Automatic sorting method for process equipment in factory intelligent flow chart
By combining EB and Visio software with topology sorting algorithms, the sorting of process equipment is automated, solving the problem of manual sorting of equipment lists in factory design and improving design efficiency and accuracy.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511759060.6
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-06
AI Technical Summary
In factory design, process equipment in intelligent flow diagrams is difficult to sort automatically, which means that the equipment list needs to be sorted manually, increasing the design workload and making it prone to errors.
By combining EB and Visio software with factory production process logic and topology sorting algorithms, the sorting of process equipment is automatically realized. By disconnecting parallel and cyclic sub-processes, equipment is assigned hierarchical numbers and the sorting logic is optimized.
It enables automatic sorting of process equipment, reduces manual operation, ensures that the equipment list corresponds to the flowchart, improves design efficiency and accuracy, and supports design updates and procurement management.
Smart Images
Figure CN121615293A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of intelligent flowchart design, and more specifically to a method for automatically sorting process equipment in a factory intelligent flowchart. Background Technology
[0002] In factory process design, each workshop's flow consists of several pieces of equipment, categorized into main mechanical equipment, auxiliary mechanical equipment, and electrical sub-equipment. These are combined according to certain rules: main mechanical equipment can exist independently or be composed of several auxiliary mechanical and electrical sub-equipment. When compiling the equipment list, auxiliary mechanical and electrical sub-equipment are generally located adjacent to the main mechanical equipment; auxiliary mechanical and electrical sub-equipment do not exist independently. For example, a ball mill includes auxiliary mechanical equipment such as a speed reducer, hydraulic station, and thin oil station, as well as electrical sub-equipment such as a main motor, cooling motor, and electric heater; a baghouse dust collector includes the auxiliary mechanical equipment rotary feeder, which in turn includes the electrical sub-equipment motor; the rotary feeder can also be ordered separately as main mechanical equipment; manual valves are generally considered as separate main mechanical equipment, without any auxiliary mechanical or electrical sub-equipment.
[0003] Engineering Base (EB) employs database technology for efficient management of project design data. Leveraging Microsoft Visio flowchart software, it can rapidly generate process flowcharts based on standard data models for both process and electrical disciplines, as well as workshop equipment selection lists, typical drawings, PID diagrams, cabinet layout diagrams, and single-line diagrams for electrical disciplines. Furthermore, EB software boasts excellent scalability; through secondary development using programming languages such as C#, various practical programs can be generated, further enriching its functionality.
[0004] For a long time, equipment lists for factory designs have relied on manual entry, which is not only inefficient but also prone to errors. Equipment list sequences that don't match the process flow can lead to misunderstandings and discrepancies between the design and the actual design, affecting electrical, pricing, purchasing, and even client perspectives. However, using Engineering Base (EB) software, with its custom-developed automatic equipment list generation plugin, allows for rapid retrieval of workshop machinery information and automatic import of electrical sub-equipment, generating equipment lists by workshop. However, due to the specialized and complex processes in each workshop, the automatically generated equipment lists often only allow for sorting by equipment code or name, making it difficult to correlate with the connection order in the workshop flow diagram. Even with the addition of numerical parameters representing equipment order, manual input is still required for the plugin to recognize the equipment, undoubtedly increasing the design workload and hindering the comprehensive implementation of digital design results.
[0005] In the workshop equipment catalog tree of EB software, main machinery and auxiliary machinery belong to the same category of machinery and are created at the same level. If a piece of machinery is an auxiliary piece of machinery, a main-auxiliary equipment association needs to be created. The electrical sub-equipment of main machinery and auxiliary machinery is created at their respective next level. Electrical sub-equipment created at a certain machinery level automatically belongs to that machinery. Since the automatic equipment list generation plugin can automatically import the information of the electrical sub-equipment contained in each piece of machinery, the key to solving the problem is how to automatically sort the main machinery and auxiliary machinery. Summary of the Invention
[0006] To address the industry pain point that existing factory designs often struggle to automatically sort process equipment in intelligent process flow diagrams based on the design flow, resulting in the continued reliance on manual sorting of equipment lists, this invention provides a method for automatically sorting process equipment in intelligent factory process flow diagrams. This method leverages the graphical elements built into EB and Visio software, combined with the actual production process logic and topology sorting algorithms, to ultimately achieve automatic sorting of process equipment in intelligent process flow diagrams, effectively replacing traditional manual operation methods.
[0007] An automatic sorting method for process equipment in a factory intelligent process flow diagram is provided for equipment sorting in the intelligent process flow diagram, wherein each piece of equipment in the intelligent process flow diagram has type information and internal order information of the same type; the method includes the following steps:
[0008] Step 1:
[0009] Step 1.1: In the intelligent flowchart, disconnect the last device belonging to the auxiliary sub-process in the parallel sub-process;
[0010] Parallel sub-processes refer to sub-processes that have the same starting point and ending point; whether a sub-process belongs to an auxiliary sub-process is determined by the user-specified method.
[0011] Step 1.2: In the intelligent flowchart, disconnect the direct connection between the initial device and the final device in the cyclic sub-process;
[0012] Among them, a loop sub-process refers to a sub-process with the same starting and ending devices; the initial and ending devices in the loop sub-process are identified through a user-specified method.
[0013] Step 2:
[0014] Each terminal device in the intelligent process diagram is traced back to its superior level as a sorting process.
[0015] In each sorting process, each device is assigned a level number, and the level number is decremented by one for each level up; the same level number is used for the same device in different sorting processes.
[0016] The terminal device refers to a device without sub-devices;
[0017] Step 3:
[0018] Step 3.1: Select the sorting process corresponding to the terminal device with the smallest level number as the initial sorting process. If there are multiple terminal devices with the smallest level number, select one randomly.
[0019] The sorting process corresponding to the terminal device with the largest hierarchical number is selected as the final sorting process. If there are multiple terminal devices with the largest hierarchical number, the sorting process with the most devices is selected.
[0020] Step 3.2: Sort all sorting processes according to the following rules: the initial sorting process is the first, the last sorting process is the last, and other sorting processes start from the initial sorting process and select the sorting process with the closest relationship to the previous sorting process as the next sorting process. If there are multiple sorting processes with the closest relationship, select the sorting process with the smallest device level in the terminal device as the next sorting process.
[0021] Step 3.3: Perform the following operations sequentially on all sorted processes:
[0022] Place all included devices into a sorted queue in tier number order;
[0023] Devices with the same tier number are randomly ordered;
[0024] If the same device already exists in the sorting queue, it will not be added again;
[0025] 3.4 In the sorting queue, for devices with the same level number, if they belong to the same type of device, their internal order information is placed together at the first occurrence position.
[0026] Preferably, the following optimization sorting steps are also included:
[0027] Step 3.5: Place all the equipment in the fixed equipment group in the position where the equipment first appears in the fixed equipment group, according to the order of the fixed equipment group.
[0028] Preferably, the following optimization sorting steps are also included:
[0029] Step 3.6: Optimize the sorting according to the relationship between main equipment and auxiliary equipment, and insert the auxiliary mechanical equipment after its main equipment.
[0030] Preferably, the kinship between the two sorting processes is represented by the level number of the device with the largest level number among the devices shared by the two sorting processes. The larger the level number, the closer the kinship.
[0031] The present invention also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described method.
[0032] Beneficial Effects: This invention proposes an automatic sorting method for process equipment in intelligent factory flowcharts. While functionally simple, this method deeply integrates complex sorting logic with professional factory process knowledge, effectively solving the pain point of time-consuming and labor-intensive manual sorting of equipment lists during intelligent flowchart design by simplifying complexity. This invention not only achieves precise binding between each piece of equipment and the process flow, clarifying the subordinate relationships between equipment, but also automatically adapts to design updates, reducing equipment omissions and parameter mismatches, and improving process design and update efficiency. Furthermore, the automatically generated equipment list, sorted according to the process flow, ensures that electrical power supply and control logic strictly align with the production process, and also achieves cost traceability for the equipment quotation list, clarifying equipment procurement priorities and delivery time windows, avoiding procurement deviations. Attached Figure Description
[0033] Figure 1 This is the device sorting table in the embodiment. Detailed Implementation
[0034] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of this invention more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.
[0035] In this embodiment, the method of the present invention is in the form of a program product in the form of an EB plug-in.
[0036] An automatic sorting method for process equipment in a factory intelligent process flow diagram is provided for equipment sorting in the intelligent process flow diagram. Each piece of equipment in the intelligent process flow diagram has type information and internal order information for the same type.
[0037] Appendix Figure 1 In EJ01 and EJ02, EJ represents the device type information, indicating that both belong to the same type of device. 01 and 02 represent the internal sequence information of this type of device.
[0038] The method includes the following steps:
[0039] Step 1:
[0040] Step 1.1: In the intelligent flowchart, disconnect the last device belonging to the auxiliary sub-process in the parallel sub-process;
[0041] Parallel sub-processes refer to sub-processes that have the same starting point and ending point; whether a sub-process belongs to an auxiliary sub-process is determined by the user-specified method.
[0042] Step 1.2: In the intelligent flowchart, disconnect the direct connection between the initial device and the final device in the cyclic sub-process;
[0043] Among them, a loop sub-process refers to a sub-process with the same starting and ending devices; the initial and ending devices in the loop sub-process are identified through a user-specified method.
[0044] Step 2:
[0045] Each terminal device in the intelligent process diagram is traced back to its superior level as a sorting process.
[0046] In each sorting process, each device is assigned a level number, and the level number is decremented by one for each level up; the same level number is used for the same device in different sorting processes.
[0047] The terminal device refers to a device without sub-devices;
[0048] Appendix Figure 1 There are four terminal devices: RF01, MU01, RM01, and EJ04. The four sorting processes and the level number for each device are shown in Table 1, with the level number in parentheses.
[0049] Table 1 Sorting Process
[0050]
[0051] Step 3:
[0052] Step 3.1: Select the sorting process corresponding to the terminal device with the smallest level number as the initial sorting process. If there are multiple terminal devices with the smallest level number, select one randomly.
[0053] The sorting process corresponding to the terminal device with the largest hierarchical number is selected as the final sorting process. If there are multiple terminal devices with the largest hierarchical number, the sorting process with the most devices is selected.
[0054] The final sorting process here is actually the main process for all devices. Generally, there is a main process.
[0055] In this embodiment, the sorting process corresponding to the terminal device with the smallest hierarchical number is sorting process 1; the sorting processes corresponding to the terminal device with the largest hierarchical number are sorting process 2 and sorting process 3. Since sorting process 3 has more devices, sorting process 3 is selected as the last sorting process.
[0056] Step 3.2: Sort all sorting processes according to the following rules: the initial sorting process is the first, the last sorting process is the last, and other sorting processes start from the initial sorting process and select the sorting process with the closest relationship to the previous sorting process as the next sorting process. If there are multiple sorting processes with the closest relationship, select the sorting process with the smallest device level in the terminal device as the next sorting process.
[0057] The kinship between the two sorting processes is represented by the level number of the device with the largest level number among the devices shared by the two sorting processes. The larger the level number, the closer the kinship.
[0058] In this embodiment, the first is the initial sorting process, i.e., sorting process 1, and the last is the final sorting process, i.e., sorting process 3. Then, the sorting process with the closest relationship to sorting process 1 is found, which is sorting process 2 (sorting process 2 has a relationship of 3 with sorting process 1, and sorting process 4 has a relationship of 0 with sorting process 1). Therefore, the final sorting is:
[0059] Sorting process 1, Sorting process 2, Sorting process 4, Sorting process 3;
[0060] Step 3.3: Perform the following operations sequentially on all sorted processes:
[0061] Place all included devices into a sorted queue in tier number order;
[0062] Devices with the same tier number are randomly ordered;
[0063] If the same device already exists in the sorting queue, it will not be added again;
[0064] In this embodiment, all devices in sorting process 1 are first placed into the sorting queue, which is then:
[0065] MW01, EJ02, 3B02, BF01, RF01;
[0066] Then, all devices from sorting process 2 are added to the sorting queue. Existing devices MW01, EJ02, 3B02, and BF01 are not added. The sorting queue at this point is:
[0067] MW01, EJ02, 3B02, BF01, RF01, BV02, FN01, MU01;
[0068] Similarly, the next sorting queue is:
[0069] MW01, EJ02, 3B02, BF01, RF01, BV02, FN01, MU01, EJ01, 3B01, EJ03, BV01, EJ04;
[0070] Similarly, the final sorting queue is:
[0071] MW01, EJ02, 3B02, BF01, RF01, BV02, FN01, MU01, EJ01, 3B01, EJ03, BV01, EJ04, NG01, NG02, WF01, WF02, SC01, BV03, RM01;
[0072] 3.4 In the sorting queue, for devices with the same level number, if they belong to the same type of device, their internal order information is placed together at the first occurrence position.
[0073] In this embodiment, EJ01 and EJ02 belong to the same type and are numbered at the same level. Therefore, they are placed at EJ02 in the order of EJ01, EJ02. Similarly, the combinations (3B01, 3B02) and (BV01, BV02) also need to be processed. The sorting queue is as follows:
[0074] MW01, EJ01, EJ02, 3B01, 3B02, BF01, RF01, BV01, BV02, FN01, MU01, EJ03, EJ04, NG01, NG02, WF01, WF02, SC01, BV03, RM01;
[0075] Step 3.5: Place all the equipment in the fixed equipment group in the position where the equipment first appears in the fixed equipment group, according to the order of the fixed equipment group.
[0076] In this embodiment, BF01, FN01, and MU01 belong to a fixed device combination. Therefore, FN01 and MU01 are inserted sequentially after BF01. The sorting queue is as follows:
[0077] MW01, EJ01, EJ02, 3B01, 3B02, BF01, FN01, MU01, RF01, BV01, BV02, EJ03, EJ04, NG01, NG02, WF01, WF02, SC01, BV03, RM01;
[0078] Step 3.6: Optimize the sorting according to the relationship between main equipment and auxiliary equipment, and insert the auxiliary mechanical equipment after its main equipment.
[0079] In this embodiment, RF01 is an accessory device of BF01, therefore RF01 is inserted after BF01, and the sorting queue is as follows:
[0080] MW01, EJ01, EJ02, 3B01, 3B02, BF01, RF01, FN01, MU01, BV01, BV02, EJ03, EJ04, NG01, NG02, WF01, WF02, SC01, BV03, RM01;
[0081] It is understood that all random sorting in this invention can be interpreted as sorting according to any rules, such as sorting according to the alphabetical order of device type.
[0082] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method for automatically sequencing process equipment in a factory intelligence flowchart for sequencing equipment in an intelligence flowchart, in which each equipment has type information and internal order information with the same type; characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: Step 1: Step 1.1: In the intelligent flow chart, disconnect the last device belonging to the auxiliary sub-process in the parallel sub-process; Wherein, the parallel sub-process refers to a sub-process with the same starting point and ending point; whether the sub-process belongs to the auxiliary sub-process is determined by the user specified manner; Step 1.2: In the intelligent flow chart, disconnect the direct connection between the initial device and the terminal device in the cyclic sub-process; Wherein, the cyclic sub-process refers to a sub-process with the same starting point and ending point; the initial device and the terminal device in the cyclic sub-process are determined by the user specified manner; Step 2: Trace back each terminal device in the intelligent flow chart to the upper level as a sorting process; In each sorting process, give each device a hierarchical number, and reduce one for each upper level; use the same hierarchical number for the same device in different sorting processes; Wherein, the terminal device refers to a device without sub-device; Step 3: Step 3.1: Select the sorting process corresponding to the terminal device with the smallest hierarchical number as the initial sorting process, if there are multiple terminal devices with the smallest hierarchical number, then randomly select from them; Select the sorting process corresponding to the terminal device with the largest hierarchical number as the last sorting process, if there are multiple terminal devices with the largest hierarchical number, then select the sorting process with the most devices from them; Step 3.2: Sort all sorting processes according to the following rules: the initial sorting process as the first one, the last sorting process as the last one, and other sorting processes from the initial sorting process, select the sorting process with the closest kinship to the previous sorting process as the next sorting process, if there are multiple sorting processes with the closest kinship, select the sorting process with the smallest hierarchical number of terminal devices as the next sorting process; Step 3.3: Perform the following operations on all sorted sorting processes in turn: Put all the devices contained in the sorting queue in the order of hierarchical number; Randomly sort the devices with the same hierarchical number; If the same device already exists in the sorting queue, do not put it in again; Step 3.4: In the sorting queue, for devices with the same hierarchical number, if they belong to the same type of device, then place them according to the internal order information in the first occurrence position.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is characterized by: Further comprising the following optimization sorting steps: Step 3.5: Place all devices in the fixed device combination in the fixed device combination in the first occurrence position of the fixed device combination.
3. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises: Further comprising the following optimization sorting steps: Step 3.6: Optimize the sorting according to the master and accessory relationship, and insert the accessory mechanical device after the master device.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: determining a process equipment type of each of the plurality of process equipment; and determining a process equipment type of each of the plurality of process equipment based on the process equipment type of each of the plurality of process equipment. The kinship of two sorting processes is represented by the hierarchical number of the device with the largest hierarchical number in the common devices of the two sorting processes; the larger the hierarchical number, the closer the kinship.
5. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program is executed by the processor to realize the method of any one of claims 1 to 4.