Wire Harness Assembly Line Balancing

Abstract

The present application discloses a computing system implementing a line balancing tool for generating a structured bill of materials for a wire harness based on a wire harness design and available manufacturing processes. The computing system can decompose the structured bill of materials into tasks and assign the tasks to workstations in a production line configured to manufacture the wire harness. The computing system can determine dependencies between multiple tasks and verify that the tasks assigned to the workstations meet the dependencies between the multiple tasks. The dependencies can indicate the order in which operations associated with the tasks are performed. The computing system can confirm unassigned tasks that can be assigned to one or more workstations, and determine which workstations the unassigned assembly tasks will meet the dependencies between the multiple assembly tasks if they are assigned.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 821,942, filed on March 21, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates generally to electronic design automation and, more particularly, to wire harness assembly line balancing. Background Art

[0004] Modern manufacturing of wiring harnesses is typically performed in a series of steps rather than as a single operation from a set of basic components. For example, the manufacture of a wiring harness may include components such as connectors, wires, tapes, tubes, etc., which may be manufactured into one or more subassemblies in a variety of different ways. These subassemblies may then be combined together, sometimes with additional components, to form additional subassemblies. This process of constructing subassemblies from other subassemblies and / or components may continue until the wiring harness is constructed. In order to confirm the order of such manufacturing steps during the design phase, some design tools may convert the wiring harness design into a structured bill of materials (SBOM), which describes the manufacturing processes that occur sequentially in a hierarchical manner.

[0005] Many manufacturers, for example, use production lines or assembly lines with orderly lines of workstations to distribute the construction of components or subassemblies to perform operations with one or more tasks in a sequential manufacturing process. In order to reduce the manufacturing time and cost of the production line, the tasks associated with the operations can be assigned to the workstations in a balanced manner, which is usually called line balancing. Line balancing can make the workstations bear tasks so that the workstations have approximately the same cumulative amount of time to perform the tasks they are assigned. However, this manual balancing of tasks across different workstations can be complicated because the execution of tasks usually depends on the execution or materials of one or more other tasks. This complexity increases when manufacturers use the same production line to build variants of components or subassemblies in order to reduce manufacturing time and cost. Because each variant has a different SBOM and corresponding tasks, line balancing between multiple workstations to perform tasks associated with all SBOMs becomes an increasingly difficult, time-consuming and error-prone manual process, which usually takes several weeks to complete. When the manufacturer receives a change in the wiring harness design or adds a new wiring harness variant to the production line, the line balancing process is iterated and usually becomes a manufacturing bottleneck. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present application discloses a computing system implementing a line balancing tool for generating a structured bill of materials for a wire harness based on a wire harness design and available manufacturing processes. The computing system implementing the line balancing tool can decompose the structured bill of materials into tasks and assign the tasks to workstations in a production line configured to manufacture the wire harness. The computing system implementing the line balancing tool can determine dependencies between multiple tasks and verify that the tasks assigned to the workstations meet the dependencies between the multiple tasks. The dependencies can indicate the order in which the operations associated with the tasks are performed. The computing system implementing the line balancing tool can confirm unassigned tasks that can be assigned to one or more workstations, and determine which workstations the unassigned tasks will meet the dependencies between multiple assembly tasks if assigned. The computing system implementing the line balancing tool can generate work instructions for each workstation in the production line. The work instructions describe the operations corresponding to the assembly tasks assigned to the workstations. The embodiments will be described in more detail below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 and Figure 2 An example of a computer system of the type that may be used to implement various embodiments is shown.

[0008] Figure 3 An example wire harness manufacturing environment is shown having a production line with a plurality of sequential workstations in accordance with various embodiments.

[0009] Figure 4 An example line balancing tool for dispatching tasks to workstations in a production line is shown in accordance with various embodiments.

[0010] Figure 5 An example representation of a structured bill of materials for a wire harness is shown in accordance with various embodiments.

[0011] Figure 6 An example flow chart for generating an assembly task from a task definition according to various embodiments is shown.

[0012] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B Example representations of dependencies between assembly tasks and task dependency rules are presented in accordance with various embodiments.

[0013] Figure 8 A line balance chart showing assembly tasks assigned to workstations and the associated accumulated task times is shown in accordance with various embodiments.

[0014] Fig. 9 A flow chart showing example line balancing for workstations in a production line is shown in accordance with various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Schematic operating environment

[0016] The execution of various electronic design automation processes according to various embodiments can be implemented using computer executable software instructions executed by one or more programmable computing devices. Since these embodiments can be implemented using software instructions, the components and operations of a general-purpose programmable computer system that can utilize various embodiments will first be described. In addition, due to the complexity of some electronic design automation processes and the huge scale of many circuit designs, various electronic design automation tools are configured to operate on computer systems capable of running multiple processing threads simultaneously.

[0017] A computing device, such as a programmable computer, can implement various examples by executing software instructions. Figure 1 An illustrative example of a computing device 101 is shown. As can be seen from the figure, computing device 101 includes a computing unit 103, which has a processor unit 105 and a system memory 107. Processor unit 105 can be any type of programmable electronic device for executing software instructions, but is typically a microprocessor. System memory 107 can include both read-only memory (ROM) 109 and random access memory (RAM) 111. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, both read-only memory (ROM) 109 and random access memory (RAM) 111 can store software instructions for execution by processor unit 105.

[0018] The processor unit 105 and the system memory 107 are directly or indirectly connected to one or more peripheral devices via a bus 113 or an alternative communication structure. For example, the processor unit 105 or the system memory 107 can be directly or indirectly connected to one or more additional memory storage devices (such as a "hard" disk drive 115, a removable disk drive 117, a removable optical drive 119, or a flash memory card). The processor unit 105 and the system memory 107 can also be directly or indirectly connected to one or more input devices 121 or one or more output devices 123. The input device 121 can include, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device (such as a mouse, a touch pad, a stylus, a trackball, or a joystick), a scanner, a camera, and a microphone. The output device 123 can include, for example, a monitoring display, a printer, and a speaker. For various examples of the computer 101, one or more peripheral devices 115-125 can be housed internally with the computing unit 103. Alternatively, one or more peripheral devices 115 - 125 may be located external to the housing of computing unit 103 and connected to bus 113 via, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) connection.

[0019] For some embodiments, the computing unit 103 may be directly or indirectly connected to at least one network interface 115 to communicate with other devices constituting the network. The network interface 115 converts data and control signals from the computing unit 103 into network messages according to one or more communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP). In addition, the network interface 115 may utilize any suitable connection agent (or combination of agents) to connect to the network, including, for example, a wireless transceiver, a modem, or an Ethernet connection. Such network interfaces and protocols are known in the art and will not be discussed in further detail herein.

[0020] It should be understood that computer 101 is shown only as an example and is not intended to be limiting. Various embodiments may use one or more computing devices (including Figure 1 101 shown in FIG. 1 ) to implement, which includes only Figure 1 A subset of the components shown in, or it includes components (including Figure 1 For example, various embodiments may be implemented using a multi-processor computer, multiple single-processor computers arranged in a network, and / or a multi-processor computer, or some combination of the two.

[0021] For some embodiments, processor unit 105 may have more than one processor core. Accordingly, Figure 2 An example of a multi-core processor unit 105 that can be used in various embodiments is shown. As can be seen from the figure, the processor unit 105 includes a plurality of processor cores 201. Each processor core 201 includes a computing engine 203 and a memory cache 205. As known to those of ordinary skill in the art, the computing engine contains a logic device for performing various computing functions (e.g., obtaining software instructions and then performing the actions specified in the instructions obtained). These actions may include, for example, adding, subtracting, multiplying and comparing numbers, performing logical operations such as AND, OR, NOR and XOR, and retrieving data. Then, each computing engine 203 can use its corresponding memory cache 205 to quickly store and retrieve data and / or instructions for execution.

[0022] Each processor core 201 is connected to an interconnect 207. The specific configuration of the interconnect 207 may vary depending on the architecture of the processor unit 201. For some processor cores 201, such as the Cell microprocessor created by Sony Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, and IBM Corporation, the interconnect 207 may be implemented as an interconnect bus. However, for other processor units 201, such as the Opteron microprocessor purchased from Advanced Micro Devices of Sunnyvale, California, the interconnect 207 may be implemented as an interconnect bus. TM and Athlon TMFor dual-core processors, interconnect 207 may be implemented as a system request interface device. In any case, processor core 201 communicates with input / output interface 209 and memory controller 210 via interconnect 207. Input / output interface 209 provides a communication interface between processor unit 201 and bus 113. Similarly, memory controller 210 controls the exchange of information between processor unit 201 and system memory 107. For some embodiments, processor unit 201 may include additional components, such as a shared high-level cache memory accessible by processor core 201.

[0023] It should also be understood that Figure 1 and Figure 2 The description of the computer network shown in is provided by way of example only and is not intended to imply any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of alternative embodiments.

[0024] Schematic wiring harness manufacturing environment

[0025] Figure 3 An example wire harness manufacturing environment having a production line 300 is shown according to various embodiments. Figure 3 , a production line 300 in a wire harness manufacturing environment can allow operators at multiple workstations 310-1 to 310-8 to build at least one different type of wire harness 313. Multiple workstations 310-1 to 310-8 can be arranged in a sequential order, which can allow each workstation to perform a different task of assembling the wire harness 313.

[0026] Each workstation 310-1 to 310-8 may receive instructions 311-1 to 311-8, respectively, which may confirm the sequential order of tasks to be performed at the workstations 310-1 to 310-8. The workstations 310-1 to 310-8 may also receive materials 312-1 to 312-8, respectively, which the operators at the workstations 310-1 to 310-8 may utilize to perform the tasks described in the instructions 311-1 to 311-8.

[0027] The manufacture of the wire harness 313 can be started at workstation 310-1, where an operator uses material 312-1 to build a portion of the wire harness 313 according to instruction 311-1. The portion of the wire harness 313 built at workstation 310-1 can travel to workstation 310-2. In some embodiments, the wire harness manufacturing environment may include a conveyor for traveling the various portions of the wire harness 313 between workstations 310-1 to 310-8 (e.g., after a predetermined elapsed time). At workstation 310-2, another operator can add material 312-2 to the portion of the wire harness 313 according to instruction 311-2, and then travel to workstation 310-3. At workstation 310-3, another operator can add material 312-3 to the portion of the wire harness 313 according to instruction 311-3, and then travel to workstation 310-4. At workstation 310-4, another operator may add material 312-4 to a portion of wire harness 313 according to instruction 311-4 and then proceed to workstation 310-5. At workstation 310-5, another operator may add material 312-5 to a portion of wire harness 313 according to instruction 311-5 and then proceed to workstation 310-6. At workstation 310-6, another operator may add material 312-6 to a portion of wire harness 313 according to instruction 311-6 and then proceed to workstation 310-7. At workstation 310-7, another operator may add material 312-7 to a portion of wire harness 313 according to instruction 311-7 and then proceed to workstation 310-8. At workstation 310-8, another operator may complete wire harness 313 by adding material 312-8 according to instruction 311-8.

[0028] Wire Harness Assembly Line Balancing

[0029] Figure 4 An example line balancing tool 400 for dispatching tasks to workstations in a production line is shown in accordance with various embodiments. Figure 4 The line balancing tool 400 may be configured by a computing system or computer (e.g. Figure 1 The line balancing tool 400 may be implemented by a computing device 101 shown in FIG. 4 . The line balancing tool 400 may generate workstation instructions 403, which may assign a series of tasks to be performed at multiple workstations in a production line. The line balancing tool 400 may receive a harness design 401 describing one or more harnesses. For example, each harness design 401 may describe the components in the corresponding harness, the physical properties of the harness or the components, the connectivity of the harness or the components, the relative orientation of the components in the harness to each other, and the like.

[0030] The wire balancing tool 400 may also receive manufacturing operations 402, sometimes referred to as a structured bill of materials (SBOM) diagram, which describes a set of fabrication techniques available to a manufacturer. For example, some manufacturers may have equipment capable of producing or modifying components or subassemblies with specific specifications, which may be specified in the manufacturing operations 402. In some embodiments, the manufacturing operations 402 may be a manufacturing process model that describes operations that can be performed to build a wire harness based on the manufacturer's manufacturing capabilities.

[0031] The wire balancing tool 400 can generate multiple structured bills of materials based on the wire harness design 401 and the manufacturing operations 402. In some embodiments, the structured bill of materials can represent the wire harness described in the wire harness design 401 as a tree of sub-assemblies and components. The connectivity of the tree can represent the manufacturing process used to build the wire harness from the components and sub-assemblies. In some embodiments, the structured bill of materials can represent the wire harness hierarchically, for example, the tree can include a description of a sub-assembly built from one or more other sub-assemblies. Figure 5 Describes an example of a structured bill of materials.

[0032] Figure 5 An example representation of a structured bill of materials (SBOM) for a wire harness 511 is shown in accordance with various embodiments. Figure 5 , the structured bill of materials of the harness 511 can be represented as a tree structure with multiple manufacturing stages, such as a root stage 510, a parent stage 520, and a leaf stage 530. The top-level manufacturing stage or root stage can correspond to a fully built version of the harness 511. The parent stage 520 can include one or more sub-assemblies, such as sub-assemblies 521-523, which correspond to the mid-level manufacturing stages. The leaf stage 530 can include components 531-536 of the harness 511.

[0033] The connectivity of the tree of the structured bill of materials for harness 511 may illustrate how parts 531-536 in leaf stage 530 combine to form different subassemblies 521-523 in parent stage 520. The connectivity of the tree may also illustrate how subassemblies 521-523 in parent stage 520 may combine (sometimes with one or more of parts 531-536 in leaf stage 530) to form other subassemblies and ultimately harness 511 in root stage 510. In some embodiments, a subassembly that is built only with parts 531-536 and no other subassemblies (e.g., subassemblies 522 and 523) may be referred to as a first parent 525 subassembly.

[0034] Back reference Figure 4, the wire balancing tool 400 may include a structured bill of materials (SBOM) generation unit 410 for generating a structured bill of materials based on the wire harness design 401 and the manufacturing operations 402. The structured bill of materials generation unit 410 may decompose the wire harness design 401 into components and various sub-assemblies, and organize them in a hierarchical form to represent the manufacturing process that can build the wire harness described in the wire harness design 401 from the components and sub-assemblies. In some embodiments, one or more of the structured bills of materials may be generated by a tool other than the wire balancing tool 400, and the wire balancing tool 400 may receive a structured bill of materials generated externally by an external tool.

[0035] The wire balancing tool 400 may include a task decomposition unit 420 for identifying tasks that, when executed, will allow the wire harness described in the wire harness design 401 to be manufactured using a structured bill of materials. In some embodiments, the task decomposition unit 420 may generate each task using a task definition, such as the task definition described in the structured bill of materials. Each task definition may describe the task to be performed, identify the type of material to be applied to the task, include a time to perform the task or an equation for determining the time to perform the task, and include resources corresponding to a cost (e.g., a monetary cost, a resource consumption cost, etc.) associated with performing the task. Figure 6 An embodiment of generating a task from a task definition is described.

[0036] The task decomposition unit 420 can generate a list of tasks that, when executed, can enable the manufacture of the wire harness described in the wire harness design 401. In some embodiments, the production line can be configured to support the manufacture of multiple different wire harnesses (e.g., variations of each other). The task decomposition unit 420 can merge multiple assembly tasks that act on a common material, for example, into a merged task representing the assembly tasks. The merged task can describe multiple tasks to be performed, identify the type of material applied to the task, the time to perform each task, the cost associated with performing each task, and so on.

[0037] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is an example flow chart showing the generation of an assembly task 630 from a task definition 621 according to various embodiments. Figure 6 , operation 620 can represent a work unit performed to produce a subassembly using input material 610. In some embodiments, input material 610 can include unprocessed wire harness items, such as wires, connectors, splices, multicores, etc., and / or include one or more other subassemblies.

[0038] Operation 620 may include task definition 621, which may be used with a description of input material 610 to generate assembly task 630. Assembly task 630 may describe operation 620 performed with a specific input material 610. Task definition 621 may include filter query 622 to define the type of material used to perform operation 620. Filter query 622 may receive input material 610 and determine whether input material 610 can be used during operation 620 based on a set of filter criteria. For example, when operation 620 corresponds to wire cutting, filter query 621 may be set to apply operation 620 to wire materials having a given diameter or diameter range. When input material 610 describes a material or materials that fall within the set of filter criteria, the material or materials may be included in assembly task 630 as material 631.

[0039] The task definition 621 can include a duration unit 623 for determining the time 632 consumed during the execution of the operation 620 with the input material 610. Because the input material 610 can vary while still satisfying the filter query 622, the duration unit 623 can determine the consumed time 632 based on the type of input material 610 applied to the task definition 621. In some embodiments, the duration unit 623 can include an algorithm having variables that can be set based on at least one characteristic of the input material 610, and the duration unit 623 can use the algorithm to calculate or select the consumed time 632 for the assembly task 630.

[0040] The task definition 621 may include a resource unit 624 for defining resources consumed by the operation 620, such as money, electricity, etc. The resource unit 624 may include a resource factor for identifying one or more resources consumed by performing the operation 620, which may vary based on the type of input material 610 applied to the task definition 621. The resource unit 624 may generate a cost 633 corresponding to the resources consumed by the operation 620 using the input material 610, which may be included in the assembly task 630.

[0041] Back reference Figure 4, the line balancing tool 400 may include a task dependency rule unit 430 for determining the relationship between assembly tasks and determining the existence of task materials, for example, the relationship between an assembly task and a material used in performing the assembly task. In some embodiments, the task definition for generating an assembly task may confirm the relationship between the generated assembly task and other assembly tasks or the types of input materials used in performing the generated assembly task. The task dependency rule unit 430 may generate task dependency rules using the relationship between the confirmed assembly tasks or the relationship between the confirmed assembly tasks and their corresponding input materials. Each task dependency rule may indicate the order in which to perform multiple assembly tasks, for example, the execution of a first task is before the execution of a second task (predicate). In Fig. 7A and Figure 7B An example task dependency rule is shown in .

[0042] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B 701 - 703 and an example representation of the dependencies between assembly tasks 704 and 705 according to various embodiments. Fig. 7A and Figure 7B , representations 700 and 710 illustrate dependencies between multiple assembly tasks 701-703 utilizing dependency rules 704 and 705. Representation 700 may be a dependency graph illustrating that execution of a close connector lock task 701 may be based on prior execution of a position connector task 702 and an insert line end task 703. Position connector task 702 may correspond to a prior material presence task because execution of position connector task 702 results in the connector being positioned. Insert line end task 703 may correspond to a prior operation task because execution of insert line end task 703 results in the line end having been plugged into the connector before the connector is closed. The vertices of the dependency graph may correspond to task dependency rules generated for dependencies between assembly tasks 701-703. Task dependency rule 704 may describe a dependency between a close connector lock task 701 and a position connector task 702. Task dependency rule 705 may describe a dependency between a close connector lock task 701 and an insert line end task 703.

[0043] Representation 710 may correspond to an assemble task window 711, such as in the form of a table view, which may be presented on a display device of a computing system. Assemble task window 711 may display in written form task dependency rules 704 and 705 for close connector lock task 701. In some examples, task dependency rule 704 may state "depends on completion of locate connector task 702" and task dependency rule 705 may state "depends on completion of insert line end task 703".

[0044] Back to Figure 4 , the line balancing tool 400 may include a task dispatching unit 440 for dispatching assembly tasks or combined tasks to workstations. Each workstation may be located in a production line or assembly line having an ordered line of workstations to perform operations having one or more assembly tasks in a sequential manufacturing process. In some embodiments, the task dispatching unit 440 may dispatch assembly tasks or combined tasks to different workstations in response to user input. For example, a computing system implementing the line balancing tool 400 may receive a user's selection of an assembly task for a workstation (e.g., via a user interface device), and the task dispatching unit 440 may dispatch the assembly task to the workstation.

[0045] The task dispatching unit 440 may generate a dispatch presentation, such as a line balance sheet showing the production time consumed due to performing each task and the cumulative total production time consumed at each workstation for all tasks dispatched to the workstation. Figure 8 An example line balance table is illustrated. When the production line is configured to manufacture wire harnesses for a plurality of different wire harness designs, the task dispatch unit 440 may also generate a dispatch presentation to display the time consumed at each workstation for each different wire harness.

[0046] Figure 8 A line balance chart 800 showing assembly tasks and associated cumulative task times assigned to workstations is shown in accordance with various embodiments. Figure 8 The line balance table 800 may include different workstations 801-1 to 801-4 of the production line, and the workstations 801-1 to 801-4 can be assigned assembly tasks, such as tasks 811-816, 821-826, 831-835, and 841-846, respectively. When the tasks 811-816, 821-826, 831-835, and 841-846 are assigned, they can be represented by bar graphs above their corresponding workstations 801-1 to 801-4 based on the time consumed to perform the tasks 811-816, 821-826, 831-835, and 841-846.

[0047] The line balance table 800 also displays the production time 802 consumed by performing each task 811-816, 821-826, 831-835 and 841-846 and the accumulated total production time consumed at each workstation 801-1 to 801-4 for all tasks 811-816, 821-826, 831-835 and 841-846 assigned to each workstation 801-1 to 801-4. The line balance table 800 may also include a maximum time 803 flag, which may identify the amount of production time available for the workstations 801-1 to 801-4.

[0048] Return to reference Figure 4 When assigning assembly tasks or merged tasks to workstations in the production line, the task assignment unit 440 can use the inference engine 450. For example, the task assignment unit 440 can use the inference engine 450 to analyze the assignment of assembly tasks or merged tasks to workstations based on the task dependency rules for the assembly tasks or merged tasks. The inference engine 450 can use the task dependency rules to generate a task dependency network, which can confirm the sequential order of tasks to be performed for different harnesses to be built. In some embodiments, the task dependency rule unit 430 can facilitate the inference engine 450 to generate the task dependency network.

[0049] The inference engine 450 may include a forward linking unit 452 to generate a task verification 404 for an assembly task or a merged task assigned to a workstation. In some embodiments, the forward linking unit 452 may verify whether the assembly task or the merged task assigned to the workstation by the task dispatching unit 440 violates the task dependency rule. For example, when the assembly task or the merged task is not assigned to the workstation in sequence, which may make it impossible to build the wire harness in the production line, the forward linking unit 352 may determine that the assembly task or the merged task is not assigned to the workstation in sequence or is out of sequence within the workstation.

[0050] The forward linking unit 452 can use the task dependency network or directly use the task dependency rules to compare the assembly tasks or merged tasks with their corresponding dependent assembly tasks or merged tasks, and issue an indication of a violation of the task dependency. In some embodiments, the forward linking unit 452 can notify the task dispatching unit 440 of the dependency-based violation of the dispatched assembly tasks or merged tasks, and the task dispatching unit 440 can utilize the dependency-based violation in a presentation or graphical user interface to the user of the line balancing tool 400.

[0051] The inference engine 450 may include a backward linking unit 454 to generate task guides 405 for assembly tasks and merged tasks that have not yet been assigned to a workstation. The task guides 405 may confirm which unassigned assembly tasks or merged tasks may be assigned to each workstation based on any previously assigned assembly tasks or merged tasks. In some embodiments, the backward linking unit 454 may utilize a task dependency network to confirm which of the assigned assembly tasks or assigned merged tasks have dependencies on unassigned assembly tasks or unassigned merged tasks, and generate task guides 405 based on the confirmed dependencies. For example, when a task has been assigned to workstation 2, the backward linking unit 454 may confirm unassigned tasks that depend on the execution of the assigned tasks, and generate task guides 405 so that the unassigned tasks may be assigned to be executed, for example, after the assigned tasks in a later workstation, or after the assigned tasks in workstation 2. In some embodiments, the backlink unit 454 may inform the task dispatch unit 440 of the dependency-based guidance for the unassigned tasks, and the task dispatch unit 440 may utilize the dependency-based guidance in a presentation or graphical user interface to a user of the line balancing tool 400 .

[0052] After the assembly tasks or merged tasks have been assigned to the workstations by the task assignment unit 440 and the inference engine 450 has verified their dependencies, the line balancing tool 400 may modify the structured bill of materials generated from the harness design 401 and the manufacturing operations 402 based on the workstation assignment of the assembly tasks or merged tasks. The line balancing tool 400 may generate workstation instructions 403 from the modified structured bill of materials, and the workstation instructions 403 may describe the operations to be performed by the workstations in the production line based on the assembly tasks or merged tasks assigned to the workstations during the line balancing process.

[0053] Fig. 9 A flow chart of an example line balancing for a workstation in a production line is shown according to various embodiments. Fig. 9 In block 901, a computing system implementing a wire balancing tool may generate a structured bill of materials for a wire harness based on a wire harness design and available manufacturing processes for the wire harness. In some embodiments, the structured bill of materials may represent the wire harness described in the wire harness design as a tree of subassemblies and components. The connectivity of the tree may represent the manufacturing process used to build the wire harness from the components and subassemblies. In some embodiments, the structured bill of materials may represent the wire harness hierarchically, for example, the tree may include a description of building a subassembly with one or more other subassemblies.

[0054] A computing system implementing a wire balancing tool may receive a manufacturing operation that describes a set of fabrication techniques available to a manufacturer. For example, some manufacturers may have equipment that can generate or modify components or subassemblies with specific specifications, which may be specified in the manufacturing operation. In some embodiments, the manufacturing operation may be a manufacturing process model that describes operations that can be performed to build a wire harness based on the manufacturer's manufacturing capabilities.

[0055] A computing system implementing a wire balancing tool may separate the wire harness design into components and various sub-assemblies and organize them in a hierarchical form to represent a manufacturing process capable of constructing the wire harness described in the wire harness design from the components and sub-assemblies.

[0056] In block 902 , a computing system implementing a wire balancing tool may decompose a structured bill of materials for a wire harness into assembly tasks.

[0057] A computing system implementing a wire balancing tool may utilize a structured bill of materials to identify tasks that, when executed, will allow the manufacturing of a wire harness described in a wire harness design. In some embodiments, a computing system implementing a wire balancing tool may utilize a task definition, such as the task definition described in the structured bill of materials, to generate each task. Each task definition may describe the task to be performed, identify the type of materials applied to the task, include a time to perform the task and an equation for determining the time to perform the task, and include resources corresponding to costs associated with performing the task, such as monetary costs, resource consumption costs, and the like.

[0058] A computing system implementing a line balancing tool may generate a list of tasks that, when executed, can allow the manufacture of a harness described in a harness design. In some embodiments, a production line may be configured to support the manufacture of multiple different harnesses (e.g., variations of each other). A computing system implementing a line balancing tool may merge multiple assembly tasks into a merged task, which represents, for example, assembly tasks that act on a common material. The merged task may describe multiple tasks to be performed, identify the type of material to be applied to the task, the time to perform each task, the cost associated with performing each task, and the like.

[0059] In box 903, a computing system implementing a line balancing tool may determine dependencies between a plurality of assembly tasks, and in box 904, a computing system implementing a line balancing tool may generate task dependency rules that define an order for performing the assembly tasks based on the dependencies. The computing system implementing the line balancing tool may determine relationships between assembly tasks and determine the existence of task materials, for example, relationships between assembly tasks and materials utilized in performing the assembly tasks. In some embodiments, a task definition for generating an assembly task may indicate a relationship between a generated assembly task and another assembly task or a type of input material used to perform the generated assembly task. The computing system implementing the line balancing tool may generate task dependency rules using the relationships between the identified assembly tasks or the relationships between assembly tasks and their corresponding input materials. Each task dependency rule may indicate an order for performing a plurality of assembly tasks, for example, the execution of a first task precedes the execution of a second task.

[0060] In block 905, a computing system implementing a line balancing tool may dispatch assembly tasks to workstations in a production line configured to manufacture a wire harness. The computing system implementing the line balancing tool may dispatch assembly tasks or merged tasks to the workstations. Each workstation may be located in a production line or assembly line having an ordered line of workstations to perform operations having one or more assembly tasks in a sequential manufacturing process. In some embodiments, the computing system implementing the line balancing tool may dispatch assembly tasks or merged tasks to different workstations in response to user input.

[0061] In some embodiments, a computing system implementing the line balancing tool can generate a dispatch presentation, such as a line balance table showing the production time consumed due to performing each task and the cumulative total production time consumed at each workstation for all tasks assigned to the workstation. When the production line is configured to manufacture wire harnesses for multiple different wire harness designs, the task dispatch unit 440 can also generate a dispatch presentation for displaying the time consumed at each workstation for each different wire harness.

[0062] In block 906, a computing system implementing a line balancing tool may verify that the assembly tasks assigned to the workstations comply with the task dependency rules. For example, when assembly tasks or merged tasks are not assigned to the workstations in sequence, which may make it impossible to build a wire harness in the production line, the computing system implementing the line balancing tool may determine that the assembly tasks or merged tasks are not assigned to the workstations in sequence or are out of sequence within the workstation. In some embodiments, the computing system implementing the line balancing tool may generate a task dependency rule network that may define dependencies between assembly tasks, and then utilize the task dependency rule network to determine whether the assembly tasks are assigned to the workstations in sequence. When the computing system implementing the line balancing tool determines that the assembly tasks are not assigned in sequence, the computing system implementing the line balancing tool may issue a violation message. In some embodiments, the computing system implementing the line balancing tool may present a violation message on the dispatch presentation, such as indicating a specific assembly task that is not assigned in sequence.

[0063] In box 907, the computing system implementing the line balancing tool can confirm which workstations can be assigned any unassigned assembly tasks and meet the task dependency rules. The computing system implementing the line balancing tool can generate task guides for assembly tasks or merged tasks that have not yet been assigned to workstations. The task guides can confirm which unassigned assembly tasks or unassigned merged tasks can be assigned to each workstation based on any previously assigned assembly tasks or merged tasks. In some embodiments, the computing system implementing the line balancing tool can use the task dependency network to confirm which of the assigned assembly tasks or assigned merged tasks have dependencies on unassigned assembly tasks or unassigned merged tasks, and generate task guides based on the confirmed dependencies. In some embodiments, the computing system implementing the line balancing tool can publish a notification of the task guide, for example in a presentation or graphical user interface for a user of the line balancing tool.

[0064] The systems and devices described above may use a dedicated processor system, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device, a microprocessor, or any combination thereof to perform some or all of the operations described herein. Some of the operations described above may be implemented in software, while other operations may be implemented in hardware. Any of the operations, processes, and / or methods described herein may be performed by devices, apparatus, and / or systems that are substantially similar to those described herein and with reference to the accompanying drawings shown.

[0065] The processing device may execute instructions or "code" stored in the memory. The memory may also store data. The processing device may include, but is not limited to, an analog processor, a digital processor, a microprocessor, a multi-core processor, a processor array, a network processor, etc. The processing device may be part of an integrated control system or part of a system manager, or may be provided as a portable electronic device configured to interface with a networked system locally or remotely via wireless transmission.

[0066] The processor memory may be integrated with the processing device, such as RAM or flash memory provided in an integrated circuit microprocessor, etc. In other examples, the memory may include a separate device, such as an external disk drive, a storage array, a portable flash key card, etc. The memory and the processing device may be operably coupled together or communicate with each other, such as through an I / O port, a network connection, etc., and the processing device may read files stored in the memory. The associated memory may be designed as "read-only" (ROM) through permission settings, or may not be designed as "read-only". Other examples of memory may include, but are not limited to, WORM, EPROM, EEPROM, FLASH, etc., which may be implemented in solid-state semiconductor devices. Other memories may include moving parts, such as known rotating disk drives. All such memories may be "machine-readable" and can be read by the processing device.

[0067] The operating instructions or commands may be implemented or embodied in a tangible form of stored computer software (also referred to as a "computer program" or "code"). The program or code may be stored in a digital memory and may be read by a processing device. "Computer-readable storage media" (or alternatively, "machine-readable storage media") may include all of the above types of memory and future new technologies, as long as the memory may be able to store digital information at least temporarily in the nature of a computer program or other data, and as long as the stored information can be "read" by an appropriate processing device. The term "computer-readable" may not be limited to the historical usage of "computers" to mean complete mainframes, minicomputers, desktop computers, or even laptop computers. Instead, "computer-readable" may include storage media that can be readable by a processor, a processing device, or any computing system. Such media may be any available media that can be accessed locally and / or remotely by a computer or processor, and may include volatile and non-volatile media, as well as removable and non-removable media, or any combination thereof.

[0068] A program stored in a computer-readable storage medium may include a computer program product. For example, a storage medium may be used as a convenient means for storing or transmitting a computer program. For convenience, operations may be described as various interconnected or coupled functional blocks or diagrams. However, there may be situations where these functional blocks or diagrams may be equivalently aggregated into a single logical device, program, or operation with unclear boundaries.

[0069] in conclusion

[0070] Although the present application describes specific examples of implementing multiple embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques that fall within the spirit and scope as set forth in the appended claims. For example, although specific terms have been employed above to refer to electronic design automation processes, it should be appreciated that the various examples may be implemented using any desired combination of electronic design automation processes.

[0071] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the concepts taught herein can be adapted to specific applications in many other ways. In particular, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the illustrated example is only one of many alternative embodiments that will become apparent upon reading this disclosure.

[0072] Although the specification may refer to "one", "another", or "some" examples in multiple places, this does not necessarily mean that each such reference refers to the same example or examples or that the feature applies to only a single example.

Claims

1. A method for balancing a wiring harness assembly line, comprising: decomposing, by a computing system, a structured bill of materials for a wire harness described in a wire harness design into assembly tasks, wherein the assembly tasks describe operations that, when performed, cause the wire harness to be manufactured; determining, by the computing system, dependencies between a plurality of the assembly tasks, wherein the dependencies are configured to indicate an order in which the operations associated with the assembly tasks are to be performed; utilizing, by the computing system, dependencies between the plurality of the assembly tasks during dispatching of the assembly tasks to workstations in a production line configured to manufacture the wire harness; wherein the structured bill of materials for the wiring harness includes task definitions and describes types of materials used in the wiring harness, and wherein decomposing the structured bill of materials for the wiring harness into assembly tasks further comprises: generating the assembly tasks based at least in part on the task definitions and types of materials used in the wiring harness; Wherein determining the dependency comprises using the task definition to confirm the relationship between the generated assembly task and other assembly tasks; and The method further includes: determining, by the computing system at least in part based on the task definition, task dependency rules that define the order in which the assembly tasks are executed, wherein the task dependency rules are generated using the relationships between the confirmed assembly tasks, and each of the task dependency rules indicates the order in which the plurality of assembly tasks are executed by indicating that the execution of a corresponding first task precedes the execution of a corresponding second task.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The computing system verifies that the assembly task assigned to the workstation complies with the dependencies between the plurality of assembly tasks.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: identifying, by the computing system, one or more unassigned assembly tasks that can be assigned to one or more of the workstations; as well as The computing system determines which workstations the unassigned assembly tasks will meet the dependencies between the plurality of assembly tasks if assigned to them.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The structured bill of materials for the wire harness is generated by the computing system based at least in part on the wire harness design and available fabrication processes.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Work instructions are generated by the computing system for each workstation in the production line, wherein the work instructions describe operations corresponding to the assembly task assigned to the workstation.

6. A system for balancing a wiring harness assembly line, comprising: a memory device configured to store machine-readable instructions; as well as A computing system comprising one or more processing devices, the one or more processing devices being configured, in response to executing the machine-readable instructions: decomposing a structured bill of materials for a wire harness described in a wire harness design into assembly tasks, wherein the assembly tasks describe operations that, when performed, cause the wire harness to be manufactured; determining dependencies between a plurality of the assembly tasks, wherein the dependencies are configured to indicate an order in which the operations associated with the assembly tasks are to be performed; utilizing dependencies between the plurality of the assembly tasks during dispatching of the assembly tasks to workstations in a production line configured to manufacture the wire harness; wherein the structured bill of materials for the wiring harness includes task definitions and describes types of materials used in the wiring harness, and wherein decomposing the structured bill of materials for the wiring harness into assembly tasks further comprises: generating the assembly tasks based at least in part on the task definitions and types of materials used in the wiring harness; Wherein determining the dependency comprises using the task definition to confirm the relationship between the generated assembly task and other assembly tasks; and Wherein the one or more processing devices are also configured to, in response to executing the machine-readable instructions: determine task dependency rules that define the order of executing the assembly tasks based at least in part on the task definition, wherein the task dependency rules are generated using the relationships between the confirmed assembly tasks, and each of the task dependency rules indicates the order of executing multiple assembly tasks by indicating that the execution of a corresponding first task is before the execution of a corresponding second task.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The one or more processing devices are further configured, in response to executing the machine-readable instructions, to verify that the assembly task assigned to the workstation complies with dependencies between the plurality of the assembly tasks.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The one or more processing devices are further configured, in response to executing the machine-readable instructions: identifying one or more unassigned assembly tasks that can be assigned to one or more of the workstations; as well as Determine which workstations the unassigned assembly tasks will satisfy the dependencies between the plurality of assembly tasks if assigned to them.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The one or more processing devices are further configured, in response to executing the machine-readable instructions, to generate the structured bill of materials for the wire harness based at least in part on the wire harness design and available fabrication processes.

10. An apparatus for balancing a wire harness assembly line, comprising a memory device storing instructions configured to cause one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising: decomposing a structured bill of materials for a wire harness described in a wire harness design into assembly tasks, wherein the assembly tasks describe operations that, when performed, cause the wire harness to be manufactured; determining dependencies between a plurality of the assembly tasks, wherein the dependencies are configured to indicate an order in which the operations associated with the assembly tasks are to be performed; utilizing dependencies between the plurality of the assembly tasks during dispatching of the assembly tasks to workstations in a production line configured to manufacture the wire harness; wherein the structured bill of materials for the wiring harness includes task definitions and describes types of materials used in the wiring harness, and wherein decomposing the structured bill of materials for the wiring harness into assembly tasks further comprises: generating the assembly tasks based at least in part on the task definitions and types of materials used in the wiring harness; Wherein determining the dependency comprises using the task definition to confirm the relationship between the generated assembly task and other assembly tasks; and The instructions are configured to cause one or more processing devices to perform operations that also include: determining task dependency rules that define the order of executing the assembly tasks based at least in part on the task definition, wherein the task dependency rules are generated using the relationships between the confirmed assembly tasks, and each of the task dependency rules indicates the order of executing multiple assembly tasks by indicating that the execution of a corresponding first task is before the execution of a corresponding second task.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein: The instructions are configured to cause one or more processing devices to perform operations, the operations further comprising: verifying that the assembly task assigned to the workstation complies with dependencies between the plurality of the assembly tasks.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein: The instructions are configured to cause one or more processing devices to perform operations, the operations also including: identifying one or more unassigned assembly tasks that can be assigned to one or more of the workstations; and Determine which workstations the unassigned assembly tasks will satisfy the dependencies between the plurality of assembly tasks if assigned to them.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: The instructions are configured to cause one or more processing devices to perform operations further comprising generating the structured bill of materials for the wire harness based at least in part on the wire harness design and available fabrication processes.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: The instructions are configured to cause one or more processing devices to perform operations, the operations further comprising: generating work instructions for each workstation in the production line, wherein the work instructions describe operations corresponding to the assembly tasks assigned to the workstations.

Images