Manufacturing prediction server

• US 20090118842A1
• Filed: 11/06/2007
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Norman, David Everton, Stafford, Richard
• Application Number:
  US11/983,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20090118842A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/44
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31429 Predict end of job execution, schedule new job beforehand
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for providing predictions pertaining to a future state of a manufacturing facility includes collecting data from various source systems in a manufacturing facility, and generating predictions pertaining to a future state of the manufacturing facility based on the collected data. The method further includes providing the predictions to recipient systems in the manufacturing facility.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

receiving data from a plurality of source systems in a manufacturing facility;

generating predictions pertaining to a future state of the manufacturing facility based on the data received from the plurality of source systems; and

providing the predictions to a plurality of recipient systems in the manufacturing facility.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the plurality of source systems comprises at least one of a manufacturing execution system (MES), a maintenance management system (MMS), a material control system (MCS), an equipment control system (ECS), or an inventory control system (ICS); and

the plurality of recipient systems comprises at least one of the MES, the MMS, the MCS, the ECS, the ICS, a dispatcher, or a scheduler.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the predictions pertaining to the future state of the manufacturing facility include information about at least one of a future state of equipment in the facility, a composition of lots to be manufactured, a number of lots to be manufactured, a number of operators needed by the facility, an estimated time a product will finish a given process operation or be available for processing at a given step, an estimated time a preventative maintenance operation should be performed on equipment.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving data from the plurality of source systems comprises:

submitting queries to the plurality of source systems to obtain data needed for a prediction data model;

receiving query results from the plurality of source systems; and

associating the query results with the prediction data model.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the predictions to the plurality of recipient systems comprises:

storing the predictions in a database; and

sending the predictions retrieved from the database to at least one of the plurality of recipient systems.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the predictions are sent upon receiving a request from at the least one of the plurality of recipient systems.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

receiving a request to subscribe to predictions from the least one of the plurality of recipient systems, the request specifying prediction parameters; and

sending the predictions to subscribers periodically or upon a change in the predictions.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the predictions are generated using at least one of simulation, forecasting, statistical prediction, trend analysis, or calculation.

9. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

receiving prediction properties from a user, the prediction properties identifying at least one of a time horizon, the plurality of source systems, query parameters, entities being predicted, a trigger of prediction generation, or a method of prediction generation.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

incrementally updating the predictions.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein incrementally updating the predictions comprises:

detecting a predefined event;

evaluating an impact of the event on existing predictions; and

updating the existing predictions or generating new predictions depending on the impact.

12. A computer-readable medium having executable instructions to cause a computer system to perform a method comprising:

receiving data from a plurality of source systems in a manufacturing facility;

generating predictions pertaining to a future state of the manufacturing facility based on the data received from the plurality of source systems; and

providing the predictions to a plurality of recipient systems in the manufacturing facility.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein:

the plurality of source systems comprises at least one of a manufacturing execution system (MES), a maintenance management system (MMS), a material control system (MCS), an equipment control system (ECS), an inventory control system (ICS; and

the plurality of recipient systems comprises at least one of the MES, the MMS, the MCS, the ECS, the ICS, a dispatcher, or a scheduler.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the predictions pertaining to the future state of the manufacturing facility include information about at least one of a future state of equipment in the facility, a composition of lots to be manufactured, a number of lots to be manufactured, a number of operators needed by the facility, an estimated time a product will finish a given process operation or be available for processing at a given step, an estimated time a preventative maintenance operation should be performed on equipment.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein receiving data from the plurality of source systems comprises:

submitting queries to the plurality of source systems to obtain data needed for a prediction data model;

receiving query results from the plurality of source systems; and

associating the query results with the prediction data model.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the predictions are generated using at least one of simulation, forecasting, statistical prediction, trend analysis, or calculation.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the method further comprises:

incrementally updating the predictions, the incremental update comprising evaluating an impact of the event on existing predictions, and updating the existing predictions or generating new predictions depending on the impact.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a query engine to receive data from a plurality of source systems in a manufacturing facility;

a prediction execution engine, coupled to the query engine, to generate predictions pertaining to a future state of the manufacturing facility based on the data received from the plurality of source systems;

a prediction database, coupled to the prediction execution engine, to store the predictions; and

a prediction publisher, coupled to the prediction database, to retrieve the predictions from the database and to provide the predictions to a plurality of recipient systems in the manufacturing facility.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein:

the plurality of source systems comprises at least one of a manufacturing execution system (MES), a maintenance management system (MMS), a material control system (MCS), an equipment control system (ECS), or an inventory control system (ICS); and

the plurality of recipient systems comprises at least one of the MES, the MMS, the MCS, the ECS, the ICS, a dispatcher, or a scheduler.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the predictions pertaining to the future state of the manufacturing facility include information about at least one of a future state of equipment in the facility, a composition of lots to be manufactured, a number of lots to be manufactured, a number of operators needed by the facility, an estimated time a product will finish a given process operation or be available for processing at a given step, an estimated time a preventative maintenance operation should be performed on equipment.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the query engine is to receive data from the plurality of source systems by

submitting queries to the plurality of source systems to obtain data needed for a prediction data model,

receiving query results from the plurality of source systems, and

associating the query results with the prediction data model.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the prediction execution engine is to generate the predictions using at least one of simulation, forecasting, statistical prediction, trend analysis, or calculation.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 further comprising:

a user interface module to receive prediction properties from a user, the prediction properties identifying at least one of a time horizon, the plurality of source systems, query parameters, entities being predicted, a trigger of prediction generation, or a method of prediction generation.

24. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising a prediction repair module to incrementally update the predictions by

detecting a predefined event,

evaluating an impact of the event on existing predictions, and

updating the existing predictions or generating new predictions depending on the impact.