Image analysis – Applications – Textiles or clothing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-05
2003-06-10
Patel, Jayanti K. (Department: 2625)
Image analysis
Applications
Textiles or clothing
C414S013000, C454S187000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06577750
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system or device for managing clean garments workers have on in a clean room which is used as a manufacturing room of semiconductor devices or the like.
2. Description of the Background Art
When the worker enters a clean room with dust adhered to the worker's clean garment, the dust may be carried into the clean room. The dust causes a decrease in the yield of products manufactured in the clean room, for example, semiconductor devices or liquid crystal panels. Therefore the clean garments of the workers entering the clean room are required to be clean. In order to maintain the clean room at a predetermined cleanliness, the worker puts on a clean garment outside of the clean room, for example, in a dressing room, and, before entering the clean room, the dust adhered to the clean garment is removed in an air shower room.
In this regard, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. P04-186043A (1992) discloses one example of the conventional structures of air shower room. Prior art of this publication (hereinafter referred to as “Prior art {circle around (1)}”) aims to remove the dust adhered to the clean garments of the workers or the objects carried into a clean room by continuous air blow and ion blow from an ionizer. In an air shower room of Prior art {circle around (1)}, when the worker enters there, the dust removal is performed while measuring the number of dust in the air shower room. When the measured value is below a predetermined standard value, the worker is allowed to enter the clean room.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. P07-208784A (1995) discloses another example of the conventional structures of clean room. In prior art of this publication (referred to as “Prior art {circle around (2)}”), before the worker enters a clean room, dust and chemical impurity adhered to the clean garment of the worker or the object carried into the clean room are removed in an air shower room and a chemical contamination removing room, thereby preventing the ingress of dust or the like. In the clean room of Prior art {circle around (2)}, when the worker or the like enters the chemical contamination removing room, the concentration of chemical contamination in that room is measured. If the measured value is below a predetermined standard value, the worker or the like is allowed to enter the clean room.
In general, the change of clean garments is merely made at predetermined intervals. At the present time, to decide whether the clean garment of the worker should be changed or not within the predetermined interval often depends on the individual decision. Such a decision is, however, subjective. Even during the work in a clean room, dust or chemical contamination might be adhered to a clean garment. Its amount adhered thereto depends upon factors, such as the size of the clean garment, the working contents of the worker, work environment, and the like. In existing air shower rooms and clean rooms, however, the cleanliness of clean garments is managed by setting a uniform criterion. Therefore, in the present circumstances, management of clean garments fails to consider factors which cause adhesion of dust, etc., and differ from one clean garment to another. Prior art {circle around (1)} and Prior art {circle around (2)} in the Publications merely show techniques of removing dust, etc. and monitoring cleanliness, without separately distinguishing clean garments. Also, both Publications fail to disclose means with which the present circumstances as stated is improved and cleanliness management per clean garment is executable.
In view of the foregoing, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a clean garment managing system with which the cleanliness of clean garments can be managed per clean garment.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide, in addition to the realization of the first object, a clean garment managing system capable of managing the cleanliness of clean garments in consideration of factors which cause adhesion of dust, etc., and differ from one clean garment to another.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide an air shower room capable of realizing the first and/or second object.
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a computer readable record medium recording a program with which the processing for realizing the first and/or second object is performed on a computer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a clean garment managing system comprises: an identification data input part that acquires and outputs an identification data identifying a predetermined clean garment; a measuring part that measures a cleanliness of the predetermined clean garment and outputs a measurement data about a measurement result; a data base in which at least a comparison data about the cleanliness of the clean garment is stored in association with the identification data; and a signal processing part that receives the identification data and the measurement data and performs a comparison processing in which a comparison is made between the comparison data in association with the identification data received and the measurement data received.
According to a second aspect, the clean garment managing system of the first aspect is characterized in that the comparison data is the measurement data.
According to a third aspect, the clean garment managing system of the second aspect is characterized in that data about an order in which the measurement data is obtained is stored in association with the measurement data in the data base.
According to a fourth aspect, the clean garment managing system of the first to third aspects is characterized in that the comparison processing is a processing in which a comparison is made between the comparison data in association with the identification data received and the measurement data received, to calculate a difference therebetween.
According to a fifth aspect, the clean garment managing system of the first to fourth aspects is characterized in that the measurement part is at least of a dust counter for measuring the amount of dust in air and an impurity measuring instrument for measuring the concentration of impurity in air.
According to a sixth aspect, the clean garment managing system of the first to fourth aspects is characterized in that the measurement part includes an image capturing device; the measurement data and comparison data include an image data; and the signal processing part performs the comparison processing by image comparison processing.
According to a seventh aspect, the clean garment managing system of the first aspect is characterized in that the measurement part includes an image capturing device; the measurement data includes an entire image data of the predetermined clean garment captured by the image capturing device; the comparison data includes an image data about a clean state of the predetermined clean garment in association with the identification data; and the signal processing part performs the comparison processing by image comparison processing.
According to an eighth aspect, the clean garment managing system of the first to seventh aspects is characterized in that the image processing part further performs judgment processing in which the cleanliness of the predetermined clean garment is judged according to a criterion common to clean garments, based on a result of the comparison processing.
According to a ninth aspect, the clean garment managing system of the first to seventh aspects is characterized in that the data base further stores a reference data in association with the identification data; and the signal processing part further references to the data base to set a criterion based on the reference data in association with the received identification data, to judge the cleanliness of the predetermined clean garment according to the set criterion.
According to a tenth aspect, the clean garment managing system of t
Kuniya Michio
Ohta Yuuki
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Patel Jayanti K.
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