Method for organizing a manufacturing or assembling process

• US 9,245,239 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2008
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Optimal Design Sprl
• Original Assignee: Optimal Design Sprl
• Inventors: Falkenauer, Emanuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Kenneth M
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, SUNRAY
• Application Number:
  US12/331,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,604 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41805 characterised by assembly
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31052 Find feasable assembly sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method and system for organizing a process having a plurality of operations is described. The process can be a manufacturing or assembly process. Some sequences of operations in the process are unfeasible. The method includes ordering the various operations of the process in a sequence by iteratively performing via a computer environment the acts of adding information on either a mandatory or an allowable sequence between two operations, and determining from the information on the sequence between the two operations further information on mandatory or allowable relations between operations of the plurality of operations, until all relations between couples of operations of the plurality have been determined. The method further includes organizing the process compliant with the set of relations obtained in the ordering via the computer environment.

Claims

1. A computerized method of organizing a process comprising a plurality of operations, whereby some sequences of operations in the process are unfeasible, the method comprising:

a) ordering the various operations of the process in a sequence by iteratively performing via a computer environment the acts of;

adding mandatory or allowable sequence information associated with two operations, and

determining from the mandatory or allowable sequence information further mandatory or allowable relations information between couples of operations of the plurality of operations,

until all relations between couples of operations of the plurality have been determined; and

b) organizing the process compliant with the set of relations obtained in the ordering via the computer environment.

2. The method of organizing a process as in claim 1, wherein a) further comprises an act of calculating a measure of the number of possible orders of operations that remain to be determined.

3. The method of organizing a process as in claim 2, wherein the measure is used to determine which information is to be added in a next iteration.

4. The method of organizing a process as in claim 1, wherein a weight is assigned to at least some of the determined relations between couples of operations and wherein the weights are used for deriving how a specific relation was established.

5. The method of organizing a process as in claim 1, wherein the mandatory or allowable sequences information is stored in a storage device.

6. The method of organizing a process as in claim 1, wherein the mandatory or allowable sequence information is checked for possible conflicts with previously determined relations before it is added.

7. The method of organizing a process as in claim 1, wherein the mandatory sequence between the two operations is a precedence constraint.

8. The method of organizing a process as in claim 1 wherein the process is a manufacturing or an assembly process.

9. The method of organizing a process as in claim 1, additionally comprising performing a manufacturing or assembly operation based on the organizing.

10. The method of organizing a process as in claim 1, wherein a subset of all possible sequences of the plurality of operations are evaluated until all relations between couples of operations of the plurality are determined.

11. The method of organizing a process as in claim 1, wherein the further mandatory or allowable relations information is dynamically computed during the iteration.

12. The method of organizing a process as in claim 1, wherein each mandatory relation is a relation where a first operation must be successfully terminated before the start of a second operation.

13. The method of organizing a process as in claim 1, wherein each allowable relation is a relation where a first operation may be successfully terminated before the start of a second operation.

14. The method of organizing a process as in claim 13, wherein there is a sequence of operations in the allowable relationship where a first operation is started before a second operation is terminated.

15. A computerized method of organizing a process comprising a plurality of operations, whereby some sequences of operations in the process are unfeasible, the method comprising:

a) ordering the various operations of the process in a sequence by iteratively performing via a computer environment the acts of;

accessing mandatory or allowable sequence information associated with two operations, and

computing from the accessed information, new mandatory or allowable relations information between couples of operations of the plurality of operations,

until all relations between couples of operations of the plurality have been determined; and

b) organizing the process compliant with the set of relations obtained in the ordering via the computer environment.

16. The method of organizing a process as in claim 15, wherein a) further comprises calculating a measure of the number of possible orders of operations that remain to be determined.

17. The method of organizing a process as in claim 16, wherein the measure is used to determine which information is to be accessed in a next iteration.

18. The method of organizing a process as in claim 15, wherein a weight is assigned to at least some of the determined relations between couples of operations and wherein the weights are used for deriving how a specific relation was established.

19. The method of organizing a process as in claim 15, wherein the mandatory or allowable sequence information is stored in a storage device.

20. The method of organizing a process as in claim 15, wherein the mandatory or allowable sequence information is checked for possible conflicts with previously determined relations before it is added.

21. The method of organizing a process as in claim 15, wherein the mandatory sequence between the two operations is a precedence constraint.

22. The method of organizing a process as in claim 15, wherein the process is a manufacturing or an assembly process.

23. The method of organizing a process as in claim 15, wherein the new mandatory or allowable relations information is dynamically computed during the iterative performing.

24. The method of organizing a process as in claim 15, wherein each mandatory relation is a relation where a first operation must be successfully terminated before the start of a second operation.

25. The method of organizing a process as in claim 15, wherein each allowable relation is a relation where a first operation may be successfully terminated before the start of a second operation.

26. The method of organizing a process as in claim 25, wherein there is a sequence of operations in the allowable relationship where a first operation is started before a second operation is terminated.

27. A computerized method of organizing a process comprising a plurality of operations, whereby some sequences of operations in the process are unfeasible, the method comprising:

a) ordering, via a computer environment, the various operations of the process in a sequence by iteration of;

accessing precedence constraint information associated with two operations, and

computing from the accessed information, new information indicative of precedence constraints between operations of the plurality of operations,

until all precedence constraints between couples of operations of the plurality have been determined; and

b) organizing the process to be compliant with the set of precedence constraints obtained in the ordering.