Quality control system, quality control apparatus, quality control method and computer readable medium

• US 8,219,231 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Satonaga, Tetsuichi, Takano, Masayasu, Adachi, Koji, Yasukawa, Kaoru, Matsuda, Noriyuki, Seta, Akiko
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US12/558,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20100198387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 700 95- 96, 700/99, 700104-106, 700108-110, 702/84, 702/185
• US Class Current: 700/109
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0251 Abstraction hierarchy, e.g. "complex systems", i.e. system is divided in subsystems, subsystems are monitored and results are combined to decide on status of whole system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• 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 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

A quality control method includes: extracting, from a time series distribution of troubles that have occurred in electronic equipments, a first characteristics of states of occurrence of the troubles; specifying one or more parts included in the electronic equipments, the parts being involved with the troubles; extracting, from another time series distribution of a rate of use corresponding to each of suppliers which supply the specified parts, a second characteristics of the parts; and specifying one or more of the suppliers supplying the parts correlated to the troubles based on a correlation between the extracted first characteristics and the extracted second characteristics.

Claims

1. A quality control apparatus, comprising:

a first extracting unit that extracts, from a first time series distribution of defects that have occurred in manufacturing electronic equipment, a time period at which a rate of manufacturing defect increases by a first predetermined percentage and a percentage of the manufacturing defect exceeds a second predetermined percentage;

a part specifying unit that specifies a component of the electronic equipment involved with the manufacturing defect;

a second extracting unit that extracts, from a second time series distribution of a rate of use of the component for each of suppliers which supply the component specified by the part specifying unit, a change of the rate of use of the component in the manufacturing equipment for each of the suppliers; and

a part supplier specifying unit that specifies one or more of the suppliers as a source of the manufacturing defect if the change of the rate of use of the component in the manufacturing equipment for said one or more of the suppliers during the extracted time period exceeds a third predetermined percentage,

wherein the electronic equipment comprises a print processing device and the component comprises one of an information processing circuit, a convey roller, and a developing unit.

2. A quality control system, comprising:

two or more quality control apparatuses,

wherein each quality control apparatus comprises;

a first extracting unit that extracts, from a first time series distribution of defects that have occurred in manufacturing electronic equipment, a time period at which a rate of manufacturing defect increases by a first predetermined percentage and a percentage of the manufacturing defect exceeds a second predetermined percentage;

a part specifying unit that specifies a component of the electronic equipment involved with the manufacturing defect;

a second extracting unit that extracts, from second time series distribution of a rate of use of the component for each of suppliers which supply the component specified by the part specifying unit, a change of the rate of use of the component in the manufacturing equipment for each of the suppliers; and

a part supplier specifying unit that specifies one or more of the suppliers as a source of the manufacturing defect if the change of the rate of use of the component in the manufacturing equipment for said one or more of the suppliers during the extracted time period exceeds a third predetermined percentage,

wherein the quality control apparatuses form a hierarchical structure respectively,

wherein the quality control apparatus at a superior hierarchy transmits information about the source of the manufacturing defect to the quality control apparatus of the suppliers of the component at a subordinate hierarchy, and

wherein the electronic equipment comprises a print processing device and the component comprises one of an information processing circuit, a convey roller, and a developing unit.

3. A quality control method comprising:

extracting, from a first time series distribution of defects that have occurred in manufacturing electronic equipment, a time period at which a rate of manufacturing defect increases by a first predetermined percentage and a percentage of the manufacturing defect exceeds a second predetermined percentage;

specifying a component of the electronic equipment involved with the manufacturing defect;

extracting, from s second time series distribution of a rate of use of the component for each of suppliers which supply the specified component, a change of the rate of use of the component in the manufacturing equipment for each of the suppliers; and

specifying one or more of the suppliers as a source of the manufacturing defect if the change of the rate of use of the component in the manufacturing equipment for said one or more of the suppliers during the extracted time period exceeds a third predetermined percentage,

wherein the electronic equipment comprises a print processing device and the component comprises one of an information processing circuit, a convey roller, and a developing unit.

4. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for quality control, the process comprising:

extracting, from a first time series distribution of defects that have occurred in manufacturing electronic equipment, a time period at which a rate of manufacturing defect increases by a first predetermined percentage and a percentage of the manufacturing defect exceeds a second predetermined percentage;

specifying a component of the electronic equipment involved with the manufacturing defect;

extracting, from s second time series distribution of a rate of use of the component for each of suppliers which supply the specified component, a change of the rate of use of the component in the manufacturing equipment for each of the suppliers; and

specifying one or more of the suppliers as a source of the manufacturing defect if the change of the rate of use of the component in the manufacturing equipment for said one or more of the suppliers during the extracted time period exceeds a third predetermined percentage,

wherein the electronic equipment comprises a print processing device and the component comprises one of an information processing circuit, a convey roller, and a developing unit.