Method and system for monitoring resources within a manufacturing environment

• US 6,816,746 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2001
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Goel, Ashish, Bickley, Branden Clark
• Primary Examiner(s): Paladini, Albert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHECHTMAN, SEAN P
• Application Number:
  US09/800,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20020123813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 700/28, 700/95, 700/96, 700/97, 700/99-117, 700/121, 705/7, 705/8, 705/28, 705/29
• US Class Current: 700/99
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group

Abstract

A method, system and logic are described for monitoring resources within a manufacturing environment. A system for monitoring resources within a manufacturing facility includes a remote monitoring system coupled to one or more pieces of equipment within the manufacturing facility. The remote monitoring system may be communicatively coupled to a control center operable to display status information associated with using the one or more pieces of equipment, and a simulator communicatively coupled to the remote monitoring system is operable to dynamically simulate resource re-allocation based on the inoperability of the one or more pieces of equipment.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring resources within a build to order manufacturing facility comprising:

a remote monitoring system coupled to one or more pieces of equipment within the manufacturing facility, said pieces of equipment operable to produce build to order products;

the remote monitoring system operable to determine an operating status of the one or more pieces of equipment and to determine whether an order ship criteria associated with producing a particular order of build to order products has been fulfilled;

said remote monitoring system operable to consolidate real-time information relating to the operating status;

the remote monitoring system communicatively coupled to a control center, said remote monitoring system operable to display real-time status information associated with using the one or more pieces of equipment, wherein the status information indicates if a particular piece of equipment is fully functional or if the particular piece of equipment is inoperable; and

a simulator communicatively coupled to the remote monitoring system and operable to dynamically simulate resource re-allocation using available pieces of equipment that are indicated to be fully functioning and does not use the particular piece of equipment that is indicated to be inoperable.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising plural pieces of equipment operably associated with one or more locations within the manufacturing facility.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising one or more remote access terminals within the manufacturing facility operable to provide access to the remote monitoring system.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a network interface communicatively coupled to one or more of the pieces of equipment and operable to communicate information in real-time to provide the operating status associated with the one or more pieces of equipment.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a process monitor operable to monitor a process that uses the one or more pieces of equipment.

6. A method for monitoring resources within a build to order manufacturing facility, the method comprising:

accessing information resources for selective portions of a manufacturing facility, said information resources associated with one or more pieces of equipment, said equipment remotely located from a control center for the manufacturing facility and operable to produce build to order products, wherein said information resources provide real-time data on operating status for the one or more pieces of equipment;

consolidating the real-time information on the operating status in a remote monitoring system;

determining operating status of the one or more pieces of equipment relative to a ship criteria associated with manufacturing the products, using the real-time data on operating status provided by said information resources;

displaying the determined operating status within a user interface of the control center, wherein the displayed operating status indicates if a particular piece of equipment is fully functional or if the particular piece of equipment is inoperable; and

simulating a re-allocation the of resources based on the inoperability of one or more pieces of equipment; and

dynamically reallocating the resources in response the inoperability of one or more pieces of equipment.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

accessing a log to obtain information for monitoring the equipment;

automatically determining if an error has occurred with one of the pieces of equipment, based on the information obtained from the log; and

automatically updating the displayed operating status for the piece of equipment in the control center, in response to determining that the error has occurred.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising automatically reallocating resources upon determining an error associated with a malfunctioning piece of equipment.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising routing product to a different portion of the manufacturing facility in response to determining the error.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising associating a process with the one or more pieces of equipment to provide a process monitor.

11. A program product for monitoring resources within a build to order manufacturing facility, the program product comprising:

a computer-usable medium; and

control logic encoded in the computer-usable medium, wherein the control logic, when executed, performs operations comprising;

obtaining real-time data on operating status for one or more pieces of equipment in a manufacturing facility from information resources for selective portions of-the manufacturing facility, said information resources associated with the one or more pieces of equipment, said equipment remotely located from a control center for the manufacturing facility and operable to produce build to order products;

consolidating the real-time information on the operating status in a remote monitoring system;

determining an operating status of the one or more pieces of equipment relative to a ship criteria associated with manufacturing the products, based on the real-time data on operating status;

displaying the determined operating status within a user interface of the control center, wherein the displayed operating status indicates if a particular piece of equipment is fully functional or if the particular piece of equipment is inoperable;

simulating a re-allocation of resources based the inoperability of one or more pieces of equipment; and

dynamically reallocating the resources in response to the in operability of one or more pieces of equipment.

12. The program product of claim 11 further comprising the control logic operable to:

access a log to obtain information for monitoring the equipment;

determine if an error has occurred with one of the pieces of equipment;

notify the control center of the error; and

update the status for the piece of equipment.

13. The program product of claim 11 further comprising the control logic operable to provide information in real-time from remote locations within the manufacturing facility.

14. The program product of claim 11 further comprising control logic operable to automatically reallocate resources upon determining an error associated with a malfunctioning piece of equipment.

15. The program product of claim 14 further comprising the contoro logic operable to route product to a different portion of the manufacturing facility in response to determining the error.

16. The program product of claim 11 further comprising control logic operable to associate a process with the one or more pieces of equipment to provide a process monitor.