Method and a system to communicate and manage work-order information on the manufacturing floor

• US 20060293779A1
• Filed: 10/04/2005
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Naomi Nishri
• Original Assignee: Naomi Nishri
• Inventors: Nishri, Naomi
• Application Number:
  US11/241,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20060293779A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A system and a method for communicating a plurality of work-orders to a plurality of users using a plurality of communication units over a factory floor, where each communication units is associated with a different work-order and each work-order is associated with a different communication unit. Each communication units has a user interface to provide work-order information to users and receive work-order information from users.

Claims

1. A work-order management system for managing a plurality of work-orders over a factory floor, the system comprising:

a central controller, and

a plurality of communication units, each of said communication units comprising a user interface operative to provide at least one of an output to a user and an input from a user, said output and input comprising current parameters of a work-order, and wherein each of said communication units is associated with a specific work-order.

2. A work-order management system according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of said communication units is associated with a respective plurality of components of a work-order, wherein each of said components is associated with a sub-process of said work-order, said sub-processes being performed substantially in parallel.

3. A work-order management system according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of communication units is distributed over a manufacturing floor and operative to display work-order parameters within said manufacturing floor substantially simultaneously.

4. A work-order management system according to claim 1 wherein said communication unit is operative to follow a manufactured entity along a manufacturing process, said manufactured entity being associated with said work-order.

5. A work-order management system according to claim 4 wherein said manufactured entity is at least one of a product being manufactured and a manufacturing batch.

6. A work-order management system according to claim 1 and operative to update said current parameters of said work-order in real-time.

7. A work-order management system according to claim 1 wherein said communication unit is operative to communicate with a manufacturing management system via a communication link.

8. A work-order management system according to claim 7 wherein said communication link is a wireless communication channel.

9. A work-order management system according to claim 7 wherein said manufacturing management system is at least one of the group comprising manufacturing resource planning (MRP) and enterprise resource planning (ERP).

10. A work-order management system according to claim 1 wherein said output comprises an indication conditioned on at least one of a value of a parameter, or a change of a value of a parameter or a combination of values of a plurality of parameters and change of values thereof.

11. A work-order management system according to claim 10 wherein said indication is at least one of visual and audible.

12. A work-order management system according to claim 11 wherein said indication is a visual indication and wherein said visual indication comprises a color scheme and wherein each color of said color scheme is associated with a specific status associated with said change of a value of a parameter.

13. A work-order management system according to claim 1 additionally operative to provide location information for at least one of said plurality of communication units.

14. A work-order management system for a manufacturing environment, said environment comprising a plurality of operating stations and in which work-orders take individually designated paths around said operating stations, said system comprising:

a plurality of communication units each for association with a work-order such that said communication units are mobile with said work-order among said operating stations, and

a central station for monitoring and controlling said work-orders via said communication units.

15. A work-order management controller comprising

a work-order association unit;

and

a work-order communicating unit,

wherein said work-order association unit is operative to associate each of a plurality of work-orders with one of plurality of work-order tracing units, and wherein said communication unit is operative to exchange parameters of said work-order with said work-order tracing unit.

16. A work-order management controller according to claim 15 additionally operative to configure a user interface of said work-order tracing units.

17. A work-order management controller according to claim 15 and additionally operative to communicate said work-order information with a manufacturing management system.

18. A work-order management method comprising:

continuously retrieving work-order information from a manufacturing management system;

continuously distributing said work-order information to a plurality of work-order tracing units; and

continuously communicating said information to users,

wherein each of said work-order tracing units is associated with a single work-order.

19. A work-order management method according to claim 18 wherein said step of continuously communicating said information to users is performed via a user interface comprising at least one of visually sensible and audibly sensible features

20. A work-order management method according to claim 18 and additionally comprising continuously moving said work-order tracing unit to follow a manufactured entity along a manufacturing process, said manufactured entity being associated with said work-order being associated with said work-order tracing unit.

21. A work-order management method according to claim 18 and additionally comprising:

collecting information related to said work-order from a user via said work-order tracing unit; and

communicating said information to said manufacturing management system.

22. A work-order management method according to claim 18 wherein said plurality of work-order tracing units is associated with a respective plurality of components of a work-order, wherein each of said components is associated with a sub-process of said work-order, said sub-processes being performed substantially in parallel.

23. A work-order management method according to claim 18 wherein said plurality of work-order tracing units is distributed over a manufacturing floor and operative to display work-orders within said manufacturing floor substantially simultaneously.

24. A work-order management method according to claim 18 wherein said plurality of work-order tracing units is operative to follow a manufactured entity along a manufacturing process, said manufactured entity being associated with said work-order.

25. A work-order management method according to claim 18 wherein said steps involving continuously retrieving, continuously distributing and continuously communicating are executed in real-time.

26. A work-order management method according to claim 18 wherein said step of communicating information to a user comprises providing indication conditioned on at least one of a value of a parameter, or a change of a value of a parameter or a combination of values of a plurality of parameters and change of values thereof.

27. A work-order management method according to claim 26 wherein said indication comprises at least one of visual and audible features.

28. A work-order tracing method according to claim 27 wherein said indication is a visual indication and wherein said visual indication comprises a color scheme and wherein each color of said color scheme is associated with a specific status associated with said change of a value of a parameter.

29. A work-order management method according to claim 18 additionally providing location information for at least one of said plurality of mobile terminal units.

30. A work-order management method for a manufacturing environment, said environment comprising work-orders that take individually designated paths around a plurality of operating stations, said method comprising:

associating each said work-order with a different mobile unit;

moving said mobile unit with said associated work-order among said operating stations; and

monitoring and controlling said work-orders via said mobile units.