Methods of configuring a sensor network

• US 7,363,195 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Original Assignee: SensArray Corp. (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Parker, Jeffrey M., Renken, Wayne G., Yetter, Forrest Gilbert Jr., Pieper, John B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wachsman; Hal D
• Application Number:
  US11/174,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 702/183, 702/188
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0254 based on a quantitative model, e.g. mathematical relationships between inputs and outputs; functions: observer, Kalman filter, residual calculation, Neural Networks

Abstract

A sensor network collects time-series data from a process tool and supplies the data to an analysis system where pattern analysis techniques are used to identify structures and to monitor subsequent data based on analysis instructions or a composite model. Time-series data from multiple process runs are used to form a composite model of a data structure including variation. Comparison with the composite model gives an indication of tool health. A sensor network may have distributed memory for network configuration.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a sensor network that includes a plurality of nodes that are connected to a network hub, the sensor network collecting data for a user terminal, a node including one or more sensors and a smart transducer interface module, comprising:

each node of the plurality of nodes supplying identification data to the network hub, the identification data for a sensor node including the number of sensors at the sensor node and the type of each sensor at the sensor node;

assembling the identification data for the plurality of nodes at the network hub; and

downloading the assembled identification data for the plurality of nodes from the network hub to the user terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor network is a DeviceNet network and the assembled identification data is an Electronic Data Sheet embedded in a DeviceNet file object.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the assembled identification data for the plurality of nodes to configure a software program on the user terminal to reflect the number and types of sensors at each sensor node.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the identification data further includes prior application information, device description and manufacturing information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the network hub includes stored data and wherein the assembling includes assembling data stored at the network hub.