Valve control apparatus and vacuum valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11054847-B2
Application number	US-202016738051-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2020
Priority date	Feb 25, 2019
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A valve control apparatus comprises: a generator configured to generate a first set pressure signal; and a valve opening controller configured to perform the first valve opening control on the basis of the target pressure and, after the first valve opening control, perform the second valve opening control performing feedback control on the basis of a difference between the first set pressure signal and the chamber pressure. The generator generates the first set pressure signal on the basis of a first set pressure locus converging from the chamber pressure at the time of switching from the first valve opening control to the second valve opening control to the target pressure with a predetermined time constant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve control apparatus that performs first valve opening control and second valve opening control in succession on a vacuum valve between a vacuum chamber and a vacuum pump, and controls a chamber pressure of the vacuum chamber to a target pressure, the valve control apparatus comprising:
a generator configured to generate a first set pressure signal; and
a valve opening controller configured to perform the first valve opening control on the basis of the target pressure and, after the first valve opening control, perform the second valve opening control performing feedback control on the basis of a difference between the first set pressure signal and the chamber pressure, wherein
the generator generates the first set pressure signal on the basis of a first set pressure locus converging from the chamber pressure at the time of switching from the first valve opening control to the second valve opening control to the target pressure with a time constant.

2. The valve control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the time constant is calculated on the basis of the chamber pressure at the time of the switching and a time derivative value of the chamber pressure, and the target pressure.

3. The valve control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the generator
corrects the time constant of the first set pressure locus every control period on the basis of a change in the first set pressure signal over time and a change in the chamber pressure over time, and
generates a second set pressure signal on the basis of a second set pressure locus converging to the target pressure with the corrected time constant, and

the valve opening controller performs third valve opening control performing feedback control, instead of the second valve opening control, on the basis of a difference between the second set pressure signal and the chamber pressure.

4. The valve control apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the corrected time constant is set to
be less than the time constant before the correction upon the magnitude of the change in the first set pressure signal over time being less than the magnitude of the change in the chamber pressure over time,
be greater than the time constant before the correction upon the magnitude of the change in the first set pressure signal over time being greater than the magnitude of the change in the chamber pressure over time, and
be equal to the time constant before the correction upon the magnitude of the change in the first set pressure signal over time being equal to the magnitude of the change in the chamber pressure over time.

5. The valve control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the time constant is calculated by an equation “|(Ps−Pr0)|/|(dPr/dt|0)|” where the target pressure is Ps, the chamber pressure is Pr, and the chamber pressure at the time of the switching is Pr0.

6. The valve control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generator, in a case where a control error in the first valve opening control is known,
uses a corrected time constant obtained by correcting the time constant on the basis of the control error in the first valve opening control, instead of using the time constant, and
generates the first set pressure signal on the basis of a set pressure locus converging to the target pressure with the corrected time constant.

7. A vacuum valve comprising:
a disc;
a disc driver configured to drive the disc to open and close the disc; and
the valve control apparatus according to claim 1 configured to control the opening and closing drive by the disc driver.

Assignees

• Shimadzu Corp

Inventors

• Kozaki Junichiro

Classifications

• F16K37/005

  for measuring fluid parameters (F16K37/0033 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16K3/06

  in the form of closure plates arranged between supply and discharge passages (F16K3/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16K51/02

  specially adapted for high-vacuum installations · CPC title

• F16K3/0254

  being operated by particular means · CPC title

• G05D16/02 Primary

  Modifications to reduce the effects of instability, e.g. due to vibrations, friction, abnormal temperature, overloading or imbalance · CPC title