Method and apparatus for providing choices for a facility

• US 6,266,646 B1
• Filed: 07/22/1993
• Issued: 07/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Smith, Richard A., Fargher, Hugh E.
• Primary Examiner(s): McElheny, Jr., Donald E.
• Application Number:
  US08/096,538
• Time in Patent Office: 2,924 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/402, 364/403, 364/468, 364/478, 395/904
• US Class Current: 705/7.36
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32263 Afo products, their components to be manufactured, lot selective
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The list of priorities which include both planner goals, and scheduling goals are employed to produce a global production list of goals. The goals list is used to resolve a choice.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating a plan, comprising:

circuitry for reading a list of priorities including both planner goals and scheduling goals and a goals list including goals indicating either a planner goal or a schedule goal comprising;

circuitry for producing a global production strategy list from said priorities list and said goals list; and

circuitry for resolving a choice from said goals list.

2. An apparatus for generating a plan as in claim 1, wherein said goal includes an indication to indicate if said goal is either a planner goal or a schedule goal.

3. An apparatus for generating a plan, as in claim 1 wherein said global production strategy list includes a heuristic to resolve the choice.

4. An apparatus for generating a plan, as in claim 1, wherein said global production strategy includes constraints to resolve the choice.

6. An automated machine implemented method for producing a plan as in claim 1, wherein the method includes the step of providing an indication to indicate if said goal is either a planner goal or a scheduler goal.

5. An automated machine implemented method for generating a plan, comprising the steps of:

reading a list of priorities including both planner goals and scheduling goals and a goals list including goals indicating either a planner or a scheduler goal;

the step of producing a global production strategy list from said list of priority and goals list; and

the step of resolving a choice from said goals list.

7. An automated machine implemented method of producing a plan as in claim 5, wherein the method includes the step of providing heuristics to resolve the choice.

8. An automated machine implemented method for producing a plan as in claim 5, wherein the method steps include providing constraints to resolve the choice.

9. An apparatus for generating a plan, comprising:

means for reading a list of priorities including both planner goals and scheduling goals and a goals list including goals indicating either a planner goal or a schedule goal comprising;

means for producing a global production strategy list from said priorities list and said goals list; and

means for resolving a choice from said goals list.

10. An apparatus for generating a plan as in claim 9, wherein said goal includes an indication to indicate if said goal is either a planner goal or a schedule goal.

11. An apparatus for generating a plan, as in claim 9 wherein said global production strategy list includes a heuristic to resolve the choice.

12. An apparatus for generating a plan, as in claim 9, wherein said global production strategy includes constraints to resolve the choice.