Planning device, planning program, and planning method

Abstract

To make it possible to make individual processing plans for a plurality of objects including an object processed through a plurality of plants.SOLUTION: A plan creation device (100) includes: an acquisition unit (11) which acquires, for a plurality of objects manufactured through one or a plurality of processing processes, order information indicating relation between the objects, kinds, and order quantities, kind and process information indicating relation between the kinds and the processing processes and processing facilities required for manufacturing the kinds, capability information indicating processing capability of the processing facilities for each kind, and facility change information indicating a replaceable processing process or processing facility; a generation unit (12) which generates a plurality of candidates of processing plans based on the order information, the kind and process information, the capability information, and the facility change information indicating the replaceable processing process or the processing facility; and a determination unit (14) which determines the processing plan from among the plurality of candidates.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a planning device, a planning program, and a planning method. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a production planning method that includes a process of creating a production schedule for each factory based on order information and information about factories capable of manufacturing each production lot, so that each production lot is leveled at each factory and the desired delivery date is met. Patent Document 2 also describes a multi-item lot size scheduling method that includes the steps of acquiring an item-specific schedule that optimizes production inventory, determining the degree of machine interference between each item with respect to the item-specific (product type) schedule, re-executing the acquiring step to reduce the degree of machine interference if the degree of machine interference is large, and generating lot sizes and lot sequences for each item based on the item-specific schedule if the degree of machine interference is small. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-176098 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-236721 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In many manufacturing industries, including the steel industry, achieving production targets requires the smooth manufacture of finished and semi-finished products (hereinafter referred to as "objects") at multiple plants located at different locations, while also requiring a reduction in the manufacturing costs of the objects. To achieve these requirements across multiple plants as a whole, it is not enough to simply make manufacturing decisions and carry out manufacturing while checking the availability of equipment and the presence of objects as they arise; scheduling is essential, determining in advance, on an item-by-item basis, which objects will be processed and transported using which equipment at what timing across multiple plants.

[0005] However, while the technology described in Patent Document 1 takes multiple factories into account, it only equalizes the load between factories by allocating production lots to each factory, and does not consider the equipment that can be processed or the equipment that can replace that equipment. In other words, it does not consider, for each item, constraints on the processing equipment required for manufacturing the object, such as the processing time required to perform a certain process on a certain object, which processing equipment can process the object, or the transportation load when using replaceable processing equipment. It does not create a schedule that issues production instructions for each individual item actually manufactured at the manufacturing site. Furthermore, the technology described in Patent Document 2 performs scheduling at the time level, but does not consider replaceable processing equipment or production via multiple factories. In other words, it does not create a production plan that takes into account multiple replaceable processing equipment, such as when multiple factories each have their own processing equipment.

[0006] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a plan creation device capable of creating a processing plan that takes into account replaceable processing equipment for each manufacturing object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a plan creation device according to one aspect of the present invention is a plan creation device that creates a processing plan for processing a plurality of objects that are manufactured through one or more processing processes, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires, for each of the plurality of objects, order information that indicates the relationship between the object, its type, and order quantity, product type process information that indicates the relationship between the type and the processing process or processing equipment required to manufacture the type, capacity information that indicates the processing capacity of the processing equipment for each type, and equipment change information that indicates substitutable processing processes or processing equipment, a generation unit that generates a plurality of candidates for the processing plan based on the order information, the product type process information, the capacity information, and the equipment change information, and a determination unit that determines the processing plan from the plurality of candidates.

[0008] The planning device according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the planning program of the planning device that realizes the planning device by making the computer operate as each part (software element) of the planning device, and the computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0009] Furthermore, a planning method according to another aspect of the present invention is a planning method for creating a processing plan for processing a plurality of objects that are manufactured through one or more processing steps, and includes the steps of acquiring, for each of the plurality of objects, order information indicating the relationship between the object, its type, and order quantity, product type / process information indicating the relationship between the type and the processing steps or processing equipment required to manufacture the type, capacity information indicating the processing capacity of the processing equipment for each type, and equipment change information indicating substitutable processing steps or processing equipment, generating a plurality of candidates for the processing plan based on the order information, the product type / process information, the capacity information, and the equipment change information, and determining the processing plan from the plurality of candidates. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a plan creation device capable of creating a processing plan that takes into account replaceable processing equipment for each manufacturing object. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a situation in which processing of objects progresses in a manufacturing line for which a planning creation device according to an embodiment of an aspect of the present invention creates a processing plan; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the plan creation device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a processing circuit included in the plan creation device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the content of processing executed by the processing circuit. [Figure 5] 10 is a graph showing evaluation information generated by the plan creation device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a graph showing evaluation information generated by the plan creation device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a planning method according to an embodiment of another aspect of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] First, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0013] <Production line> First, we will explain the production line for which a processing plan is created. A production line consists of one or more (usually multiple) processes required to manufacture a target object, such as a finished product or semi-finished product. The target object is manufactured by processing raw materials through the processes in the order on the production line. This production line may be established entirely within a single factory or may be established across multiple factories. In particular, steel production lines often consist of multiple processes established in multiple factories, and the target object is often manufactured by passing through multiple factories in sequence (see Figure 1). In such cases, two or more factories may be capable of performing the same process. In such cases, the production line will pass through some of the factories, and there may be multiple combinations of multiple factories to realize the production line. Below, we will explain the present invention using a steel production line as an example. Note that the semi-finished product is a product before it becomes a finished product. In the case of a steel product, it may be a slab produced through a continuous casting process or a coil produced through a rolling process. Figure 1 shows the progress of processing of targets on a production line.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, a manufacturing line is composed of multiple factories. Each factory is responsible for one or more processes (in Figure 1, multiple processes such as process 1-1 and process 1-2). Each factory also has one or more processing facilities for each process (in Figure 1, multiple facilities such as facility 1-1-1 and facility 1-1-2). Processing facilities include, for example, processing facilities and conveying facilities. Providing multiple processing facilities for each process enables parallel processing of multiple objects for each process. The horizontal axis in Figure 1 is the time axis. Figure 1 shows which processing facilities in which factories process each object along the time axis. Objects with the same number are the same, and by tracking the time progression of the same object, the process order in which the object is processed can be determined. For example, Figure 1 shows that object 1 has completed processing by processing facility 1-1-1 used in process 1-1 of factory 1, and will next be processed by processing facility 2-3-2 used in process 2-3 of factory 2. 1, object 2, object 3, object 12, and object 14 are currently undergoing the process steps shown in the figure. For example, FIG. 1 shows that object 2 is currently undergoing processing in processing equipment 1-1-2 used in process 1-1 of factory 1.

[0015] Note that, although the multiple factories shown in FIG. 1 each perform multiple processes, at least one of the multiple factories may perform only one process. Also, although each of the processes shown in FIG. 1 has multiple processing equipment, it may also include a process that has only one processing equipment. Furthermore, the processing equipment belonging to the same process may each perform the same processing content, or may be different. Furthermore, the processing equipment belonging to the same process may perform the same processing content to different degrees.

[0016] <Planning device> Next, an embodiment of one aspect of the present invention (plan creation device 100) will be described. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the plan creation device 100. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a processing circuit provided in the plan creation device 100. Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the content of the processing executed by the processing circuit. Figs. 5 and 6 are graphs showing evaluation information generated by the plan creation device 100.

[0017] The plan creation device 100 is used to create a processing plan for processing multiple objects manufactured through one or more processing steps. In the following explanation, it is assumed that a processing plan is created for processing multiple objects including objects that undergo one processing step in at least one of multiple processing facilities provided in one factory among multiple factories, and then undergo another processing step in at least one of multiple processing facilities provided in another factory different from the first factory. The processing plan indicates the allocation of objects to be processed by each processing facility for each period. To create this processing plan, the plan creation device 100 includes a control unit 1, an input unit 2, and an output unit 3, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0018] [Input section] The input unit 2 is composed of a communication module that receives data and signals from other devices 200, a terminal that is connected to other devices, a drive that reads information from a recording medium, a keyboard that can be operated by a user, a mouse, a touch panel, etc. The plan creation device 100 may be integrated with other devices 200 (for example, operating on the same OS). In that case, the plan creation device 100 may not be equipped with the input unit 2.

[0019] [Output section] The output unit 3 is composed of a communication module that transmits data and signals to other devices (display devices, printers, etc.), terminals that are connected to other devices, drives that write information to recording media, display devices such as displays that display images, printers, etc. The plan creation device 100 may be configured to perform further processing using the created processing plan (described in detail below) as input. In this case, the plan creation device 100 may not be equipped with the output unit 3.

[0020] [Control Unit] The control unit 1 includes an acquisition unit 11, a generation unit 12, a calculation unit 13, a determination unit 14, an evaluation unit 15, a counting unit 16, and an output control unit 17. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 1 according to this embodiment includes one or more processing circuits 1a, 1b, etc. The multiple processing circuits 1a, 1b, etc. can be realized, for example, by configuring the control unit 1 with a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or the like. Each processing circuit 1a, 1b, etc. includes a register, a shared memory, and multiple cores. These cores may be grouped together and managed hierarchically.

[0021] [Acquisition Department] The acquisition unit 11 acquires order information, product type and process information, capacity information, equipment change information, equipment operation results, and equipment outage information.

[0022] The order information (see Table 1) is information indicating the relationship between the object, its type, and the order quantity for multiple objects, including objects manufactured through multiple processing processes in multiple factories. The order information may be all received order information, or a portion extracted from that information based on certain conditions (delivery date, quantity, etc.). As shown in Table 1, the order information includes the relationship between the object (mainly, products) and its type. The order information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 according to this embodiment is, for example, information indicating the type, delivery date, and order quantity for each object, as shown in Table 1 below. When the object is a steel material, there are many types of steel materials, such as hot-rolled steel sheets, cold-rolled steel sheets, and structural steel. However, even within structural steel, there are types such as H-shaped steel and angle steel. Each of these types has the same manufacturing conditions, such as strength and thickness, and therefore types that are processed using the same process and processing equipment are distinguished as types.

[0023] [Table 1]

[0024] Product-process information (see Table 2) is information indicating the relationship between a product type and the processing steps and processing equipment required for manufacturing that product type. The product-process information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 according to this embodiment is information indicating, for each product type, the factories that can process the product, the processes through which the product passes, the processing equipment used in each process, and the lot attributes of the object processed in each process, as shown in Table 2 below, for example. When the object is a steel product, a group of steel products whose manufacturing conditions at each processing equipment are the same, for example, in terms of size, composition, etc., and which can be processed together to reduce processing setups, etc., is distinguished as a lot attribute. This lot attribute is linked to the product type and the processing equipment, and even different product types may have the same lot attribute at a specific processing equipment. When there are multiple factories that can process a single product type, multiple processes through which the product passes, and multiple processing equipment used, etc., there will be multiple product-process information corresponding to that single product type.

[0025] In the example of Table 2, the product type process information indicates, for each product type, the processing equipment required for production (processing equipment used) and is linked to the factories that have each processing equipment (factories that can process each processing equipment) and processes (processes that the product passes through). For example, an object belonging to product type 1 is manufactured in factory 1 by undergoing processing at processing equipment 1-1-1 and 1-1-2 in process 1-1 and processing equipment 2-1-1 and 2-1-2 in process 1-2. Also, an object belonging to product type 1 may be manufactured in factory 2 by undergoing processing at processing equipment 2-1-1 and 2-1-2 in process 2-1 and processing equipment 2-2-1 and 2-2-2 in process 2-2. In other words, an object belonging to product type 1 will be manufactured in either of the above factories. Thus, a product type with multiple rows in the example of Table 2 means that there are as many factories that can alternatively process the product as there are rows. In Table 2, by looking at Table 4 described below, for example, in the production of objects belonging to variety 1, at least one processing facility can be used as an alternative (for example, processing at processing facility 1-1-1 can be replaced with processing at processing facility 2-1-1. If this alternative facility is used, the object will be processed at factory 2, and then processed at factory 1 before being produced), and production will be carried out using the associated passing processes and processing facilities used, respectively.

[0026] [Table 2]

[0027] The capacity information (see Table 3) is information indicating the processing capacity of each processing facility for each product type. The capacity information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 according to this embodiment is information indicating the processing facility to be used and the processing capacity of the processing facility for each product type, for example, as shown in Table 3 below. Since the processing volume per unit time of a certain facility can vary depending on the object being processed, capacity information is set for each product type, as shown in Table 3. For example, if a product of product type 1 is processed using processing facility 1-1-1, 30 tons can be processed per hour, but if processing facility 1-1-2 is used, 32 tons can be processed. If there are multiple processing facilities, etc., that can be used for one product type (for example, products 1 and 5 in Table 3), there will be multiple pieces of capacity information corresponding to one product type.

[0028] [Table 3]

[0029] The equipment change information (see Table 4) indicates the relationship between the substitutable processing equipment (process) and the change cost required for the substitution, when a substitutable processing equipment (process) exists. When the processing equipment before substitution is replaced with the substitutable processing equipment, the time and cost required to move the object often change compared to when the processing equipment before substitution was used. The change cost is information for reflecting this in the evaluation value, which will be described later. In other words, when there are multiple processing equipment capable of performing a certain processing step, such as multiple pieces of processing equipment in the same factory or multiple pieces in different factories, one of the processing equipment is selected to manufacture the object requiring that processing step. The change cost is the cost of adopting (substituting) a different processing step (process equipment) based on the transit process specified in each row of Table 2. In this embodiment, an example is taken in which multiple factories are passed through, and the processing equipment is associated with the process. Therefore, the equipment change information in Table 4 indicates the relationship between factories with substitutable processes and the change cost. The time required for movement (hereinafter referred to as the movement load) is used as the change cost. This allows optimization that takes into account, for example, the time costs required to replace processing equipment, even in large-scale, multi-process production plans that span multiple factories. However, the change cost may also reflect other factors that need to be considered, such as the priority of processing equipment or factories, along with or instead of the movement load. Note that the change cost criteria in this embodiment are as described above, but are arbitrary.

[0030] Specifically, the factory change information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 according to this embodiment is information indicating, for each product type, the source factory, the source process, the factories to which the product can be moved, the processes to which the product can be moved, and the transportation load, as shown in Table 4 below. For example, it indicates that product type 1 is processed in process 1-2 at factory 1, but the same process can be performed in process 2-2 at factory 2, and that the substitution requires 6.5 hours to transport the object. It also indicates that product type 1 is processed in process 2-2 at factory 2, but the same process can be performed in process 1-2 at factory 1, and that the substitution requires 8.0 hours to transport the object. While the transportation load here takes into account transportation time, it may also be the cost required to arrange for a truck for transportation.

[0031] [Table 4]

[0032] Equipment operation results (see Table 5) are information for determining the process or equipment in which an object is processed and the processing time at that process or equipment. The equipment operation results acquired by the acquisition unit 11 according to this embodiment are, for example, as shown in Table 5 below, information indicating, for each object, the factory where the processing was performed, the processing equipment used, the processing start time, the processing end time, and the remaining amount. In the equipment operation results, an object with a processing end time indicated (object 1 in Table 5) indicates that processing of the object at the corresponding process or processing equipment has ended, and the remaining amount column also indicates 0. Furthermore, an object with a processing start time indicated but no processing end time indicated (such as object 2 in Table 5) indicates that processing of the object at the corresponding process or processing equipment is still in progress. Furthermore, an object with no processing start time indicated indicates that processing of the object at the corresponding process or processing equipment has not yet begun. The equipment operation results are updated periodically, and the remaining amount is stored as the value at the time of update.

[0033] [Table 5]

[0034] The equipment outage information (see Table 6) is information indicating the planned outage period of the processing equipment. The equipment outage information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 according to this embodiment is information indicating the factories where processing is possible, the processes through which the processing equipment is passed, the processing equipment to be used, and the planned outage period of the processing equipment, as shown in Table 6 below, for example.

[0035] [Table 6]

[0036] The acquiring unit 11 may acquire information that has been previously compiled (compiled information, which will be described later). The acquiring unit 11 may not acquire at least one of the equipment change information, the equipment operation record, and the equipment outage information.

[0037] [Counting section] The aggregation unit 16 aggregates the order information (see Table 1), product type / process information (see Table 2), capacity information (see Table 3), etc. acquired by the acquisition unit 11 to generate aggregated information (see Table 7). The aggregated information indicates, for each processing facility, the conditions for processing multiple objects. The aggregated information generated by the aggregation unit 16 according to this embodiment indicates, for each object, the process, processing facility, lot attributes, processing time (days), and processing-capable factories, as shown in Table 7 below. The processing time is calculated based on the order information and capacity information (order quantity / processing capacity). For example, the aggregated information indicates that processing the ordered quantity of object 1 at processing facility 1-1-1 would take 1.47 days. In this way, by expanding the selectable processing facilities one row at a time, simply selecting a row is equivalent to selecting a processing facility, enabling high-speed selection processing. Processing plans can be determined easily and quickly. In addition, if there is no need to generate aggregated information (for example, if the acquisition unit 11 has already acquired aggregated information from another device, or if the number of objects or processing equipment is small and calculations can be performed as is), the planning device 100 does not need to be equipped with the aggregation unit 16.

[0038] [Table 7]

[0039] (Generation section, calculation section, decision section) The generation unit 12, calculation unit 13, and determination unit 14 according to this embodiment determine a processing plan using metaheuristics. Specifically, the determination unit 14 calculates evaluation values ​​for delivery dates, lot consolidation numbers, and change costs using techniques such as simulated annealing, tabu search, and genetic algorithms, and determines appropriate processing equipment and processing start times within selectable ranges so as to improve the calculated evaluation values. The individual operations of the generation unit 12, calculation unit 13, and determination unit 14 will be described below.

[0040] (Generation part) The generation unit 12 generates multiple candidate processing plans based on order information, product type / process information, capacity information, and equipment change information. The processing plan defines the order in which multiple objects are processed (the order in which processing equipment is used) and the timing for each piece of processing equipment. The generation unit 12 in this embodiment generates candidates based on the aggregation information generated by the aggregation unit 16. The generation unit 12 first randomly generates multiple candidate processing plans based on the order information, product type / process information, capacity information, and equipment change information, and sets these as initial values. Next, when the initial values ​​are given, the generation unit 12 generates multiple candidate processing plans by changing at least one of the order, timing, and objects. The initial values ​​are, for example, as shown in Tables 8 and 9 below. Each column (1, 2...N-1, N) in Tables 8 and 9 represents the period (time slot) for the objects processed by each piece of processing equipment, corresponding to the timing described above. The length of the period is set according to the required accuracy, such as 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 1 day. The numbers in the tables represent identifiers for the objects. Tables 8 and 9 show the initial state of the processing plan, provisionally showing the allocation for each time slot. Furthermore, blank spaces in Table 8 below indicate cases where processing in the previous period has ended and there is a wait until processing in the next period begins, or where processing in the previous period is continuing. Then, for one piece of equipment, the generation unit 12 generates multiple patterns of candidates by changing the order in which the objects are processed, as shown in FIG. 4, for example. The generation unit 12 randomly generates the first candidate based on the initial value.

[0041] If the equipment change information indicates that a certain product type can be processed at one factory in another factory, the generation unit 12 also generates candidates for the case of substitution. If the acquisition unit 11 acquires equipment shutdown information, the generation unit 12 allocates the target to the equipment, avoiding the time period specified in the shutdown information. If the acquisition unit 11 acquires equipment operation records, the generation unit 12 can generate more detailed candidates. For example, if the equipment operation records indicate that the remaining amount at equipment 1-1-1 is x, the generation unit 12 obtains the remaining processing time x / y at equipment 1-1-1 by dividing the remaining amount by the previously acquired processing capacity y (capacity information) of equipment 1-1-1. Using this remaining processing time, the generation unit 12 can allocate the target to the next processing equipment after the remaining processing time has elapsed. When the determination unit 14, described later, selects a candidate, the generation unit 12 repeatedly generates new candidates using the selected candidate as a new initial value.

[0042] [Table 8]

[0043] The generation unit 12 may generate multiple candidates in parallel by using one or multiple processing circuits 1a, 1b, etc. that can operate in parallel to generate candidates for each core. Specifically, one processing circuit 1a generates candidates based on the initial value 1 shown in Table 8 above and calculates evaluation values, while another processing circuit 1b generates candidates based on the initial value 2 shown in Table 9 below, which has a different processing order from the initial value 1, and calculates evaluation values. Subsequently, processing circuits 1c, etc. other than the processing circuits 1a, 1b also generate candidates based on the initial value 3, etc., which is different from the initial values ​​1, 2, and calculates evaluation values. In this way, a huge number of calculations are shared among the multiple processing circuits 1a, 1b, etc., allowing for faster determination of a processing plan.

[0044] (Calculation section) The calculation unit 13 calculates an evaluation value for each candidate to evaluate the multiple candidates generated by the generation unit 12. The evaluation value calculated by the calculation unit 13 according to this embodiment includes at least one of the number of lots and the number of occurrences of late delivery. The calculation unit 13 may be configured to convert the number of occurrences of late delivery into actual processing time and calculate the evaluation value as such. The calculation unit 13 may also be configured to calculate a value based on the number of lots and the number of occurrences of late delivery as the evaluation value. The calculation unit 13 may also weight at least one of the number of lots and the number of occurrences when calculating the evaluation value. This makes it possible to determine a processing plan that minimizes increases in processing costs due to lot variations and minimizes delivery delays.

[0045] (Decision section) The determination unit 14 determines a processing plan ( FIG. 1 ) from among multiple candidates. Specifically, a single processing plan may be determined by selecting a candidate corresponding to the best evaluation value from among the multiple evaluation values ​​calculated by the calculation unit 13 based on the evaluation values ​​of the candidates. The determination unit 14 according to this embodiment, for example, individually calculates the evaluation values ​​of multiple evaluation indices and selects a candidate with the smallest (best) weighted linear sum (lot weight × lot number + delivery date weight × delivery date delay + travel load weight × travel load) or a candidate with the smallest (best) remaining evaluation indices among the lot number, delivery date delay, and travel load that satisfy predetermined reference values. The determination unit 14 then provides the selected candidate to the generation unit 12 as a new initial value. The determination unit 14 also repeats the selection process each time the generation unit 12 generates multiple candidates. When the difference between the newly calculated evaluation value and the previously calculated evaluation value by the calculation unit 13 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the determination unit 14 determines the candidate corresponding to the newly calculated evaluation value as the processing plan. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, one or more candidates that satisfy a predetermined condition may be selected from among multiple candidates. For example, this condition may be a predetermined number or all of the candidates with the highest evaluation values, or a predetermined evaluation value or higher. Alternatively, this condition may be all or a predetermined number of multiple candidates by including evaluation values ​​or ranking information based on evaluation values ​​in the processing plan.

[0046] By configuring the generating unit 12, the calculating unit 13, and the determining unit 14 as described above, a processing plan can be determined more quickly using a metaheuristics technique.

[0047] The generation unit 12, the calculation unit 13, and the determination unit 14 may be configured such that, when different initial values ​​are given to the multiple processing circuits 1a, 1b, etc., the generation of processing plan candidates by the generation unit 12 and the calculation of evaluation values ​​by the calculation unit 13 are performed in parallel for each processing circuit 1a, 1b, etc. using different initial values. Furthermore, when multiple cores are hierarchically processed as a group, different initial values ​​may be given to each group, and candidates may be generated in parallel for each group based on the different initial values. Specifically, one processing circuit 1a generates candidates and calculates evaluation values ​​based on initial value 1 shown in Table 8 above, while another processing circuit 1b generates candidates and calculates evaluation values ​​based on initial value 2 shown in Table 9 below, which has a different processing order from initial value 1. Subsequently, processing circuits 1c, etc. other than the processing circuits 1a, 1b also generate candidates and calculate evaluation values ​​based on initial value 3, which is different from initial values ​​1 and 2. The determination unit 14 then selects the candidate with the best evaluation value as the processing plan. In this way, a huge number of calculations are shared among the multiple processing circuits 1a, 1b, etc., and therefore a processing plan can be determined more quickly. The generation unit may generate candidates according to a certain rule (e.g., by giving priority to replacing those with long processing times) rather than generating candidates completely randomly. The generation unit 12 may generate all possible processing plan candidates, and the calculation unit 13 may calculate evaluation values ​​for all candidates. In this case, the determination unit 14 may determine one of the candidates from all processing plans as the processing plan.

[0048] [Table 9]

[0049] [Evaluation Department] The evaluation unit 15 compiles the processing plan determined by the determination unit 14 and generates evaluation information for evaluating the contents of the processing plan. The evaluation information generated by the evaluation unit 15 according to this embodiment includes the timing of completion of production relative to the delivery date of the target object (early production, late delivery), the actual processing amount relative to the upper limit processing capacity of the processing equipment (operating rate), etc. Note that when it is not necessary to generate evaluation information (for example, when the generated processing plan is output to another device and compiled by that device, or when compilation is done by a person), the plan creation device 100 does not need to include the evaluation unit 15.

[0050] [Output control section] When the determination unit 14 determines a treatment plan, the output control unit 17 controls the output unit 3. As a result, the output unit 3 outputs the treatment plan. The treatment plan output by the output unit 3 is information indicating, for each object, the plant where the treatment will be performed, the process and treatment equipment through which the object will pass, the treatment start time, and the treatment end time, as shown in Table 10 below, for example.

[0051] [Table 10]

[0052] The output control unit 17 also controls the output unit 3 when the evaluation unit 15 generates evaluation information. This causes the output unit 3 to output the evaluation information. The evaluation information output by the output unit 3 is in the form of at least one of the graphs shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and Table 11 below, for example. This makes it possible to determine whether the contents of the processing plan are appropriate based on the evaluation information. As a result, if the contents of the processing plan are inappropriate, a new processing plan with higher accuracy can be determined by changing part of the information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 or the numerical values ​​used by the determination unit 14 when making a decision.

[0053] [Table 11]

[0054] [Action and effect] The plan creation device 100 according to the present embodiment described above can create a processing plan that takes into account replaceable processing equipment on an object-by-object basis, while taking into account the constraints of each processing equipment (processing time, processing capacity, movement load, etc.). Also, by making the equipment change information indicate factories that have replaceable processing steps or processing equipment, it is possible to create a processing plan for multiple objects, including objects (products and intermediate products) that are processed via multiple factories, while taking into account the constraints of each processing equipment.

[0055] Furthermore, in the actual manufacturing process of an object, events such as new orders, changes in production volume, and transportation delays constantly occur. When such events occur, the burdensome task of revising the processing plan is unavoidable. However, with the plan creation device 100 according to this embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires various information at the time such events occur, so that the processing plan can be easily revised in real time. As a result, even if such events occur in the manufacturing process, the processing of the object can proceed smoothly.

[0056] Furthermore, with this configuration, the accuracy of the simulator S is improved, which improves the operating efficiency of each device on the production line and reduces energy consumption, thereby contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

[0057] [Software implementation example] The functions of the plan creation device 100 can be realized by a plan creation program that causes a computer to function as the plan creation device 100 and causes a computer to function as each control block (particularly, each unit included in the control unit 1) of the plan creation device 100. In this case, the plan creation device 100 includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., the control unit 1) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the plan creation program. The functions described in each of the above embodiments are realized by executing the plan creation program using this control device and storage device. The plan creation program may be stored non-transitory on one or more computer-readable storage media. The storage media may or may not be included in the plan creation device 100. In the latter case, the plan creation program may be supplied to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0058] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the control blocks can be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of the control blocks can also be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0059] Furthermore, each process described in each of the above embodiments may be executed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may run on the plan creation device or on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0060] <Planning method> Next, an embodiment of another aspect (planning method) of the present invention will be described. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the planning method.

[0061] The planning method is a method for creating a processing plan for processing a plurality of objects manufactured through one or more processing steps. The planning method shown in FIG. 7 corresponds to the above-described planning device 100 and is used to create a processing plan for processing a plurality of objects including objects that undergo a first processing step in at least one of a plurality of processing facilities provided in one factory among a plurality of factories, and then undergo a second processing step in at least one of a plurality of processing facilities provided in another factory different from the first factory. As shown in FIG. 7, the planning method includes an acquisition step S1, an aggregation step S2, a generation step S3, a calculation step S4, a determination step S5, an evaluation step S6, an output step S7, and a first judgment step S9.

[0062] [Acquisition step] In the first acquisition step S1, order information, product type and process information, capacity information, equipment change information, equipment operation results, and equipment outage information are acquired. In the acquisition step S1 according to this embodiment, various types of information are acquired using the plan creation device 100.

[0063] [Aggregation step] After acquiring various pieces of information, the process proceeds to the aggregation step S2. In the aggregation step S2, the order information (see Table 1), product type and process information (see Table 2), capacity information (see Table 3), etc. acquired in the acquisition step S1 are aggregated to generate aggregated information (see Table 7). In the aggregation step S2 according to this embodiment, the aggregated information is generated using the plan creation device 100. Note that if it is not necessary to generate aggregated information (for example, if the aggregated information has already been acquired, or if the number of objects or processing equipment is small and calculations can be performed as is, etc.), the second aggregation step may be skipped.

[0064] [Generation step] After generating the aggregate information, the process proceeds to generation step S3. In generation step S3, multiple candidates for the processing plan are generated based on the order information, product type and process information, capacity information, and equipment change information. In generation step S3 according to this embodiment, the candidates are generated using the plan creation device 100.

[0065] [Calculation step] After the candidates are generated, the process proceeds to calculation step S4, in which an evaluation value for evaluating the plurality of candidates generated in generation step S3 is calculated for each candidate.

[0066] [Decision step] After the evaluation value is calculated, the process proceeds to a determination step S5. In the determination step S5, a processing plan (FIG. 1) is determined from among multiple candidates. In the determination step S5 according to this embodiment, a processing plan is determined using the plan creation device 100. The determination step according to this embodiment includes a first judgment step S51. In the first judgment step, after a candidate is selected, it is determined whether a predetermined termination condition is satisfied. Specifically, it is determined whether the evaluation value corresponding to the selected candidate is equal to or less than a predetermined value, whether the difference between the evaluation value corresponding to the candidate selected in the most recent determination step S5 and the evaluation value corresponding to the candidate selected in an earlier determination step S5 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, etc. The judgment may be made manually or by the plan creation device 100. If it is determined in this first judgment step S51 that the termination condition is not satisfied, the process returns to the generation step S3.

[0067] [Evaluation step] If it is determined in the determination step S5 that the termination condition is met, the process proceeds to the evaluation step S6. In the evaluation step S6, the processing plans determined in the determination step S5 are compiled, and evaluation information for evaluating the contents of the processing plans is generated. In the evaluation step S6 according to this embodiment, the evaluation information is generated using the plan creation device 100.

[0068] [Output step] After the process plan is determined in the determination step S6 or the evaluation information is generated in the evaluation step S6, the process proceeds to the output step S7. In the output step S7, the process plan, the evaluation information, etc. are output. In the output step S7 according to this embodiment, the evaluation information is output using the plan creation device 100.

[0069] [Decision step] After outputting the evaluation information, the process proceeds to decision step S8. In decision step S8, it is determined whether the contents of the processing plan determined in decision step S5 are appropriate based on the evaluation information. The determination may be made by a person or by the plan creation device 100. If it is determined in decision step S8 that the contents of the processing plan are inappropriate, some of the information acquired in acquisition step S1 is changed, and the process returns to generation step S3. In this way, a new processing plan with higher accuracy can be determined.

[0070] [Action and effect] According to the plan creation method of the present embodiment described above, it is possible to create a treatment plan that takes into account the constraints of each treatment facility and that takes into account replaceable treatment facilities on an object-by-object basis. Furthermore, by making the equipment change information indicate factories that have replaceable treatment processes or treatment facilities, it is possible to create a treatment plan for multiple objects, including objects that are processed via multiple factories, while taking into account the constraints of each treatment facility.

[0071] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, such as a specific management form using one or more tables of the various information distributed and managed in the various tables described above. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 100 Planning device 1. Control section 1a, 1b Processing circuit 11 Acquisition Department 12 Generation part 13 Calculation section 14 Decision Section 15 Evaluation Section 16. Counting Unit 17 Output control section 2 Input section 3 Output section S1 Acquisition step S2 Aggregation step S3 generation step S4 Calculation step S5 Decision Step S51 First Judgment Step S6 Evaluation step S7 Output Step S8 Decision Step

Claims

1. A planning device for creating a processing plan for processing a plurality of objects manufactured through one or more processing steps, an acquisition unit that acquires, for each of the plurality of objects, order information indicating the relationship between the object, its type, and order quantity, product type process information indicating the relationship between the product type and a processing step or processing equipment required for manufacturing the product type, capacity information indicating the processing capacity of each product type of the processing equipment, and equipment change information indicating an alternative processing step or processing equipment; a generation unit that generates a plurality of candidates for the processing plan based on the order information, the product type and process information, the capacity information, and the equipment change information; a calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value for each of the candidates generated by the generation unit; a determination unit that determines the processing plan from among the plurality of candidates based on the evaluation values ​​of the candidates, the generation unit generates the plurality of candidates in parallel using a GPU; the determination unit assigns different initial values ​​to each of a plurality of processing circuits included in the GPU, the initial values ​​being used by the generation unit to generate the plurality of candidates; the calculation unit calculates the evaluation values ​​of the plurality of candidates in parallel using the GPU; The product type and process information is linked to a product type and a processing facility and includes lot attributes indicating manufacturing conditions in each processing facility, Among the lot attributes, there are some that have the same manufacturing conditions in a specific processing facility even if the linked product types are different, When there are a plurality of processing steps through which a product passes and a plurality of processing facilities that are used for one product type, there are a plurality of product type process information corresponding to the product type. Planning device.

2. The candidates can be expressed as a matrix with each processing step as a row and each processing period as a column. The planning device according to claim 1 .

3. A metaheuristic method is used to determine the processing plan, each of the plurality of processing circuits includes a plurality of cores; the plurality of cores are hierarchically organized in the processing circuit; Each layer includes two or more of the cores, the determination unit assigns a different initial value to each of the layers; the generation unit generates candidates for each of the layers in parallel based on the different initial values. The planning device according to claim 1 .

4. The equipment change information further includes information on change costs when the alternative processing step or processing equipment is adopted. The planning device according to claim 1 .

5. the plurality of objects include at least one object that is subjected to a first treatment in at least one of a plurality of treatment facilities possessed by one factory among the plurality of factories, and then is subjected to a second treatment in at least one of a plurality of treatment facilities possessed by another factory different from the one factory; The equipment change information further includes information on a factory where the replaceable processing step or processing equipment is installed. The plan creation device according to claim 2 .

6. The acquisition unit further acquires equipment shutdown information, which is information indicating a planned shutdown period of the processing equipment; the generation unit generates a plurality of candidates for the processing plan based on the order information, the product type and process information, the capacity information, the equipment change information, and the equipment shutdown information. The plan creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. The acquisition unit further acquires equipment operation results, which are information for determining a processing step or processing equipment in which the object is processed and a processing time in the processing step or processing equipment, and which include a remaining amount, which is the amount of the object that has not been processed in the processing equipment; The generation unit generating a plurality of candidates for the processing plan based on the order information, the product type and process information, the capacity information, the equipment change information, and the equipment operation record; In generating the candidate when the processing equipment is in operation, the object is allocated to the next processing equipment after a remaining processing time has elapsed, the remaining amount in the processing equipment being divided by the processing capacity of the processing equipment. The plan creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

8. a counting unit that counts the order information, the product type and process information, and the capacity information to generate counted information; the generating unit generates the plurality of candidates based on the tabulated information generated by the tabulating unit. The plan creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. The evaluation value includes the number of lots, the number of occurrences of delivery delays, and a transportation load, which is the time required to transport the object, the determination unit determines, as the processing plan, the candidate having the best evaluation value for the remaining evaluation index from among the candidates for which evaluation values ​​of any two of the evaluation indexes of the number of lots, the delivery delay, and the transportation load satisfy predetermined reference values. The planning device according to claim 1 .

10. A planning program for causing a computer to function as the planning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A plan creation program that causes a computer to function as the acquisition unit, the generation unit, the calculation unit, and the determination unit.

11. A planning method for creating a processing plan for processing a plurality of objects manufactured through one or more processing steps, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring, for each of the plurality of objects, order information indicating the relationship between the object, its type, and order quantity, product type process information indicating the relationship between the product type and a processing step or processing equipment required for manufacturing the product type, capacity information indicating the processing capacity of each product type of the processing equipment, and equipment change information indicating an alternative processing step or processing equipment; a generating step of generating a plurality of candidates for the processing plan based on the order information, the product type and process information, the capacity information, and the equipment change information; a calculation step of calculating an evaluation value for each of the candidates generated in the generation step; a determining step of determining the processing plan from among the plurality of candidates based on the evaluation values ​​of the candidates, In the generating step, the generation of the plurality of candidates is performed in parallel using a GPU; In the determining step, different initial values ​​are given to each of a plurality of processing circuits included in the GPU, the different initial values ​​being used to generate the plurality of candidates in the generating step; In the calculation step, the evaluation values ​​of the plurality of candidates are calculated in parallel using the GPU; The product type and process information is linked to a product type and a processing facility and includes lot attributes indicating manufacturing conditions in each processing facility, Among the lot attributes, there are some that have the same manufacturing conditions in a specific processing facility even if the linked product types are different, When there are a plurality of processing steps through which a product passes and a plurality of processing facilities that are used for one product type, there are a plurality of product type process information corresponding to the product type. How to create a plan.

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