Parts supply instruction apparatus

• US 5,204,821 A
• Filed: 10/12/1990
• Issued: 04/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujii, Yoshito, Ochiai, Toshiaki, Kuroiwa, Satoshi, Asahara, Takao, Inui, Hiroyuki, Andou, Yukito
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US07/596,495
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/402, 364/403, 364/468, 364/478, 364/479, 364/148, 364/464
• US Class Current: 700/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The parts supply instruction apparatus includes a production schedule system, a parts information system, a car information system, and an order issue managing system which are preferably located at an assembly factory. The order issue managing system scans a parts master file and extracts required data therefrom relating to parts to be ordered to produce order issue data. The order issue data is sent to a received order managing system which is located at a parts supply factory. The type of parts supply order system operated by the apparatus can be changed between the production schedule system, the part information system and the car information system merely by changing a designation parameter corresponding to a respective system, inserted in an order type column of the parts master file.

Claims

1. A parts supply instruction apparatus for giving instructions for the supply of parts from at least one parts supply factory to at least one assembly factory, the apparatus comprising:

a production schedule system for providing a parts supply schedule for an object assembly factor on the basis of a presumed car production schedule;

a parts information system, provided at the assembly factory, for providing information about the consumption of parts at the assembly factory, the parts information system including a first sensor for detecting the consumption of parts at the assembly factory;

a car information system, provided at the assembly factory, for providing information about each car brought onto an assembly line of the assembly factory, the car information system including a second sensor for detecting the type of car passing the second sensor;

an order issue managing system for scanning a parts master file to extract required data therefrom relating to parts to be ordered on the basis of information fed to the order issue managing system from the production schedule system, the parts information system and the car information system, said order issue management system including;

a common computer for controlling the production schedule system, the parts information system and the car information system,

a common parts master file standardized for the production schedule system, the parts information system and the car information system, the common parts master file having a column in which an order type designation parameter corresponding to the production schedule system, the parts information system or the car information system is stored for each entry, and

a setting device for changing a present order type designation parameter to a different order type designation parameter, thereby changing a present parts supply system to another parts supply system corresponding to said different order type designation parameter; and

a received order managing system, provided at an object parts supply factory, for receiving orders for parts issued by the order issue managing system and transmitted via a communication network and for printing out the required data relating to the ordered parts.

5. A parts supply instruction apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the order issue managing system includes means for selectively changing a parts supply system between at least two such systems by changing a designation parameter inserted in an order type column of the parts master file between at least two designation parameters which correspond to said at least two systems, respectively.

6. A parts supply instruction apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 4, wherein information about parts to be supplied is transmitted electrically via the communication network from the order issue managing system to the received order managing system and a Kanban is printed-out by the received order managing system.

7. A parts supply instruction apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 4, wherein the first sensor comprises a bar code sensor capable of reading a bar code printed on a Kanban.

8. A parts supply instruction apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 4, wherein the parts master file includes columns including a part code, a parts supply factory code and an assembly factory code.

9. A parts supply instruction apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the order issue managing system is electrically connected to a host computer in which the parts master file is stored.

2. A parts supply instruction apparatus, comprising:

a production schedule system for providing a parts supply schedule for an object assembly factory on the basis of a presumed car production schedule;

a parts information system, provided at the assembly factory, for providing information about the consumption of parts at the assembly factory, the parts information system including a first sensor for detecting the consumption of parts at the assembly factory;

an order issue managing system for scanning a parts master file to extract required data therefrom relating to parts to be ordered on the basis of information fed to the order issue managing system from the production schedule system and the parts information system, said order issue management system including;

a common computer for controlling the production schedule system and the parts information system,

a common parts master file standardized for the production schedule system and the parts information system, the common parts master file having a column in which an order type designation parameter corresponding to the production schedule system or the parts information system is stored for each entry, and

a setting device for changing a present order type designation parameter to a different order type designation parameter, thereby changing a present parts supply system to another parts supply system corresponding to said different order type designation parameter; and

a received order managing system, provided at an object parts supply factory, for receiving orders for parts issued by the order issue managing system and transmitted via a communication network and for printing out the required data relating to the ordered parts.

3. A parts supply instruction apparatus, comprising:

a production schedule system for providing a parts supply schedule for an object assembly factory on the basis of a presumed car production schedule;

a car information system, provided at the assembly factory, for providing information about each car brought onto an assembly line of the assembly factory, the car information system including a second sensor for detecting the type of car passing the second sensor;

an order issue managing system for scanning a parts master file to extract required data therefrom relating to parts to be ordered on the basis of information fed to the order issue managing system from the production schedule system and the car information system, said order issue management system including;

a common computer for controlling the production schedule system and the car information system,

a common parts master file standardized for the production schedule system and the car information system, the common parts master file having a column in which an order type designation parameter corresponding to the production schedule system or the car information system is stored for each entry, and

a setting device for changing a present order type designation parameter to a different order type designation parameter, thereby changing a present parts supply system to another parts supply system corresponding to said different order type designation parameter; and

a received order managing system, provided at an object parts supply factory, for receiving orders for parts issued by the order issue managing system and transmitted via a communication network and for printing out the required data relating to the ordered parts.

4. A parts supply instruction apparatus, comprising:

a parts information system, provided at the assembly factory, for providing information about the consumption of parts at the assembly factory, the parts information system including a first sensor for detecting the consumption of parts at the assembly factory;

a car information system, provided at the assembly factory, for providing information about each car brought onto an assembly line of the assembly factory, the car information system including a second sensor for detecting the type of car passing the second sensor;

an order issue managing system for scanning a parts master file to extract required data therefrom relating to parts to be ordered on the basis of information fed to the order issue managing system from the parts information system and the car information system, said order issue management system including;

a common computer for controlling the parts information system and the car information system,

a common parts master file standardized for the parts information system and the car information system, the common parts master file having a column in which an order type designation parameter corresponding to the parts information system or the car information system is stored for each entry, and

a setting device for changing a present order type designation parameter to a different order type designation parameter, thereby changing a present parts supply system to another parts supply system corresponding to said different order type designation parameter; and

a received order managing system, provided at an object parts supply factory, for receiving orders for parts issued by the order issue managing system and transmitted via a communication network and for printing out the required data relating to the ordered parts.