System and method for dynamically reconfiguring one or more autonomous cells in a print shop environment

• US 20070091355A1
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Rai, Sudhendu
• Granted Patent: US 9,423,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1219 with regard to consumables, e.g. ink, toner, paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1275 Print workflow management, e.g. defining or changing a workflow, cross publishing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1282 High volume printer device
• 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 for processing jobs in a print shop is provided. The print shop includes at least two autonomous cells, and each autonomous cell includes a resource for performing an operation relative to at least one of the jobs. In one approach, the number of jobs requiring an operation at each one of the two autonomous cells is monitored. When the number of jobs requiring at least one operation at each one of the two autonomous cells exceeds a selected number, a reconfiguration mode is simulated for at least one of the two autonomous cells to obtain a reconfiguration desirability value. The at least one of the two autonomous cells is reconfigured when the reconfiguration desirability value differs from a selected reference value.

Claims

1. A system for processing jobs in a print shop, the print shop including two autonomous cells, wherein each autonomous cell includes a resource for performing an operation relative to at least one of the jobs, said job processing system comprising:

a subsystem for monitoring the number of jobs requiring at least one operation at each one of the two autonomous cells;

a controller, said controller including a simulation program, said controller using the simulation program to simulate a reconfiguration mode for at least one of the two autonomous cells to obtain a reconfiguration desirability value when the number of jobs requiring at least one operation at each one of the two autonomous cells exceeds a selected number; and

wherein the at least one of the two autonomous cells is reconfigured when the reconfiguration desirability value differs from a selected reference value.

2. The job processing system of claim 1, in which the reconfiguration desirability value corresponds with u₁ and the selected reference corresponds with u₂, wherein the reconfiguration desirability value differs from the selected reference value when u₁>

u₂.

3. The job processing system of claim 1, wherein the simulation program comprises a discrete event model built from declarative specifications, and wherein the model is automatically generated on the basis of the declarative specifications.

4. The job processing system of claim 1, wherein a utility function is used to calculate the reconfiguration desirability value.

5. The job processing system of claim 4, wherein the utility function varies as a function of at least one of reconfiguration costs, production costs and performance improvement costs.

6. The job processing system of claim 5, in which the two autonomous cells include a first autonomous cell with a first resource and a second autonomous cell with a second resource, wherein said subsystem for monitoring includes a graphic user interface, and wherein said graphic user interface is used to determine that one or both of the first and second resources is responsible for causing the number of jobs requiring at least one operation at each one of the two autonomous cells to exceed the selected number.

7. The job processing system of claim 1, in which the two autonomous cells include a first autonomous cell with a first resource and a second autonomous cell with a second resource, wherein one of said first autonomous cell and said second autonomous cell is reconfigured to include the first resource and the second resource.

8. A method for processing jobs in a print shop, the print shop including two autonomous cells, wherein each autonomous cell includes a resource for performing an operation relative to at least one of the jobs, comprising:

monitoring the number of jobs requiring at least one operation at each one of the two autonomous cells;

simulating a reconfiguration mode for at least one of the two autonomous cells to obtain a reconfiguration desirability value when the number of jobs requiring at least one operation at each one of the two autonomous cells exceeds a selected number; and

reconfiguring the at least one of the two autonomous cells when the reconfiguration desirability value differs from a selected reference value.

9. The method of claim 8, in which the reconfiguration desirability value corresponds with u₁ and the selected reference corresponds with u₂, further comprising comparing u₁ with u₂ to determine whether the reconfiguration desirability value differs from the selected reference value when u₁>

u₂.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said simulating includes using a discrete event model built from declarative specifications so that the model is automatically generated on the basis of the declarative specifications

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising using a utility function to calculate the reconfiguration desirability value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the utility function varies as a function of at least one of reconfiguration costs, production costs and performance improvement costs.

13. The method of claim 8, in which the two autonomous cells include a first autonomous cell and a second autonomous cell, and in which the number of jobs requiring at least one operation at the two autonomous cells exceeds the selected number, said simulating includes (a) simulating a first reconfiguration mode for the at least one of the two autonomous cells to obtain a first reconfiguration desirability value (u₁), and (b) simulating a second reconfiguration mode for the at least one of the two autonomous cells to obtain a second reconfiguration desirability value (u₂);

and wherein said reconfiguring includes determining when the reconfiguration desirability value differs from the selected reference value by comparing u₁ and u₂.

16. The method of claim 8, in which the two autonomous cells include a first autonomous cell with a first resource and a second autonomous cell with a second resource, and in which the reconfiguration desirability value differs from the selected reference value, wherein said reconfiguring includes using the first resource with the second resource together in one of the first autonomous cell and the second autonomous cell.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein one of the first resource and second resource includes a movable document processing related device, and wherein said reconfiguring includes moving the movable document processing related device from the first autonomous cell to the second autonomous cell.

18. The method of claim 8, in which the two autonomous cells include a first autonomous cell with a first resource and a second autonomous cell with a second resource, further comprising determining that one of the first and second resources is responsible for causing the number of jobs requiring at least one operation at the two autonomous cells to exceed the selected number.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said reconfiguring includes:

reconfiguring the at least one of the two autonomous cells in the first reconfiguration mode when u₁>

u₂, and

reconfiguring the at least one of the two autonomous cells in the second reconfiguration mode when the u₁<

u₂.

19. A method for processing jobs in a print shop, the print shop including a group of autonomous cells, the group of autonomous cells operating collectively at a desired efficiency level, wherein each autonomous cell includes a resource for performing an operation relative to at least one of the jobs, comprising:

determining whether the group of autonomous cells is collectively operating at the desired efficiency level;

simulating a reconfiguration mode for at least one of the group of autonomous cells to obtain a reconfiguration desirability value when the collective operation of the group of autonomous cells deviates from the desired efficiency level by a selected amount; and

reconfiguring at least one of the groups of autonomous cells when the reconfiguration desirability value differs from a selected reference value.

20. The method of claim 19, in which one of the group of autonomous cells corresponds with an output, wherein said determining includes determining whether the output is less than the reference output.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising using a utility function to calculate the reconfiguration desirability value.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the utility function varies as a function of at least one of reconfiguration costs, production costs and performance improvement costs.

23. The method of claim 19, in which the group of autonomous cells include a first autonomous cell and a second autonomous cell, and in which the collective operation of the group of autonomous cells deviates from the desired efficiency level by the amount, said simulating includes (a) simulating a first reconfiguration mode for at least one of the group of autonomous cells to obtain a first reconfiguration desirability value, and (b) simulating a second reconfiguration mode for the at least one of the two autonomous cells to obtain a second reconfiguration desirability value;

and wherein said reconfiguring includes determining when the reconfiguration desirability value exceeds the selected reference value by comparing the first reconfiguration desirability value with the second reconfiguration desirability value.

24. The method of claim 19, in which the group of autonomous cells includes a first autonomous cell with a first resource and a second autonomous cell with a second resource, and in which the reconfiguration desirability value differs from the selected reference value, wherein said reconfiguring includes using the first resource with the second resource in one of the first autonomous cell and the second autonomous cell.

25. The method of claim 19, which the reconfiguration desirability value corresponds with u₁ and the selected reference corresponds with u₂, further comprising comparing u₁ with u₂ to determine whether the reconfiguration desirability value differs from the selected reference value when u₁>

u₂.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein said simulating includes using a discrete event model built from declarative specifications so that the model is automatically generated on the basis of the declarative specifications