Production condition determining method, production condition determining apparatus, mounter, and program

• US 7,738,985 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Awata, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasenge; Charles R
• Application Number:
  US11/914,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20090062951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 700/95, 700/103, 700/105, 700/111, 700/121, 702/81, 702/82, 716/1, 716/2, 716/4, 716/8, 716/10, 703/6, 703/7, 703/13, 703/14, 297/09, 297/11, 297/39, 297/40, 297/42, 298/32
• US Class Current: 700/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0452 Mounting machines or lines comprising a plurality of tools for guiding different components to the same mounting place H05K13/0406, H05K13/041 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/085 Production planning, e.g. of allocation of products to machines, of mounting sequences at machine or facility level

Abstract

This invention provides a production condition determining method by which a production schedule of boards can be determined in a short time. The production condition determining method is for determining production conditions, under which various types of boards are to be produced. This method includes: judging whether or not all of part feeders necessary to produce the various types of boards can be stored simultaneously in part supplying units in a mounter, by comparing the number of the necessary part feeders, with the number of part feeders which can be stored in the part supplying units; and outputting a guidance for modifying the production conditions so that the various types of boards can be produced, when the judgment is made that all of the necessary part feeders cannot be stored simultaneously in the part supplying units.

Claims

1. A production condition determining method of determining production conditions under which various types of boards are to be produced,

wherein under initial conditions of the production conditions, all of necessary part feeders are to be stored simultaneously in a part supplying unit in a mounter, the necessary part feeders being used to produce the various types of boards, and the mounter producing the various types of boards,

said method comprising:

judging whether or not all of the necessary part feeders can be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit, by comparing the number of the necessary part feeders, with the number of part feeders which can be stored in the part supplying unit; and

outputting a guidance for modifying the production conditions so that the various types of boards can be produced, when the judgment is made that all of the necessary part feeders cannot be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit,

wherein said judging includes;

obtaining the number of part feeders used to produce a board of each type;

calculating the number of the necessary part feeders, in which the number of part feeders commonly used to produce boards of two or more types is known from said obtaining and counted as one; and

checking whether or not all of the necessary part feeders can be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit, by comparing the number of the necessary part feeders obtained in said calculating, with the number of part feeders which can be stored in the part supplying unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

displaying information for specifying any of the part feeders which cannot be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit, according to the judgment in said judging.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the production conditions include conditions for designating the part supplying unit in which the part feeder is to be stored, and

in said judging,

the number of part feeders used in production performed by each mounter is obtained in consideration of the production conditions.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein in said outputting, information is displayed to specify any of the part feeders which cannot be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit, according to the judgment in said judging.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein in said outputting, guidance is displayed to set interchanging of the part feeders stored in the part supplying unit, when one of the board types is switched to another one of the board types to be produced.

6. The method according to claim 1,

wherein in said outputting, guidance is displayed to set deleting of one of the board types not to be produced.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

determining the production conditions for the various types of boards, according to an instruction inputted by an operator regarding the displaying of said outputting.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising

simulating production of the various types of boards, by calculating a time period required for the production under the production conditions determined in said determining.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an input of a time period required to interchange the part feeders; and

re-simulating the production by re-calculating the time period required for the production, based on the time period required for the interchanging in said receiving and a result of said simulating.

10. A production condition determining apparatus which determines production conditions under which various types of boards are to be produced,

wherein under initial conditions of the production conditions, all of necessary part feeders are to be stored simultaneously in a part supplying unit in a mounter, the necessary part feeders being used to produce the various types of boards, and the mounter producing the various types of boards,

said apparatus comprising:

a storing possibility judgment unit operable to judge whether or not all of the necessary part feeders can be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit, by comparing the number of the necessary part feeders, with the number of part feeders which can be stored in the part supplying unit; and

a guidance unit operable to output a guidance for modifying the production conditions so that the various types of boards can be produced, when the judgment is made that all of the necessary part feeders cannot be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit,

wherein said storing possibility judgment unit includes;

an obtaining unit operable to obtain the number of part feeders used to produce a board of each type;

a calculation unit operable to calculate the number of the necessary part feeders, in which the number of part feeders commonly used to produce boards of two or more types is known from said obtaining unit and counted as one; and

a checking unit operable to check whether or not all of the necessary part feeders can be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit, by comparing the number of the necessary part feeders obtained by said calculation unit, with the number of part feeders which can be stored in the part supplying unit.

11. A mounter which mounts a part onto a board to eventually produce various types of boards, and determines production conditions under which the various types of boards are to be produced,

wherein under initial conditions of the production conditions, all of necessary part feeders are to be stored simultaneously in a part supplying unit in said mounter, the necessary part feeders being used to produce the various types of boards,

said mounter comprising:

a storing possibility judgment unit operable to judge whether or not all of the necessary part feeders can be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit, by comparing the number of the necessary part feeders, with the number of part feeders which can be stored in the part supplying unit; and

a guidance unit operable to output a guidance for modifying the production conditions so that the various types of boards can be produced, when the judgment is made that all of the necessary part feeders cannot be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit,

wherein said storing possibility judgment unit includes;

an obtaining unit operable to obtain the number of part feeders used to produce a board of each type;

a calculation unit operable to calculate the number of the necessary part feeders, in which the number of part feeders commonly used to produce boards of two or more types is known from said obtaining unit and counted as one; and

a checking unit operable to check whether or not all of the necessary part feeders can be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit, by comparing the number of the necessary part feeders obtained by said calculation unit, with the number of part feeders which can be stored in the part supplying unit.

12. A program, which is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, for determining production conditions under which various types of boards are to be produced,

wherein under initial conditions of the production conditions, all of necessary part feeders are to be stored simultaneously in a part supplying unit in a mounter, the necessary part feeders being used to produce the various types of boards, and the mounter producing the various types of boards,

said program causing a computer to execute a method comprising:

judging whether or not all of the necessary part feeders can be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit, by comparing the number of the necessary part feeders, with the number of part feeders which can be stored in the part supplying unit; and

outputting a guidance for modifying the production conditions so that the various types of boards can be produced, when the judgment is made that all of the necessary part feeders cannot be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit,

wherein said judging includes;

obtaining the number of part feeders used to produce a board of each type;

calculating the number of the necessary part feeders, in which the number of part feeders commonly used to produce boards of two or more types is known from said obtaining and counted as one; and

checking whether or not all of the necessary part feeders can be stored simultaneously in the part supplying unit, by comparing the number of the necessary part feeders obtained in said calculating, with the number of part feeders which can be stored in the part supplying unit.