Automated shop floor control system and method of operation thereof
First Claim
1. A method for shop floor control of work stations wherein a computer system for shop floor control of the work stations is provided and comprises at least one outfit for processing tasks, a local area network connected to a first direct communication line, and a shop floor control center including a data server, said outfit comprising a computer connected to a communication line, a local interface unit comprising local storage means for locally storing data and local processing means for locally processing data, said local processing means being connected to a local work station, the communication line of the outfit and said first direct communication line, the invention being characterized in that the method for shop floor control of said outfit comprises:
- shifting, at least in part, said tasks assigned to said outfit to said local processing means and said local work station;
controlling said computer through said communication line from said local processing means via said interface unit, by transferring files between said data server of the shop floor control center and said local storage means through said first direct communication line and said local area network, said transferring step including initializing a file transfer from the shop floor control center when a requested file is not present in said local storage means without user intervention; and
managing storage space in said local storage means by employing a strategy of erasing files stored in said local storage means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a method and system for control of a shop floor of a factory, an individual work station (13) or a work station of an outfit (14a-14d) is associated with the work station of a corresponding local interface unit (18a-18e), comprising standard widespread hardware and software and connected to a local area network (11) in order to be connected with the shop floor control center (12) of the factory (10). The work stations of the local interface units are incorporated into a configuration in accordance with a standardized model making it possible to perform specific tasks within this model. Advantageously, the OSI model of the ISO standard is used to perform the specific tasks in the application layer of the OSI model. The work station of a local unit can advantageously substitute for the work station of the associated outfit.
49 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for shop floor control of work stations wherein a computer system for shop floor control of the work stations is provided and comprises at least one outfit for processing tasks, a local area network connected to a first direct communication line, and a shop floor control center including a data server, said outfit comprising a computer connected to a communication line, a local interface unit comprising local storage means for locally storing data and local processing means for locally processing data, said local processing means being connected to a local work station, the communication line of the outfit and said first direct communication line, the invention being characterized in that the method for shop floor control of said outfit comprises:
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shifting, at least in part, said tasks assigned to said outfit to said local processing means and said local work station; controlling said computer through said communication line from said local processing means via said interface unit, by transferring files between said data server of the shop floor control center and said local storage means through said first direct communication line and said local area network, said transferring step including initializing a file transfer from the shop floor control center when a requested file is not present in said local storage means without user intervention; and managing storage space in said local storage means by employing a strategy of erasing files stored in said local storage means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer system for shop floor control of a work station, comprising:
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at least one outfit; a local area network connected to a first direct communication line; a shop floor control center including a data server; said outfit comprising a computer connected to a communication line; a local interface unit comprising local storage means for locally storing data, and local processing means for locally processing data, said local processing means being connected to a local work station, said communication line of the outfit and said first direct communication line; said local processing means controlling said outfit through said communication line via said interface unit and having means for managing said file director of said computer; means for transferring files between said data server of the shop floor control center and said local storage means through said first direct communication line and said local area network, said transferring means initializing a file transfer from the shop floor control center when a requested file is not present in said local storage means without user intervention; and means for managing .storage space of said local storage means by applying a strategy of erasing files stored in said local storage means. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification