Configurable distributed-interlock-system
AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsEric Tu, Dirk Rudolph, Ales Janhar, John Folden Stumpf, Justin Remulla
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various embodiments include methods and apparatuses to provide human safety and machine safety and operations. In one example, a distributed interlock system includes at least one master device coupled to a number of slave device. The slave devices receive signals from one or more tools and provide the signals to the master device. The master device evaluates the signals and prevents unsafe conditions prior to one or more command executions, related to the unsafe conditions, being transmitted to one or more of the slave devices. Other methods and systems are disclosed.
Claims19
A distributed interlock system, comprising:
- a plurality of slave nodes each having an interface translation card and an interlock (ITLK) slave device;
- and
- at least one master device in electrical communication with the plurality of slave nodes and configured to provide command and operational signals to selected ones of the plurality of slave nodes, the at least one master device being further configured to evaluate signals received from the selected ones of the plurality of slave nodes in substantially real-time, the at least one master device having at least a preventative-interlocking portion configured to evaluate interlock conditions and prevent unsafe conditions prior to one or more command executions, related to the unsafe conditions, being transmitted to one or more of the plurality of slave nodes.
The distributed interlock system of clamp 1, wherein the plurality of slave nodes is configured to synchronously sample input signals received from a tool and send the sampled signals to the at least one master device;
- and
- the plurality of slave nodes is further configured to synchronous drive output signals subsequent to receiving results from the at least one master device, the received results being based on the input signals sent to the at least one master device.
The distributed interlock system of claim 9, wherein the integral controller of the gas-delivery box is one of the plurality of slave nodes to the at least one master device. he distributed interlock system of claim 11, wherein the integral controller is in communication with the at least one master for the gas-delivery box to operate.
A distributed interlock system, comprising:
- a plurality of slave nodes each having an interface translation card and an interlock (ITLK) slave device;
- a lookup table configured for the at least one master device to determine whether any combination of sequences is detrimental to at least one of human safety and machine safety and operation, either in a single tool or tool-to-tool;
- the at least one master device configured to receive input signals from and provide output signals to one or more of the plurality of slave nodes, the at least one master device having at least a preventative-interlocking portion configured to evaluate interlock conditions and prevent unsafe conditions prior to one or more command executions, related to the unsafe conditions, being transmitted to one or more of the plurality of slave nodes, based on the lookup table.
A dual-redundancy distributed interlock system, comprising:
- a plurality of interlock slave devices;
- and
- at least one master device in electrical communication with the plurality of interlock slave devices and configured to provide command and operational signals to selected ones of the plurality of interlock slave devices, the at least one master device being further configured to evaluate signals received from the selected ones of the plurality of interlock slave devices in substantially real-time, the at least one master device having at least a preventative-interlocking portion configured to evaluate interlock conditions and prevent unsafe conditions prior to one or more command executions, related to the unsafe conditions, being transmitted to one or more of the plurality of interlock slave devices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.