Evaluation and ranking of manufacturing line non-numeric information

• US 5,351,202 A
• Filed: 02/27/1992
• Issued: 09/27/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Levanoni, Menachem, Kurtzberg, Jerome M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Jack B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KEMPER, MELANIE A
• Application Number:
  US07/843,048
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 364/468, 364/469, 364/552, 364/581, 364/138, 364/554, 364/551.01, 364/551.02, 364/402, 364/578
• US Class Current: 702/81
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32187 Correlation between controlling parameters for influence on quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An apparatus and method for quantitatively ranking the performance of each attribute contributing to a manufacturing process. Various signals representing the measure (i.e., quality or yield) of a manufacturing run and representing the attributes that contributed to each manufacturing run are recorded. An iterative process is commenced whereby numeric weights are assigned to each attribute. In a first iterative step, the weight of each attribute is determined to be the weighted average of the measure of each manufacturing run to which that attribute contributed. In subsequent iteration steps, a refined weight for each attribute is determined by computing the ratio between the normalized measure and the product of all other weights associated with that manufacturing run. The iterations are continued until the weights determined for each attribute converge or become self consistent. In this manner, the performance of non-numeric or attribute parameters such as operators and tools can be measured and defined in terms of a numeric quantity.

Claims

1. A system for quantitatively ranking the performance of non-numeric attributes of a manufacturing or process line, comprising:

a. a processor for determining a quantitative weight for each attribute contributing to a manufacturing process by selecting manufacturing runs in which each attribute participated and determining initial and refined weights for each attribute for said ranking, said processor comprising;

1) an input portion which receives attribute ID signals and manufacturing run measure signals,

2) an output portion for transmitting signals to an output device, said signals indicative of the measure of particular manufacturing runs, attribute'"'"'s ID, and weights assigned to each attribute, and

3) an interface portion which transmits and receives signals to and from a database;

b. a database for storing information relating to attribute ID signals and manufacturing measure signals; and

c. an output device for receiving signals from the output portion of said processor and outputting said ranking.