Transport Apparatus Failover Control for Continuous Material Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport apparatuses in semiconductor manufacturing face interruptions and increased transport time due to failures in the control module, such as network or power supply failures.
Innovation Solution
A transport apparatus with a dual control module system, where a second control module monitors and executes the control program to resume operations when a failure occurs in the first control module, using failover functions and event log files to ensure continuous material transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single control module is used to control the transport apparatus, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability decreases due to potential failures stopping operations
Solution Approach 1:
The control module is segmented into a first control module for primary control operations and a second control module for backup and monitoring. This segmentation allows the system to maintain reliability through redundancy while keeping each individual control module relatively simple in structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The second control module preliminarily prepares to take over control operations before any failure occurs. The standby control module is pre-configured with the control program and monitoring capabilities, so that upon failure of the first control module, it can immediately execute the control program without requiring complex real-time reconfiguration.
2Productivity
If the transport apparatus stops operations due to control module failure, then the reliability issue is avoided (safe stop), but the productivity decreases due to increased transport time
Solution Approach 1:
The second control module is pre-prepared with the control program and monitoring functions before any failure occurs. This preliminary preparation enables seamless failover without operational interruption, maintaining productivity while ensuring reliability through the backup mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The system ensures continuous control operation by having the second control module ready to immediately take over when the first control module fails. The monitoring mechanism continuously checks the first control module's status, and the failover process maintains uninterrupted control of the transport apparatus, preventing operational stops.
3Reliability
If the second control module continuously monitors the first control module, then the reliability is improved through failure detection, but the use of energy increases due to continuous monitoring operations
Solution Approach 1:
The second control module implements feedback monitoring of the first control module's operations. This feedback mechanism allows the system to detect failures while managing energy consumption through intelligent monitoring strategies that balance reliability requirements with energy efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A transport apparatus includes a transport module for transporting a material, a first control module in which a control program for controlling operations of the transport module is installed, and a second control module in which the control program is installed. The second control module monitors operations of the first control module and executes the control program to control the operations of the transport module when a failure occurs in the first control module.