Distributed control system and semiconductor inspection apparatus including same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12147374-B2
Application number	US-202018008387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2020
Priority date	Jun 11, 2020
Publication date	Nov 19, 2024
Grant date	Nov 19, 2024

Abstract

A distributed control system includes a tree topology network or a daisy-chain network including a communication parent station, communication child stations, and a plurality of communication paths among the communication parent station and the communication child stations, in which the communication parent station and the communication child stations include a scheduling unit that controls a transfer cycle that is temporal intervals of data transfer. The scheduling unit sets the transfer cycle that is the fastest out of a plurality of the data as a reference cycle, counts the number of times each time the reference cycle elapses, and imparts a value of the number of times to the reference cycle as a cycle number. When the cycle number reaches an optional number, the number of times is returned to an initial value, which makes one cycle of transfer control, and the transfer control is repeatedly executed. For the timing of the reference cycle at which the data is transferred, the scheduling unit defines a cycle number to which the reference cycle corresponds, on the basis of first information corresponding to the data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A distributed control system comprising a tree topology network or a daisy-chain network including a communication parent station, communication child stations, and a plurality of communication paths among the communication parent station and the communication child stations,
wherein the communication parent station and the communication child stations include a scheduling unit that controls a transfer cycle that is temporal intervals of data transfer,
the scheduling unit sets the transfer cycle that is a fastest out of a plurality of the data as a reference cycle,
counts a number of times each time the reference cycle elapses, and imparts a value of the number of times to the reference cycle as a cycle number,
when the cycle number reaches an optional number, the number of times is returned to an initial value, which makes one cycle of transfer control, and the transfer control is repeatedly executed, and
for a timing of the reference cycle at which the data is transferred, the scheduling unit performs communication band control by executing scheduling processing to define the cycle number to which the reference cycle corresponds, on a basis of predetermined information corresponding to the data,
wherein the scheduling unit of the communication parent station reads the predetermined information from a memory unit while the communication parent station transmits an instruction for starting the scheduling processing to the communication child stations via at least one of the plurality of communication paths, and
wherein different cycle numbers are set for transferring the data of a same transfer cycle.

2. The distributed control system according to claim 1 , wherein the scheduling unit starts transferring second data having a second transfer cycle that is longer than the reference cycle before an end of transfer of other data having the same transfer cycle, and determines a transfer timing to distribute the data transferred in the reference cycle.

3. A semiconductor inspection apparatus comprising the distributed control system according to claim 1 .

4. A distributed control system comprising a tree topology network or a daisy-chain network including a communication parent station, communication child stations, and a plurality of communication paths among the communication parent station and the communication child stations,
wherein the communication parent station and the communication child stations include a scheduling unit that controls a transfer cycle that is temporal intervals of data transfer,
the scheduling unit sets the transfer cycle that is a fastest out of a plurality of the data as a reference cycle,
counts a number of times each time the reference cycle elapses, and imparts a value of the number of times to the reference cycle as a cycle number,
when the cycle number reaches an optional number, the number of times is returned to an initial value, which makes one cycle of transfer control, and the transfer control is repeatedly executed, and
for a timing of the reference cycle at which the data is transferred, the scheduling unit performs communication band control by executing scheduling processing to define the cycle number to which the reference cycle corresponds, on a basis of predetermined information corresponding to the data,
wherein the scheduling unit of the communication parent station reads the predetermined information from a memory unit while the communication parent station transmits an instruction for starting the scheduling processing to the communication child stations via at least one of the plurality of communication paths, and wherein:
the scheduling unit includes an address queue unit,
the scheduling processing stores an address of the data in the address queue unit corresponding to the cycle number, and
when the address is stored in the address queue unit,
the scheduling unit selects the address queue unit in which the address is stored by using a write enable that is generated based on the predetermined information, and
the scheduling unit performs the transfer control by reading the address stored in the corresponding address queue unit based on an update of the cycle number.

5. The distributed control system of claim 4 , wherein the address queue unit correspond to a maximum value of the cycle number.

6. The distributed control system of claim 4 , wherein the communication parent station or the communication child stations or both of the communication parent station and the communication child stations use the address known by the scheduling processing to perform an abnormality notification in a case where, while confirming whether or not the data expected to be received during the transfer control has arrived during a reference period, the data has not arrived.

7. A semiconductor inspection apparatus comprising the distributed control system according to claim 4 .

8. A distributed control system comprising a tree topology network or a daisy-chain network including a communication parent station, communication child stations, and a plurality of communication paths among the communication parent station and the communication child stations,
wherein the communication parent station and the communication child stations include a scheduling unit that controls a transfer cycle that is temporal intervals of data transfer,
the scheduling unit sets the transfer cycle that is a fastest out of a plurality of the data as a reference cycle,
counts a number of times each time the reference cycle elapses, and imparts a value of the number of times to the reference cycle as a cycle number,
when the cycle number reaches an optional number, the number of times is returned to an initial value, which makes one cycle of transfer control, and the transfer control is repeatedly executed, and
for a timing of the reference cycle at which the data is transferred, the scheduling unit performs communication band control by executing scheduling processing to define the cycle number to which the reference cycle corresponds, on a basis of predetermined information corresponding to the data,
wherein the scheduling unit of the communication parent station reads the predetermined information from a memory unit while the communication parent station transmits an instruction for starting the scheduling processing to the communication child stations via at least one of the plurality of communication paths.

9. The distributed control system according to claim 8 , further comprising a central processing unit,
wherein the central processing unit transmits at least one piece of the predetermined information to the communication parent station so that
the predetermined information is transmitted to the communication child stations via at least one of the plurality of communication paths, and
the predetermined information is shared between the communication parent station and the communication child stations.

10. The distributed control system according to claim 8 , wherein the instruction is a first instruction, and wherein
the scheduling unit includes the memory unit,
the communication parent station and the communication child stations store the received predetermined information in the memory unit,
while the communication parent station transmits the first instruction for starting the scheduling processing to the communication child stations via at least one of the plurality of communication paths,
the scheduling unit included in the communication parent station reads the predetermined information in the memory unit and executes the scheduling processing, and
when the communication child stations receive the first instruction,
a plurality of scheduling un

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• YAMASHINA Kazushi
• Saegusa Takashi
• Gunji Yoshiro
• OHSAWA Tetsuji
• Kasai Yutaka
• Kitamura Junichi
• Ishigaki Naoya
• Maeda Shusaku
• Yokose Yoshikuni

Classifications

• G06F13/34

  with priority control · CPC title

• G01R31/2601

  Apparatus or methods therefor (G01R31/2607, G01R31/2642 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06F13/00 Primary

  Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units (interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 {; multiprogram control therefor  G06F9/46}; multiprocessor systems  G06F15/16 ) · CPC title

• G06F13/4247 Primary

  on a daisy chain bus · CPC title