Method and system for collecting via a MES system time-stamps of working-statuses

• US 10,126,728 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Gozzi, Andrea, Lupi, Katia
• Primary Examiner(s): Eskridge, Cory
• Application Number:
  US14/860,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20160085228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/058 Safety, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/1178 Display states of I-O in time
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/40 Minimising material used in manufacturing processes

Abstract

A method and a system collect via a MES, time-stamps of working-statuses of machines and operators, called also actors, for a calculation of a time-dependant component of OLE and OEE indicators in a manufacturing task. The method includes providing a token for assigning to an actor the responsibility of data provision, and defining two meta-statuses for a machine in a task, called operating and booked meta-status respectively. Each meta-status groups a set of machine statuses. A machine is defined to be in an operating meta-status when the machine is in a status engaged in the task and it is able to know and notify its own status. A machine is defined to be in a booked meta-status when the machine is in a status engaged in the task and it is unable to notify its own status.

Claims

1. A method of collecting via a manufacturing execution system (MES) time-stamps of working statuses of machines and operators for a calculation of a time-dependant component of overall labor effectiveness (OLE) and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) indicators in a manufacturing task, wherein an operator and a machine are assigned to a task, the operator and the machine being hereinafter called actors, which method comprises performing the following steps with a processor:

a) assigning to an actor, an entity, defining responsibility of data provision, the entity herein-after being called a token;

b) defining two meta-statuses for the machine in the task, each of the meta-statuses grouping a set of machine statuses;

the meta-statuses including a first meta-status hereinafter called an operating meta-status and a second meta-status hereinafter called a booked meta-status, wherein the two meta-status being defined as follows;

the machine is defined to be in the operating meta-status when the machine is in a status engaged in the task and the machine is able to know and notify its own status;

the machine is defined to be in the booked meta-status when the machine is in a status engaged in the task and the machine is unable to notify its own status;

c) collecting, via the MES system, the time stamps of the statuses of the machine and/or of the operator in a given manufacturing task, which collecting step further includes the steps of;

c1) assigning the token to the actor at a start of the given manufacturing task via the MES system;

c2) during the given manufacturing task being in progress,

c21) collecting from the actor owning the token, the time stamps of the statuses via the MES system;

c22) if a status transition event took place and such event implies also a meta-status transition event;

notifying the MES system that an event of meta-status transition took place via the operator;

assigning the token ownership to the machine upon determining that the meta-status switched from the booked meta-status to the operating meta-status via the MES system, or assigning the token ownership to the operator upon determining that the meta-status switched from the operating meta-status to the booked meta-status.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the token is a programmable logic controller flag.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the token is an internal variable or a flag of the MES system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in sub-step c21) the time stamps of the statuses are triggered by events of status transitions or are polled by the MES system.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein in step c1) creating a new logging session.

6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises implementing the method via software.

7. A system for collecting via a manufacturing execution system (MES) time-stamps of working statuses of machines and operators for a calculation of a time-dependant component of overall labor effectiveness (OLE) and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) indicators in a manufacturing task, wherein an operator and a machine are assigned to a task, the operator and the machine being hereinafter called actors, the system comprising:

a) means for assigning an entity to the actor for defining responsibility of data provision, the entity herein-after called a token;

b) means for defining two meta-statuses for the machine in the task, each of the meta-statuses grouping a set of machine statuses, the meta-statuses including a first meta-status hereinafter called an operating meta-status and a second meta-status hereinafter called a booked meta-status, the two machine meta-status are defined as follows;

the machine is defined to be in the operating meta-status when the machine is in a status engaged in the task and the machine is able to know and notify its own status;

the machine is defined to be in the booked meta-status when the machine is in a status engaged in the task and the machine is unable to notify its own status;

c) means for collecting via the MES system the time stamps of the statuses of the machine and/or of the operator in a given manufacturing task as follows;

c1) at a start of the given manufacturing task, means for assigning via the MES system the token to the actor;

c2) while the given manufacturing task is in progress;

c21) means for collecting, by the MES system, from the actor owning the token, the time stamps of the statuses;

c22) if a status transition event took place and the status transition event implies also a meta-status transition event;

means for notifying, by the operator, to the MES system that an event of meta-status transition took place;

means for assigning, by the MES system, a token ownership to the machine upon determining that the meta-status switched from the booked meta-status to the operating meta-status or, alternatively, means for assigning, by the MES system, the token ownership to the operator upon determining that the meta-status switched from the operating meta-status to the booked meta-status.