# US 8,572,155 B2 · Virtual sensors > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,572,155 B2 - Document ID: US8572155B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/069,879 - Filed: 2008-02-12 - Published: 2009-02-26 - Granted: 2013-10-29 - Earliest claimed: 2007-08-23 - Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc. - Applicants: Aleksey Yanovich; Thorsten Kril; Natalia Kroupnova - Inventors: Aleksey Yanovich; Thorsten Kril; Natalia Kroupnova - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8572155B2 ## CPC - G05B 19/41875: {characterised by quality surveillance of production} - G05B 23/00: Testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof (monitoring of program-control systems G05B19/048, G05B19/406) - G05B 23/021: {adopting a different treatment of each operating region or a different mode of the monitored system, e.g. transient modes; different operating configurations of monitored system} - G05B 23/0221: {Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods} - G05B 23/0254: {based on a quantitative model, e.g. mathematical relationships between inputs and outputs; functions: observer, Kalman filter, residual calculation, Neural Networks} - Y02P 90/02: Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A method and apparatus for providing a virtual sensor in real-time have been described. In one embodiment, a method to provide a virtual sensor in real-time includes identifying data indicating desired functionality. The method further includes executing the virtual sensor in real-time based on the identified data to generate an output of the virtual sensor with the output being used by at least one data analysis module in real-time for statistical process monitoring. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method to provide a virtual sensor in real-time, comprising: identifying data indicating desired functionality; creating a first virtual sensor in real-time during data collection by determining an algorithm to perform calculations including logic functions on the identified data to obtain the desired functionality, wherein creating the first virtual sensor further includes storing the algorithm, which is a programming language script, in a format of an extensible markup language (xml) file and copying the xml file into a file directory of a virtual sensor manager; executing the first virtual sensor in real-time during data collection based on the identified data to generate an output of the first virtual sensor with the output including an artificial parameter that is being used by at least one data analysis module in real-time for statistical process monitoring of at least one machine tool in a manufacturing facility; and creating, in real-time, a data collection plan for the first virtual sensor based on an analysis performed by the at least one data analysis module. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: acquiring, with the first virtual sensor, the identified data from a physical sensor and a second virtual sensor that includes another algorithm to perform calculations on selected data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: acquiring the identified data from at least one of a database, the at least one machine tool, and a real sensor attached to the machine tool, wherein the artificial parameter can not be measured by a physical sensor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the identified data used by the first virtual sensor is formed from a combination of data sources comprising at least two of the following: a database, a machine tool of the at least one machine tool, a real sensor attached to the machine tool, an external physical sensor associated with the machine tool, a second virtual sensor, and a third virtual sensor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: analyzing the output of the first virtual sensor in real-time; and generating an error notification in real-time based on the data analysis module analyzing the output of the first virtual sensor in real-time. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising: stopping a machine tool in real-time in response to the data analysis module analyzing the output of the first virtual sensor in real-time and determining a fault condition. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein accessing and executing the first virtual sensor in real-time occurs without having to restart a data analysis software application that performs functionality associated with the data analysis module. ### Claim 8 A non-transitory machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising: identifying data indicating desired functionality; creating a first virtual sensor in real-time during data collection by determining an algorithm to perform calculations including logic functions on the identified data to obtain the desired functionality, wherein creating the first virtual sensor further includes storing the algorithm, which is a programming language script, in a format of an extensible markup language (xml) file and copying the xml file into a file directory of a virtual sensor manager; executing the first virtual sensor in real-time during data collection based on the identified data to generate an output of the first virtual sensor with the output including an artificial parameter that is being used by at least one data analysis module in real-time for statistical process monitoring of at least one machine tool in a manufacturing facility; and creating, in real-time, a data collection plan for the first virtual sensor based on an analysis performed by the at least one data analysis module. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, the method further comprising: acquiring, with the first virtual sensor, identified data from a physical sensor and a second virtual sensor that includes another algorithm to perform calculations on selected data. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, the method further comprising: acquiring the identified data from at least one of a database, the at least one machine tool, and a real sensor attached to the machine tool, wherein the artificial parameter can not be measured by a physical sensor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, wherein the identified data used by the first virtual sensor is formed from a combination of data sources comprising at least two of the following: a database, a machine tool of the at least one machine tool, a real sensor attached to the machine tool, an external physical sensor associated with the machine tool, a second virtual sensor, and a third virtual sensor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, the method further comprising: analyzing the output of the first virtual sensor in real-time; and generating an error notification in real-time based on the data analysis module analyzing the output of the first virtual sensor in real-time. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The machine-accessible medium of claim 12, the method further comprising: stopping a machine tool in real-time in response to the data analysis module analyzing the output of the first virtual sensor in real-time and determining a fault condition. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, wherein accessing and executing the first virtual sensor in real-time occurs without having to restart a data analysis software application that performs functionality associated with the data analysis module. ### Claim 15 A process monitoring apparatus, comprising: a processor coupled to a memory; a database to store raw data received from at least one manufacturing machine of a manufacturing facility and to store analyzed data; and a calculated data tag manager communicatively coupled to the database, the calculated data tag manager having at least one calculated data tag that is created in real-time during data collection, wherein the calculated data tag manager executes the at least one calculated data tag in real-time during data collection by performing the calculations on the selected data to generate an output of the at least one calculated data tag with the output including an artificial parameter that is being used by a statistical process control module in real-time for statistical process monitoring, wherein the calculated data tag manager selects data to be used for performing calculations based on an algorithm associated with the at least one calculated data tag being executed in real-time, and wherein the calculated data tag manager creates, in real-time, a data collection plan based on an analysis performed by the statistical process control module, wherein creating the at least one calculated data tag further includes storing the algorithm, which is a programming language script, in a format of an extensible markup language (xml) file and copying the xml file into a file directory of the calculated data tag manager. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The process monitoring apparatus of claim 15, wherein the calculated data tag manager receives the selected data from at least one of an external physical sensor associated with a machine tool, a second calculated data tag, the database, the machine tool, and a real sensor attached to the machine tool. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The process monitoring apparatus of claim 15, wherein the calculated data tag manager further comprises a set of classes that perform operations necessary for generating data using one or more calculated data tags. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The process monitoring apparatus of claim 15, wherein the statistical process control module to analyze the output of the at least one calculated data tag in real-time and to generate an error notification in real-time based on analyzing the output of the at least one calculated data tag in real-time. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The process monitoring apparatus of claim 18, wherein the statistical process control module to stop a manufacturing machine in real-time in response to analyzing the output of the at least one calculated data tag in real-time and determining a fault condition. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The process monitoring apparatus of claim 19, wherein creating and executing the at least one calculated data tag in real-time occurs without having to restart or reinstall a data analysis software application that performs functionality associated with the statistical process control module. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The process monitoring apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a statistical process control module to analyze data and to send the analyzed data to the database. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: acquiring the identified data from a data source associated with the manufacturing facility, the manufacturing facility comprising a machine tool.