Quality management and intelligent manufacturing with labels and smart tags in event-based product manufacturing

• US 7,035,877 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Binforma Group Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Lindsay, Jeffrey Dean, Nygaard, Kurt Sigurd, Pokorny, Michael Roy, Price, Michael T., Reade, Walter Caswell, Shaffer, Gregory Duncan, Markham, Charles Earl, Yosten, Roger Dale, Barber, Douglas Gordon Barron, Hise, John Harland, Ihde, Sheryl Annette
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US10/306,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20030158795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/202, 707/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 35/12 involving electrical means programme recording for copying purposes in a separate apparatus G05, G11
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/0285 using neural networks and fuzzy logic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31044 Assembly of modular products, variant configurability
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31061 Selection of assembly process parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31095 Read write intelligent chip on workpiece, pallet, tool for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33199 Transponder
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/048 Fuzzy inferencing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Providing quality management and intelligent manufacturing with labels and smart tags in event-based product manufacturing. Some of the disclosed embodiments include a system, method, and computer-readable media for storing, during a process, data associated with a material. Also disclosed are a method of collecting, storing, and reporting machine productivity, waste, and delay information on an event basis in a manufacturing system, a method of capturing and storing material history, a method of automating tracking of positions of components used in a process and correlating portions of a component with production problems, an improved inventory management system, and a method of tracking and recording actions of specific operators of a process performed by a machine. The embodiments are operable in an intelligent manufacturing system including a process for converting raw materials to a product, a process control system including one or more sensors capable of generating an alarm in response to an event that results in one of waste, machine delay, or decrease product quality, a data logger associated with the process control system for obtaining event parameters associated with the event, a database on a server for recording event parameters obtained by the data logger, and a reporting system cooperatively associated with the database for reporting productivity parameters regarding the process derived at least in part from the event parameters.

Claims

1. A system for storing, during a process, data associated with a material, the system comprising:

a control system for collecting, during a first process, event data relating to a material, the event data comprising an event code and a value pertaining to an attribute or physical property of the material affected by the event; and

a memory device for storing the collected event data as a data record, wherein an identifier within the memory device is associated with the data record, the data record being accessible via its associated identifier so that the collected event data in the memory device is obtainable during a second process occurring subsequent to the first process, the second process adapted to be modified responsive to the event data.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a label including the identifier, and wherein the label is located proximal to the material.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory device is located proximal to the material.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory device is one of a plurality of separate memory devices storing the collected event data, and wherein the identifier is associated with collected event data in the plurality of separate memory devices.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises one or more of the following:

a smart tag, an ultra-wide band identification device, a bar code, and a hyperlink.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises a plurality of smart tags embedded throughout the material.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory device comprises one or more of the following:

a smart tag, an ultra-wide band identification device, and a database.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises:

a vendor code identifying a vendor of the material; and

a batch code identifying a batch of the material.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a manufacturer supplies the vendor code.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein a vendor supplies the batch code.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the material comprises an intermediate product.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the material comprises a raw material.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system collects event data during manufacturing of a product using the material.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the event data comprises one or more of the following:

a production history, a certificate of analysis, a table of properties for the raw material, a quality attribute, a list of materials used in producing the raw material, target operating parameters, actual operating parameters, vendor identification, a production date, consumed raw material information, partially consumed raw material information, rejected raw material information, and a product counter.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the quality attribute comprises one or more of the following:

a quality statistic, data from a process control system during production, and a time-series of raw data.

16. A method for storing data associated with a material, the method comprising:

collecting, during a first process, event data relating to a material; and

storing the collected event data as a data record, wherein the event data comprises information indicating the location within the material where a quality defect may occur, wherein an identifier is associated with the data record, the data record being accessible via its associated identifier so that the collected event data is obtainable during a second process occurring subsequent to the first process, the second process adapted to be modified responsive to the event data to reduce the impact on the process of a quality defect in the material.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a request from a control system of the second process for the stored event data; and

forwarding the stored event data to the control system in response to the received request.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein a label includes the identifier, and wherein the label is located proximal to the material.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the data record is located proximal to the material.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the storing comprises storing the collected event data as a data record in a plurality of separate memory devices, and wherein the identifier is associated with the stored event data in the plurality of separate memory devices.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the storing comprises storing the collected event data as a data record in a memory device, wherein the memory device comprises one or more of the following:

a smart tag, an ultra-wide band identification device, and a database.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the identifier comprises:

a vendor code identifying a vendor of the material; and

a batch code identifying a batch of the material.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the material comprises an intermediate product.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the identifier comprises a smart tag, and wherein the collecting comprises embedding the smart tag in packaging associated with the material.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the identifier comprises a smart tag, wherein the material comprises a raw material, and wherein the collecting comprises embedding the smart tag in an intermediate material during production of the raw material.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein collecting comprises collecting an electronic certificate of analysis and/or purchase order information for a material during the first process.

27. The method of claim 16, further comprising editing the stored event data.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the editing comprises adding or viewing at least one comment associated with the stored event data.

29. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending an alert to an operator in response to the collecting.

30. The method of claim 16, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 16.

31. The method of claim 16, further comprising mining the stored event data during the second process to identify a modification to the material and/or the first process, wherein implementation of the modification results in an improvement to the material and/or the first process.

32. The method of claim 16, further comprising analyzing the stored event data to optimally schedule maintenance related to the first process.

33. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components comprising:

a control module collecting, during a first process, event data relating to a material; and

a database module storing the event data collected by the control module as a data record, wherein an identifier within the database module is associated with the data record, the data record being accessible via its associated identifier so that the collected event data in the database module is obtainable during a second process occurring subsequent to the first process, wherein the event data is used to modify an operating condition of the second process.

34. The computer-readable media of claim 33, wherein the database module receives a request from a control system of the second process for the stored event data and forwards the stored event data to the control system in response to the received request.

35. The computer-readable media of claim 33 further comprising a label including the identifier, wherein the label is located proximal to the material.

36. The computer-readable media of claim 33, wherein the database module is located proximal to the material.

37. The computer-readable media of claim 33, wherein the database module comprises a plurality of separate memory devices storing the data record, and wherein the identifier is associated with the stored event data in the plurality of separate memory devices.

38. The computer-readable media of claim 33, wherein the database module comprises a memory device, the memory device comprising one or more of the following:

a smart tag, an ultra-wide band identification device, and a database.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, further compressing a work orders module to generate work orders based on the event data in the database module.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 further comprising a maintenance module to schedule maintenance in response to the event data stored in the database module.