Operation support apparatus, operation support method, and computer program

• US 8,527,315 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2010
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (Nippon Steel Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimoi, Shinichirou, Nakamura, Hideto, Oshita, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): LOFTIS, JOHNNA RONEE
• Application Number:
  US13/132,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20120004952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.42, 705/7.26
• US Class Current: 705/7.26
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/418 Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35494 Online documentation, manual, procedures, operator, user guidance, assistance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/28 specially adapted for farming
• 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

For each of tasks performed in an operation of manufacturing equipment, a proficiency of a worker with respect to a task to be performed is obtained from a proficiency DB (120) storing proficiencies of workers with respect to the tasks. A guidance base time (314) determined based on a manufacturing schedule is controlled corresponding to the proficiency of the worker, a guidance control time (334) corresponding to the proficiency of the worker is determined, and guidance is outputted at the guidance control time (334). The proficiency of the worker with respect to the task is corrected based on task record information (340) including a task content and a task time of a task performed by the worker and on the guidance control time (334), and the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task stored in the proficiency DB (120) is updated.

Claims

1. An operation support apparatus performing processing using a computer for giving guidance leading to the start of tasks to a worker carrying out an operation in which execution timings for respective tasks are determined in advance, the apparatus comprising:

a proficiency storage unit of a computer memory storing, for each worker, proficiencies with respect to tasks performed in the operation and determined corresponding to a difference between an output time of guidance related to a task and a task record time for the task;

a guidance output unit of a computer processor obtaining a proficiency of a worker with respect to a task to be performed from the proficiency storage unit, correcting corresponding to the proficiency of the worker a guidance base time determined based on an operation schedule and determining a guidance control time corresponding to the proficiency of the worker, and instructing an output device to output the guidance to the worker at the guidance control time;

a task record collecting unit of a computer processor creating task record information containing a task content and a task time of a task performed by the worker; and

a proficiency determining unit of a computer processor correcting the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task based on the guidance control time of the guidance and the task time contained in the task record information, and updating the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task stored in the proficiency storage unit,

wherein the guidance output unit obtains a latest proficiency from the proficiency storage unit when the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task to be performed is updated by the proficiency determining unit.

2. The operation support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the guidance output unit sets the guidance control time at a point later than the guidance base time for guidance of a task for which a corresponding proficiency among the proficiencies is high, and sets the guidance control time at a point earlier than the guidance base time for guidance of a task for which a corresponding proficiency among the proficiencies is low.

3. The operation support apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein when a task record indicating that the task is performed by the worker at a point earlier than the guidance control time is detected from the task record information, the guidance output unit does not output guidance of the task.

4. The operation support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a worker identifying unit identifying a worker in operation and outputting a worker ID specifying the identified worker to the guidance output unit,

wherein the guidance output unit obtains a proficiency of the worker with respect to a task to be performed from the proficiency storage unit based on a task ID specifying a task content to be notified to the worker by guidance outputted at the guidance base time and the worker ID inputted from the worker identifying unit.

5. The operation support apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the proficiency determining unit increases the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task when the task time is earlier than the guidance control time, and decreases the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task when the task time is later than the guidance control time.

6. The operation support apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the proficiency determining unit calculates a difference between the guidance control time and the task time, and determines a size of a correction amount of the proficiency corresponding to a size of the difference.

7. The operation support apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the proficiency determining unit calculates the proficiency after the update by an exponential smoothing method based on a correction amount of the proficiency and a proficiency already obtained before being corrected with the correction amount of the proficiency or by a moving average method based on a history of corrected proficiencies prior to moving averaging, which are values resulting from correcting a proficiency prior to calculation of a moving average, the proficiency obtained just before the calculation is performed, by a correction amount of the proficiency.

8. An operation support method performing processing using a computer for giving guidance leading to the start of tasks to a worker carrying out an operation in which execution timings for respective tasks are determined in advance, the method comprising:

obtaining a proficiency of a worker with respect to a task to be performed from a proficiency storage unit of a computer memory storing, for each of workers, proficiencies with respect to tasks performed in the operation and determined corresponding to a difference between an output time of guidance related to a task and a task record time for the task;

correcting a guidance base time which is determined based on an operation schedule and an output time to a worker having an ordinary level of proficiency, and determining a guidance control time corresponding to the proficiency of the worker with a computer processor;

instructing an output device to output the guidance to the worker at the guidance control time with a computer processor;

creating task record information containing a task content and a task time of a task performed by the worker with a computer processor;

correcting the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task based on the guidance control time of the guidance and the task time contained in the task record information with a computer processor; and

updating the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task stored in the proficiency storage unit with a computer processor,

wherein in the obtaining of a proficiency, a latest proficiency is obtained from the proficiency storage unit when the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task to be performed is updated.

9. A computer program residing on a non-transitory computer readable medium causing a computer to execute processing for giving guidance leading to the start of tasks to a worker carrying out an operation in which execution timings for respective tasks are determined in advance, the computer program causing the computer to execute:

obtaining a proficiency of a worker with respect to a task to be performed from a proficiency storage unit storing, for each of workers, proficiencies with respect to tasks performed in the operation and determined corresponding to a difference between an output time of guidance related to a task and a task record time for the task;

correcting corresponding to the proficiency of the worker a guidance base time determined based on an operation schedule and an output time for a worker having ordinary proficiency, and determining a guidance control time corresponding to the proficiency of the worker;

instructing an output device to output the guidance to the worker at the guidance control time;

creating task record information containing a task content and a task time of a task performed by the worker;

correcting the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task based on the guidance control time of the guidance and the task time contained in the task record information; and

updating the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task stored in the proficiency storage unit,

wherein in the obtaining of a proficiency, a latest proficiency is obtained from the proficiency storage unit when the proficiency of the worker with respect to the task to be performed is updated.