Transportable container including an internal environment monitor

• US 20070185687A1
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entegris Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Entegris Incorporated
• Inventors: Dante, Edward, Speasl, Jerry
• Granted Patent: US 7,490,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/185
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/7075 Handling workpieces outside exposure position, e.g. SMIF box
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67393 characterised by the presence of atmosphere modifying elements inside or attached to the closed carrierl
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/14 Wafer cassette transporting

Abstract

A system is disclosed allowing non-invasive, continuous local and remote sensing of the internal environmental characteristics of transportable containers. The system utilizes a variety of sensors inside the container to sense internal environmental conditions.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A transportable container having an internal environment isolated from ambient atmospheric conditions, comprising:

a plurality of sensors, each sensor monitoring an internal environmental condition within said transportable container;

a transceiver in communication with said plurality of sensors, receiving and transmitting said data transmitted by said plurality of sensors; and

a power supply, providing power to said at least one sensor and said transceiver.

22. The transportable container of claim 21, wherein at least one of said sensors in said plurality of sensors is selected from a group comprising:

a temperature sensor;

a humidity sensor; and

an accelerometer sensor.

23. The transportable container of claim 21, wherein at least one of said plurality of sensors includes a plurality of sensor inputs, mounted with said internal portion of said container at distinct locations, sensing an internal environmental condition within said container at said respective distinct locations.

24. The transportable container of claim 21, wherein said communication between said plurality of sensors and said transceiver is performed over a network bus.

25. A transportable container sensor network, for monitoring internal environmental conditions within a transportable container, comprising:

a network bus;

a transceiver, connected with said network bus;

a plurality of network nodes, connected with said network bus; and

a plurality of sensors, connected with said network nodes, wherein said sensors monitor said internal environment conditions within said transportable container, and provide data to said network nodes related to said internal environment conditions.

26. The transportable container sensor network of claim 25, wherein said plurality of network nodes are configured as a master-slave network, and wherein said network bus functions as a gateway.

27. The transportable container sensor network of claim 25, wherein said plurality of network nodes are configured as a pier-to-pier network.

28-34. -34. (canceled)