System and method for line production management

• US 5,347,463 A
• Filed: 06/26/1991
• Issued: 09/13/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sakai, Toru, Nakamura, Shunji
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAMMELL, JAMES P
• Application Number:
  US07/722,606
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 364/478, 364/468, 235/375, 235/437, 235/384, 235/385, 235/376, 235/440, 235/436, 209/569, 209/583, 198/392, 198/459, 198/460, 198/345, 198/340
• US Class Current: 700/226
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/1426 with work holders not rigidly fixed to the transport devices B23Q7/005, B23Q7/035 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41835 characterised by programme execution
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32044 Shift workpiece and agv, carriage data in memory on advance to next station
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32121 Read identification of pallet, conveyor and enter data for manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Information code for conveying devices on which an item to be processed is placed has the data of the same item to be processed stored as a set in a memory. The information code inputted into a register undergoes tracking corresponding to the conveyance of the item to be processed. Accordingly, by referring to the identification code in the register and the contents of the memory, it is possible to know the data relating to an item to be processed and the position thereof.

Claims

1. A production management system comprising:

(a) a plurality of conveying blocks provided in a consecutive manner and having

a plurality of conveying means for conveying an item to be processed which is placed in an input part to a sending part,

identification codes attached to each of said conveying means,

reading means for reading said identification codes of the conveying means in said input part, and

register means having a plurality of memory areas connected in a consecutive manner, identification codes read by said reading means being input into the initial step memory area, the register means successively shifting the inputted identification codes in the direction of the final step memory area, provided there are empty memory areas, and discharging said identification code of a conveying means from the final step memory area when an item to be processed is sent from said conveying means in said sending part;

(b) transfer means for transferring an item to be processed which is sent from previous conveying block to said conveying means at an input part after the conveying block;

(c) input means for inputting data relating to items to be processed which are placed in said input part of initial step conveying block of said conveying blocks;

(d) memory means for storing the identification code read by said reading means of said initial step conveying block and the data inputted by said inputting means as a set each time an item to be processed is positioned in the conveying means of said initial step conveying block; and

(e) rewriting means for writing said identification code read by said reading means of said following conveying block in place of said identification code in said memory means relating to an item to be processed when the item to be processed is transferred by said transfer means;

a characteristic identification code being attached to the transfer means, the identification code relating to an item to be processed in said memory means being replaced by the identification code of the transfer means by said rewriting means while said item to be processed is in the transfer means, and after the item to be processed has been transferred, said rewriting means replaces said characteristic identification code with an identification code read by said reading means of the following conveying block.

2. A production management system comprising:

(a) a plurality of conveying blocks provided in a consecutive manner and having

a plurality of conveying means for conveying an item to be processed which is placed in an input part to a sending part,

identification codes attached to each of said conveying means,

reading means for reading said identification codes of the conveying means in said input part, and

register means having a plurality of memory areas connected in a consecutive manner, identification codes read by said reading means being input into the initial step memory area, the register means successively shifting the inputted identification codes in the direction of the final step memory area, provided there are empty memory areas, and discharging said identification code of a conveying means from the final step memory area when an item to be processed is sent from said conveying means in said sending part;

(b) transfer means for transferring an item to be processed which is sent from previous conveying block to said conveying means at an input part after the conveying block;

(c) input means for inputting data relating to items to be processed which are placed in said input part of initial step conveying block of said conveying blocks;

(d) memory means for storing the identification code read by said reading means of said initial step conveying block and the data inputted by said inputting means as a set each time an item to be processed is positioned in the conveying means of said initial step conveying block;

(e) rewriting means for writing said identification code read by said reading means of said following conveying block in place of said identification code in said memory means relating to an item to be processed when the item to be processed is transferred by means of said transfer means; and

(f) detecting means for detecting the passage of said conveying means provided in the conveying circuit from said input part to said sending part, and wherein said register means is divided into a plurality of sections by borders corresponding to said detecting means, and when the identification code is inputted into the initial memory area of each section, this identification code is successively shifted into the following memory areas provided empty areas exist, and when the passage of a conveying means is detected by means of said detecting means, the identification code in the final memory area of a section preceding the corresponding border is shifted into said initial memory area of the following section.

3. A production management system comprising:

a plurality of conveying means for conveying items to be processed which are placed in an input part to a sending part,

identification codes attached to each of said conveying means,

first reading means for reading said identification codes of said conveying means in said input part,

input means for inputting data related to items to be processed which are placed in said input part,

memory means for storing identification codes read by said first reading means and data inputted by said input means as a set each time an item to be processed is placed in said conveying means,

robots for conducting various types of processing on the items to be processed, provided in the movement path of said conveying means,

second reading means for reading said identification codes of conveying apparatuses which enter on the side of said robots, provided on an upstream side of said robots,

referring means for referring to the interior of said memory means using the identification codes read by said second reading means and for outputting corresponding data,

control means for controlling operations of said robots in accordance with data outputted by said referring means,

register means having a plurality of memory areas connected in a consecutive manner for inputting identification codes read by said first reading means into an initial step memory area, for successively shifting the inputted identification codes in the direction of a final-step memory area, provided there are empty memory area, and discharging said identification code of a conveying means from a final memory area when an item to be processed is sent from said conveying means in said sending part,

judgment means for comparing said identification code shifted to a memory area corresponding to said second reading means among the memory areas of said register means and said identification code read by said second memory means and, in the case of nonagreement therebetween, outputting message data cancelling the processing of said referring means, and

display means for displaying message data outputted by said judgment means, provided in the vicinity of said robots.

4. A production management system being provided with:

(a) a plurality of conveying blocks provided in a consecutive manner and having

a plurality of conveying means for conveying an item to be processed which is placed in an input part to a sending part,

identification codes attached to each of said conveying means, and

first reading means for reading said identification codes of the conveying means in said input part;

(b) transfer means for transferring an item to be processed which is sent from previous conveying block to said conveying means at input part of following step conveying block;

(c) input means for inputting data relating to items to be processed which are placed in an input part of said initial step conveying block of said conveying blocks;

(d) memory means for storing the identification code read by said first reading means of the initial conveying block and the data inputted by said inputting means as a set each time an item to be processed is positioned in the conveying means of said initial step conveying block;

(e) rewriting means for writing the identification code read by said first reading means of the following conveying block in place of the identification code in said memory means relating to an item to be processed when the item to be processed is transferred by means of said transfer means,

(f) robots for conducting various types of processing on said items to be processed, provided in the conveying path of at least one conveying block;

(g) second reading means for reading identification codes of conveying apparatuses introduced on the side of said robots, provided on the upstream side of said robots;

(h) referring means for referring to the interior of said memory means using identification codes read by said second reading means, and for outputting the corresponding data; and

(i) control means for controlling operations of said robots in accordance with the data outputted by said referring means,

wherein the conveying blocks which have said robots are provided with;

register means having a plurality of memory areas connected in a consecutive manner for inputting identification codes read by said reading means into an initial step memory area, for successively shifting the inputted identification codes in the direction of the final step memory area, provided there are empty memory areas, and for discharging the identification code of a conveying means from the final memory area when an item to be processed is sent from said conveying means in said sending part,

judgment means for comparing an identification code shifted to a memory area corresponding to said second reading means among the memory areas of said register means and said identification code read by said second memory means and, in the case of nonagreement therebetween, outputting message data cancelling the processing of said referring means, and display means for displaying message data outputted by said judgment means, provided in the vicinity of said robots.

5. A production management system comprising:

a plurality of conveying means for conveying items to be processed which are placed in an input part to a sending part,

identification codes attached to each of said conveying means,

reading means for reading the identification codes of the conveying means in said input part,

detecting means for detecting said passage of said conveying means, provided in the conveying circuit from said input part to the sending part,

register means having a plurality of memory areas connected in a consecutive manner which are divided into a plurality of sections according to borders corresponding to said detection means, for successively shifting an identification code which is inputted into the initial-step memory area of each section to following step memory areas, provided empty areas exist, and, when a passage of the conveying means is detected by said detecting means, shifting the identification code within the final-step memory area of the section preceding the border corresponding to this detection means into the initial-step memory area of the following section and inputting the identification code read by said reading means into the initial-step section, and discharging the identification code of a conveying means from a final-step section when an item to be processed is sent from the conveying means in said sending part,

input means for inputting data relating to items to be processed which are placed in said input part,

memory means for storing the identification code read by said reading means and data inputted by said input means as a set each time an item to be processed is placed in the conveying means of said initial part,

display means for correlating the memory contents of at least one of said memory means and said register means with the position of each of said memory area and displaying this,

section indicating means for indicating one of said sections,

reading means for reading an identification code corresponding to the indicated section from said register means and displaying at least one of the data and the identification codes in said display means,

identification code selection means for selecting one of the identification codes read by said reading means, and

correcting means for correcting the identification code selected by said identification code selection means.

6. A production management system comprising:

a plurality of conveying means for conveying items to be processed which are placed in an input part to a sending part,

identification codes attached to each of said conveying means,

reading means for reading the identification codes of the conveying means in said input part,

detecting means for detecting said passage of said conveying means, provided in the conveying circuit from said input part to the sending part,

register means having a plurality of memory areas connected in a consecutive manner which are divided into a plurality of sections according to borders corresponding to said detection means, for successively shifting an identification code which is inputted into the initial-step memory area of each section to following step memory areas, provided empty areas exist, and, when a passage of the conveying means is detected by said detecting means, shifting the identification code within the final-step memory area of the section preceding the border corresponding to this detection means into the initial-step memory area of the following section and inputting the identification code read by said reading means into the initial-step section, and discharging the identification code of a conveying means from a final-step section when an item to be processed is sent from the conveying means in said sending part,

input means for inputting data relating to items to be processed which are placed in said input part,

memory means for storing the identification code read by said reading means and data inputted by said input means as a set each time an item to be processed is placed in the conveying means of said initial part,

display means for correlating the memory contents of at least one of said memory means and said register means with the position of each of said memory area and displaying this,

section indication means for indicating one of said sections,

reading means for reading identification codes corresponding to the indicated section from said register means and displaying at least one of the data and the identification codes in said displaying means,

scope indicating means for indicating a number of consecutive identification codes read by means of said reading means,

memory area indicating means for indicating one of the memory areas of the section indicated by means of said section indicating means, and

reinputting means for reinputting the identification code in each memory read so that each identification code indicated by said scope indicating means comes after the area indicated by said memory area indicating means.

7. A production management system comprising:

a plurality of conveying means for conveying items to be processed which area placed in an input part to a sending part,

identification codes attached to each of said conveying means,

reading means for reading the identification codes of the conveying means in said input part,

detecting means for detecting said passage of said conveying means, provided in the conveying circuit from said input part to the sending part,

register means having a plurality of memory areas connected in a consecutive manner which are divided into a plurality of sections according to borders corresponding to said detection means, for successively shifting an identification code which is inputted into the initial-step memory area of each section to following step memory areas, provided empty areas exist, and, when a passage of the conveying means is detected by said detecting means, shifting the identification code within the final-step memory area of the section preceding the border corresponding to this detection means into the initial-step memory area of the following section and inputting the identification code read by said reading means into the initial-step section, and discharging the identification code of a conveying means from a final-step section when an item to be processed is sent from the conveying means in said sending part,

input means for inputting data relating to items to be processed which are placed in said input part,

memory means for storing the identification code read by said reading means and data inputted by said input means as a set each time an item to be processed is placed in the conveying means of said initial part,

display means for correlating the memory contents of at least one of said memory means and said register means with the position of each of said memory area and displaying this,

section indicating means for indicating one of said sections,

reading means for reading identification codes corresponding to the indicated section and data corresponding thereto from said memory means, and displaying the at least one of the data and identification codes in said display means,

selecting means for selecting one of each of the identification codes and data read by said reading means, and

correcting means which writes over the identification codes or data selected by said selecting means.

8. A production management system comprising:

a plurality of conveying means for conveying items to be processed which are placed in an input part to a sending part,

identification codes attached to each of said conveying means,

reading means for reading the identification codes of the conveying means in said input part,

detecting means for detecting said passage of said conveying means, provided in the conveying circuit from said input part to the sending part,

register means having a plurality of memory areas connected in a consecutive manner which are divided into a plurality of sections according to borders corresponding to said detection means, for successively shifting an identification code which is inputted into the initial-step memory area of each section to following step memory areas, provided empty areas exist, and, when a passage of the conveying means is detected by said detecting means, shifting the identification code within the final-step memory area of the section preceding the border corresponding to this detection means into the initial-step memory area of the following section and inputting the identification code read by said reading means into the initial-step section, and discharging the identification code of a conveying means from a final-step section when an item to be processed is sent from the conveying means in said sending part,

input means for inputting data relating to items to be processed which are placed in said input part,

memory means for storing the identification code read by said reading means and data inputted by said input means as a set each time an item to be processed is placed in the conveying means of said initial part,

display means for correlating the memory contents of at least one of said memory means and said register means with the position of each of said memory area and displaying this,

identification code indicating means for indicating an identification code,

reading means for reading data corresponding to the indicated identification codes from said memory means and displaying at least one of the data and identification codes in said displaying means,

selecting means for selecting one of the data read by said reading means, and

correcting means for correcting data selected by said selecting means.