Apparatus for predicting life of rotary machine and equipment using the same

• US 6,944,572 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2004
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Arikado, Tsunetoshi, Nakao, Takashi, Samata, Shuichi, Ushiku, Yukihiro, Mikata, Yuuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nghiem, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cherry, Stephen J.
• Application Number:
  US10/752,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20040143418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 702/181, 702/184, 702/34, 702/179, 702/182, 702/183, 702/185, 714/31
• US Class Current: 702/181
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/065 and making use of computers
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 51/00 Testing machines, pumps, or pumping installations
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 19/04 specially adapted to the production of a high vacuum, e.g. molecular pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/001 Testing thereof; Determination or simulation of flow characteristics; Stall or surge detection, e.g. condition monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/00 Testing of machine parts

Abstract

An apparatus for predicting life expectancy of a rotary machine includes: a load recipe input module acquiring loading conditions of a rotary machine; a characterizing feature input module obtaining characterizing feature data of a rotary machine; and a life expectancy prediction module calculating life expectancy of the rotary machine in conformity with the loading conditions and the characterizing feature data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for predicting a life of a rotary machine comprising:

a process condition recipe input module configured to acquire loading conditions of a rotary machine according to a target process recipe from among a plurality of process recipes provided by a process controller that controls the loading conditions, the process recipes including various kinds of gases;

a characterizing feature input module configured to obtain characterizing feature data of the rotary machine; and

a life expectancy prediction module configured to calculate life expectancy of the rotary machine in conformity with a determination reference corresponding to the target process recline and the characterizing feature data, the determination reference determined by referencing failure data of the rotary machine.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the loading conditions are defined by process conditions of a chamber where gas is introduced and a semiconductor manufacturing process is performed, and the rotary machine is a vacuum pump.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the characterizing feature data include one of voltage, current, power, temperature, vibration, and sound of the vacuum pump.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein calculation of the life expectancy uses time series data of the characterizing feature data.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein calculation of the life expectancy uses any one of average value, standard deviation, auto correlation coefficient, lag width of an auto correlation coefficient, and statistical analysis value of a Mahalanobis-Taguchi distance of a limited time segment in the time series data for characterizing feature data.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the calculation of life expectancy is derived from speed of change of the statistical analysis value, a simple regression or multiple regression analysis.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the calculated life expectancy is fed to a local area network.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein based on the calculated life expectancy, an emergency shutoff signal for the process is provided.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the process conditions include kind of the gas and flow rate of the gas.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determination reference is updated in conformity with a change in the characterizing feature data.

11. Manufacturing equipment comprising:

a process controller configured to control a production process based on a target process recipe from among a plurality of process recipes, the process recipes including various kinds of gases;

a rotary machine configured to process a load of the production process; and

a life expectancy prediction controller configured to calculate life expectancy of the rotary machine in conformity with a determination reference corresponding to the target process recipe obtained by the process controller and characterizing feature data obtained from the rotary machine, the determination reference determined by referencing failure data of the rotary machine.

12. The manufacturing equipment of claim 11, wherein the process recipe defines process conditions of a chamber where gas is introduced and a semiconductor manufacturing process is performed, and the rotary machine is a vacuum pump.

13. The manufacturing equipment of claim 12, wherein the process conditions include kind of the gas and flow rate of the gas.

14. The manufacturing equipment of claim 12, wherein the characterizing feature data include one of voltage, current, power, temperature, vibration, and sound of the vacuum pump.

15. The manufacturing equipment of claim 12, wherein calculation of the life expectancy uses time series data of the characterizing feature data.

16. The manufacturing equipment of claim 15, wherein the calculation of the life expectancy uses any one of average value, standard deviation, auto correlation coefficient, lag width of an auto correlation coefficient, and statistical analysis value of a Mahalanobis-Taguchi distance of a limited time segment in the time series data for the characterizing feature data.

17. The manufacturing equipment of claim 15, wherein the calculation of life expectancy is derived from speed of change of the statistical analysis value, a simple regression or multiple regression analysis.

18. The manufacturing equipment of claim 12, wherein the calculated life expectancy is fed to a local area network.

19. The manufacturing equipment of claim 12, wherein based on the calculated life expectancy, an emergency shutoff signal for the process is provided.

20. The manufacturing equipment of claim 12, wherein the process controller and the life expectancy prediction controller are installed in a same case.

21. The manufacturing equipment of claim 11, wherein the life expectancy prediction controller is supplied with a plurality of process recipes.

22. The manufacturing equipment of claim 11, wherein the determination reference is updated in conformity with a change in the characterizing feature data.