Customizable scheduling tool, manufacturing executing system containing the tool and method of using the tool

• US 8,396,581 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2010
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Arduini, Milvia Pierpaola
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US12/791,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20100305736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 700 99-104, 700 86- 87
• US Class Current: 700/100
• 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

Abstract

A customizable scheduling tool is used in a system for managing and controlling manufacturing processes planned by enterprise resource planning (ERP) and produced by a plant floor. A manufacturing executing system (MES) implements the planned manufacturing process and controls the corresponding production at the plant floor. The scheduling tool contains a set of built in data relating to the plant floor forming a data model and built in formula templates. The scheduling tool contains measures for defining new data, and the measures are operable to edit new fields to expand the built in set of data, and measures for modifying a built-in formula template. Ideally a manufacturing executing system (MES) contains such a tool and utilizes a method of using the tool.

Claims

1. A non-transient computer-readable medium having a set of computer-executable instructions stored thereon for implementing a customizable scheduling tool usable in a system for managing and controlling manufacturing processes planned by enterprise resource planning (ERP) and produced by a plant floor, wherein a manufacturing executing system (MES) implements the manufacturing process planned and controls a corresponding production at the plant floor, the scheduling tool comprising:

a set of built in data relating to the plant floor forming a data model and built-in formula templates;

means for defining new data, said means for defining new data being operable to edit new fields to expand the set of built in data; and

means for modifying the built-in formula template.

2. The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein said means for defining new data includes a data model editor having a graphical user interface, and means for editing a new data field.

3. The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 2, wherein said data model editor has a set of tree organized data forming a build-in data model.

4. The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 3, further comprising means for adding in the new data field in the data model being a tree organized data model.

5. The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 4, wherein values taken by the new field comes from one of a database model of the customizable scheduling tool, are derived from data of the database model, and are external data provided by a user.

6. The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein said means for modifying the built-in formula template contains a formula editor having a graphical user interface operable to create a new formula template.

7. The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein said formula editor has at least one of a tree organised set of variables, mathematical operators and functions usable to build a new formula template.

8. The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 7, further comprising an object browser usable to select at least one of at least one variable, a mathematical operator, and a function contained in said formula editor to modify the built-in formula template.

9. The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein said formula editor has at least a tree organised set of mathematical operators and a tree organised set of functions usable to build the new formula template.

10. The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein the built-in formula template is a mathematical formula.

11. A manufacturing executing system (MES), comprising:

a non-transient computer-readable medium having a set of computer-executable instructions stored thereon for implementing a customizable scheduling tool containing a set of built in data relating to a plant floor forming a data model and built-in formula templates, means for defining new data, said means for defining new data being operable to edit new fields to expand the set of built in data, and means for modifying the built-in formula template.

12. A method of customizing a formula template using a customizable scheduling tool, which comprises the steps of:

a) using a computing machine, selecting a built-in formula template to modify;

b) using the computing machine, selecting at least one of at least one variable, a function, and an operator contained in a formula editor using a browser of the formula editor;

c) using the computing machine, verifying that at least one of the variable, an argument used in the function, and the operator is defined;

d) using the computing machine, allowing a user to browse a data model to associate a proper data field to at least one of the variable, an argument for the variable and arguments undefined; and

e) using the computing machine, linking a new selected data field to one of a formula template variable and the argument.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein a value of each data field comes from one of a built-in database of the customizable scheduling tool, a remote database, and has been introduced by the user.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the variables selected in step b) is linked to a new data field introduced in the data model of the customizable scheduling tool by the user.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein step b) includes selecting at least one of the function and the operator contained in the formula editor using the browser of the formula editor.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the built-in formula template is a mathematical formula.