Heat Treatment Temperature Control with Virtual Sensor Failover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature control systems in heat treatment apparatuses face challenges in maintaining accurate temperature control when one or more temperature sensors fail, leading to inconsistencies and reduced precision in processing conditions.
Innovation Solution
A control method that calculates a correction value for a virtual sensor based on the output of real sensors, allowing for seamless switching to virtual sensor control when real sensors fail, ensuring continuous and accurate temperature control by using stored correction values from previous processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a real temperature sensor is used for control, then measurement accuracy is maintained, but reliability deteriorates when the sensor fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual sensor that copies the functionality of a real temperature sensor by calculating temperature based on detection values from other sensors. When a real sensor fails, the virtual sensor provides a backup measurement, maintaining both measurement accuracy and system reliability through this replicated sensing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-calculates and stores correction values during normal operation before a failure occurs. These correction values are saved in advance and automatically applied when a sensor failure is detected, providing cushioning against the potential loss of measurement accuracy that would otherwise occur during failure recovery.
2Manufacturing precision
If sensor failure occurs during process execution, then reliability deteriorates, but manufacturing precision is maintained by switching to virtual sensor control
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual sensor serves as a backup copy of the real sensor, allowing the system to maintain manufacturing precision by switching to the virtual sensor's data when the real sensor fails. This copying mechanism ensures that processing conditions remain consistent without interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the detection values from multiple sensors and uses feedback from these readings to calculate and update the virtual sensor's output. This feedback loop ensures that the virtual sensor provides accurate temperature information that maintains manufacturing precision even when real sensors fail.
3Measurement precision
If correction values are calculated after process execution, then measurement precision is improved for future processes, but loss of time occurs during the correction calculation phase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs correction value calculations during the process execution itself rather than waiting until after the process ends. By calculating correction values in advance during normal operation, the system improves measurement precision for subsequent operations without causing time loss during critical correction phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The correction value calculation is performed continuously during process execution rather than as a separate post-processing step. This continuous calculation maintains the usefulness of the virtual sensor throughout the process while distributing the computational load, thereby improving measurement precision without creating concentrated time losses.
Data Source
AI summary
A control method includes: calculating a correction value after a predetermined process is executed; and controlling a control target based on an output value of at least one of a real sensor and a virtual sensor during execution of the predetermined process. The calculating includes correcting an output value of the virtual sensor. The controlling includes: controlling the control target based on an output value of the real sensor while monitoring a failure of the real sensor; correcting an output value of the virtual sensor with the correction value when the real sensor fails; and switching from a control based on the output value of the real sensor to a control based on the output value of the virtual sensor after the correcting the output value of the virtual sensor.