Production management system and its application method

• US 5,442,561 A
• Filed: 05/10/1993
• Issued: 08/15/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshizawa, Masahiro, Sakurai, Tetsuma
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TOUSI, CAMERON
• Application Number:
  US08/058,175
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 364/468, 364/131, 364/478, 364/401, 364/403, 364/138
• US Class Current: 700/100
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32256 Due dates, pieces must be ready, priority of dates, deadline
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32266 Priority orders
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32297 Adaptive scheduling, feedback of actual proces progress to adapt schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32298 Designate at least two group of articles, first with priority, reschedule second
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Production schedules are executed for production machines and lots having high importance or priority from among lots being objects of production process by the production machines, and progress of production process is managed by a scheduler based on the production schedules. For those lots whose progresses are delayed, the production schedules are automatically adjusted by the scheduler so that the delays can be eliminated.

Claims

1. A production management system comprising:

a host computing machine serving as a scheduler which executes production schedules for a plurality of production machines, forming a production line, and/or articles to be processed which are objects of production processes by the production machines based on first information on production abilities of the machines and second information on state quantity of the articles to be processed by the machines;

a computer associated with each production machine for distributing said schedules to each production machine and reporting to said scheduler on progress of said production process for each production machine;

an input means for inputting to said scheduler third information on degrees of production progress on said production machines and/or said articles to be processed;

a judgment means for comparing said input third information with said production schedules and for judging if said degrees of production progress are within predetermined allowances on said production machines and/or said articles to be processed;

an adjustment means for adjusting said production schedule so as to match predetermined production target if negative judgment is given by said judgment means;

a designating means for designating at least one article to be processed having high priority or importance, forming a first article group, from said articles to be processed which are objects of said production processes, the rest forming a second article group, said designated at least one article to be processed which is an object of said execution of said production schedules to execute a first production schedule, and of said adjustment; and

an extraction means for extracting marker articles to be processed at a predetermined interval from said second article group, said extracted marker articles to be processed which are treated as said articles to be processed in said first article group.

2. A production management system comprising:

a host computing machine serving as a scheduler which executes production schedules for a plurality of production machines, forming a production line, and/or articles to be processed which are objects of production processes by the production machines based on first information on production abilities of the machines and second information on the quantity of the articles to be processed by the machines;

a computer associated with each production machine for distributing said schedules to each production machine and reporting to said scheduler on progress of said production process for each production machine;

an input means for inputting to said scheduler third information on degrees of production progress on said production machines and/or said articles to be processed;

a judgment means for comparing said input third information with said production schedules and for judging if said degrees of production progress are within predetermined allowances on said production machines and/or said articles to be processed;

an adjustment means for adjusting said production schedule so as to match predetermined production target if negative judgment is given by said judgment means;

a first virtual production lane having a distribution ratio of resources in which production process of said at least one article to be processed having high priority or importance is performed, and

a second virtual production lane in which production process of the rest of said articles to be processed in said production line other than said at least one article to be processed having high priority or importance is performed;

said first and second virtual production lanes being assigned in advance, and wherein said adjustment means adjusts said schedules so that said distribution ratio of resources relating to said first virtual production lane increase when a result of said judgment by said judgment means is negative.

3. A production management system comprising:

a host computing machine serving as a scheduler which executes production schedules for a plurality of production machines, forming a production line, and/or articles to be processed which are objects of production processes by the production machines based on first information on production abilities of the machines and second information on the quantity of the articles to be processed by the machines;

a computer associated with each production machine for distributing said schedules to each production machine and reporting to said scheduler on progress of said production process for each production machine;

an input means for inputting to said scheduler third information on degrees of production progress on said production machines and/or said articles to be processed;

a judgment means for comparing said input third information with said production schedules and for judging if said degrees of production progress are within predetermined allowances on said production machines and/or said articles to be processed;

an adjustment means for adjusting said production schedule so as to match predetermined production target if negative judgment is given by said judgment means;

a designating means for designating at least one article to be processed having high priority or importance, forming a first article group, from said articles to be processed which are objects of said production processes, the rest forming a second article group, said designated at least one article to be processed which is an object of said execution of said production schedules to execute a first production schedule, and of said adjustment; and

a scheduling means for executing a second production schedule for said articles processed in said second article group, said second production schedule which is shorter than said first production schedule for said articles to be processed in said first article group.

4. The production management system as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

an extraction means for extracting marker articles to be processed at a predetermined interval from said articles to be processed in said second article group, and

wherein said extracted marker articles to be processed are treated as said articles to be processed in said first article group.

5. The production management system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said second production schedule includes information on completion date of said articles to be processed in said second article group, and

said system further comprising:

a priority changing means for checking if said completion date in said information is in time for a predetermined delivery date, and changing priority of said articles to be processed in said second article group so that said articles to be processed in said second article group are treated as said articles to be processed in said first article group.

6. The production management system as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

an extraction means for extracting marker articles to be processed at a predetermined interval from said articles to be processed in said second article group, and

wherein said extracted marker articles to be processed are treated as said articles to be processed in said first article group.

7. A production management method using a scheduler, comprising the steps of:

providing first information on production abilities of a plurality of production machines forming a production line and second information on the quantity of articles to be processed that are objects of production processes by said production machines;

designating at least one specified article to be processed as an object of first scheduling by said scheduler from among said articles to be processed that are objects of said production processes and inputting this information to said scheduler, said at least one specified article being one member selected from the group consisting of an article to be processed having high importance and an article to be processed having high priority;

designating the rest of said articles to be processed in said production line other than said at least one article to be processed having high priority or importance as objects of second scheduling by said scheduler;

forming a first virtual production lane having a distribution ratio of resources in which a production process of said at least one article to be processed having high priority or importance is performed;

forming a second virtual production lane in which a production process of the rest of said articles to be processed in said production line other than said at least one article to be processed having high priority or importance is performed;

executing first and second production schedules for said at least one designated article in said first virtual production lane and for said articles to be processed in said second virtual production lane, respectively, both based on said first and second information;

monitoring production progress of said at least one designated article in said first virtual production lane, based on said executed production schedules; and

automatically adjusting said first and second production schedules for said at least one designated article in said first virtual production lane so that said distribution ratio of resources relating to said first virtual production lane increases if said production progress of said at least one designated article in said first virtual production lane is delayed.

8. A production management method using a scheduler, comprising the steps of:

providing first information on production abilities of a plurality of production machines forming a production line and second information on the quantity of articles to be processed that are objects of production processes by said production machines;

designating at least one specified article to be processed as an object of long period scheduling from among said articles to be processed that are objects of said production processes, and the rest of said articles to be processed that are objects of said production processes as objects of short period scheduling, and inputting this information to said scheduler;

executing long period production schedules and short period production schedules according to a kind of said scheduling for said designated articles to be processed, based on said first and second information;

executing a production schedule for a whole production system by synthesizing said executed long term production schedules and said executed short period production schedules;

monitoring production progress of said at least one specified articles to be processed and the rest of said articles to be processed that are objects of production processes, based on said executed production schedule for said whole production system; and

adjusting said production schedule for said whole production system with respect to said articles to be processed whose production progresses are delayed, based on results of said monitoring,

wherein said at least one specified article is one member selected from the group consisting of an article to be processed having high importance, an article to be processed having high priority, and a marker article to be processed.

9. A production management method using a scheduler, comprising the steps of:

providing first information on production abilities of a plurality of production machines forming a production line and second information on the quantity of articles to be processed that are objects of production processes by said production machines;

providing first and second schedulers which perform first and second schedulings, respectively;

said first scheduling comprising the steps of;

designating at least one specified article to be processed as object of long period scheduling from among said articles to be processed that are objects of said production processes, and inputting this information to said first scheduler;

executing long period production schedules for said designated at least one specified articles to be processed, based on said first and second information;

monitoring production progresses of said at least one specified articles to be processed, based on said executed long period production schedule;

automatically adjusting said long period production schedule with respect to said articles to be processed whose production progresses are delayed, based on results of said monitoring; and

transferring said executed or adjusted long period production schedule to said second scheduler; and

said second scheduling comprising the step of;

executing a short period production schedule for whole articles to be processed that are object of said production processes, based on said first and second information, using said long term production schedules transferred from said first scheduler.

10. The production management method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said at least one specified article is one member selected from the group consisting of an article to be processed having high importance, an article to be processed having high priority, and a marker article to be processed.