Automatic quality control method for production line and apparatus therefor as well as automatic quality control program

• US 20060080055A1
• Filed: 12/05/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haruhiko Kondo, Tomoaki Kubo
• Original Assignee: Haruhiko Kondo, Tomoaki Kubo
• Inventors: Kubo, Tomoaki, Kondo, Haruhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,181,355 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/84
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32177 Computer assisted quality surveyance, caq
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32196 Store audit, history of inspection, control and workpiece data into database
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32201 Build statistical model of past normal proces, compare with actual process
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32216 If machining not optimized, simulate new parameters and correct machining
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Production condition data and product quality data in a production line are monitored and stored in a production history database. When a quality deterioration event in the production line is detected while checking the product quality data, the improvement contents of the quality deterioration factor and production conditions are extracted. The extracted results and pre-stored quality improvement history data are collated with each other in order to confirm the validity thereof, and a simulation of the phenomenon of the production line is executed in order to verify the correctness. When the validity and correctness are verified, the production condition for the production line are revised to improve the quality deterioration factor.

Claims

1. An automatic quality control method for a production line, comprising:

monitoring a plurality of production condition data for manufacturing products from a production line and product quality data indicating quality of manufactured products;

storing the production condition data and product quality data thus monitored in a database;

checking the production condition data to detect whether or not there is an event which deteriorates the quality of products;

extracting, if a quality deteriorating event is detected, a quality deteriorating factor which causes the quality deteriorating event and improvement contents of production conditions against the quality deteriorating factor on the basis of the quality deteriorating event and the production condition data;

collating the quality deteriorating factor and improvement contents thus extracted with improvement examples pre-stored for possible quality deteriorating factors and confirming the validity of the quality deteriorating factor and improvement contents;

executing a simulation of manufacture of a product in the production line based on the quality deteriorating factor and improvement contents thus extracted, and

verifying the correctness of the quality deteriorating factor and the validity of the improvement contents, extracted from the result of the simulation; and

if the correctness of the quality deteriorating factor and the validity of the improvement contents are verified, the production conditions for the production line in accordance with the improvement contents.