Quality Assurance System and Method
First Claim
1. A quality control system for a manufacturing process, the system comprising:
- a plurality of inspection stations for receiving data regarding an item that is being manufactured, the item having a plurality of components; and
a data management system coupled to the inspection stations, the data management system comprising;
a data manager operable to generate responses to queries by using a data organization comprising;
a first data structure for capturing identification data regarding the item being manufactured and the inspections for the item;
a second data structure for capturing data regarding defects in the components of the item;
a third data structure for capturing data regarding the components of the item; and
a fourth data structure linked to the first, second, and third data structures for capturing data regarding the item, the inspections for the item, the defects for the components of the item, and the components containing the defects.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems, processes, and devices may facilitate quality assurance in a manufacturing process. In certain implementations, systems, processes, and devices for quality assurance may include the ability to receive inspection data regarding an item being manufactured, the item having a number of components, and insert the data into a data organization. The data organization may include a first data structure for capturing identification data regarding the item and the inspections for the item, a second data structure for capturing data regarding defects in the item'"'"'s components, and a third data structure for capturing data regarding the item'"'"'s components. A fourth data structure may be linked to the first, second, and third data structures for capturing data regarding the item, the inspections for the item, the defects for the item'"'"'s components, and the components containing the defects. The data organization may be used to generate responses to queries.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A quality control system for a manufacturing process, the system comprising:
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a plurality of inspection stations for receiving data regarding an item that is being manufactured, the item having a plurality of components; and a data management system coupled to the inspection stations, the data management system comprising; a data manager operable to generate responses to queries by using a data organization comprising; a first data structure for capturing identification data regarding the item being manufactured and the inspections for the item; a second data structure for capturing data regarding defects in the components of the item; a third data structure for capturing data regarding the components of the item; and a fourth data structure linked to the first, second, and third data structures for capturing data regarding the item, the inspections for the item, the defects for the components of the item, and the components containing the defects. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for quality control in a manufacturing process, the method comprising:
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receiving inspection data regarding an item that is being manufactured, the item having a plurality of components; inserting the data into a data organization comprising; a first data structure for capturing identification data regarding the item being manufactured and the inspections for the item, a second data structure for capturing data regarding defects in the components of the item, a third data structure for capturing data regarding the components of the item, and a fourth data structure linked to the first, second, and third data structures for capturing data regarding the item, the inspections for the item, the defects for the components of the item, and the components containing the defects; and generating responses to queries by using the data organization. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A system for quality control in a manufacturing process, the method comprising:
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means for receiving inspection data regarding an item that is being manufactured, the item having a plurality of components; means for inserting the data into a data organization comprising; a first data structure for capturing identification data regarding the item being manufactured and the inspections for the item, a second data structure for capturing data regarding defects in the components of the item, a third data structure for capturing data regarding the components of the item, and a fourth data structure linked to the first, second, and third data structures for capturing data regarding the item, the inspections for the item, the defects for the components of the item, and the components containing the defects; and means for generating responses to queries by using the data organization.
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30. A quality control system for a manufacturing process, the system comprising:
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a plurality of inspection stations for receiving data regarding an item that is being manufactured, the item having a plurality of components; and a data management system coupled to the inspection stations, the data management system comprising; a data manager operable to generate responses to queries by using a data organization comprising; a first data structure for capturing identification data regarding the item being manufactured and the inspections for the item; a second data structure linked to the first data structure, the second data structure for capturing data regarding the item being manufactured; a third data structure linked to the first data structure, the third for capturing data regarding inspection stations for the manufacturing process; a fourth data structure linked to the third data structure for capturing data regarding an area of the manufacturing process; a fifth data structure for capturing data regarding defects in the components of the item, the fifth data structure specifying associations between potential defects and components of an item; a sixth data structure linked to the fifth data structure for capturing data regarding potential defects for the components of the item; a seventh data structure linked to the fifth data structure for capturing data regarding the location of a defect; an eighth data structure linked to the fifth data structure for capturing data regarding the inspection stations and components inspected thereby, the eighth data structure specifying associations between inspection stations and the components of the item, wherein the third data structure is also linked to the eighth data structure; a ninth data structure linked to the eighth data structure for capturing data regarding components of the item; a tenth data structure for capturing data regarding the components of the item and departments of the manufacturing process associated with components of the item; an eleventh data structure linked to the tenth data structure for capturing data regarding a department in the manufacturing process; a twelfth data structure linked to the tenth data structure for capturing data regarding sub-components of components, wherein the ninth data structure is linked to the twelfth data structure; and a thirteenth data structure linked to the first, fifth, and tenth data structures for capturing data regarding the item, the inspections for the item, the defects for the components of the item, and the components containing the defect; the data management system, using the data organization, operable to; associate a defect in an item with an inspection station; associate a defect with a location on an item; associate a defect with a component and an inspection station; and associate a defect with a department in the manufacturing process.
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Specification