Methods and systems for preventing unsafe operations

A system for preventing an unsafe operation of a plurality of semiconductor wafer manufacturing machines communicatively coupled to a computing device, the system comprising said computing device, said computing device including a processor coupled to a memory, said memory containing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by said processor, cause said computing device to perform the steps of:

• storing, in said memory, a first state of a first machine of the plurality of machines;
• generating a first pending output to be issued to the first machine;
• determining whether an unsafe condition would result if the first pending output is issued to the first machine in the first state;
• issuing the first pending output upon determining that issuing the first pending output would not result in an unsafe condition;
• blocking the first pending output from being issued upon determining that issuing the first pending output would result in an unsafe condition;
• storing, in said memory, a second state of a second machine of the plurality of machines;
• generating a second pending output to be issued to the second machine;
• determining whether an unsafe condition would result if the first pending output is issued to the first machine in the first state and the second pending output is issued to the second machine in the second state;
• and
• issuing the first pending output and second pending output upon determining that issuing the first pending output and second pending output would not result in an unsafe condition or blocking at least one of the first pending output and second pending output from being issued upon determining that issuing the first pending output and second pending output would result in an unsafe condition.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having processor-executable instructions embodied thereon for preventing an unsafe operation of at least one machine communicatively coupled to a computing device, the computing device having a processor coupled to a memory, wherein, when executed by said processor, the processor-executable instructions cause the computing device to perform the steps of:

• storing, in the memory, a first state of a first machine of the at least one machine;
• generating a first pending output to be issued to the first machine;
• determining whether an unsafe condition would result if the first pending output is issued to the first machine in the first state;
• issuing the first pending output upon determining that issuing the first pending output would not result in an unsafe condition;
• blocking the first pending output from being issued upon determining that issuing the first pending output would result in an unsafe condition;
• storing, in the memory, a second state of a second machine of the at least one machine;
• generating a second pending output to be issued to the second machine;
• determining whether an unsafe condition would result if the first pending output is issued to the first machine in the first state and the second pending output is issued to the second machine in the second state;
• and
• issuing the first pending output and second pending output upon determining that issuing the first pending output and second pending output would not result in an unsafe condition or blocking at least one of the first pending output and second pending output from being issued upon determining that issuing the first pending output and second pending output would result in an unsafe condition.