Interface module with safety interlock system, storage medium, and safety verification method
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and complexity of providing oxygen concentration meters at multiple locations in an interface module for safety verification during maintenance, especially when replacing N2 gas with Clean Dry Air, make the system expensive and difficult to manage.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a fan filter unit with a differential pressure gauge to detect pressure differences between the upper housing and the FFU internal space, allowing for safe verification of gas replacement without the need for multiple oxygen concentration meters, using a safety PLC to ensure safe operation and reduce costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple oxygen concentration meters are provided at each location of the interface module for safety verification, then the safety verification capability is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
A differential pressure gauge is introduced as an intermediary device to indirectly verify gas replacement safety. Instead of directly measuring oxygen concentration at multiple locations, the system measures pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the housing to determine whether N2 gas has been fully replaced with CDA, thereby achieving safety verification with a single sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the complex electronic oxygen concentration measurement system with a simpler mechanical pressure-based detection system. By using a differential pressure gauge to measure pressure differential, the system substitutes sophisticated chemical sensing with a more straightforward mechanical measurement approach, reducing device complexity while maintaining safety verification capability.
2Reliability
If multiple oxygen concentration meters are installed throughout the interface module, then the safety verification accuracy is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The differential pressure gauge serves as an intermediary that provides sufficient safety verification information without requiring multiple expensive oxygen concentration meters. The pressure differential measurement indirectly indicates the gas composition state, achieving accurate safety verification at a lower cost.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of directly copying the expensive oxygen concentration measurement function to multiple locations, the system uses a single differential pressure gauge that infers gas replacement status through pressure differential, creating a cost-effective alternative that achieves the same safety verification objective.
3Manufacturing precision
If the interface module is filled with N2 gas to suppress oxide film formation, then the substrate quality is improved, but the safety risk for maintenance personnel increases
Solution Approach 1:
The differential pressure gauge provides real-time feedback on the gas composition status by measuring pressure differential. This feedback mechanism allows the system to monitor whether N2 gas has been fully replaced with CDA before maintenance, enabling safety verification without compromising the oxide film suppression capability during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary gas replacement action by filling the housing with CDA before maintenance operations. The differential pressure gauge verifies that this preliminary action has been completed successfully, ensuring that the harmful N2 atmosphere has been replaced with safe CDA atmosphere before personnel enter the housing.
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
This configuration enables reliable and cost-effective safety verification, ensuring the interface module is safe for maintenance without the need for multiple oxygen concentration meters, thereby reducing expenses and simplifying the interlock circuit.
Implementation Method 1
a differential pressure gauge connected to a first port and a second port to detect a differential pressure between an interior of the upper housing and the FFU internal space
Data Source
AI summary
Examples of an interface module includes a fan filter unit having a fan and a filter, a housing surrounding a space adjacent to the filter, the housing includes a door, an upper housing surrounding a space adjacent to the fan, a first port provided in the upper housing, a second port communicating to a FFU internal space, the FFU internal space is a space between the fan and the filter in the fan filter unit, and a differential pressure gauge connected to the first port and the second port to detect a differential pressure between an interior of the upper housing and the FFU internal space.