Scheduling ahead for various processes

• US 7,337,032 B1
• Filed: 10/04/2004
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Barto, Larry D., Mata, Gustavo, Nettles, Steven C.
• Primary Examiner(s): CABRERA, ZOILA E
• Application Number:
  US10/957,756
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 700/97, 700/99, 700100-103
• US Class Current: 700/100
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32238 Scheduler triggers generation of nc program for actual selected machine
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32306 Rules to make scheduling decisions
• 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: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A method and apparatus for scheduling ahead in a process flow for a manufacturing domain entity are disclosed. The method includes detecting an occurrence of a triggering event defined for a current process operation on the manufacturing domain entity; and scheduling the target process operation upon expiration of a timed offset from the detection of the triggering event responsive to the detection thereof, the timed offset being defined for the target process operation scheduling. In various aspects, the apparatus includes a program storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform such a method and a computer programmed to perform such a method. In still other aspects, the apparatus includes a process flow implementing such a method.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling ahead in a process flow for a manufacturing domain entity, comprising:

detecting an occurrence of a triggering event defined for a current process operation on the manufacturing domain entity; and

scheduling a target process operation upon expiration of a timed offset from the detection of the triggering event responsive to the detection thereof, the timed offset being defined for the target process operation scheduling.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the triggering event and the timed offset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the triggering event includes:

detecting an event; and

determining whether the detected event is the triggering event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering event comprises a change in an appointment state.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the change in appointment state includes entering an active, active PM/Qual, processing, processing PM/Qual, near complete, or complete state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering event comprises one of an equipment event and a factory state event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the target process operation comprises the immediately successive process operation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the target process operation is a plurality of process operations downstream from the current operation process.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the timed offset is a zero offset.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the timed offset is a non-zero offset.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting an alarm for the expiration of the timed offset in order to initiate scheduling.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering at least one of the defined target process operation and the timed offset.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein filtering the defined target process operation and timed offset includes filtering based on an attribute of the manufacturing domain entity to which the event pertains.

14. The method of claim 2, further comprising defining a second triggering event associated with the current process operation, a second target process operation for the second triggering event, and a second timed offset from the detection of the second triggering event for scheduling the second target process operation.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an occurrence of a second triggering event defined for the current process operation; and

scheduling a second target process operation upon expiration of the second timed offset from the detection of the second triggering event responsive to the detection of the second triggering event.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first target process operation precedes the second process operation in the process flow but the second triggering event is detected prior to the first triggering event.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein scheduling the second target process operation includes scheduling at least one feeder operation between the current process operation and the target process operation.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the triggering event occurred prior to initialization.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising scheduling a respective target process operation for a triggering event occurring prior to initialization.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising scheduling a respective target process operation for each of the detected triggering events that occurred prior to initialization.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering event is associated with multiple target processing operations.

20. The method of 18, further comprising detecting a plurality of triggering events occurring prior to initialization.

23. A computing system, comprising:

a computing device;

a bus system; and

a storage communicating with the computing device over the bus system, the storage being encoded with instructions that, when executed by the computing device, performs a method for scheduling ahead in a process flow for a manufacturing domain entity, the method including;

detecting an occurrence of a triggering event defined for a current process operation on the manufacturing domain entity; and

scheduling a target process operation upon expiration of a timed offset from the detection of the triggering event responsive to the detection thereof, the timed offset being defined for the target process operation scheduling.

24. The computing system of claim 23, wherein the encoded method further comprises defining the triggering event and the timed offset.

25. The computing system of claim 23, wherein the timed offset is a non-zero offset.

26. The computing system of claim 23, wherein the encoded method further comprises filtering at least one of the defined target process operation and the timed offset.

27. The computing system of claim 23, wherein the triggering event in the encoded method is associated with multiple target processing operations.

28. A program storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, perform a method of scheduling ahead in a process flow for a manufacturing domain entity, the method comprising:

detecting an occurrence of a triggering event defined for a current process operation on the manufacturing domain entity; and

scheduling a target process operation upon expiration of a timed offset from the detection of the triggering event responsive to the detection thereof, the timed offset being defined for the target process operation scheduling.

29. The program storage medium of claim 28, wherein the encoded method further comprises defining the triggering event and the timed offset.

30. The program storage medium of claim 28, wherein the triggering event in the encoded method comprises one of a change in an appointment state, an equipment event, and a factory state event.

31. The program storage medium of claim 28, wherein the encoded method further comprises filtering at least one of the defined target process operation and the timed offset.

32. The program storage medium of claim 28, wherein the encoded method further comprises defining a second triggering event associated with the current process operation, a second target process operation for the second triggering event, and a second timed offset from the detection of the second triggering event for scheduling the second target process operation.

33. The program storage medium of claim 28, wherein the triggering event in the encoded method is associated with multiple target processing operations.

34. An automated processing environment, comprising:

a process flow capable of performing a plurality of process operations;

a plurality of manufacturing domain entities, a first subset of which perform the process operations on a second subset thereof, and

a computing system, including;

at least one of a management execution system and an automated material handling system for automating the process flow; and

a plurality of software components capable of scheduling ahead in the process flow for a respective one of the second subset of manufacturing domain entities, the method comprising;

detecting an occurrence of a triggering event defined for a current process operation on the manufacturing domain entity; and

scheduling a target process operation upon expiration of a timed offset from the detection of the triggering event responsive to the detection thereof, the timed offset being defined for the target process operation scheduling.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising defining the triggering event and the timed offset.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the triggering event comprises one of a change in an appointment state, an equipment event, and a factory state event.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising filtering at least one of the defined target process operation and the timed offset.

38. A method of scheduling ahead in a process flow for a manufacturing domain entity, comprising:

for each of a plurality of target process operations to a current process operation, defining a respective triggering event and a respective timed offset for scheduling the respective target process operation;

detecting at least one of the triggering events; and

scheduling a respective target process operation for the detected triggering event on expiration of the timed offset from the detection responsive thereto.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein at least one of the triggering events comprises a change in an appointment state, an equipment event, and a factory state event.

40. The method of claim 38, further comprising filtering at least one of the defined target process operations and the respective timed offset therefor.

41. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

detecting a second triggering event; and

scheduling a second target process operation on expiration of the second timed offset from the detection of the second triggering event responsive to the detection of the second triggering event.

42. The method of claim 38, wherein one of the triggering events is associated with multiple target processing operations.

43. A computing apparatus, comprising

a computing device;

a bus system; and

a storage communicating with the computing device over the bus system, the storage being encoded with instructions that, when executed by the computing device, performs a method for scheduling ahead in a process flow for a manufacturing domain entity, the method including;

for each of a plurality of target process operations to a current process operation, defining a respective triggering event and a respective timed offset for scheduling the respective target process operation;

detecting at least one of the triggering events; and

scheduling a respective target process operation for the detected triggering event on expiration of the timed offset from the detection responsive thereto.

44. The computing apparatus of claim 43, wherein at least one of the triggering events comprises a change in an appointment state, an equipment event, and a factory state event.

45. The computing apparatus of claim 43, wherein the method further comprises filtering at least one of the defined target process operations and the respective timed offset therefor.

46. The computing apparatus of claim 43, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting a second triggering event; and

scheduling a second target process operation on expiration of the second timed offset from the detection of the second triggering event responsive to the detection of the second triggering event.

47. The computing apparatus of claim 43, wherein one of the triggering events is associated with multiple target processing operations.

48. A program storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method of scheduling ahead in a process flow for a manufacturing domain entity, the method comprising:

for each of a plurality of target process operations to a current process operation, defining a respective triggering event and a respective timed offset for scheduling the respective target process operation;

detecting at least one of the triggering events; and

scheduling a respective target process operation for the detected triggering event on expiration of the timed offset from the detection responsive thereto.

49. The program storage medium of claim 48, wherein at least one of the triggering events comprises a change in an appointment state, an equipment event, and a factory state event.

50. The program storage medium of claim 48, wherein the encoded method further comprises filtering at least one of the defined target process operations and the respective timed offset therefor.

51. The program storage medium of claim 48, where in the encoded method further comprises:

detecting a second triggering event; and

scheduling a second target process operation on expiration of the second timed offset from the detection of the second triggering event responsive to the detection of the second triggering event.

52. The program storage medium of claim 48, wherein one of the triggering events is associated with multiple target processing operations.

53. An automated processing environment, comprising:

a process flow capable of performing a plurality of process operations;

a plurality of manufacturing domain entities, a first subset of which perform the process operations on a second subset thereof, and

a computing system, including;

at least one of a management execution system and an automated material handling system for automating the process flow; and

a plurality of software components capable of scheduling ahead in the process flow for a respective one of the second subset of manufacturing domain entities, the method comprising;

for each of a plurality of target process operations to a current process operation, defining a respective triggering event and a respective timed offset for scheduling the respective target process operation;

detecting at least one of the triggering events; and

scheduling a respective target process operation for the detected triggering event on expiration of the timed offset from the detection responsive thereto.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein at least one of the triggering events comprises a change in an appointment state, an equipment event, and a factory state event.

55. The method of claim 53, further comprising filtering at least one of the defined target process operations and the respective timed offset therefor.

56. The method of claim 53, further comprising:

detecting a second triggering event; and

scheduling a second target process operation on expiration of the second timed offset from the detection of the second triggering event responsive to the detection of the second triggering event.

57. The method of claim 53, wherein one of the triggering events is associated with multiple target processing operations.