Manufacturing history management system

• US 5,586,038 A
• Filed: 12/28/1993
• Issued: 12/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nagaoka, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US08/174,364
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 364/468, 364/478, 364/474.11, 364/184-187, 364/474.16, 364/474.18, 364/131-136, 364/138, 364/469
• US Class Current: 700/95
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31086 Communication of carriage, agv data, workpiece data at each station
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31288 Archive collected data into history file
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Manufacturing history of a product is accumulated without burdening a host computer which manages a production line. Whenever a work or part to be assembled is fed to the production line, a management terminal sets an operation data area corresponding to the work in an operation file. An operation terminal is provided for each step in the production line. These operation terminals each identify a work arriving at a corresponding step station and detect the contents of operation to be carried out on the work. The detected operation contents are written in an operation data area corresponding to the identified work in an operation data area in the operation file.

Claims

1. A manufacturing history management system for manufacturing vehicles, which comprises operation control means provided for each manufacturing step in a production line comprising a plurality of manufacturing steps, said operation control means including part identifying means for identifying a part to be assembled conveyed along said production line and operation detection means for producing the result of operation performed on said part in each step, and memory means for preserving the result of operation output in each said manufacturing step, wherein said memory means includes:

a file for transmitting and receiving data about said part assembled in said production line;

an operation data file corresponding to each said operation control means and possessing operation data corresponding to said part;

a checker data file, in which a result of operation performed according to operation data in said operation data file is written from said operation detection means through said operation control means; and

a preservation file for preserving the data in said checker data file after completion of execution of all the steps in said production line;

said manufacturing history management system further comprising management means for controlling data transfer among said individual files in said memory means; and

display means for displaying manufacturing history management data sent out from a host computer on a display screen.

2. The manufacturing history management system according to claim 1, wherein when normal movement from a source to a destination through the individual files in said memory means is completed, the data in said source is deleted by said management means.

3. The manufacturing history management system according to 1 or 2, wherein a keyword is provided for relating individual table data in said individual files in said memory means.

4. A manufacturing history management system for manufacturing vehicles on a production line comprising a plurality of manufacturing steps, said manufacturing history management system comprising:

operation control means provided for each of said manufacturing step, said operation control means including;

part identifying means for identifying a part to be assembled on said production line and operation detection means for producing the result of an operation performed on said part in each of said step;

said manufacturing history management system further comprising;

a host computer for managing and controlling each of said operation control means;

memory means for preserving said result of said operation in each of said manufacturing step;

wherein said memory means includes;

a file for transmitting and receiving data about said part assembled in said production line;

an operation data file corresponding to each said operation control means and possessing operation data corresponding to said part;

a checker data file, in which a result of operation performed according to operation data in said operation data file is written from said operation detection means through said operation control means; and

a preservation file for preserving the data in said checker data file after completion of execution of all the steps in said production line; and

wherein said manufacturing history management system further comprises;

management means for controlling data transfer among said individual files in said memory means, wherein said management means is separate from said host computer; and

display means for displaying manufacturing history management data sent out from said host computer on a display screen.

5. The manufacturing history management system of claim 4, wherein when normal movement from a source to a destination through the individual files in said memory means is completed, the data in said source is deleted by said management means.

6. The manufacturing history management system of claim 5, wherein a keyword is provided for relating individual table data in said individual files in said memory means.