System and Method for Using Manufacturing States of Vehicle Products for Display of a Manufacturing Process

• US 20090216804A1
• Filed: 02/25/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: McDonel, Craig E., Krauter, Lance G., Eide, Daniel M., Lohoff, Rex Allen, Kersavage, Kerwin K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,131,392 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling

Abstract

A system and method of using manufacturing states in a manufacturing process is provided in which manufacturing states for an article of manufacture are defined at different time periods of a manufacturing process for display as manufacturing contexts relating to an installation plan. The manufacturing states for the article of manufacture are stored in a process database as the manufacturing states are defined during the manufacturing process. The manufacturing contexts relating to the installation plan for the article of manufacture are visually displayed with at least one other manufacturing context relating to another installation plan for another article of manufacture.

Claims

1. A method of using manufacturing states in a manufacturing process comprising:

defining manufacturing states for an article of manufacture at different time periods of a manufacturing process for display as manufacturing contexts relating to an installation plan;

storing the manufacturing states for the article of manufacture in a process database as the manufacturing states are defined during the manufacturing process; and

visually displaying the manufacturing contexts relating to the installation plan for the article of manufacture with at least one other manufacturing context relating to another installation plan for another article of manufacture.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning the manufacturing states to activity objects.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising storing the manufacturing state activity objects in the process database.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising establishing a relationship between a manufacturing state activity object and a process object.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising storing the established relationship between the manufacturing state activity object and the process object in the process database.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of defining manufacturing states includes developing a process definition comprising production tasks referencing part locations and tooling.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of developing a process definition includes determining a process required to perform an installation of the article of manufacture as defined by engineering data.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of defining and storing manufacturing states are performed through utilization of a multi-dimensional visualization process authoring application.

9. The method of claim 8 in which the article of manufacture is an electrical wire harness or tubing run for installation in an aircraft.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising identifying components for manufacturing contexts.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising determining a number of different states the article of manufacture will pass through before reaching a final installed state defined by engineering data.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising establishing criteria to define a manufacturing context from engineering data or manufacturing state data.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising assigning manufacturing context criteria to the installation plan and assigning the manufacturing context to an operation within the installation plan using a manufacturing state activity object, and

saving the manufacturing context to the process database.

14. A computer-implemented system for using manufacturing states in a manufacturing process comprising:

a process authoring application adapted to define manufacturing states for an article of manufacture at different time periods of a manufacturing process for display as manufacturing contexts relating to an installation plan;

a process database for storing the manufacturing states of the article of manufacture as the manufacturing states are defined during the manufacturing process; and

a display device that visually displays the manufacturing contexts relating to the installation plan for the article of manufacture with at least one other manufacturing context relating to another installation plan for another article of manufacture.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the manufacturing states are assigned to activity objects and the manufacturing state activity objects are stored in the process database.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the process database stores an established relationship between the manufacturing state activity objects and process objects.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the process authoring application is adapted to develop a process definition comprising production tasks referencing part locations and tooling.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein developing a process definition includes determining a process required to perform an installation of the article of manufacture as defined by engineering data stored in an engineering information database.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the article of manufacture is an electrical wire harness or tubing run for installation in an aircraft.

20. The system of claim 15 further comprising identifying components for manufacturing contexts and determining the number of different states the article of manufacture will pass through before reaching a final installed state defined by engineering data stored in an engineering information database.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising assigning manufacturing context criteria to the installation plan and assigning the manufacturing context to an operation within the installation plan using a manufacturing state activity object and saving the manufacturing context to the process database.