Method and system for collecting and monitoring shop floor information

• US 20020198686A1
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: WEI TE Chung Foxconn International Incorporated
• Inventors: Lee, Youfu, Xiu, MingZhu, Hu, Shiyu, Shang, Dong
• Granted Patent: US 6,725,181 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31282 Data acquisition, BDE MDE
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0221 Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/027 Alarm generation, e.g. communication protocol; Forms of alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method and system 1 are provided for collecting and monitoring shop floor information. In this method and system, a shop floor information collector 108 and a working machine 107 are provided to each production line for collecting real time information, such as real time output 2022, defective product category and quantity 2024, working status 2028, and the like. A central management unit 20 is provided to store and process received data. The central management unit can obtain outside data by a communication network 2 and may be accessed by a plurality of clients 5. A monitoring module 30 is provided to detect defective data on production lines and send an alarm signal to a repair station.

Claims

1. An information collecting and monitoring system for collecting and monitoring real time shop floor information, the information collecting and monitoring system comprising:

a real time information collector for producing a first signal about production procedure and working status at a shop floor;

a working machine that can automatically produce a second signal;

an information collecting computer that is connected with said real time information collector and said working machine and that automatically converts said first signal and said second signal into computer-readable data;

a monitoring module for monitoring shop floor information;

a central management unit for storing and processing the computer-readable data, said central management unit including an interface that enables an operator to manually input periodic production schedule information and allows the operator to search for and obtain information therefrom, said central management unit also including means for automatically producing related data tables and a database storing received information including real time output, working status and periodic production schedule data.

2. The information collecting and monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first signal includes information about defective products.

3. The information collecting and monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said production procedure and working status provided by said real time information collector includes items selected from the group consisting of:

cleaning models, waiting for materials, changing color, changing materials, changing models, repairing models, and repairing machines.

4. The information collecting and monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said real time information collector and said working machine are scalable in numbers.

5. The information collecting and monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said information collecting computer includes a logic processor which translates said first signal and said second signal into computer-readable data.

6. The information collecting and monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said monitoring module includes a programmable detection device, and while said database in said central management unit is being updated, said programmable detection device can automatically detect whether the updated data show any defects in the working machine, and when the updated data shows that there is a defect in the working machine, said programmable detection device can automatically produce an alarm signal.

7. The information collecting and monitoring system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said monitoring module further includes an alarm device for indicating error on the working machine.

8. The information collecting and monitoring system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said monitoring module further includes an I/O controller by which said programmable detection device transmits the alarm signal to said alarm device.

9. The information collecting and monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a communication network which connects said central management unit with an external system and enables information interchange therebetween.

10. The information collecting and monitoring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said communication network includes an intranet.

11. The information collecting and monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said central management unit includes a programmable judgment and protection device which ensures the credibility and stability of the system and corrects any inaccurate information obtained by human input.

13. The information collecting and monitoring method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said first signal includes information about defective products.

14. The information collecting and monitoring method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said producing procedure and working status provided by said real time information collector includes items selected from the group consisting of:

cleaning models, waiting for materials, changing color, changing materials, changing models, repairing models, and repairing machines.

15. The information collecting and monitoring method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said real time information collector and said working machine are scalable in numbers.

16. The information collecting and monitoring method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said information-collecting computer includes a logic process unit which translates said first signal and said second signal into computer-readable data.

17. The information collecting and monitoring method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said monitoring module includes a programmable detection device, and while said database in said central management unit is being updated, said programmable detection device can automatically detect whether the updated data show any defects in the working machine, and when the updated data shows that there is a defect in the working machine, said programmable detection device can automatically produce an alarm signal.

18. The information collecting and monitoring method as claimed in claim 17, wherein said monitoring module further includes an alarm device for indicating error on the working machine.

19. The information collecting and monitoring method as claimed in claim 18, wherein said monitoring module further includes an I/O controller by which said programmable detection device transmits the alarm signal to said alarm device.

20. The information collecting and monitoring method as claimed in claim 12, further providing a communication network which connects said central management unit with an external system and enables information interchange therebetween.

21. The information collecting and monitoring method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said communication network includes an intranet.

22. The information collecting and monitoring method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said central management unit includes a programmable judgment and protection device which ensures the credibility and stability of the system and corrects any inaccurate information obtained by human input.

12. An information collecting and monitoring method for collecting and monitoring real time shop floor information, the method comprising the following steps:

providing a real time information collector for producing a first signal about production procedure and working status at a shop floor;

providing a working machine that can automatically produce a second signal;

providing a data-collecting computer that is connected with said real time information collector and said working machine and that automatically converts said first signal and said second signal into computer-readable data;

providing a monitoring module for showing real time defects at the shop floor;

providing a central management unit for storing and processing the computer-readable data, said central management unit including an interface that enables an operator to input periodic production schedule information and allows the operator to search for and obtain information therefrom, said central management unit also including means for automatically producing related data tables and a database storing received information including real time output, working status and periodic production schedule data.

23. An information collecting module comprising:

a plurality of working machines;

a plurality of shop floor information collectors respectively connected to the working machine in a one on one relationship; and

information collectors generating first signals while the working machine generating second signals;

said information collectors and said working machine arranged with several groups, each of said groups essentially composed of the alternately connected working machines and the information collectors;

wherein

said groups are respectively connected to several communication controllers, said communication controllers with the corresponding groups in a parallel series arrangement, are commonly connected to a communication converter, and

said communication converter is successively connected to an information collecting computer where the first and second signals are turned to computer readable data.