Information processing device and information processing program

Abstract

To set a schedule of a work in each manufacturing process along a flow of a manufacturing process without confirming a work flow diagram.SOLUTION: A process management device 10 associates a job card 35 indicating a work content, with a manufacturing process of a product, displays the job card 35 in a schedule setting area 30 of a schedule setting screen 7, and, upon selection of any one job card 35 from among the job cards 35 displayed in the schedule setting area 30, displays each job card 35 indicating a work of each manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected job card 35, in the schedule setting area 30 in a form different from job cards 35 associated with manufacturing processes of other products.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system for managing a production system in which one or more workstations are provided for processing objects in each process, and products are manufactured in lot units through the workstations of the multiple processes, and the system includes a memory that stores pre-created work plan data consisting of a combination of at least a process code for identifying the process, a workstation code for identifying the workstation, a lot code for identifying the lot, and date and time data representing the date and time when the work is to be performed, a display device that can display the workstation load status and the lot process status on a screen, and a first display control means that reads out work plan data related to a specified workstation from the work plan data stored in the memory, and displays on the display device the workstation load status that represents the range of the date and time when the work corresponding to the lot code related to the specified workstation is to be performed, with load amounts represented by days on one axis and by time on the other axis, and a second display control means for causing the display device to display, corresponding to a designated lot code, a lot process status consisting of a list of dates, times, processes, and workstations where work for that lot code will be performed, from work plan data stored in a memory; a plan change input means for specifying a date and time area to be moved and a position to which the area should be moved in the workstation load status displayed on the display device; and a plan change control means for rewriting at least the date and time data of the work plan data corresponding to the date and time area specified by the plan change input means to date and time data represented by a position specified in the memory, wherein the first display control means moves the date and time area specified by the plan change input means to the specified position to correct the display of the workstation load status, and the second display control means corrects the display of the lot process status in accordance with the content of the data rewrite in response to the rewriting of the work plan data in the memory. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-161514 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In factories that produce products to order, production is managed for each ordered product according to a workflow that shows the flow of each manufacturing process from order receipt to delivery.

[0005] Therefore, when setting a work schedule for any product, the person in charge is required to understand the workflow defined for the product and then set a schedule in accordance with the workflow.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide an information processing device and an information processing program that enable a user to set a schedule for work in each manufacturing process in accordance with the flow of the manufacturing process, without having to check a workflow diagram that shows the flow of the manufacturing process defined for each product. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An information processing device according to a first aspect includes a processor, which associates work elements representing work content with each manufacturing process of a product and displays the work elements in a schedule setting area on a screen; and when any one of the work elements is selected, each of the work elements representing work for each manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element is displayed in the schedule setting area in a form different from that of the work elements associated with manufacturing processes of other products different from the product.

[0008] In the information processing device of the second aspect, in the information processing device of the first aspect, when one of the work elements is selected, the processor displays a workflow diagram representing the flow of the manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element in a workflow display area displayed together with the schedule setting area.

[0009] An information processing device according to a third aspect is an information processing device according to the second aspect, wherein the processor displays in the workflow display area the manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element in the workflow diagram in a form different from other manufacturing processes of the product.

[0010] An information processing device according to a fourth aspect is the information processing device according to the second aspect, wherein when a manufacturing process of the product displayed in the workflow diagram is selected, the processor displays the work elements associated with the selected manufacturing process of the product in the schedule setting area in a form different from the work elements associated with manufacturing processes of the product that are not selected.

[0011] An information processing device according to a fifth aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the processor displays each of the work elements in multiple manufacturing processes of the product associated with the selected work element in the schedule setting area in a form different from each of the work elements associated with manufacturing processes of the other products.

[0012] An information processing device according to a sixth aspect is an information processing device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the processor displays the selected work element and each of the work elements representing work content to be performed immediately before and after the work content represented by the selected work element in the schedule setting area in a form different from that of each of the work elements associated with the manufacturing process of the other product.

[0013] An information processing device according to a seventh aspect is an information processing device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the processor displays each of the work elements for each manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element in the schedule setting area in a form different from each of the work elements associated with the manufacturing processes of the other products.

[0014] An information processing device according to an eighth aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, wherein the processor sets the scale of the work elements to be displayed in the schedule setting area so that each of the work elements to be displayed in the schedule setting area in a form different from each of the work elements associated with the manufacturing process of the other product is displayed within the range of the schedule setting area and is at its largest size.

[0015] An information processing device according to a ninth aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the processor displays in the schedule setting area a work period during which the work represented by the selected work element can be performed.

[0016] An information processing device according to a tenth aspect is the information processing device according to the ninth aspect, wherein the processor displays the work period in the schedule setting area in units of a predetermined period.

[0017] An information processing device according to an eleventh aspect is an information processing device according to the ninth or tenth aspect, wherein the processor sets the start of the work period to the end of the manufacturing process that takes place immediately before the manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element, and sets the end of the work period to the start of the manufacturing process that takes place immediately after the manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element.

[0018] An information processing device according to a twelfth aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, wherein the processor outputs a warning when the selected work element is set to be executed during a period other than the work period.

[0019] An information processing device according to a thirteenth aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein the processor displays in the schedule setting area a work period during which the work represented by the selected work element cannot be performed.

[0020] An information processing program according to a fourteenth aspect is a program for causing a computer to execute a process of associating work elements representing work content with each manufacturing process of a product, displaying the work elements in a schedule setting area on a screen, and, when any one of the work elements is selected, displaying each of the work elements representing work for each manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element in the schedule setting area in a form different from that of the work elements associated with manufacturing processes of other products different from the product. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the first and fourteenth aspects, the user can set a schedule for work in each manufacturing process in accordance with the flow of the manufacturing process without having to check a workflow diagram showing the flow of the manufacturing process defined for each product.

[0022] According to the second aspect, there is an effect that the workflow diagram can be displayed at a timing required by the user.

[0023] According to the third aspect, it is possible to provide an advantage that it is possible to inform the user of which manufacturing process in the flow of manufacturing processes defined for each product the manufacturing process corresponding to the selected work element corresponds to.

[0024] According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to provide an effect that the user can be notified of the schedule of the work corresponding to the selected manufacturing process.

[0025] According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to provide an effect that it is possible to inform the user of the locations of a plurality of work elements in a product that are associated with a work element selected from work elements of a plurality of products.

[0026] According to the sixth aspect, it has the effect of being able to inform the user of the locations of adjacent work elements before and after the selected work element along the flow of the manufacturing process, among the work elements of the selected product.

[0027] According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to provide the user with an advantage that it is possible to notify the user of the schedule for each manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element.

[0028] According to the eighth aspect, it is possible to provide an effect that the user can be informed of the entire schedule for manufacturing the product associated with the selected work element.

[0029] According to the ninth aspect, even when the workflow diagram of the product is not displayed, it is possible to inform the user when to perform the work represented by the selected work element.

[0030] According to the tenth aspect, there is an effect that the schedule of the work represented by the selected work element can be set in units of a predetermined period.

[0031] The eleventh aspect has the effect of making it possible to inform the user of the maximum duration of the period during which the work represented by the selected work element can be performed.

[0032] According to the twelfth aspect, even when a workflow diagram is not displayed, it is possible to inform the user that the schedule of the work represented by the selected work element does not follow the flow of the product manufacturing process.

[0033] The thirteenth aspect has the advantage that even when a workflow diagram is not displayed, the schedule of the work represented by the selected work elements can be set in accordance with the flow of the product manufacturing process. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a process management system. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a main part of an electrical system in a process control device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schedule setting screen. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a display process when a job card is selected. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which a manufacturing process is highlighted. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a display process when an icon representing a manufacturing process is selected. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a display process when a job card is selected. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of highlighting a job card using a pop-up menu. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a highlighted job card. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example display of all highlighted job cards. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a reduced display of a schedule table. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an enlarged display of a schedule table. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a schedule table when automatic scaling is set. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a scheduling process in the process control device. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a period during which work can be assigned; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same components and processes are given the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0036] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a process control system 1 that receives product order information from an external device 6 and manages the manufacturing process of the product corresponding to the received order information. There are no restrictions on the types of products for which the process control system 1 manages order information, and order information for any type of product may be managed, but hereinafter the process control system 1 will be explained using an example of managing order information for printed materials such as books, pamphlets, and flyers.

[0037] The process control system 1 is a system that is introduced into a factory that manufactures products ordered by customers (in the example of this embodiment, a printing factory that manufactures printed materials). As shown in Fig. 1, the process control system 1 includes a printing machine 2, a processing machine 4, a viewing device 8, and a process control device 10.

[0038] The process control device 10 is connected to an external device 6 installed, for example, outside the printing factory via a communication line 3, and is also connected to a printing machine 2, a processing machine 4, and a viewing device 8 installed inside the printing factory via a communication line 5.

[0039] The communication line 3 is a communication line to which an unspecified number of devices are connected, such as the Internet. The communication line 5 is a communication line to which pre-authorized devices are connected, such as an in-house LAN (LOCAL AREA NETWORK) established in a printing factory. There are no restrictions on the connection form of the communication lines 3 and 5, and they may be wired, wireless, or a combination of wired and wireless.

[0040] The process control device 10 includes an order information management unit 12 and a control unit 14, and acquires order information for printed materials from an external device 6.

[0041] The order information management unit 12 stores the order information acquired from the external device 6 in a storage device, and manages the order information in an integrated manner.

[0042] The control unit 14 generates information representing the flow of the manufacturing process for the ordered printed matter (hereinafter referred to as the "workflow") and a job card 35 (see Figure 3) representing the work content for each manufacturing process, in accordance with the order information for each printed matter managed by the order information management unit 12.

[0043] The manufacturing process for printed matter includes manufacturing processes that must be carried out from the receipt of an order to the shipment of the printed matter, such as a printing process that prints letters and images on paper, a processing process that creates a textured surface on the paper (called "embossing"), a binding process that binds the printed paper together, and a delivery process that delivers the completed printed matter to a location specified in the order information. Note that the manufacturing process for printed matter shown above is an example, and the manufacturing process for printed matter includes manufacturing processes necessary to manufacture the ordered printed matter. In other words, the manufacturing process for printed matter may differ for each ordered printed matter.

[0044] The job card 35 is an example of a work element generated for each manufacturing process of a printed material, and includes, for example, identification information for identifying the printed material to be manufactured and identification information for identifying the parts to be manufactured in the manufacturing process. A part represents a structural unit that makes up a printed material. For example, if the printed material is a book, it is broadly divided into a cover and a body. The structural units of the printed material that can be manufactured separately, such as the "cover" and the "body," are called "parts" of the printed material. In other words, the job card 35 is an information card that represents the work content for each manufacturing process of the ordered printed material.

[0045] On the other hand, on the viewing device 8, a process manager (hereinafter referred to as "user") who sets a work schedule in accordance with the flow of the manufacturing process of the ordered printed matter operates the viewing device 8 and sets a work schedule for the ordered printed matter by assigning work for each manufacturing process of the ordered printed matter to manufacturing equipment such as the printing machine 2 and the processing machine 4. Specifically, the user sets a work schedule for the ordered printed matter by performing an operation to assign job cards 35 to manufacturing equipment from the viewing device 8.

[0046] Therefore, the viewing device 8, in response to a user's operation, requests the process control device 10 to display the schedule setting screen 7 (see FIG. 3) for setting a schedule of work in each manufacturing process for the ordered printed matter.

[0047] Upon receiving a request to display the schedule setting screen 7, the control unit 14 of the process control device 10 generates screen data for the schedule setting screen 7 including job cards 35 for each manufacturing process of the ordered printed matter and transmits the screen data to the viewing device 8. As a result, the schedule setting screen 7 is displayed on the viewing device 8. In other words, "displaying" the schedule setting screen 7 by the control unit 14 means, for example, performing control to generate screen data for the schedule setting screen 7 and transmit the screen data to the viewing device 8. By transmitting the screen data for the schedule setting screen 7 to the viewing device 8, the user can set a schedule even when the user is in a remote location where he or she cannot access the process control device 10.

[0048] Furthermore, the control unit 14 transmits reservation data according to the work schedule set by the user on the schedule setting screen 7 to the printing press 2 and the processing machine 4 to which the job card 35 is assigned via the communication line 5. It goes without saying that there may be multiple printing presses 2 and multiple processing machines 4, and the manufacturing equipment to which the reservation data is transmitted may include manufacturing equipment other than the printing press 2 and the processing machine 4, for example, other manufacturing equipment such as an inspection device that inspects printed materials.

[0049] The process control device 10 in the process control system 1 that performs such processing is configured using a computer 20, for example.

[0050] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the main parts of an electrical system in the process control device 10 using the computer 20.

[0051] 1, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22 that stores an information processing program that causes the computer 20 to function as the process control apparatus 10, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23 that is used as a temporary work area for the CPU 21, a nonvolatile memory 24, and an input / output interface (I / O) 25. The CPU 21, ROM 22, RAM 23, nonvolatile memory 24, and I / O 25 are all connected to each other via a bus 26.

[0052] The nonvolatile memory 24 is an example of a storage device that maintains stored information even if the power supplied to the nonvolatile memory 24 is cut off, and is, for example, a semiconductor memory or a hard disk. The nonvolatile memory 24 stores parameters such as connection destination information (e.g., IP addresses) of the printing machine 2, the processing machine 4, the external device 6, and the viewing device 8 that are connected to the process control device 10 via either the communication line 3 or the communication line 5.

[0053] On the other hand, the I / O 25 is connected to, for example, a communication unit 27, an input unit 28, and a display unit 29.

[0054] The communication unit 27 is connected to the communication line 3 and the communication line 5, and is provided with a communication protocol for performing data communication with the printing machine 2, the processing machine 4, the external device 6, and the viewing device 8.

[0055] The input unit 28 is a device that receives instructions from the operator of the process control device 10 and notifies the CPU 21 of the instructions, and may be, for example, a button, a touch panel, a keyboard, a pointing device, a mouse, or the like.

[0056] The display unit 29 is a device that displays information processed by the CPU 21, and may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display.

[0057] Note that computer 20 may be configured using cloud computing, in which case computer 20 is remotely controlled from viewing device 8 via communication line 5. Therefore, in computer 20, input unit 28 and display unit 29 are not necessarily required units.

[0058] Next, the schedule setting screen 7 that the process control device 10 displays on the viewing device 8 will be described.

[0059] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the schedule setting screen 7. The schedule setting screen 7 includes a schedule setting area 30, a display selection area 31, a menu area 32, and a workflow display area 40.

[0060] The schedule setting area 30 is an area where the user sets a work schedule for each printed matter ordered.

[0061] The display selection area 31 is an area for selecting the display format on the schedule setting screen 7 when the user sets a work schedule for each printed matter ordered.

[0062] The menu area 32 is an area for setting the display format of the display content to be displayed on the schedule setting screen 7 in accordance with the display format selected in the display selection area 31. Specifically, the menu area 32 sets the range of dates and times for which the work schedule is to be set, i.e., the display period of the calendar 34, and the enlargement / reduction rate of the characters and figures to be displayed in the schedule setting area 30 and the workflow display area 40, i.e., the scale.

[0063] The workflow display area 40 is an area for displaying a workflow diagram 41 that shows the workflow of the ordered prints.

[0064] The schedule setting screen 7 shown in FIG. 3 represents an example of the schedule setting screen 7 in which the "By Equipment Shift" button is selected in the display selection area 31. When the "By Equipment Shift" button is selected, the schedule setting screen 7 displays job cards 35 that can be assigned to each piece of manufacturing equipment and a calendar 34. The assignable job cards 35 are displayed in the column for unassigned processes 33. When the user performs a drag-and-drop operation to move a job card 35 displayed in the column for unassigned processes 33 onto any date on the calendar 34, the work represented by the dropped job card 35 is assigned to the date corresponding to the location where the job card 35 is dropped.

[0065] If a task represented by another job card 35 has already been assigned on the date on which the task is assigned, the newly assigned task will be assigned after the completion of the already assigned task. In this case, as shown in Fig. 3, the job card 35 representing the newly assigned task is displayed below the job card 35 representing the already assigned task within the same date frame on the calendar 34. In other words, in the schedule setting area 30, the order of the tasks can be seen from the display positions of the job cards 35 on the calendar 34.

[0066] When a task is assigned to a manufacturing facility, the process control device 10 updates the load factor and available time for each day of the manufacturing facility to which the task is assigned, based on information associated with a job card 35 that represents the content of the assigned task. In other words, the job card 35 is associated in advance with each manufacturing facility to which the task can be assigned, with the work time required to perform the task represented by the job card 35. The process control device 10 updates the load factor and available time based on the work time corresponding to each job card 35 assigned to the manufacturing facility and the available operating time per day for the manufacturing facility. The job card 35 is also associated with various pieces of order information, such as the due date of the ordered printed matter, the customer for the printed matter, and the number of copies to be printed. Hereinafter, the entire content displayed in the schedule setting area 30 will be collectively referred to as the "schedule."

[0067] On the other hand, for example, when the user selects any job card 35 on the schedule setting screen 7, a workflow diagram 41 showing the workflow of the printed material associated with the selected job card 35 is displayed in the workflow display area 40. It is not necessary that the workflow display area 40 be displayed in advance on the schedule setting screen 7. For example, when the schedule setting screen 7 is first displayed, the process control device 10 does not display the workflow display area 40 on the schedule setting screen 7, and displays only the schedule setting area 30. When the user selects any job card 35 on the schedule setting screen 7, the process control device 10 may display the workflow display area 40 on the schedule setting screen 7 together with the workflow diagram 41 of the printed material associated with the selected job card 35.

[0068] In the workflow diagram 41, for example, icons 42 that graphically represent the work content are displayed for each production process, and the lines connecting the icons 42 represent the flow of the production process for the printed matter, i.e., the order of the production processes for the printed matter. Along with the icons 42, character strings that represent the work content in each production process, such as "printing" and "binding," are written.

[0069] It should be noted that the user "selecting" the job card 35 means, for example, moving the cursor with the mouse onto the job card 35 and clicking the left button of the mouse.

[0070] <Highlighting on the schedule setting screen> Next, the operation of the process control apparatus 10 will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of display processing executed by the CPU 21 when the user selects any one of the job cards 35 on the schedule setting screen 7. An information processing program that defines the display processing is stored in advance in, for example, the ROM 22 of the process control apparatus 10. The CPU 21 of the process control apparatus 10 reads the information processing program stored in the ROM 22 and executes the display processing.

[0071] 4, the CPU 21 acquires the workflow of the printed material associated with the selected job card 35 from the non-volatile memory 24. The CPU 21 refers to the acquired workflow and identifies the manufacturing process of the part corresponding to the selected job card 35.

[0072] In step S20, CPU 21 displays in workflow display area 40 a workflow diagram 41 in which the display format of the manufacturing process identified in step S10 is different from the display format of other manufacturing processes of the printed material associated with selected job card 35. This completes the display process shown in FIG.

[0073] In addition, when displaying information of the same type in a manner that makes the display format of specific information different from the display format of other information, this is called "highlighting."

[0074] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which a manufacturing process for a part corresponding to a selected job card 35 is highlighted. In FIG. 5, the job card 35 indicated by a dotted line is the job card 35 selected by the user. When the user selects a job card 35, the CPU 21, for example, surrounds an icon 42 representing the manufacturing process for the part corresponding to the job card 35 with a dotted line and displays a workflow diagram 41 including the icon 42 surrounded by the dotted line in the workflow display area 40. Note that the highlighting form of surrounding the icon 42 with a dotted line is only an example, and it goes without saying that any display form may be used as long as it can inform the user of the manufacturing process for the part corresponding to the job card 35 among the manufacturing processes for the printed material. For example, the CPU 21 may highlight the icon 42 by changing the color, background color, or size of the icon 42 from those of the other icons 42. The CPU 21 may also flash the icon 42 to be highlighted.

[0075] This allows visual correspondence between the schedule setting area 30 and the workflow display area 40 as to which manufacturing process of which part the work to be assigned to the manufacturing equipment using the job card 35 corresponds to in the workflow of the ordered printed matter.

[0076] 4, an example in which the user selects one job card 35 has been described, but the user may select multiple job cards 35. In this case, the manufacturing processes for parts corresponding to the selected job cards 35 are each highlighted in the workflow display area 40.

[0077] The display process shown in Figure 4 shows which manufacturing process the work represented by the selected job card 35 corresponds to in the workflow of the printed material corresponding to the selected job card 35, but the CPU 21 may also perform the reverse process.

[0078] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of display processing executed by the CPU 21 when the user selects one icon 42 representing a manufacturing process of any part of the ordered printed matter from the workflow diagram 41.

[0079] In step S30 of FIG. 6, the CPU 21 refers to the job cards 35 corresponding to each manufacturing process of the printed matter for which the workflow diagram 41 is displayed in the workflow display area 40, and identifies the job card 35 associated with the manufacturing process represented by the selected icon 42.

[0080] In step S40, the CPU 21 displays the job card 35 identified in step S30 in the schedule setting area 30 in a form different from the other job cards 35 associated with each manufacturing process other than the selected manufacturing process, and ends the display processing shown in Figure 6.

[0081] When highlighting the job card 35, the CPU 21 can also, in response to a user instruction, not display the workflow display area 40 on the schedule setting screen 7. By not displaying the workflow display area 40 on the schedule setting screen 7, the display range of the schedule setting area 30 becomes wider compared to when the workflow display area 40 is displayed on the schedule setting screen 7. Therefore, compared to when the workflow display area 40 is displayed on the schedule setting screen 7, the operability of schedule setting using the job card 35 in the schedule setting area 30 and the visibility of the set schedule table are improved.

[0082] There are various display forms for highlighting the job card 35, such as changing the line type of the border of the job card 35, changing the thickness of the border of the job card 35, changing at least one of the background color, text color, and border color of the job card 35, changing the shape of the job card 35, and flashing the job card 35, but it goes without saying that any display form may be used as long as it can be distinguished from other job cards 35.

[0083] This allows visual correspondence between the schedule setting area 30 and the workflow display area 40 as to when the work corresponding to the selected manufacturing process will be performed and at which manufacturing equipment.

[0084] 6 has been described as an example in which the user selects one icon 42, but the user may select multiple icons 42 from the workflow diagram 41. In this case, the job cards 35 corresponding to the manufacturing processes represented by the selected icons 42 are each highlighted in the schedule setting area 30. In addition to the job cards 35, the allocation status of the work represented by the job cards 35, such as the manufacturing equipment to which the job cards 35 are assigned and the date on the calendar 34, may also be highlighted.

[0085] Next, another display example based on the association between the job card 35 and the workflow of the printed matter will be described.

[0086] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the display process executed by the CPU 21 when the user selects any one of the job cards 35 on the schedule setting screen 7.

[0087] 7, the CPU 21 acquires the workflow of the printed matter associated with the selected job card 35 from the non-volatile memory 24. The CPU 21 refers to the acquired workflow and identifies all manufacturing processes included in the workflow.

[0088] In step S60, the CPU 21 identifies the job cards 35 corresponding to the respective manufacturing processes identified in step S50.

[0089] In step S70, the CPU 21 displays each job card 35 identified in step S60 in the schedule setting area 30 in a display format different from that of each job card 35 in other printed materials different from the printed material associated with the selected job card 35, and terminates the display processing shown in Figure 7.

[0090] As a result, only the job cards 35 of the printed material associated with the job card 35 selected by the user are highlighted from among the job cards 35 of the multiple printed materials displayed in the schedule setting area 30. As a result, the schedule of each manufacturing process for the printed material for which the job card 35 was selected is displayed depending on the display position of the job card 35 in the schedule setting area 30.

[0091] 7, the CPU 21 highlights all job cards 35 corresponding to each manufacturing process of the printed product associated with the job card 35 selected by the user. However, the job cards 35 highlighted by the CPU 21 are not limited to this. For example, the CPU 21 may highlight the job card 35 corresponding to the manufacturing process performed immediately before the manufacturing process corresponding to the job card 35 selected by the user, the job card 35 corresponding to the manufacturing process performed immediately after the manufacturing process corresponding to the job card 35 selected by the user, and the job card 35 selected by the user, in the workflow of the printed product associated with the selected job card 35. Hereinafter, the job card 35 corresponding to the manufacturing process performed immediately before the manufacturing process corresponding to the job card 35 selected by the user and the job card 35 corresponding to the manufacturing process performed immediately after the manufacturing process corresponding to the job card 35 selected by the user are referred to as "adjacent job cards 35." Furthermore, the manufacturing process performed immediately before the manufacturing process corresponding to the job card 35 selected by the user is referred to as the "previous process," and the manufacturing process performed immediately after the manufacturing process corresponding to the job card 35 selected by the user is referred to as the "next process."

[0092] In addition, the CPU 21 may highlight the job card 35 corresponding to the manufacturing process currently being performed on the part corresponding to the selected job card 35 and at least one of the next scheduled manufacturing processes in the workflow of the printed material associated with the job card 35 selected by the user.

[0093] The highlight setting that defines which job card 35 should be highlighted when a job card 35 is selected is selected by, for example, the user.

[0094] The job card 35 can also be highlighted from a pop-up menu 36 that is displayed when the user moves the cursor over the job card 35 with the mouse and clicks the right button of the mouse.

[0095] 8 is a diagram showing an example of the pop-up menu 36. The pop-up menu 36 includes, for example, items such as "Edit estimated required time" for setting the work time required for the work represented by the job card 35, "Deallocate" for canceling the work assigned to the manufacturing equipment, "Issue print instructions" for outputting the purchaser's instructions for the work represented by the job card 35, and "Add color to product" for highlighting the job card 35.

[0096] The user selects a color from the displayed color palette by selecting the "Color Product" item from the pop-up menu 36. The CPU 21 colors the job card 35 to be highlighted with the selected color according to a preset highlight setting.

[0097] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a colored job card 35. When the display process shown in Fig. 7 is set as an emphasis setting, as shown in Fig. 10, all job cards 35 corresponding to each manufacturing process of the printed material associated with the job card 35 for which the user selected a color from the pop-up menu 36 are colored in the color selected by the user.

[0098] As already explained, the coloring of the job card 35 is an example of highlighting the job card 35.

[0099] <Zoom in / out display on the schedule setting screen> The CPU 21 enlarges or reduces the display of the schedule table displayed in the schedule setting area 30 according to the scale set by the user from the menu area 32. Specifically, the CPU 21 enlarges or reduces the display of the schedule table as the set scale increases, and reduces the display of the schedule table as the set scale decreases.

[0100] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a reduced display of the schedule table displayed in the schedule setting area 30 shown in Fig. 10. By reducing the display of the schedule table, each highlighted job card 35 is displayed in its entirety within the schedule setting area 30, without the user having to scroll the schedule setting area 30. This allows the user to check the entire schedule table for the printed materials that have been ordered.

[0101] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an enlarged display of the schedule table displayed in the schedule setting area 30 shown in Fig. 10. By enlarging the schedule table, the various information displayed on the job card 35 and the calendar 34 can be more easily viewed.

[0102] The CPU 21 may autonomously set the scale of the schedule table so that each of the highlighted job cards 35 is simultaneously displayed at maximum size within the schedule setting area 30. This method of setting the scale is called "automatic scale setting."

[0103] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display in which the schedule table displayed in the schedule setting area 30 shown in Fig. 10 is displayed using automatic scaling. Each of the highlighted job cards 35 is simultaneously displayed at maximum size within the schedule setting area 30, without the user having to adjust the scale.

[0104] <Schedule setting support on the schedule setting screen> As already explained, when a user sets a schedule for work represented by a job card 35 on the schedule setting screen 7, the user performs a drag-and-drop operation to move the job card 35 displayed in the unassigned process 33 column onto any date on the calendar 34, thereby assigning the work represented by the dropped job card 35 to the date corresponding to the location where the job card 35 is dropped.

[0105] On the other hand, the user must set the order of operations for the printed matter according to a predetermined manufacturing process flow. For example, the user cannot bind the printed pages before printing the main text.

[0106] In this way, each task has a task period during which the task can be performed. Therefore, each time the user selects a job card 35, the CPU 21 refers to the workflow of the printed matter associated with the selected job card 35, and displays in the schedule setting area 30 the task period during which the task represented by the selected job card 35 can be performed. Hereinafter, the task period during which the task represented by the selected job card 35 can be performed is referred to as the "assignable period."

[0107] 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of scheduling processing executed by the CPU 21 when a user assigns work to manufacturing equipment from the schedule setting area 30. An information processing program that defines the scheduling processing is stored in advance in, for example, the ROM 22 of the process control device 10. The CPU 21 of the process control device 10 reads the information processing program stored in the ROM 22 and executes the scheduling processing.

[0108] When the user selects any one of the job cards 35 to which a work schedule is not assigned, in step S100 of Fig. 14, the CPU 21 refers to the workflow of the printed matter associated with the selected job card 35 and identifies an adjacent job card 35 of the selected job card 35. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that a work schedule is assigned to the adjacent job card 35.

[0109] In step S110, the CPU 21 calculates the allocable period for the task represented by the selected job card 35. Specifically, the CPU 21 sets the date on which the preceding process of the manufacturing process corresponding to the selected job card 35 ends as the start of the allocable period, and sets the date on which the succeeding process of the manufacturing process corresponding to the selected job card 35 starts as the end of the allocable period. For example, if the end date of the preceding process is July 21, 2021, and the start date of the succeeding process is July 22, 2021, the allocable period for the task represented by the selected job card 35 is from July 21, 2021 to July 22, 2021. The start time of the manufacturing process is referred to as the "start time of the manufacturing process," and the end time of the manufacturing process is referred to as the "end time of the manufacturing process." In this embodiment, because the calendar 34 is displayed in days, the allocation of tasks represented by the job cards 35 is also in days, so the start time and end time of the manufacturing process are expressed as dates. If the display of the calendar 34 is in hours, the start and end times of the manufacturing process are expressed in terms of date and time.

[0110] In addition, the CPU 21 may set the assignable period for the work represented by the selected job card 35 to a date from a date that is a predetermined number of days D1 after the end date of the previous process to a date that is a predetermined number of days D2 before the start date of the next process.

[0111] Naturally, the CPU 21 sets the allocable period for the task represented by the selected job card 35 to be equal to or greater than the task time required to perform the task represented by the selected job card 35. Therefore, if the number of days from the end date of the preceding process of the manufacturing process corresponding to the selected job card 35 to the start date of the succeeding process of the manufacturing process is less than the task time required to perform the task represented by the selected job card 35, the CPU 21 may output a warning to the user to request that the schedule of at least one of the preceding process and the succeeding process be changed. Outputting a warning to the user means that the user is made aware of the existence of the warning. Therefore, displaying a warning in the schedule setting area 30 and notifying the warning by voice via the viewing device 8 are both examples of warning output.

[0112] In step S120, the CPU 21 displays the allocatable period calculated in step S110 in the schedule setting area 30.

[0113] 15 is a diagram showing an example of a display of an assignable period for the work represented by the selected job card 35. As shown in Fig. 15, the CPU 21 displays the assignable period for the work represented by the selected job card 35, for example, on the calendar 34, by highlighting a work period during which the work represented by the selected job card 35 cannot be performed as a work assignment prohibition period 37. Naturally, the CPU 21 may also highlight the assignable period for the work represented by the selected job card 35 on the calendar 34, for example.

[0114] 14, the CPU 21 determines whether a drag-and-drop operation has been performed on the selected job card 35. If a drag-and-drop operation has not been performed on the selected job card 35, the CPU 21 repeatedly executes the determination process of step S130 until a drag-and-drop operation is performed. If it is determined that a drag-and-drop operation has been performed on the selected job card 35, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S140.

[0115] In step S140, the CPU 21 determines whether the selected job card 35 has been dropped on any date within the assignment-available period displayed on the calendar 34. If the selected job card 35 has been dropped on any date within the work assignment prohibition period 37, the process proceeds to step S150.

[0116] In this case, it is preferable that the CPU 21 prompts the user to assign the work represented by the selected job card 35 to any date within the assignable period.

[0117] Therefore, in step S150, the CPU 21 outputs a warning to the user by displaying a message such as "Work cannot be assigned to the specified date" on the schedule setting screen 7. This will prompt the user who has received the warning to redo the drag-and-drop operation and drop the job card 35 on any date within the assignable period. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S130, and the CPU 21 again determines whether a drag-and-drop operation has been performed on the selected job card 35.

[0118] The CPU 21 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S130 to S150 until the selected job card 35 is dropped onto any date within the allocable period displayed on the calendar 34.

[0119] On the other hand, if the user performs a drag-and-drop operation to move the job card 35 to area 38 in FIG. 15, the determination process in step S140 determines that the selected job card 35 has been dropped on a date within the allocable period displayed on the calendar 34, and the process proceeds to step S160.

[0120] In step S160, the CPU 21 determines a schedule so that the work represented by the dropped job card 35 is performed at the manufacturing facility corresponding to the location where the job card 35 is dropped on the date corresponding to the location where the job card 35 is dropped.

[0121] This completes the scheduling process shown in FIG.

[0122] Although the above description has been given of an example in which the unit of time periods displayed on the calendar 34 is days, the CPU 21 may, in accordance with a user instruction, switch the unit of time periods displayed on the calendar 34 to a specified unit of time periods, such as 30 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, or 1 week. In this case, the CPU 21 displays the allocatable time periods in the schedule setting area 30 in accordance with the unit of time periods displayed on the calendar 34.

[0123] For example, if the time period displayed on the calendar 34 is in one-hour units, it is possible to allocate work to each piece of manufacturing equipment in one-hour units. Furthermore, if the time period displayed on the calendar 34 is in one-hour units, the load rate and available time displayed on the calendar 34 are also displayed in one-hour units. Note that allocating work in one-hour units means, for example, allocating work to a one-hour range from 10:00 to 11:00 on July 21st. If the allocated work is not completed within one hour, the work is also allocated to subsequent periods divided into one-hour units.

[0124] Furthermore, the process control device 10 does not necessarily need to display the schedule setting screen 7 on the viewing device 8, and may display the schedule setting screen 7 on the display unit 29 when the user is in a location where he or she can touch the process control device 10. Whether the schedule setting screen 7 is displayed on the viewing device 8 or the process control device 10 depends on the user's settings.

[0125] While one aspect of the process control apparatus 10 has been described above using an embodiment, the disclosed form of the process control apparatus 10 is merely an example, and the form of the process control apparatus 10 is not limited to the scope described in the embodiment. Various modifications and improvements can be made to the embodiment without departing from the gist of the present disclosure, and forms incorporating such modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the disclosure. For example, the order of the display processes shown in Figures 4, 6, and 7 and the scheduling process shown in Figure 14 may be changed without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0126] In the above embodiment, the display process and the scheduling process are implemented by software. However, the display process shown in Figures 4, 6, and 7 and the scheduling process shown in Figure 14 may be implemented by hardware. In this case, the processing speed can be increased compared to when the display process and the scheduling process are implemented by software.

[0127] In the above embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU 21) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0128] Furthermore, the operations of the processors in the above embodiments may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processors is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0129] In the above embodiment, an example in which the information processing program is stored in the ROM 22 has been described, but the storage destination of the information processing program is not limited to the ROM 22. The information processing program of the present disclosure can also be provided in a form recorded on a storage medium readable by the computer 20. For example, the information processing program may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) or a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory). Furthermore, the information processing program may be provided in a form recorded on a portable semiconductor memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a memory card.

[0130] ROM 22, non-volatile memory 24, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, USB, and memory cards are examples of non-transitory storage media.

[0131] Furthermore, the process control device 10 may download an information processing program from a storage device connected to the communication unit 27 via the communication line 3, and store the downloaded information processing program in a non-transitory storage medium. In this case, the CPU 21 of the process control device 10 reads the information processing program downloaded from the storage device from the non-transitory storage medium and executes display processing and scheduling processing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0132] 1 Process control system 2 printing press 3. Communication lines 4 Processing machine 5. Communication lines 6 External device 7 Schedule setting screen 8 Viewing Device 10 Process control equipment 12 Order Information Management Department 14 Control Unit 20 Computer 21 CPU 22 ROM 23 RAM 24 Non-volatile memory 25 I / O 26 Bus 27 Communication Unit 28 Input Units 29 Display Unit 30 Schedule setting area 31 Display Selection Area 32 Menu Area 33 Unassigned Processes 34 Calendar 35 (adjacent) Job Card 36 Pop-up Menu 37. Allocation prohibition period 38 areas 40 Workflow display area 41 Workflow Diagram 42 icons

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: For each manufacturing process of a product, work elements that represent the work content are associated, the work elements are displayed in a schedule setting area on the screen, and when one of the work elements is selected, each of the work elements representing work for each manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element is displayed in the schedule setting area in a form different from that of the work elements associated with manufacturing processes of other products different from the product; setting a period from the process immediately preceding the task represented by the selected task element to the process immediately following the task represented by the selected task element as an assignable period for the selected task element, and setting a period other than the assignable period as an assignment-prohibited period for the selected task element; The allocable period and the non-allocable period are displayed in a distinguishable manner. Information processing device.

2. When any one of the work elements is selected, the processor displays a workflow diagram representing the flow of the manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element in a workflow display area displayed together with the schedule setting area. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The processor displays the manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element in the workflow diagram in the workflow display area in a form different from other manufacturing processes of the product. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. When a manufacturing process of the product displayed on the workflow diagram is selected, the processor displays the work elements associated with the selected manufacturing process of the product in the schedule setting area in a form different from that of the work elements associated with the manufacturing processes of the product that are not selected. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. The processor displays each of the work elements in the multiple manufacturing processes of the product associated with the selected work element in the schedule setting area in a form different from each of the work elements associated with the manufacturing processes of the other products.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1.

6. The processor displays the selected work element and each of the work elements representing work content to be performed immediately before and after the work content represented by the selected work element in the schedule setting area in a form different from that of each of the work elements associated with the manufacturing process of the other product. The information processing device according to claim 5 .

7. The processor displays each of the work elements for each manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element in the schedule setting area in a form different from each of the work elements associated with the manufacturing processes of the other products. The information processing device according to claim 5 .

8. The processor sets a scale of the work elements to be displayed in the schedule setting area so that each of the work elements to be displayed in the schedule setting area in a form different from each of the work elements associated with the manufacturing process of the other product is displayed within the range of the schedule setting area and has a maximum size.

8. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the information processing device is a computer.

9. The processor displays, in the schedule setting area, a work period during which the work represented by the selected work element can be performed.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1.

10. The processor displays the work period in the schedule setting area in units of a predetermined period. The information processing device according to claim 9 .

11. The processor sets the start of the work period to the end of a manufacturing process that takes place immediately before the manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element, and sets the end of the work period to the start of a manufacturing process that takes place immediately after the manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element.

11. The information processing device according to claim 9 or 10.

12. The processor outputs a warning if the selected work element is set to execute during a period other than the work period. The information processing device according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

13. The processor displays, in the schedule setting area, a work period during which the work represented by the selected work element cannot be performed. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. On the computer, For each manufacturing process of a product, work elements that represent the work content are associated, the work elements are displayed in a schedule setting area on the screen, and when one of the work elements is selected, each of the work elements representing work for each manufacturing process of the product associated with the selected work element is displayed in the schedule setting area in a form different from that of the work elements associated with manufacturing processes of other products different from the product; setting a period from the process immediately preceding the task represented by the selected task element to the process immediately following the task represented by the selected task element as an assignable period for the selected task element, and setting a period other than the assignable period as an assignment-prohibited period for the selected task element; to execute a process of distinguishably displaying the allocatable period and the non-allocatable period; Information processing program.

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