Wireless Vacuum Valve Assembly for Predictive Seal Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vacuum valves used in semiconductor manufacturing face challenges with maintenance, including inaccurate replacement of valve components, potential for leakage due to wear and environmental factors, and uncertainty about maintenance needs, leading to operational inaccuracies and potential contamination.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) or near-field communication (NFC) transponder with a memory element into the vacuum valve, allowing for monitoring and storage of operational information, such as valve state, sealing material condition, and operational cycles, enabling improved maintenance planning and operational integrity checks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If valve components are replaced based on estimated maintenance intervals, then maintenance planning is simplified, but maintenance precision deteriorates leading to potential leakage and operational inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism by equipping valve components with RFID tags that automatically track and store operational data such as opening/closing cycle counts, operational time, and maintenance history. This real-time feedback enables precise determination of when maintenance is actually needed based on actual usage rather than estimates, resolving the contradiction between ease of planning and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve system performs self-monitoring through the RFID tag that automatically records its own operational parameters without external intervention. The tag stores cumulative cycle counts and operational data, enabling the system to self-determine maintenance needs, thus improving both ease of maintenance planning and reliability simultaneously.
2Device complexity
If operational data is manually tracked for valve maintenance, then data storage is simple, but measurement precision deteriorates leading to uncertainty about maintenance needs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical tracking methods with an electronic RFID-based data storage and counting system. The RFID tag automatically increments cycle counters and stores operational data electronically, eliminating manual recording errors and providing precise measurement of operational cycles while keeping the overall system relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The RFID tag serves as an intermediary device between the valve mechanism and the maintenance management system. It automatically captures operational data from the valve's actuation and stores it in a structured format, providing precise measurement data without requiring complex external monitoring systems.
3Productivity
If valve closure replacement is performed without verification, then replacement speed is increased, but manufacturing precision deteriorates leading to inaccurate replacement and potential contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary verification action by requiring that the RFID tag on the new valve closure be read and verified against the system requirements before installation is completed. The system checks whether the replacement component has the correct RFID identification and operational parameters, ensuring accuracy before the replacement is finalized, thus maintaining both speed and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The RFID verification system provides immediate feedback during the replacement process by reading the tag on the replacement valve closure and confirming it meets system specifications. This feedback mechanism ensures that only appropriate replacements are installed, maintaining manufacturing precision while allowing for rapid replacement procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a valve for regulating a volume or mass flow and/or for closing and opening a valve opening, having a valve seat, a valve closure and a drive unit which is coupled to the valve closure and is set up to provide a movement of the valve closure in such a way that the valve closure can be adjusted from an open position to a closed position and back. The vacuum valve includes a radio arrangement having at least one coupling element and a memory element, and information relating to a valve state can be provided by means of the memory element.