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EP-3944030-B1 - METHOD TO ASSIST AN OPERATOR IN CONTROLLING A COATING PROCESS

EP3944030B1EP 3944030 B1EP3944030 B1EP 3944030B1EP-3944030-B1

Inventors

  • KAUFFMANN, Thierry
  • Brezac, Dragutin

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20200721

Claims (12)

  1. A computer implemented method (3000) for configuring a coating process (2000) to deposit a targeted mono- or multi-layered coating (1002) on a transparent substrate (1001), wherein said method (3000) provides as output (O3002) a series of time ordered tasks which are executed on the coating process (2000), and comprises the following steps: (a) providing a dataset (D3001) comprising at least data related to parameters (CPP) of the coating process (2000); (b) providing a set (A3001) of algorithms (A i ,...,A n ) which takes, as input, data from the dataset (D3001) of step (a) and provides, as output (03001), automated and/or manually guided tasks ([T 1 ,...,T n ] A1 -[T 1 ,...,T n ] An ); (c) selecting (S3001) at least two algorithms from the set (A3001) of algorithms (A i ,...,A n ) depending on current states (D3002) of the coating process (2000) as provided as input data; (d) selecting (S3002) the order in which the algorithms selected at step (c) has to be carried out so that the automated and/or manually guided tasks (O3002) provided by said algorithms are organized as a time ordered series of automated and/or manually guided tasks to be executed onto the coating process at the corresponding stages (2001-2007) in the coating process (2000).
  2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the parameters of the coating process comprise the spatial localization and/or the speed of conveyed substrates in the coating process.
  3. A method according to any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the dataset (D3001) of step (a) further comprises data related to features (FC) of the layers of coating (1002) to be deposited, and data related to at least one quality function (QF) of coated transparent substrates (1000).
  4. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dataset (D3001) of step (a) further comprises data related to physicochemical, optical and/or mechanical properties of the transparent substrate.
  5. Method according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the set (A3001) of algorithms comprises algorithms to optimize optical, mechanical, electrical and/or chemical properties of the layers of the coating by screening different values of parameters of the coating process.
  6. Method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the set of algorithms further comprises a feedback algorithm for automatically adjusting parameters of coating process to deposit a targeted mono- or multi-layered coating on a transparent substrate.
  7. A method according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein said coating process further comprises at least one sputtering cell comprising at least one cathode, and wherein the set of algorithms further contains an algorithm providing as output automated steps to set the voltage/gas pressure working point of said sputtering cell.
  8. A method of entering and displaying of data in a data processing system comprising means for carrying out a method for configuring a coating process to deposit a targeted mono- or multi-layered coating on a transparent substrate according to any of claims 1 to 7, said method of entering and displaying of data comprising the following steps: (a) displaying (S1a) a linear sequence of icons (8001), each icons representing an algorithm from a set a set (A3001) of algorithms (A i ,...,A n ) (b) displaying input fields (8002) associated with each icon (8001) and being configured to accept a integer number corresponding to the order in which the algorithms associated with the corresponding icon is executed; (c) entering (S1b) a number in the input fields; (c) displaying an input field (8003) being configured to make the data processing system execute the computer implemented method according to the order of the number entered in the inputs fields (8002), (d) displaying the computed ordered series of automated and/or manually guided tasks as a linear sequence (S-1, S, S+1) of contextualized tasks according to the stages (9000) of the process.
  9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the ordered series of automated and/or manually guided tasks is time ordered and, in step (d), a task is displayed when the time associated with said task corresponds to the current time.
  10. A data processing system comprising means for carrying out a method according to any one of the claims 1 to 7.
  11. A computer program (16001) comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out a method according to any one of the claims 1 to 7.
  12. A computer readable medium (6002) comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out a method according to any one of the claims 1 to 7.

Description

Technical field The invention pertains to computer implemented methods to assist an operator in controlling a coating process to deposit a targeted mono- or multi-layered coating on a transparent substrate. An outstanding advantage of the method according to the invention is that the tasks to be carried out for controlling the coating process are chained and/or paralleled in an optimized order or sequence to set up the different components of said coating process in the most efficient way. The workload of the operators is then significantly reduced, so that more parameters for more transparent substrates can be adjusted simultaneously. Background art With reference to fig. 1, mono- or multi-layered coatings 1002 are used to functionalize surfaces of a wide variety of substrates, particularly transparent substrates 1001 such as mineral or organic glasses. They bring optical properties and/or functionalities that suit specific applications. For example, in the building industry, surfaces of transparent glass sheets are often coated with multi-layered low-emissivity or solar control coatings. These coatings are generally stacks of a plurality of chemically and physically, e.g. amorphous, crystallized or partially crystallized, different thin layers interacting with each other in order to alter the incident solar radiation falling on the surfaces of the glass panes. These coatings often contain infrared-reflective metallic layers, mainly made of metals such as silver, gold, niobium or copper, to reduce heat and/or radiation transfer through the panes. They are often combined with dielectric layers, mainly through sandwiching configurations, to counterbalance or adjust colour shifts, reflection and/or transmission effects that are due to said metallic layers, and to provide the sought solar factor or heat emission rate, also called emissivity. Other layers, either metallic of dielectric, can also be incorporated in the coating to improve thermal and/or structural stability over time, during use, or upon subsequent transformations such as heating, tempering and/or bending. Coating processes to deposit mono- or multi-layered coating on substrates are well-known in the art. In particular, in glass industry, stacks of thin films are generally coated on transparent mineral glass substrates by successive deposits of thin films by conveying glass substrates through a succession of deposit cells, each adapted to deposit a given thin film. The deposit cells can implement different deposit methods such as magnetic field assisted sputtering (also called magnetron sputtering), ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD), evaporation, chemical vapour deposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD), low pressure chemical vapour deposition (LPCVD). With reference to fig. 2, a common deposit process may be illustrated by a deposit system 2000 which comprises juxtaposed cells 2001-2007 through which a transparent substrate 2008 is successively conveyed. a deposit section 2004 comprising a succession 2004 of deposit cells 2004(1)-2004(m). Each deposit cell 2004(1)-2004(m) may be featured with means for depositing coating, e.g. magnetic field assisted sputtering (also called magnetron sputtering) system, ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) system, evaporation system, chemical vapour deposition (CVD) system, plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) system or low pressure chemical vapour deposition (LPCVD) system. The deposit cells 2004(1)-2004(m) and other cells as well, may also comprise, among other components, pumping systems to create vacuum conditions that suit deposition, gas supplier to inject gases required for deposition, mechanical shields that regulate gas fluxes through air vents or blowholes, and electrical power suppliers to operate the mechanical actionable components or electric/electronic devices of the coating process. Before to manufacture a new product, i.e. a new coated substrate, each cell of the coating process has to be accurately configured so the required specifications, e.g. thickness or chemistry of the layers in the coating for that product can be obtained. Examples of operations that may need to be carried out for that configuration are: connecting/disconnecting cells that are required or not for the product to be manufactured, configuring pumping systems to adjust vacuum in coating process, setting electric power supplies and related software, setting conveyor speeds, adding gas and/or setting gas flows to adjust pressures in cells, and/or determining the working points of cathodes in case of deposition by sputtering. These operations are not straightforward as multiple, often interdependent, parameters have to be adjusted simultaneously and/or consecutively. It can be very time-consuming as they can require a lot of trials, in particular for complex products, before the best combination of values for these parameters can be found. Furthermore, even if an appropriate combination