Formation of Equipment Families on Fitting Lines

• US 20150135505A1
• Filed: 04/24/2013
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Royer, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 9,955,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/428
• 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: H05K 13/08 Monitoring manufacture of assemblages
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/085 Production planning, e.g. of allocation of products to machines, of mounting sequences at machine or facility level
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

The invention concerns a fitting line which is arranged to fit printed circuit boards with electronic components. A method for determining equipment families for the fitting line comprises the following steps: initial forming of a number of equipment families, each having allocated printed circuit boards; selecting of one of the equipment families; and distributing of the printed circuit boards of the selected equipment family to the other equipment families by means of integral linear programming.

Claims

1. A method for determination of equipment families for a fitting line for populating circuit boards with electronic components, the method comprising:

initially forming a number of equipment families having in each case assigned circuit boards;

selecting one of the number of equipment families;

distributing, by a processor, the circuit boards of the selected equipment family across the other equipment families of the number of equipment families by integer linear programming.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the equipment family of the number of equipment families having assigned circuit boards that exhibit the smallest number of component types is selected.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein equipment families of the number of equipment families are selected and distributed until no further equipment family of the number of equipment families is distributable across the other equipment families.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing comprises:

selecting at least one circuit board of an equipment family of the number of equipment families other than the one equipment family to be distributed;

preventing a change to the existing assignment of the at least one selected circuit board to another equipment family of the number of equipment families; and

solving the remaining problem by integer linear programming.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one circuit board is selected at random.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein initially forming the number of equipment families comprises:

selecting a circuit board having assigned component types that exhibit a largest track usage;

assigning the selected circuit board to a new equipment family of the number of equipment families;

selecting one of the remaining circuit boards for which a track usage of the cut set of component types with the set of the component types of the new equipment family is largest; and

assigning the selected circuit board to the new equipment family when the circuit board still fits into the equipment family.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein further circuit boards are selected and assigned until no more circuit boards fit any longer into the equipment family.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein new equipment families are formed, and circuit boards are assigned to the new equipment families until all the circuit boards that are to be populated are assigned to an equipment family.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code having instructions executable by a processor to determine equipment families for a fitting line for populating circuit boards with electronic components, the instructions comprising:

initially forming a number of equipment families having in each case assigned circuit boards;

selecting one of the number of equipment families;

distributing the circuit boards of the selected equipment family across the other equipment families of the number of equipment families by integer linear programming.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the equipment family of the number of equipment families having assigned circuit boards that exhibit the smallest number of component types is selected.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein equipment families of the number of equipment families are selected and distributed until no further equipment family of the number of equipment families is distributable across the other equipment families.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the distributing comprises:

selecting at least one circuit board of an equipment family of the number of equipment families other than the one equipment family to be distributed;

preventing a change to the existing assignment of the at least one selected circuit board to another equipment family of the number of equipment families; and

solving the remaining problem by integer linear programming.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the at least one circuit board is selected at random.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein initially forming the number of equipment families comprises:

selecting a circuit board having assigned component types that exhibit a largest track usage;

assigning the selected circuit board to a new equipment family of the number of equipment families;

selecting one of the remaining circuit boards for which a track usage of the cut set of component types with the set of the component types of the new equipment family is largest; and

assigning the selected circuit board to the new equipment family when the circuit board still fits into the equipment family.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein further circuit boards are selected and assigned until no more circuit boards fit any longer into the equipment family.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein new equipment families are formed, and circuit boards are assigned to the new equipment families until all the circuit boards that are to be populated are assigned to an equipment family.

10. A control apparatus for determination of equipment families for a fitting line for a population of circuit boards with electronic components, the control apparatus comprising:

a processor is configured to;

form initially a number of equipment families, each with assigned circuit boards,

select one of the equipment families; and

distribute the circuit boards of the selected equipment family over the other equipment families using integer linear programming.