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances production efficiency by maintaining operation and reducing downtime during pump failures, ensuring consistent vacuum environments for substrate film formation.
Implementation Method 1
a pump set, the pump set comprising a plurality of first pumps that are connected to the first substrate bearer in-out cavity, so as to pump out air in the first substrate bearer in-out cavity
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate film forming machine table and a usage method. The substrate film forming machine table comprises: a first substrate bearing inlet and outlet chamber; a second substrate bearing inlet and outlet chamber; a film forming chamber; an intermediate chamber; a pump set connected to the first substrate bearing inlet and outlet chamber; a second pump connected to the intermediate chamber; a third pump connected to the film forming chamber and the second substrate bearing inlet and outlet chamber; at least one backup pump, which is provided to connect to the film forming chamber and the second substrate bearing inlet and outlet chamber so as to extract air from the film forming chamber and the second substrate bearing inlet and outlet chamber when the third pump is damaged; or, connecting to the intermediate chamber so as to extract air from the intermediate chamber when the second pump is damaged.