Vacuum valve with inertial sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11313491-B2
Application number	US-201816627224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2018
Priority date	Jun 30, 2017
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a vacuum valve with a sensor arrangement having at least one inertial sensor, where the sensor arrangement is designed in such a way it detects a measuring signal with respect to an acceleration impacting on the valve.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vacuum valve for the regulation of a volume or mass flow and/or for the gas-tight interruption of a flow path, comprising
a valve seat, which comprises a valve opening defining an opening axis and a first sealing surface circumferential around the valve opening,
a valve closure, which is designed for at least one of:
regulating the volume or mass flow,
interrupting the flow path

and comprises a second sealing surface corresponding to the first sealing surface,
a drive unit coupled to the valve closure, which is designed such that the valve closure is variable and settable to provide respective valve opening states and is adjustable from an open position (O), in which the valve closure releases the valve opening, into a closed position (G), in which the second sealing surface is pressed in the direction of the first sealing surface and the valve opening is closed essentially gas-tight, and back again, wherein the vacuum valve furthermore comprises a sensor arrangement having one or more inertial sensors, wherein the sensor arrangement is designed to acquire a measurement signal with respect to an acceleration occurring on the valve, the acceleration being acquired independently of pressure variations in a process chamber,
wherein the sensor arrangement is arranged such that the acceleration is acquired by the measurement signal, the acceleration corresponding to frictional oscillation on at least one of the locations of:
between a part of a seal and a part of the first sealing surface, and
between a part of the seal and a part of the second sealing surface.

2. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein a monitoring and control unit, which is designed for controlling the sensor arrangement and adjusting the valve closure between the open position (O) and the closed position (G) by means of the drive unit.

3. The vacuum valve according to claim 2 , wherein the monitoring and control unit is designed to provide a frequency spectrum based on the measured values.

4. The vacuum valve according to claim 2 , wherein the monitoring and control unit is designed to provide an output signal with respect to locating of an oscillation causing the respective measured value frequency based on an analysis of the measured values with respect to one or more measured value frequencies.

5. The vacuum valve according to claim 2 , wherein the monitoring and control unit is designed to provide an output signal with respect to an evaluation of a process controlled by the vacuum valve based on a comparison of the measured values to predefined tolerance values.

6. The vacuum valve according to claim 2 , wherein the monitoring and control unit is designed to provide an output signal based on trend monitoring of measured values of multiple processes controlled by the vacuum valve, which output signal comprises one or both of:
a warning about elevated wear of a component of the vacuum valve and
a prediction about the durability of a component of the vacuum valve.

7. The vacuum valve according to claim 2 , wherein the monitoring and control unit is designed to determine a contact pressure force, with which the valve closure bears on the valve seat in the closed position, based on acceleration values measured in parallel to the opening axis during the closing procedure and a known strength value of a coupling component.

8. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor arrangement is designed and arranged in such a way that the acceleration which results in the drive unit is acquired by the measurement signal.

9. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor arrangement is arranged such that the acceleration which acts from the outside on the vacuum valve is acquired by the measurement signal.

10. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor arrangement is designed in such a way that an inertial sensor is arranged on at least one of the locations mentioned hereafter:
on a part of the valve seat which comprises a part of the first sealing surface,
on a part of the valve closure which comprises a part of the second sealing surface,
on a valve housing, or
on a housing of the drive unit.

11. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor arrangement comprises inertial sensors selected from:
an acceleration sensor which detects accelerations along at least one axis aligned in a defined manner, and
a rotation rate sensor, which detects rotational velocities or rotational accelerations around at least one axis aligned in a defined manner.

12. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein the drive unit is connected to the valve housing, and the valve closure is coupled to the drive unit via a coupling component.

13. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein the vacuum valve defines a vacuum region separated from an external environment and inertial sensors of the sensor arrangement contributing to the measurement signal are arranged outside the vacuum region.

14. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein the valve seat is formed by a part of the vacuum valve, or is provided by the process chamber.

15. The vacuum valve according to claim 1 , wherein the frictional oscillation is detected for the seal independent of a wearing of other components of the vacuum valve.

Assignees

• Vat Holding Ag

Inventors

• Eschenmoser Adrian
• Hofer Andreas

Classifications

• F16K37/0041 Primary

  for measuring valve 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 Primary

  specially adapted for high-vacuum installations · CPC title

• F16K3/16

  with special arrangements for separating the sealing faces or for pressing them together (F16K3/10, F16K3/14 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16K37/0083

  by measuring valve parameters · CPC title