Systems for Operating Multiple Plasma and/or Induction Heating Systems and Related Methods

• US 20120097666A1
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRUMPF Hüttinger GmbH + Co. KG (Trumpf GmbH + Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Hüttinger Elektronik GmbH + Co. KG
• Inventors: Pohl, Thomas, Heller, Ulrich
• Granted Patent: US 8,993,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/663
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/06 Control, e.g. of temperature, of power
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 2242/22 DC, AC or pulsed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 2242/26 Matching networks

Abstract

In some aspects of the invention, a system for operating a plurality of plasma and/or induction heating processing systems includes an operating unit that has a display device on which a graphic user interface can be displayed, at least two power generators that supply power to a plasma process or an induction heating process, and a network that connects the operating unit to the power generators to transmit signals between the operating unit and the power generators. The graphic user interface includes a static region and a dynamic region, and a selection device for selecting information to be displayed in the dynamic region.

Claims

1. A system for operating a plurality of plasma and/or induction heating processing systems, the system comprising:

an operating unit comprising;

a display device on which a graphic user interface can be displayed, the graphic user interface having a static region and a dynamic region; and

a selection device for selecting information to be displayed in the dynamic region;

at least two power generators, each for supplying power to a plasma processing system or an induction heating processing system; and

a network that connects the operating unit to the power generators to transmit signals between the operating unit and the power generators.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least two power generators comprise at least two different types of power generators.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the static region comprises a display region for displaying warning or error messages from all connected power generators and system components.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least two power generators can be simultaneously controlled.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the static region comprises superordinate control elements.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface for the power generators comprises a static region and a dynamic region, and respective proportions of a surface-area of the graphic user interface that are associated with the dynamic region and the static region are substantially the same regardless of the number and type of connected power generators and system components.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the static region comprises control elements for changing between different dynamic regions.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface comprises a maximum of two regions.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the two regions comprise the static region and the dynamic region, and the static region and the dynamic region are always visible for a user while the system is on.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operating unit comprises an input device for manipulating the graphic user interface.

11. The system according to claim 1, further comprising controllable system components that are connected to the operating unit via the network.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein information relating to the power generators controlled by the operating unit, or warning messages and/or statuses relating to processing systems supplied by the power generators can be displayed on the display device.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operating unit comprises an operating application that imports an identifier of the power generators connected thereto, and constructs the graphic user interface on the display device based on generator-specific configuration data stored for each power generator and the identifiers.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein configuration data of the power generators are stored in the power generator or in the operating unit.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the configuration data comprise generator-specific parameter data and/or visualization data.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein language data that can be processed by the operating application are stored in the operating unit.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein templates generated in the operating application are stored in the operating unit.

18. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of operating units which substantially have the same graphic user interface.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operating unit is connected to the power generators wirelessly.

20. A method for operating a plurality of power generators that each supply a plasma processing system or an induction heating processing system with power, the method comprising:

controlling the power generators using an operating unit that is connected to the power generators via a network; and

displaying on a display device of the operating unit, a graphic user interface comprising a static region and a dynamic region.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein warning messages and/or error messages from the connected power generators and system components connected to the operating unit are displayed in a display region of the static region.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein control commands and/or parameters for the power generators are input or changed by an input device of the operating unit.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein the power generators supply mutually independent processing systems with power.

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein at least two power generators are controlled simultaneously.

25. The method according to claim 20, wherein information relating to the power generators, or warning messages and/or statuses relating to processing systems supplied with power by the power generators are displayed on the display device.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the information relating to the power generators, or the warning messages and/or the statuses relating to processing systems supplied with power by the power generators are displayed in the static region of the graphic user interface.

27. The method according to claim 20, wherein the display device comprises an overview page for each power generator connected to the operating unit or a single overview page for all power generators connected to the operating unit, and each overview page can be displayed on the display device.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein each overview page can be displayed in the dynamic region.

29. The method according to claim 20, wherein information relating to a plurality of power generators is displayed simultaneously on the display device.