TW202336349A - Control device and control method for vacuum pump - Google Patents

Abstract

The object of the disclosure is to prevent erroneous transition of an operation mode to an operation limitation mode. A control device 6 includes a controller 62. The controller 62 counts the number of times of occurrence of each of multiple types of abnormalities occurred in a vacuum pump 1, and issues a critical alarm in a case where the number of times of occurrence of each of the multiple types of abnormalities exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Description

Vacuum pump control device and control method

The invention relates to a vacuum pump control device and a vacuum pump control method.

Among the vacuum pumps, there are vacuum pumps that use a motor to drive the rotor to rotate to discharge gas. The vacuum pump described in Patent Document 1 detects the axial displacement of the rotor shaft, accumulates the detected times, and issues an alarm when the accumulated number exceeds a predetermined number or when the accumulated number exceeds a predetermined number within a predetermined time. [Prior art documents]

[Patent Document] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-150340

[Problem to be solved by the invention] According to the vacuum pump described in Patent Document 1, an alarm is issued based only on the cumulative number of measured axial displacements of the rotor shaft, and other types of abnormalities are not taken into consideration. Therefore, for example, if the cumulative number of detected shaft displacements of the rotor shaft exceeds a predetermined number, and on the other hand, the number of occurrences of other types of abnormalities is small, even though the possibility of a vacuum pump failure is low, an alarm is still issued. That is, in a conventional pump, an alarm may be generated even when there is no need to generate an alarm originally. Although it is not particularly limited, for example, in a structure that stops the vacuum pump at the same time as the alarm, although the possibility of the vacuum pump malfunctioning is low, the vacuum pump will still be stopped, which may cause obstacles to the operation of the target device that is evacuated by the vacuum pump. . Furthermore, when such a vacuum pump is applied to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, unnecessary stoppage of the vacuum pump causes a serious problem of stopping the manufacturing line.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to prevent a major alarm from being erroneously generated based on only the number of occurrences of one abnormality. [Technical means to solve problems]

A control device according to one aspect of the present invention is a control device for a vacuum pump that drives a rotor to rotate using a motor to discharge gas. The control device includes a control part. The control unit counts the number of occurrences of various abnormalities that occur in the vacuum pump, and generates a major alarm when the number of occurrences of various abnormalities exceeds a prescribed threshold. [Effects of the invention]

In the control device described above, when the number of occurrences of various vacuum pump abnormalities occurring in the vacuum pump exceeds a prescribed threshold, a major alarm is generated. That is, whether a major alarm is generated is determined based on the number of occurrences of various abnormalities. This can prevent a major alarm from being erroneously generated when only one type of abnormality occurs frequently but other abnormalities occur less frequently and therefore the possibility of a vacuum pump failure is low. In addition, the occurrence of a so-called major alarm does not necessarily need to be notified to the user (display or sound, etc.), and may only be stored in the memory unit.

＜Overall structure of vacuum pump＞ The vacuum pump 1 will be described using FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a vacuum pump 1 . The vacuum pump 1 includes a casing 2 , a base 3 , a rotor 4 , a stator 5 and a control device 6 .

The housing 2 includes a first end 11, a second end 12, and a first internal space SP1. An air inlet 13 is provided at the first end 11 . The first end 11 is attached to an exhaust object (not shown). The first internal space SP1 is connected to the air inlet 13 . The second end 12 is located at the opposite end of the first end 11 in the extension direction of the axis A1 of the rotor 4 . The second end 12 is connected to the base 3 . The base 3 includes a base end 14 . The base end 14 is connected to the second end 12 of the housing 2 .

The rotor 4 is connected to the shaft 21 . The shaft 21 extends along the extension direction of the axis A1. The shaft 21 is rotatably stored in the base 3 . The rotor 4 includes multi-stage rotor blades 22 and a rotor cylindrical portion 23 . The multi-stage rotor blades 22 are connected to the shaft 21 respectively. The plurality of rotor blades 22 are spaced apart from each other in the extending direction of the axis A1. Although illustration is omitted, the multi-stage rotor blades 22 extend radially around the shaft 21 . In addition, in the drawings, only one of the multi-stage rotor blades 22 is given a symbol, and the symbols of the other rotor blades 22 are omitted. The rotor cylindrical portion 23 is arranged below the multi-stage rotor blades 22 . The rotor cylindrical portion 23 extends in the extending direction of the axis A1.

The stator 5 includes multi-stage stator blades 31 and a stator cylindrical portion 32 . The multi-stage stator blades 31 are connected to the inner surface of the housing 2 . The multi-stage stator blades 31 are spaced apart from each other in the extension direction of the axis A1. The multi-stage stator blades 31 are respectively arranged between the multi-stage rotor blades 22 . Although illustration is omitted, the multi-stage stator blades 31 each extend radially around the shaft 21 . In addition, in the drawings, only two of the multi-stage stator blades 31 are labeled with symbols, and the symbols of the other stator blades 31 are omitted. The stator cylindrical portion 32 is fixed to the base 3 in a thermal contact state. The stator cylindrical portion 32 is arranged to face the rotor cylindrical portion 23 with a slight gap in the radial direction of the rotor cylindrical portion 23 . A spiral groove is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the stator cylindrical portion 32 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , a second internal space SP2 is formed further downstream from the exhaust gas downstream end portions of the rotor cylindrical portion 23 and the stator cylindrical portion 32 . The gas exhausted from the installation object is exhausted to the second internal space SP2. The second internal space SP2 is connected to the exhaust port 16 . The exhaust port 16 is provided in the base 3 . Another vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to the exhaust port 16 .

The control device 6 is accommodated in the frame 33 provided at the lower part of the base 3 and controls the vacuum pump 1 . Furthermore, the control device 6 detects the floating position of the shaft 21 measured by the displacement sensors 44A to 44C described below, the current value supplied to the motor 42 measured by the current value measuring device, and the rotation speed. When the rotational speed of the rotor 4 measured by the detector 43 is not within the normal value range, an alarm or warning is generated to notify that an abnormality has occurred in the vacuum pump 1 . The control device 6 is a computer system including a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), a read only memory (Read Only Memory, ROM) and other memory devices, various interfaces, and the like.

An operating device 7 is connected to the control device 6 . The operating device 7 is a device for inputting various information related to the control of the vacuum pump 1 . Furthermore, the operating device 7 may also include a display for displaying various information related to the vacuum pump 1 . The operating device 7 is, for example, an operating panel including an input device and a display. The input device is, for example, a device including a keyboard, buttons, etc., and/or a device capable of inputting various information through user operations such as a touch screen. In addition, the operating device 7 may be a terminal such as a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a mobile terminal, or the like.

The vacuum pump 1 includes a plurality of bearings 41A to 41E, a motor 42 and a rotation speed sensor 43 . The plurality of bearings 41A to 41E are attached to the base 3 at a position where the shaft 21 is accommodated. The plurality of bearings 41A to 41E rotatably support the rotor 4 . Bearing 41A and bearing 41E are, for example, ball bearings. On the other hand, the other bearings 41B to 41D are magnetic bearings. Bearings 41B to 41D, which are magnetic bearings, respectively include bearing electromagnets and displacement sensors 44A to 44C (Fig. 2). The displacement sensors 44A to 44C detect the lifting of the shaft 21. Location etc.

The motor 42 drives the rotor 4 to rotate. The motor 42 includes a motor rotor 42A and a motor stator 42B. Motor rotor 42A is attached to shaft 21 . The motor stator 42B is attached to the base 3 . The motor stator 42B is arranged to face the motor rotor 42A. The motor 42 is connected to a motor current measuring device 45 ( FIG. 2 ) that measures a current value supplied to the motor 42 . The rotation speed sensor 43 measures the rotation speed of the shaft 21 (that is, the rotor 4).

A heater 51 for controlling the temperature of the base 3 and a cooling water pipe (not shown) are provided on the outer wall of the base 3 . The temperature of the base 3 is detected by the temperature sensor 52 . Based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 52 , the temperature of the base 3 is controlled by a balance between heating of the base 3 by the heater 51 and cooling by the cooling water flowing through the cooling water pipe. Furthermore, the heater 51 is connected to a heater current measuring device 53 ( FIG. 2 ) that measures the current supplied to the heater 51 .

In the vacuum pump 1 , the multi-stage rotor blades 22 and the multi-stage stator blades 31 constitute a turbomolecular pump unit. Furthermore, the rotor cylindrical part 23 and the stator cylindrical part 32 constitute a thread groove pump part. In the vacuum pump 1 , the rotor 4 is rotated by the motor 42 , thereby causing gas to flow into the first internal space SP1 from the air inlet 13 . The gas in the first internal space SP1 is discharged to the second internal space SP2 through the turbomolecular pump part and the threaded groove pump part. The gas in the second internal space SP2 is exhausted from the exhaust port 16 . As a result, the inside of the installation object attached to the air inlet 13 becomes a high vacuum state.

＜Control device structure＞ The structure of the control device 6 will be described using FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of the control device 6 . The control device 6 has a storage unit 61 and a control unit 62 . The memory unit 61 is part or all of the memory area provided in the memory device constituting the control device 6 . The memory unit 61 stores various parameters related to the vacuum pump 1, programs for controlling the vacuum pump 1, and the like. Specifically, the memory unit 61 stores the abnormality occurrence condition CON, the major alarm condition RCO, the major alarm occurrence history AH, and the release password PW. The abnormality occurrence condition CON specifies a condition for determining that an abnormality has occurred in the vacuum pump 1 .

Specifically, the abnormality occurrence condition CON stipulates that an abnormality in the rotation speed of the rotor 4 occurs when the rotation speed of the rotor 4 measured by the rotation speed sensor 43 becomes a predetermined rotation speed or less. The rotational speed abnormality is an abnormality related to the load of the vacuum pump 1 and indicates that the vacuum pump 1 is in an overload state. The "overload state" refers to a state in which the torque of the motor 42 required to rotate the rotor 4 to a determined rotation speed is too large compared to normal. When the vacuum pump 1 is in an overload state, for example, it means that a large amount of products are accumulated inside the vacuum pump 1 . If this state continues for a long time, the accumulated products may come into contact with the rotor blades 22 of the vacuum pump 1 and damage the rotor blades 22 .

The abnormality occurrence condition CON stipulates that when the position of the shaft 21 measured by the displacement sensors 44A to 44C changes by a predetermined fluctuation range or more, or when the position of the shaft 21 changes by a predetermined range from the axis A1 When the range deviates, the position of shaft 21 (rotor 4) is abnormal. The positional abnormality of the shaft 21 is an abnormality related to the vibration of the vacuum pump 1 and indicates a state in which the vacuum pump 1 vibrates. When the vacuum pump 1 vibrates, for example, the rotor blades 22 of the vacuum pump 1 may come into contact with other parts (eg, the stator blades 31 ). As a result, when the vacuum pump 1 vibrates, the rotor blades 22 (and the stator blades 31 ) may be damaged. Furthermore, if the vacuum pump 1 vibrates, it may mean, for example, that a large amount of products are accumulated in the rotor 4 of the vacuum pump 1 . The reason for this is that the balance of the rotor 4 is destroyed due to the accumulation of products.

The abnormality occurrence condition CON stipulates that when the current value of the motor 42 measured by the motor current measuring device 45 becomes a predetermined value or more, an abnormality occurs in the current value of the motor 42 . The abnormal current of the motor 42 indicates that the motor 42 is operating in a state where excessive torque is generated. That is, the abnormal current of the motor 42 is an abnormality related to the load of the vacuum pump 1 and indicates that the vacuum pump 1 is in an overload state. When the vacuum pump 1 is in an overload state, for example, it means that a large amount of products are accumulated inside the vacuum pump 1 .

The abnormality occurrence condition CON stipulates that when the temperature of the chassis 3 measured by the temperature sensor 52 is below a predetermined temperature, and/or the current value of the heater 51 measured by the heater current measuring device 53 is a predetermined temperature, If the value is below the value, an abnormality related to the temperature of the vacuum pump 1 has occurred. The abnormality related to the temperature of the vacuum pump 1 indicates a state in which the temperature adjustment of the vacuum pump 1 is not performed appropriately. If the temperature of the vacuum pump 1 is not properly adjusted, products may accumulate inside the vacuum pump 1 , and the products may come into contact with the rotor blades 22 and cause damage to the rotor blades 22 . Temperature-related abnormalities are often caused by, for example, disconnection of the heater 51 , failure of the temperature sensor 52 , or the like. Then, when the temperature of the vacuum pump 1 reaches a predetermined value or more, the power supply to the heater 51 is stopped by a thermal switch (not shown).

The abnormality occurrence counter CNT is information indicating the number of occurrences of the above-mentioned abnormality. Specifically, the abnormality occurrence counter CNT indicates the number of occurrences of each of the various kinds of abnormality (load-related abnormality, temperature-related abnormality, vibration-related abnormality).

The major alarm condition RCO specifies a condition for generating an alarm (called a major alarm) for changing the operation mode of the vacuum pump 1 to the operation restriction mode. The operation restriction mode is an operation mode that limits the operation of the vacuum pump more than usual when the vacuum pump 1 is restarted after a major alarm occurs and the vacuum pump 1 is stopped. Major Alarm Condition RCO generates a major alarm when it remembers how many times each of the above-mentioned anomalies has occurred. Specifically, the major alarm condition RCO stipulates, for example: when a vibration-related anomaly occurs above a first threshold, a load-related anomaly occurs above a second threshold, and a temperature-related anomaly occurs above a third threshold. , a major alarm is generated.

The user can use the operating device 7 to arbitrarily change the first to third thresholds included in the major alarm condition RCO. Furthermore, the user can use the operating device 7 to arbitrarily select two or more anomalies included in the major alarm condition RCO from a plurality of (three) anomalies (load-related anomalies, temperature-related anomalies, and vibration-related anomalies). Thereby, the conditions for generating a major alarm can be optimally set according to the environment in which the vacuum pump 1 is used.

The major alarm generation history AH is information indicating whether a major alarm has been generated. The major alarm generation history AH may be set to, for example, flag information having a value of “1” when a major alarm is generated and “0” when a major alarm is not generated. The deactivation password PW is a password used to deactivate the generated major alarm.

The control unit 62 is a hardware part including a CPU constituting the control device 6 and various interfaces, and executes control of the vacuum pump 1 . The control unit 62 executes the program stored in the memory unit 61 to realize functions related to the control of the vacuum pump 1 . Furthermore, some functions can also be realized by hardware included in the control unit 62 .

＜Operation of vacuum pump＞ Hereinafter, the operation of the vacuum pump 1 will be described using FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vacuum pump 1 . The operation of the vacuum pump 1 shown in FIG. 3 is an operation in which a major alarm is not generated before starting the vacuum pump 1 and the operation mode of the vacuum pump 1 is not changed to the operation restriction mode. This operation is performed by the control device 6 of the vacuum pump 1 .

When the vacuum pump 1 is started and the operation is started, the control unit 62 acquires the rotation speed of the rotor 4 measured by the rotation speed sensor 43 and the displacement sensor 44A to 44C respectively during the operation of the vacuum pump 1 . The position of the shaft 21 is measured, the current value of the motor 42 is measured by the motor current measuring device 45, the temperature of the base 3 is measured by the temperature sensor 52, and the temperature of the base 3 is measured by the heater current measuring device 53. The current value of the heater 51 (step S1).

Next, the control unit 62 determines whether the rotation speed of the rotor 4, the position of the shaft 21, the current value of the motor 42, the temperature of the chassis 3, and the current value of the heater 51 acquired in step S1 meet the abnormality indicated by the abnormality occurrence condition CON. conditions that occur. For example, the control unit 62 compares these measured values with each threshold value indicated by the abnormality occurrence condition CON (step S2 ).

When the result of the comparison is that the measured value of any sensor meets the abnormality occurrence condition shown in the abnormality occurrence condition CON, for example, when the measured value of any sensor exceeds the threshold (step S2 is "Yes"), the control unit 62 determines that an item showing a measured value consistent with the abnormality occurrence condition has occurred (the rotation speed of the rotor 4, the vibration of the shaft 21, the current value of the motor 42, the temperature of the base 3, the heater a current value of 51) corresponding to the type of abnormality (anomaly related to the vibration of the vacuum pump 1, an abnormality related to the rotation speed of the rotor 4, and an abnormality related to the temperature of the vacuum pump 1) (step S3). In addition, when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred, the control unit 62 may, for example, emit a sound or display on the display of the operating device 7 that an abnormality has occurred, to notify the occurrence of the abnormality.

On the other hand, if the result of the comparison is that the measured value of any of the sensors does not meet the abnormality occurrence condition indicated by the abnormality occurrence condition CON ("No" in step S2), the vacuum pump is The operation of 1 returns to step S1. That is, the control unit 62 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the vacuum pump 1 and continues the operation of the vacuum pump 1 .

When it is determined in step S3 that an abnormality has occurred, the control unit 62 increments the abnormality occurrence counter CNT by 1 in the number of occurrences of the type of abnormality determined to have occurred in step S3 (step S4 ).

Subsequently, the control unit 62 compares the abnormality occurrence counter CNT with the major alarm condition RCO, and determines whether the number of occurrences of each of the plurality of abnormalities indicated by the abnormality occurrence counter CNT meets the major alarm generation condition indicated by the major alarm condition RCO (step S5) . Specifically, for example, in the abnormality occurrence counter CNT, when the number of occurrences of vibration-related abnormalities is equal to or greater than the first threshold, and the number of occurrences of load-related anomalies is equal to or greater than the second threshold, and the occurrence of temperature-related anomalies is When the number of times is equal to or greater than the third threshold, the control unit 62 determines that the number of occurrences of each of the plurality of abnormalities meets the conditions for generating a major alarm indicated by the major alarm condition RCO.

When the number of occurrences of each of the plurality of abnormalities meets the conditions for generating a major alarm (YES in step S5), the control unit 62 determines that a major alarm has occurred (step S6). In addition, when it is determined in step S6 that a major alarm has occurred, the control unit 62 may, for example, emit a sound or display on the display of the operating device 7 that a major alarm has occurred, to notify that the major alarm has occurred.

When it is determined that a major alarm has occurred, the control unit 62 records the occurrence of a major alarm in the storage unit 61 (step S7 ). Specifically, the control unit 62 records that a major alarm has occurred in the major alarm occurrence history AH stored in the memory unit 61 . More specifically, the control unit 62 records the value "1" in the major alarm occurrence history AH, and records that the major alarm occurrence flag is "ON", for example.

Subsequently, the control part 62 stops the vacuum pump 1 as a protective action (step S8). In addition, even if the vacuum pump 1 is stopped and the power supply of the vacuum pump 1 (control device 6 ) is turned off, the information recorded in the major alarm occurrence history AH will not be reset. That is, the major alarm occurrence history AH is stored in a memory area (for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (HDD)) in the memory unit 61 that can retain the information even if the power supply to the control device 6 is interrupted. The memory area of non-volatile memory such as Solid State Drive (SSD) and Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM)).

By executing the above-described steps S1 to S8, the control unit 62 can determine that a major alarm has been generated not only when the number of occurrences of one type of abnormality but also when the number of occurrences of multiple types of abnormality exceeds a predetermined threshold. As a result, for example, when the possibility of a failure of the vacuum pump 1 is low because the number of occurrences of only one abnormality is smaller than the number of occurrences of a plurality of other abnormalities, it is possible to prevent a major alarm from being erroneously generated.

Furthermore, by generating a major alarm when the number of occurrences of various abnormalities exceeds a predetermined threshold, the user can be urged to repair and/or replace the vacuum pump 1 . For example, an abnormality related to the vibration of the vacuum pump 1 , an abnormality related to the rotation speed of the rotor 4 , and an abnormality related to the temperature of the vacuum pump 1 are each related to the accumulation of products. Therefore, when a major alarm occurs, it can be estimated that Due to excessive accumulation of products, an overhaul (overhaul) to remove the products is urged.

<Starting the vacuum pump> Next, the starting operation of the vacuum pump 1 will be described using FIG. 4 . FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the starting operation of the vacuum pump 1 . When the power of the vacuum pump 1 is turned on and the vacuum pump 1 starts to start, the control unit 62 determines whether the major alarm occurrence history AH stored in the memory unit 61 indicates that a major alarm occurred before the current startup (step S11 ). Specifically, for example, the control unit 62 determines whether the value of the major alarm occurrence history AH is "1" and whether the major alarm occurrence flag is "ON".

When the major alarm occurrence history AH does not indicate the occurrence of a major alarm (NO in step S11 ), the control unit 62 operates the vacuum pump 1 in the normal operation mode (step S12 ). That is, the control unit 62 executes steps S1 to S8 described above.

On the other hand, when the major alarm occurrence history AH indicates the occurrence of a major alarm (YES in step S11), the control unit 62 determines that the operation mode of the vacuum pump 1 is the operation restriction mode, and causes the vacuum pump 1 to operate in the operation restriction mode. run.

Specifically, the control unit 62 first operates the vacuum pump 1 for a predetermined time from startup (step S13 ). For example, when the object to be evacuated by the vacuum pump 1 is a chamber used in a semiconductor manufacturing process, the control unit 62 operates the vacuum pump 1 for a time sufficient to execute a predetermined number of semiconductor manufacturing processes from start-up. The control unit 62 operates the vacuum pump 1 for, for example, two hours from startup.

After operating the vacuum pump 1 for a predetermined time from startup, the control unit 62 stops the vacuum pump 1 (step S14).

By executing steps S11 to S14 when the vacuum pump 1 is started as described above, the control unit 62 can transition the vacuum pump 1 to the operation mode that limits the operation mode of the vacuum pump 1 when a major alarm occurs before the start of the vacuum pump 1 . The operation restriction mode prevents the vacuum pump 1 from malfunctioning due to normal operation. Furthermore, in the operation restriction mode, the vacuum pump 1 is operated for a predetermined time, thereby making it possible to check the operating status of the vacuum pump 1 and to use the vacuum pump 1 for a predetermined time.

＜How to cancel major alarms＞ Next, when a major alarm occurs, a method for clearing the major alarm after repairing/replacing the vacuum pump 1 or the like will be described. Major alarms can be released by the user entering a dedicated password using the operating device 7 .

Specifically, when a password is input using the operating device 7 , the control unit 62 compares the input password with the deactivation password PW stored in the storage unit 61 . When the result of the comparison is that the input password matches the release password PW, the control unit 62 records that no major alarm has occurred in the major alarm generation history AH. Specifically, for example, the value of the major alarm occurrence history AH is changed from "1" to "0", and the major alarm occurrence flag is set to "OFF".

By allowing the major alarm to be canceled using a dedicated password as described above, it is possible to prevent the major alarm from being canceled freely. As a result, when the possibility of failure of the vacuum pump 1 is high, it is possible to prevent the vacuum pump 1 from accidentally operating.

As mentioned above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

How to limit the operation of the vacuum pump 1 in the operation restriction mode is not limited to operating the vacuum pump 1 for a predetermined time, and can be appropriately set according to the usage environment of the vacuum pump 1 and the like.

In the vacuum pump 1 of the above-described embodiment, the turbomolecular pump part may be omitted. That is, the vacuum pump 1 may be a threaded groove pump.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary embodiments described are specific examples of the following forms.

(First form) The control device is a control device for a vacuum pump that drives a rotor to rotate using a motor to discharge gas. The control device includes a control part. The control unit counts the number of occurrences of various abnormalities occurring in the vacuum pump, and generates a major alarm when the number of occurrences of various abnormalities exceeds a predetermined threshold.

In the control device of the first form, when the number of occurrences of various vacuum pump abnormalities occurring in the vacuum pump exceeds a predetermined threshold, a major alarm is generated. That is, whether a major alarm is generated is determined based on the number of occurrences of various abnormalities. This makes it possible to prevent a major alarm from being erroneously generated when only one type of abnormality occurs frequently but other types of abnormality occur less often and therefore the possibility of a vacuum pump failure is low. In addition, the occurrence of a so-called major alarm does not necessarily need to be notified to the user (display or sound, etc.), and may only be stored in the memory unit.

(Second aspect) In the control device of the first aspect, when the number of occurrences of various abnormalities exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control unit changes the operation mode of the vacuum pump to the operation restriction mode. The operation restriction mode is to restart the vacuum pump after stopping it. At startup, the operation of the vacuum pump is restricted than usual.

In the control device of the second aspect, when the number of occurrences of various abnormalities occurring in the vacuum pump exceeds a predetermined threshold, the operation mode of the vacuum pump is changed to the operation restriction mode. That is, whether to transition to the operation restriction mode is determined based on the number of occurrences of each of the various exceptions. This can prevent the operation mode from erroneously transitioning to the operation restriction mode when only one type of abnormality occurs frequently but other abnormalities occur less frequently and the possibility of a vacuum pump failure is low.

(Third aspect) In the control device of the second aspect, when the operation mode of the vacuum pump is the operation restriction mode, the control unit may cause the vacuum pump to operate for a predetermined time from startup and then stop. In the second form of the control device, the operating status of the vacuum pump can be checked and the vacuum pump can be used for a prescribed time.

(Fourth aspect) In the control device of the second aspect or the third aspect, the control device may further include a memory unit. In this case, when a major alarm occurs, the control unit may store the major alarm generation history indicating that the major alarm has occurred in the memory unit, and when restarting the vacuum pump, the major alarm generation history may indicate that the major alarm has occurred. If this occurs, the operating mode of the vacuum pump is determined to be the operating restriction mode. In the control device of the fourth aspect, when a major alarm is generated, the situation is memorized in the memory unit, so that it can be grasped that a major alarm has been generated before restarting the vacuum pump, and the operation can be set at the time of restarting. Restricted mode to operate the vacuum pump.

(Fifth aspect) In the control device of any one of the second aspect to the fourth aspect, the control unit may cancel the operation restriction mode when a dedicated password is input. In the control device of the fifth aspect, it is possible to prevent a major alarm from being released freely, thereby preventing the vacuum pump 1 from being inadvertently operated when the possibility of a vacuum pump failure is high.

(Sixth Mode) In the control device of any one of the first to fifth modes, the predetermined threshold may be changeable. In the control device of the sixth aspect, the conditions for generating a major alarm (conditions for transition to the operation restriction mode) can be optimally set according to the environment in which the vacuum pump is used.

(Seventh aspect) In the control device of any one of the first to sixth aspects, the plurality of abnormalities may be an abnormality related to the vibration of the vacuum pump, an abnormality related to the rotation speed of the rotor, or a temperature related to the vacuum pump. At least two exceptions selected from the exceptions. In the control device of the seventh form, transition to the operation restriction mode (generation of a major alarm) can be appropriately executed based on the number of occurrences of various abnormalities that may cause vacuum pump failure. For example, anomalies related to the vibration of the vacuum pump, anomalies related to the rotation speed of the rotor, and anomalies related to the temperature of the vacuum pump are each related to the accumulation of products. Therefore, when a major alarm occurs, it is possible to estimate the extent of the products. Excess accumulation requires maintenance to remove the products.

(Eighth Mode) The control method of the eighth mode is a control method of a vacuum pump that drives a rotor to rotate using a motor to discharge gas. The control method includes the following steps: counting the number of occurrences of multiple abnormalities occurring in the vacuum pump; and generating a major alarm when the number of occurrences of each of the multiple abnormalities exceeds a prescribed threshold.

In the control method of the eighth aspect, when the number of occurrences of various vacuum pump abnormalities occurring in the vacuum pump exceeds a predetermined threshold, a major alarm is generated. That is, whether a major alarm is generated is determined based on the number of occurrences of various abnormalities. This can prevent a major alarm from being erroneously generated when only one type of abnormality occurs frequently and a plurality of other abnormalities occur less frequently, so that the possibility of a vacuum pump failure is low.

Various embodiments and modifications have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these. Furthermore, each of the embodiments and modifications may be applied individually or in combination. Other forms conceived within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1: Vacuum pump 2: Shell 3: Base 4:Rotor 5:Stator 6:Control device 7: Operating device 11:First end 12:Second end 13:Air inlet 14: End of base 16:Exhaust port 21:shaft 22:Rotor blades 23:Rotor cylindrical part 31:Stator blades 32: Stator cylindrical part 33:Frame 41A～41E: Bearings 42: Motor 42A: Motor rotor 42B: Motor stator 43: Speed sensor 44A～44C: Displacement sensor 45: Motor current measuring device 51:Heater 52:Temperature sensor 53: Heater current measuring device 61:Memory department 62:Control Department A1:Axis AH: Major alarm generation history CNT: Exception occurrence counter CON: Exception occurrence conditions PW:Unlock password RCO: Major Alert Condition S1～S8, S11～S14: steps SP1: The first internal space SP2: Second internal space

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a vacuum pump. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of the control device. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the operation of the vacuum pump. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the starting operation of the vacuum pump 1 .

S1~S8: steps

Claims (8)

A control device is a control device for a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump drives a rotor to rotate through a motor to discharge gas. The control device includes a control part, The control unit counts the number of occurrences of various abnormalities occurring in the vacuum pump, When the number of occurrences of multiple anomalies exceeds the specified threshold, a major alarm is generated. The control device according to claim 1, wherein When the number of occurrences of various abnormalities exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control unit changes the operation mode of the vacuum pump to an operation restriction mode. The operation restriction mode is when the vacuum pump is stopped and then restarted. limit the operation of the vacuum pump. The control device according to claim 2, wherein When the operation mode of the vacuum pump is the operation restriction mode, the control unit causes the vacuum pump to operate for a predetermined time from startup and then stop. The control device according to claim 2 further includes a memory unit, When the major alarm is generated, the control unit stores the major alarm generation history indicating that the major alarm is generated to the memory unit, When the vacuum pump is restarted, if the major alarm generation history indicates the occurrence of the major alarm, the operation mode of the vacuum pump is determined to be the operation restriction mode. The control device according to claim 2, wherein The control unit releases the operation restriction mode when a dedicated password is input. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The specified threshold can be changed. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The plurality of anomalies are at least two anomalies selected from anomalies related to the vibration of the vacuum pump, anomalies related to the rotation speed of the rotor, and anomalies related to the temperature of the vacuum pump. A control method is a control method of a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump drives a rotor to rotate through a motor to discharge gas. The control method includes the following steps: Count the number of occurrences of various abnormalities occurring in the vacuum pump; and When the number of occurrences of multiple anomalies exceeds the specified threshold, a major alarm is generated.