Power supply system, power supply method and lot processing method

• US 7,228,194 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Furukawa, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard; Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US11/495,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• Field of Search: 700/22, 700/95, 700/96, 700/99, 700/103, 700/111, 700/112, 700/286, 700/295, 700/297, 700/300, 438/14
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32021 Energy management, balance and limit power to tools
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34315 Power supply turning on or shutting off
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67276 Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput program-control systems per se G05B19/00, e.g. total factory control G05B19/418
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/10 Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A power supply system is disclosed. The system includes a power supply unit which supplies power to a processing unit, an arrival time calculating portion which calculates arrival time taken for a lot to arrive at the processing unit from a present position based on the state of the lot, a comparing portion which compares the arrival time with start-up time of the processing unit, and a supply control portion which controls the power supply unit. The supply control portion causes operation power to be supplied to the processing unit when the arrival time is equal to or shorter than the start-up time and causes saving power which is smaller than the operation power to be supplied to the processing unit when the arrival time is longer than the start-up time.

Claims

1. A power supply system comprising:

a processing unit,

a power supply unit which supplies power to the processing unit,

a lot specifying portion which specifies a state of a lot to be processed by the processing unit,

an arrival time calculating unit which calculates arrival time taken for the lot to arrive at the processing unit from a present position based on the state of the lot,

a comparing portion which compares the arrival time with start-up time of the processing unit, and

a supply control portion which controls the power supply unit to supply operation power used to operate the processing unit to the processing unit when the arrival time is not longer than the start-up time and supply saving power which is smaller than the operation power to the processing unit when the arrival time is longer than the start-up time.

2. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the supply control portion adjusts the saving power in stages according to a difference between the arrival time and the start-up time.

3. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit includes a plurality of processing portions and the supply control portion supplies the operation power to one of the plurality of processing portions of the processing unit which processes the lot.

4. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the supply control portion supplies the operation power to one of the plurality of processing portions of the processing unit which processes the lot.

5. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit includes a cooling unit and a cooling unit control portion which controls the cooling unit, the cooling unit control portion adjusting cooling capacity of the cooling unit based on the arrival time of the lot and the start-up time of the processing unit.

6. A power supply method comprising:

specifying a state of a lot to be processed by a processing unit,

calculating arrival time taken for the lot to arrive at the processing unit from a present position based on the state of the lot,

comparing the arrival time with start-up time of the processing unit,

supplying operation power used to operate the processing unit to the processing unit when the arrival time is not longer than the start-up time, and

supplying saving power smaller than the operation power to the processing unit when the arrival time is longer than the start-up time.

7. The power supply method according to claim 6, wherein the supplying of the saving power to the processing unit is adjusting the saving power in stages according to a difference between the arrival time and the start-up time.

8. The power supply method according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit includes a plurality of processing portions and the supply control portion supplies the operation power to one of the plurality of processing portions of the processing unit which processes the lot.

9. The power supply method according to claim 7, wherein the supply control portion supplies the operation power to one of the plurality of processing portions of the processing unit which processes the lot.

10. The power supply method according to claim 6, further comprising adjusting cooling capacity of the processing unit based on the arrival time of the lot and the start-up time of the processing unit.

11. A lot processing method comprising:

specifying a state of a lot to be processed by a processing unit,

calculating arrival time taken for the lot to arrive at the processing unit from a present position based on the state of the lot,

comparing the arrival time with start-up time of the processing unit,

supplying operation power used to operate the processing unit to the processing unit when the arrival time is not longer than the start-up time,

supplying saving power smaller than the operation power to the processing unit when the arrival time is longer than the start-up time, and

processing the lot by use of the processing unit.

12. The lot processing method according to claim 11, wherein the supplying of the saving power to the processing unit is adjusting the saving power in stages according to a difference between the arrival time and the start-up time.

13. The lot processing method according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit includes a plurality of processing portions and the supply control portion supplies the operation power to one of the plurality of processing portions of the processing unit which processes the lot.

14. The lot processing method according to claim 12, wherein the supply control portion supplies the operation power to one of the plurality of processing portions of the processing unit which processes the lot.

15. The lot processing method according to claim 11, further comprising adjusting cooling capacity of the processing unit based on the arrival time of the lot and the start-up time of the processing unit.