Method and system for adapting a production flow schedule for a production process

• US 8,635,096 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Technology AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Schuh, Lothar, Stich, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fields, Benjamin S
• Application Number:
  US13/690,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20130096975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.42, 705/7.11
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/004 Generation forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future energy generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for adapting a production flow schedule for one or more production processes, each having one or more process steps that use power for the execution thereof. An exemplary method includes identifying at least one availability time window in which there is a predetermined minimum power availability within a predetermined optimization time period based on a piece of availability information which indicates a forecast power availability during the optimization time period; providing an indication of one or more flexible process steps, which can be executed in a plurality of alternative time windows within the optimization time period; and for each of the flexible process steps, temporally rearranging the corresponding flexible process step into one of the corresponding alternative time windows if the rescheduling is within the availability time window in order to obtain an adapted production flow schedule.

Claims

1. A method for adapting a production flow schedule for one or more production processes, at least some of the one or more processes including one or more process steps that use energy for their execution, wherein the production flow schedule is initially generated depending on an optimization function that optimizes the production processes in relation to one or more optimization variables, by causing a data processing unit to execute functions of:

identifying at least one availability time window in which a predetermined minimum energy availability is present within a predetermined optimization period based on availability information that indicates a forecast energy amount during the optimization period;

identifying one or more process steps that are characterized by time flexibility as flexible process steps, wherein the one or more flexible process steps that can be executed in one or more alternative time windows within the optimization period without at least one of the optimization variables deviating by more than an optimization variable tolerance value from a value of the optimization variable that is achieved by the initial production flow schedule; and

for each of the flexible process steps, rescheduling the flexible process step into one of the alternative time windows if the rescheduling is within the at least one availability time window and if, in the original time window of the flexible process step, a lower availability of electrical energy is present than in the alternative time window, in order to obtain an adapted production flow schedule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined minimum energy availability is determined through an availability threshold value, which is a mean value of the forecast energy amount during the optimization period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the forecast energy amount is an excess of electrical energy in a power network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more alternative time windows of a process step is determined based on a state magnitude of the process step.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the rescheduling of appropriate flexible process steps is carried out depending on a probability that is assigned to each forecast energy amount.

6. The method according to claim 5, comprising:

giving priority to rescheduling the one or more flexible process steps into relevant time windows in which the probability of an energy availability being above the minimum energy availability is highest.

7. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

giving priority to the rescheduling of appropriate flexible process steps having the highest energy consumption.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more alternative time windows is multiple alternative time windows within the optimization window.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein it is taken into account, when deciding about those process steps of which the execution can flexibly be moved between alternative time windows, whether the process steps can be interrupted during the performance of the individual process step.

9. A production planning system for adapting a production flow schedule for one or more production processes, at least some of the one or more processes including process steps using energy for their execution, wherein the production flow schedule is initially generated depending on an optimization function that optimizes the production processes in relation to one or more optimization variables, and wherein the production planning system is configured to cause a data processing unit;

to identify at least one availability time window in which a predetermined minimum energy availability is present within a predetermined optimization period based on availability information that indicates a forecast energy amount during the optimization period;

to identify one or more process steps that are characterized by time flexibility as flexible process steps, wherein the one or more flexible process steps that can be executed in one or more alternative time windows within the optimization period without at least one of the optimization variables deviating by more than an optimization variable tolerance value from a value of the optimization variable that is achieved by the initial production flow schedule; and

for each of the flexible process steps, rescheduling the flexible process step into one of the alternative time windows if the rescheduling is within the at least one availability time window and if, in the original time window of the flexible process step, a lower availability of electrical energy is present than in the alternative time window, in order to obtain an adapted production flow schedule.

10. The system of claim 9, comprising:

one or more production processes.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the predetermined minimum energy availability is determined through an availability threshold value, which is a mean value of the forecast energy amount during the optimization period.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the forecast energy amount is an excess of electrical energy in a power network.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more alternative time windows of a process step is determined based on a state magnitude of the process step.

20. The system of claim 9, wherein it is taken into account, when deciding about those process steps of which the execution can flexibly be moved between alternative time windows, whether the process steps can be interrupted during the performance of the individual process step.

14. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable code for adapting a production flow schedule for one or more production processes, at least some of the one or more processes including process steps that use energy for their execution, wherein the production flow schedule is initially generated depending on an optimization function that optimizes the production processes in relation to one or more optimization variables, and wherein the computer readable code will configure a computer to perform a method which includes:

identifying at least one availability time window in which a predetermined minimum energy availability is present within a predetermined optimization period based on availability information that indicates a forecast energy amount during the optimization period;

identifying one or more process steps that are characterized by time flexibility as flexible process steps, wherein the one or more flexible process steps that can be executed in one or more alternative time windows within the optimization period without at least one of the optimization variables deviating by more than an optimization variable tolerance value from a value of the optimization variable that is achieved by the initial production flow schedule; and

for each of the flexible process steps, rescheduling the flexible process step into one of the alternative time windows if the rescheduling is within the at least one availability time window and if, in the original time window of the flexible process step, a lower availability of electrical energy is present than in the alternative time window, in order to obtain an adapted production flow schedule.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the predetermined minimum energy availability is determined through an availability threshold value, which is a mean value of the forecast energy amount during the optimization period.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the forecast energy amount is an excess of electrical energy in a power network.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the one or more alternative time windows of a process step is determined based on a state magnitude of the process step.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the rescheduling of each of the appropriate flexible process steps is carried out depending on a probability that is assigned to each forecast energy availability.

21. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein it is taken into account, when deciding about those process steps of which the execution can flexibly be moved between alternative time windows, whether the process steps can be interrupted during the performance of the individual process step.