Production control system, production control method, and program

The production management system addresses the challenge of managing software licenses across changing production line configurations by using an acquisition, assignment, and display unit to efficiently allocate and manage licenses, enhancing operational efficiency.

JP2025062256APending Publication Date: 2025-04-14PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2023171197
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-10-02
Publication Date
2025-04-14

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing production management systems face challenges in efficiently managing software licenses across multiple production devices in a production line, particularly when the device configuration changes, leading to difficulties in assigning the correct software licenses to the appropriate devices.

Method used

A production management system that includes an acquisition unit to gather line configuration information, an assignment unit to allocate software licenses to production devices based on this information, and a display unit to show the status of assigned software licenses, allowing for easy management and reallocation as device configurations change.

Benefits of technology

This system enables seamless and efficient management of software licenses across production devices, ensuring that licenses are correctly assigned even when the production line configuration changes, thereby improving operational efficiency and reducing administrative burdens.

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Abstract

To provide a production management system or the like capable of easily setting a software license according to a device configuration of a production line.SOLUTION: A production management system 1 is provided with: an acquisition unit 11 for acquiring line configuration information related to a device configuration of a production line having a plurality of production devices used for the production of a mounting substrate; an assignment unit 12 for assigning, based on the line configuration information, a plurality of software licenses that corresponds to a plurality of pieces of software that realizes a plurality of operations set in the plurality of production devices by executing each of them, and that is used for permitting the execution of the plurality of pieces of software by the plurality of production devices, to the plurality of production devices; and a display unit 13 for displaying the status of the software licenses assigned to the plurality of production devices.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a production management system, a production management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for releasing an unused license in order to exchange software licenses among a plurality of client terminals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2023-4623 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when the configuration of the devices on the production line is changed, it is necessary to reset the software license in accordance with the change.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a production management system that can easily set software licenses according to the device configuration of a production line. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A production management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires line configuration information regarding the equipment configuration of a production line having a plurality of production devices used for producing mounted boards, an allocation unit that assigns, based on the line configuration information, a plurality of software licenses to the plurality of production devices, each of which corresponds to a plurality of software programs that, when executed, realize a plurality of operations set for the plurality of production devices and is used to allow the plurality of software programs to be executed on the plurality of production devices, and a display unit that displays a status of the software licenses assigned to the plurality of production devices.

[0007] In addition, a production management method according to one aspect of the present disclosure acquires line configuration information regarding the equipment configuration of a production line having a plurality of production devices used in the production of mounted boards, and, based on the line configuration information, assigns to the plurality of production devices a plurality of software licenses that correspond to a plurality of pieces of software that, when executed, realize a plurality of operations set for the plurality of production devices, and that are used to permit the plurality of pieces of software to be executed on the plurality of production devices.

[0008] In addition, a production management system according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a memory unit that stores a plurality of software licenses that correspond to a plurality of software programs that, when executed, realize a plurality of operations set on a plurality of production devices used in the production of mounting boards and are used to authorize the plurality of software programs to be executed on the plurality of production devices, an acquisition unit that acquires line configuration information regarding an equipment configuration of a production line having the plurality of production devices, and an allocation unit that allocates the plurality of software licenses based on the line configuration information.

[0009] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized by an apparatus, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized by any combination of an apparatus, a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. The recording medium may be a non-transitory recording medium. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The production management system of the present disclosure can easily set software licenses according to the device configuration of the production line.

[0011] Further advantages and effects of one aspect of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or effects are provided by some of the embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not necessarily all of them are provided to obtain one or more identical features. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a production management system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the line management device and the production management device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a first example of a UI displayed on the display unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a second example of the UI displayed on the display unit. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a third example of a UI displayed on the display unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a fourth example of the UI displayed on the display unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a fifth example of the UI displayed on the display unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a sixth example of the UI displayed on the display unit. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a seventh example of the UI displayed on the display unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an eighth example of the UI displayed on the display unit. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a ninth example of the UI displayed on the display unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a tenth example of the UI displayed on the display unit. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an eleventh example of the UI displayed on the display unit. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a twelfth example of the UI displayed on the display unit. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a software license allocation process performed by the production management device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] (Findings on which this disclosure is based) When manufacturing mounted boards on a production line used for manufacturing mounted boards, multiple software programs are used on the production equipment. Users change the software they use depending on the mounted boards they are manufacturing, and change the software usage depending on whether or not they increase or decrease the number of production devices on the production line. For this reason, it is necessary to manage licenses for multiple software programs for multiple production devices.

[0014] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for releasing an unused license in order to exchange software licenses among a plurality of client terminals.

[0015] However, it is necessary to set software licenses according to the configuration of the production equipment in the production line. If a user does not know whether a component mounting equipment is included in the production line or which software license is assigned to which component mounting equipment, it is difficult to assign software licenses so that the software desired by the user can be used on the desired production equipment.

[0016] Therefore, the present inventors have come up with the following production management system, which makes it possible to easily set software licenses in accordance with the device configuration of a production line.

[0017] A production management system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires line configuration information regarding the equipment configuration of a production line having a plurality of production devices used for producing mounted boards, an allocation unit that assigns, based on the line configuration information, a plurality of software licenses to the plurality of production devices, each of which corresponds to a plurality of software programs that, when executed, realize a plurality of operations set for the plurality of production devices and is used to allow the plurality of software programs to be executed on the plurality of production devices, and a display unit that displays a status of the software licenses assigned to the plurality of production devices.

[0018] According to this, multiple software licenses are assigned to multiple production devices possessed by a production line based on the line configuration information of the production line, so that even if the configuration of the production line is changed, the software licenses can be assigned according to the changed configuration.

[0019] Furthermore, a production management system according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the production management system according to the first aspect, further comprising a memory unit that stores multiple software licenses held by users of the multiple production devices, and the allocation unit allocates the multiple software licenses stored in the memory unit.

[0020] This allows multiple pre-stored software licenses to be assigned to multiple production devices.

[0021] Furthermore, a production management system according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is a production management system according to the first or second aspect, wherein the display unit displays the software licenses assigned to the multiple production devices.

[0022] This allows the software license assigned to the user to be presented.

[0023] In addition, a production management system according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a production management system according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the display unit displays the number of software licenses held by users of the multiple production devices and the number of software licenses assigned to the multiple production devices.

[0024] Therefore, it is possible to present to the user the number of software licenses that the user owns and the number of software licenses that have been assigned to the user.

[0025] In addition, a production management system according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is a production management system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the acquisition unit acquires new line configuration information of the updated production line in response to an update of the production line, and the allocation unit allocates, to a production device added by the update, software licenses that have not been assigned to the multiple production devices, among the multiple software licenses held by users of the multiple production devices, based on the new line configuration information.

[0026] Therefore, it is easy to assign unassigned software licenses to the added production devices.

[0027] In addition, a production management system according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is the production management system according to the fifth aspect, wherein the display unit displays information indicating that there is a shortage of software licenses when there is a shortage of software licenses to be allocated to the multiple production devices.

[0028] Therefore, it is possible to notify the user that there is a shortage of software licenses.

[0029] Furthermore, a production management system according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is a production management system according to the fifth or sixth aspect, wherein the allocation unit calculates, from the new line configuration information, the number of software licenses that is insufficient to be allocated to a plurality of production devices of the updated production line, and the display unit displays the number of software licenses that is insufficient.

[0030] Therefore, the number of software licenses that is insufficient can be presented to the user.

[0031] Furthermore, a production management system according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure is a production management system according to any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, wherein the display unit displays a first UI (User Interface) having a button that accepts an operation to transition to a purchase screen for the software license.

[0032] This makes it possible to prompt the user to perform an operation to transition to a software license purchase screen.

[0033] A production management system according to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure is the production management system according to the eighth aspect, wherein the storage unit stores the number of the software licenses purchased from the purchase screen.

[0034] This makes it easy to perform processing according to the number of purchased software licenses. For example, the number of purchased software licenses can be added to the number of unassigned software licenses.

[0035] Furthermore, a production management system according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure is the production management system according to the third aspect, wherein the acquisition unit acquires new line configuration information of the updated production line in response to an update of the production line, and the allocation unit cancels the allocation of software licenses allocated to production equipment that has been reduced by the update based on the new line configuration information.

[0036] This makes it easy to perform processing in response to the release of the software licenses that were allocated to the reduced production equipment. For example, the number of the released software licenses can be added to the number of unallocated software licenses.

[0037] In addition, a production management system according to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is a production management system according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the plurality of production devices include one of a solder printing device that prints solder on a board, a component mounting device that mounts components on the board, an inspection device that inspects the board on which the solder is printed or the board on which the components are mounted, and a support device that manages at least one of the solder printing device, the component mounting device, and the inspection device, or that supports the at least one device by managing the production preparation work of the at least one device.

[0038] In addition, a production management system according to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure is a production management system according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the allocation unit calculates a shortfall in the payment balance held by the user based on the shortfall in the number of software licenses to be allocated to the multiple production devices and the purchase amount corresponding to the shortfall in the software, and the display unit displays the shortfall.

[0039] According to this, the shortfall amount is calculated and presented, so that the additional fee required for the user to purchase the shortfall in software licenses can be presented.

[0040] In addition, a production management method according to a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure acquires line configuration information regarding the equipment configuration of a production line having a plurality of production devices used in the production of mounted boards, and, based on the line configuration information, assigns to the plurality of production devices a plurality of software licenses that correspond to a plurality of software programs that, when executed, realize a plurality of operations set for the plurality of production devices, and that are used to permit the plurality of software programs to be executed on the plurality of production devices.

[0041] According to this, multiple software licenses are assigned to multiple production devices possessed by a production line based on the line configuration information of the production line, so that even if the configuration of the production line is changed, the software licenses can be assigned according to the changed configuration.

[0042] A production management program according to a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the production management method according to the thirteenth aspect.

[0043] In addition, a production management system according to a fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure includes a memory unit that stores a plurality of software licenses that correspond to a plurality of software programs each of which, when executed, realizes a plurality of operations set on a plurality of production devices used in the production of mounting boards and is used to allow the plurality of software programs to be executed on the plurality of production devices, an acquisition unit that acquires line configuration information regarding the equipment configuration of a production line having the plurality of production devices, and an allocation unit that allocates the plurality of software licenses based on the line configuration information.

[0044] According to this, multiple software licenses are assigned to multiple production devices possessed by a production line based on the line configuration information of the production line, so that even if the configuration of the production line is changed, the software licenses can be assigned according to the changed configuration.

[0045] (Embodiment) [1. Configuration] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a production management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a production management system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 1, the production management system 1 is a production management system for producing a product. For example, the product is a mounted board on which electronic components are mounted, a semiconductor, or food. The production management system 1 includes a production line L, a production management device 10, and a line management device 20.

[0047] The production management device 10 generates and outputs production data for producing mounted boards to the production line L. The production management device 10 may communicate with the production line L wirelessly or via a wire. The wireless communication may be Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee, or a specific low-power radio. The production management device 10 is an example of a support device that supports at least one of the multiple production devices M1 to M9 included in the production line L by managing the production preparation work of the at least one device.

[0048] The production line L is a production line for producing a product. For example, when the product is a mounted board, the production line L is a component mounting line for mounting electronic components on the board. The production line L is equipped with a plurality of production devices M1 to M9.

[0049] Each of the multiple production devices M1 to M9 is a production device for producing a product. The product is produced through multiple processes performed by the multiple production devices M1 to M9. For example, if the product is a mounted board, the production device M1 is a loader that supplies the board to the production line L, and the production device M2 is a solder printing device that prints solder on the board. Also, for example, if the product is a mounted board, each of the multiple production devices M3 to M7 is a component mounting device that mounts electronic components on the board, the production device M8 is a reflow furnace that melts the solder printed on the board, and the production device M9 is a loader that ejects the mounted board from the production line L. Note that the production line L does not need to include all of the multiple production devices M1 to M9, and may include at least one of them. Also, the production line L may include an inspection device that inspects the board on which solder is printed or the board on which components are mounted.

[0050] The line management device 20 is a device that manages each of the multiple production devices M1 to M9 included in one production line L. The line management device 20 acquires production data generated by the production management device 10 from the production management device 10, and causes each operation device included in the production line L to execute production of mounted boards based on the production data. The line management device 20 is an example of a support device that manages at least one of the multiple production devices M1 to M9 included in the production line L, thereby supporting the at least one device.

[0051] For example, the production line L may include one production device instead of multiple production lines L. Furthermore, for example, the production management system 1 may include multiple production lines L instead of one production line L. When the production management system 1 includes multiple production lines L, the production management system 1 may include multiple line management devices 20 for managing each production line L.

[0052] The production management device 10, the line management device 20, and the multiple production devices M1 to M9 are an example of multiple production devices used in the production of mounting boards.

[0053] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the line management device and the production management device.

[0054] The production management device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, an allocation unit 12, a display unit 13, an input / output unit 14, and a memory unit 15.

[0055] The acquisition unit 11 acquires line configuration information related to the equipment configuration of the production line L. The acquisition unit 11 may periodically acquire the line configuration information. Thus, when the equipment configuration of the production line L is updated, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire new line configuration information of the production line L that has been updated in accordance with the update of the production line L. An update of the equipment configuration of the production line L refers to the removal (reduction) of any one of the multiple production devices M1 to M9 included in the production line L, or the addition of a new production device to the production line L. In addition, an update of the equipment configuration of the production line L may refer to the upgrade or downgrade of the software or hardware of any one of the multiple production devices M1 to M9 included in the production line L.

[0056] The line configuration information includes information indicating the multiple production devices M1 to M9 included in the production line L. The line configuration information also includes information regarding the software executed by each of the multiple production devices M1 to M9.

[0057] The allocation unit 12 allocates a plurality of software licenses to a plurality of production devices M1 to M9 based on the line configuration information. The plurality of software licenses allocated by the allocation unit 12 are software licenses stored in the storage unit 15. That is, the allocation unit 12 determines software licenses to be allocated to the plurality of production devices M1 to M9 from among a plurality of software licenses that are stored in the storage unit 15 and are shown to be held by the user. Furthermore, when the acquisition unit 11 acquires new line configuration information as a result of an update of the device configuration of the production line L, the allocation unit 12 may allocate software licenses that are not allocated to the plurality of production devices of the new device configuration, among the plurality of software licenses held by the user, to the production devices added by the update, based on the new line configuration information. Furthermore, the allocation unit 12 may cancel the allocation of software licenses allocated to the production devices removed by the update, based on the new line configuration information.

[0058] In addition, the allocation unit 12 may determine, from the new line configuration information, whether or not there is a shortage of software licenses to be allocated to the multiple production devices of the updated production line, and if it determines that there is a shortage, calculate the number of software licenses that are insufficient.

[0059] Here, the software license corresponds to each of a plurality of software programs that realize a plurality of operations set in each production device. In other words, the production device can perform a plurality of operations, and each operation is realized by the software corresponding to this operation. Then, the execution of each piece of software is permitted by the assignment of a software license corresponding to this software. In other words, the software license is used to permit the corresponding software to be executed on the production device in which the software is set. The software may be software that supports the production preparation of the production device, or may be software for managing the production device.

[0060] The allocating unit 12 may also calculate the shortfall in the payment balance held by the user based on the number of software licenses to be allocated to the production devices M1 to M9 that are insufficient and the purchase price associated with the software that is insufficient. Here, the payment balance held by the user is, for example, a balance that the user can use to pay for purchasing software licenses, and can be increased by the user depositing money in advance into an account set for the user.

[0061] The display unit 13 displays the status of the software licenses allocated to the production equipment M1 to M9. The display unit 13 displays, for example, information indicating whether or not a software license is allocated to each of the production equipment M1 to M9. The display unit 13 may also display the software licenses allocated to the production equipment M1 to M9. The display unit 13 may also display the number of software licenses owned by the users of the production equipment M1 to M9 and the number of software licenses allocated to the production equipment M1 to M9. The display unit 13 may also display information indicating a shortage of software licenses when there is a shortage of software licenses to be allocated to the production equipment M1 to M9. The display unit 13 may also display the number of software licenses that are insufficient. The display unit 13 may also display a first UI (User Interface) having a button that accepts an operation to transition to a software license purchase screen. The display unit 13 may also display the shortage amount with respect to the payment balance calculated by the allocation unit 12.

[0062] The input / output unit 14 receives input data based on, for example, an operation by an operator of the production management system 1, and outputs the input data to the allocation unit 12. Such an input / output unit 14 includes, for example, a keyboard, a touch sensor, a touch pad, or a mouse. The input / output unit 14 also outputs data to the production line L and inputs data from the production line L. The production data stored in the memory unit 15 may be output to the production line L via the input / output unit 14.

[0063] The storage unit 15 stores the above-mentioned production data. The storage unit 15 also stores the line configuration information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. The storage unit 15 also stores software licenses used in the multiple production devices M1 to M9 included in the production line L. The software licenses stored here are software licenses owned by the users of the multiple production devices M1 to M9.

[0064] Furthermore, the storage unit 15 may store the number of software licenses allocated to the production equipment M1 to M9 and the number of unallocated software licenses among the multiple software licenses. When the allocation of software licenses allocated to the production equipment that has been reduced by the update is released, the number of allocated software licenses is reduced by the number of released software licenses. Furthermore, the number of unallocated software licenses is increased by the number of released software licenses. In other words, the number of software licenses allocated to the production equipment M1 to M9 and the number of unallocated software licenses stored in the storage unit 15 are updated in accordance with the update of the production line L.

[0065] The storage unit 15 may also store the number of purchased software licenses. In this case, the number of unassigned software licenses is increased by the number of purchased software licenses.

[0066] The line management device 20 includes a control unit 21, an input / output unit 22, a display unit 23, and a storage unit 24.

[0067] The control unit 21 controls a plurality of production devices M1 to M9 included in the production line L that is managed by the line management device 20. The control unit 21 controls the operation of each operating device included in the production line L to execute the production of mounted boards based on the production data.

[0068] The input / output unit 22 receives input data based on, for example, an operation by an operator of the production management system 1, and outputs the input data to the control unit 21. Such an input / output unit 22 may have, for example, a keyboard, a touch sensor, a touch pad, or a mouse. The input / output unit 22 also outputs data to the production management device 10 and inputs data from the production management device 10. For example, the input / output unit 22 acquires production data from the production management device 10 and stores the production data in the memory unit 24.

[0069] The display unit 23 displays the production data and the like stored in the storage unit 24. Specific examples of the display unit 23 include, but are not limited to, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or an organic EL display.

[0070] The storage unit 24 stores production data. The storage unit 24 also stores software licenses used in the multiple production devices M1 to M9 included in the production line L.

[0071] [2. Display example] Next, the UI displayed on the display unit 13 will be described.

[0072] 3 to 14 are diagrams showing an example of a UI displayed on the display unit.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 13 displays a UI 100.

[0074] The UI 100 includes information for managing software licenses. The UI 100 includes an update button 101 for updating the information for managing software licenses, a purchase button 102 for purchasing a software license, an allocation button 103 for allocating a software license, and license information 104 including allocation information indicating which software license is allocated to which production device.

[0075] The UI 100 includes license information 104 for each production line. The license information 104 includes a license name, a total number of licenses in use / total number of licenses owned, a number of lines in use, and allocation information.

[0076] The license name indicates the license name of multiple types of software licenses. The total number of uses of the total number of uses / total number of possessions indicates the number of software licenses used for each type of software license. The total number of uses indicates the number of software licenses used by multiple production devices M1 to M9 included in the production management system 1, and if there are multiple production lines, indicates the number of software licenses used by multiple production devices included in the multiple production lines. The total number of possessions indicates the number of software licenses owned by the user for each type of software license. The number of lines used indicates the number of corresponding software licenses used in the corresponding production line. The allocation information indicates whether or not a corresponding type of software license is assigned to a corresponding production device in a one-to-one combination of multiple production devices and multiple types of software licenses. The allocation information includes a check box for each combination, and a combination having a check box with a check mark indicates that a software license of the type of the combination is assigned to the production device of the combination. A combination without a check box indicates that a software license of the type of the combination is not assigned to the production device of the combination. Note that although the allocation information does not include a check box corresponding to a combination to which a software license is not assigned, the allocation information may include a check box without a check mark.

[0077] The UI 100 is generated based on the line configuration information. The UI 100 is generated when a predetermined operation is received from a user. The predetermined operation may be an operation for displaying the UI 100, or may be an input to the update button 101. The UI 100 is displayed on the display unit 13 when it is generated. When an input is made to the update button 101, the UI 100 is generated based on the line configuration information acquired when the input was made to the update button 101, and the generated UI 100 is displayed on the display unit 13. The purchase button 102 and the allocation button 103 will be described later.

[0078] When the production management device 10 accepts an input to the update button 101, the UI 100 is updated to UI 100a as shown in Fig. 4. When a new UI 100 is generated from new line configuration information different from the previously displayed UI 100, the UI 100a includes a UI 110 indicating that the production line L has been updated. The UI 110 includes a message indicating that the device configuration of the production line L has been updated, and a close button 111 for closing the UI 110. For example, when a mounter C is removed from line 1 and a mounter I and a mounter J are added to line 2, the UI 110 includes a message indicating that one device has been removed and two devices have been added.

[0079] In addition, UI 100a is a UI to which an icon 121 indicating that mounter C has been removed from line 1 and icons 122 and 123 indicating that mounter I and mounter J have been added to line 2 have been added to UI 100.

[0080] Then, when the production management device 10 receives an input to the close button of the UI 110, the UI 100a is updated to a UI 100b in which the UI 110 has been erased, as shown in FIG.

[0081] Then, when an input to the allocation button 103 of the UI 100b is accepted, the UI displayed on the display unit 13 is updated to a UI 100c including a box 130 for executing a process of allocating a software license and check boxes 141 to 143, as shown in FIG. 6. The box 130 includes a message indicating that the UI 100c is a UI for accepting an input for allocating a software license from a user, a confirmation button 131, and a cancel button 132. The confirmation button 131 is a button for finalizing the change in the allocation of the software license. When the production management device 10 accepts an input to the confirmation button 131, the software license is allocated to each production device in accordance with the check mark entered in the check box. The cancel button 132 is a button for transitioning the screen from the UI 100c to the UI 100b. When the production management device 10 accepts an input to the cancel button 132, the UI displayed on the display unit 13 transitions from the UI 100c to the UI 100b. The check boxes 141 and 143 indicate whether or not the corresponding types of software licenses are assigned to the corresponding production devices in a one-to-one combination of the mounter I and mounter J, which are production devices added by updating the device configuration of the production line L, and multiple types of software licenses. The check boxes 141 and 143 correspond to the added production devices, and do not include a check mark because the added production devices are not assigned software licenses. The check box 142 is a check box corresponding to a combination of the mounter H included in the line 2 before the update, to which no software license is assigned. The check box 142 does not have to be displayed when an input to the allocation button 103 is accepted, and may be displayed at all times. In other words, the check box 142 may be included in the UI 100, UI 100a, and UI 100b.

[0082] When the production management device 10 accepts an input to the check box 141 corresponding to the mounter I in the UI 100c, the check boxes 141 corresponding to the automatic model switching, the operation information output, the trace information output, the equipment status output, and the SECS / GEM communication are changed to check boxes 151 including check marks, as shown in FIG. 7. That is, the UI displayed on the display unit 13 is updated from the UI 100c to the UI 100d. As a result, the total number of uses / total number of possessions in the license information 104 and the number of lines used in line 2 are updated. The total number of uses / total number of possessions and the number of lines used in line 2 are changed by the amount of the check boxes including check marks added for each software license. For example, the total number of uses / total number of possessions is changed from "9 / 12" to "10 / 12" for the software licenses of the automatic model switching, the operation information output, the trace information output, and the equipment status output, and is changed from "8 / 9" to "9 / 9" for the software license of the SECS / GEM communication. At this time, the total number of software licenses used / total number of software licenses owned for SECS / GEM communication is "9 / 9", and all of the total number of software licenses owned is used. Therefore, the check box 142a corresponding to the software license for SECS / GEM communication of mounter H and the check box 143a corresponding to the software license for SECS / GEM communication of mounter J cannot be entered, and are changed to a state indicating that they cannot be entered. For example, the check boxes 142a and 143a are shown with a thinner line than the check boxes that can be entered. Note that the check boxes 142a and 143a may be shown not to be entered, or may be shown grayed out to indicate that they cannot be entered. Also, for example, the number of lines used in line 2 is changed from "4" to "5" for the software licenses for automatic model switching, operation information output, trace information output, and equipment status output, and is changed from "3" to "4" for the software license for SECS / GEM communication.

[0083] When the production management device 10 accepts an input to the check boxes corresponding to the automatic model switching, the operation information output, the trace information output, and the equipment status output of the mounter J among the check boxes 143 in the UI 100d, as shown in FIG. 8, the check boxes corresponding to the automatic model switching, the operation information output, the trace information output, and the equipment status output are changed to check boxes 153 including check marks. That is, the UI displayed on the display unit 13 is updated from the UI 100d to the UI 100e. At this time, the total number of uses / total number of possessions in the license information 104 and the number of lines used in line 2 are updated accordingly. The total number of uses / total number of possessions and the number of lines used in line 2 are changed by the amount of the check boxes including check marks that are increased in each software license. For example, the total number of uses / total number of possessions is changed from "10 / 12" to "11 / 12" in each software license of the automatic model switching, the operation information output, the trace information output, and the equipment status output. Also, for example, the number of lines used in line 2 is changed from "5" to "6" in the software licenses for automatic model switching, operation information output, trace information output, and equipment status output.

[0084] When the production management device 10 accepts an input to the check box 143a that is not inputtable in the UI 100e, the UI is changed to a UI 100f including a message 150 indicating that input is not allowed, as shown in Fig. 9. For example, when the production management device 10 accepts an operation to instruct further allocation of software licenses, the production management device 10 compares the total number of uses with the total number of owned, and if the total number of uses and the total number of owned are the same, displays a message 150 on the display unit 13 indicating that there is a shortage of software licenses to allocate.

[0085] When production management device 10 accepts an input to confirmation button 131 in UI 100e or UI 100f, the UI displayed on display unit 13 executes software license allocation with the contents indicated by check boxes 151, 153 updated in UI 100e or UI 100f, and is updated to UI 100g including UI 160 indicating that the allocation has been executed, as shown in Fig. 10. UI 160 includes a message indicating that software license allocation has been executed with the contents indicated by check boxes 151, 153 updated in UI 100e or UI 100f, and a close button 161 for closing UI 160.

[0086] When the production management device 10 accepts an input to the close button 161 in the UI 100g, the UI 160 in the UI 100g is erased and updated to a UI 100h in which the box 130 is changed to a purchase button 102 and an allocation button 103, as shown in FIG.

[0087] When the production management device 10 accepts an input to the purchase button 102 in the UI100, UI100b, and UI100h, the screen transitions to a UI170, which is a purchase screen for purchasing each type of software license, as shown in FIG. 12. The UI100, UI100b, and UI100h are examples of a first UI, and the purchase button 102 is an example of a button for accepting an operation to transition to a software license purchase screen. In the UI170, software licenses corresponding to software for automatic model switching, operation information output, trace information output, equipment status output, and SECS / GEM communication can be additionally purchased. In the UI170, when an input is made to a box corresponding to each type of software license, the screen transitions to a UI180 for purchasing the corresponding type of software license, as shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is an example of a software license purchase screen corresponding to software for SECS / GEM communication, and shows that one software license is purchased.

[0088] When the purchase of one software license corresponding to the software for SECS / GEM communication is completed in UI180, the number of software licenses corresponding to the software for SECS / GEM communication is increased by one. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 14, the total number of uses / total number of licenses corresponding to SECS / GEM communication in UI100h is updated from "9 / 9" to "9 / 10". In other words, the UI displayed on display unit 13 is updated from UI100h to UI100i. UI100i may also include icons 191, 192 indicating that the total number of licenses corresponding to SECS / GEM communication has been added.

[0089] [3. Operation] Next, the process of allocating a software license by the production management device 10 will be described.

[0090] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a software license allocation process performed by the production management device.

[0091] The production management device 10 acquires line configuration information relating to the device configuration of a production line L having a plurality of production devices M1 to M9 used in the production of mounted boards (S101).

[0092] Next, based on the line configuration information, the production management device 10 assigns to the multiple production equipment M1 to M9 multiple software licenses that correspond to multiple pieces of software that, when executed, realize multiple operations set for the multiple production equipment M1 to M9 and are used to permit the multiple pieces of software to be executed on the multiple production equipment M1 to M9 (S102).

[0093] Next, the production management device 10 displays the status of the software licenses allocated to the multiple production devices M1 to M9 (S103).

[0094] [4. Effects, etc.] The production management system 1 according to this embodiment includes an acquisition unit 11, an allocation unit 12, and a display unit 13. The acquisition unit 11 acquires line configuration information related to the equipment configuration of a production line L having multiple production devices (multiple production devices M1 to M9, production management device 10, or line management device 20) used in the production of mounted boards. Based on the line configuration information, the allocation unit 12 allocates, to the multiple production devices, multiple software licenses that correspond to multiple pieces of software that, when executed, realize multiple operations set in the multiple production devices and are used to permit the multiple pieces of software to be executed on the multiple production devices. The display unit 13 displays the status of the software licenses allocated to the multiple production devices.

[0095] According to this, multiple software licenses are assigned to multiple production devices possessed by the production line L based on the line configuration information of the production line L, so that even if the configuration of the production line L is changed, the software licenses can be assigned according to the changed configuration.

[0096] The production management system 1 according to the present embodiment further includes a storage unit 15. The storage unit 15 stores a plurality of software licenses held by users of a plurality of production devices. The allocation unit 12 allocates the plurality of software licenses stored in the storage unit 15.

[0097] This allows multiple pre-stored software licenses to be assigned to multiple production devices.

[0098] In the production management system 1 according to the present embodiment, the display unit 13 displays software licenses assigned to a plurality of production devices.

[0099] This allows the software license assigned to the user to be presented.

[0100] In the production management system 1 according to the present embodiment, the display unit 13 displays the number of software licenses held by users of multiple production devices and the number of software licenses assigned to multiple production devices.

[0101] Therefore, it is possible to present to the user the number of software licenses that the user owns and the number of software licenses that have been assigned to the user.

[0102] In the production management system 1 according to the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires new line configuration information of the updated production line in response to an update of the production line L. The allocation unit 12 allocates, to the production equipment added by the update, software licenses that have not been allocated to multiple production equipment, among multiple software licenses held by users of the multiple production equipment, based on the new line configuration information.

[0103] Therefore, it is easy to assign unassigned software licenses to the added production devices.

[0104] In the production management system 1 according to the present embodiment, when there is a shortage of software licenses to be assigned to a plurality of production devices, the display unit 13 displays information indicating that there is a shortage of software licenses.

[0105] Therefore, it is possible to notify the user that there is a shortage of software licenses.

[0106] In the production management system 1 according to the present embodiment, the allocation unit 12 calculates the shortage of software licenses to be allocated to the production devices of the updated production line from the new line configuration information. The display unit 13 displays the shortage of software licenses.

[0107] Therefore, the number of software licenses that is insufficient can be presented to the user.

[0108] In the production management system 1 according to the present embodiment, the display unit 13 displays a first UI (User Interface) having a button for accepting an operation to transition to a software license purchase screen.

[0109] This makes it possible to prompt the user to perform an operation to transition to a software license purchase screen.

[0110] In the production management system 1 according to the present embodiment, the storage unit 15 stores the number of software licenses purchased from the purchase screen.

[0111] This makes it easy to perform processing according to the number of purchased software licenses. For example, the number of purchased software licenses can be added to the number of unassigned software licenses.

[0112] In the production management system 1 according to the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires new line configuration information of the updated production line in response to an update of the production line L. The allocation unit 12 releases the allocation of software licenses allocated to production devices that have been removed by the update, based on the new line configuration information.

[0113] This makes it easy to perform processing in response to the release of the software licenses that were allocated to the reduced production equipment. For example, the number of the released software licenses can be added to the number of unallocated software licenses.

[0114] In the production management system 1 according to the present embodiment, the allocation unit 12 calculates the shortfall in the payment balance held by the user based on the number of software licenses that are insufficient to be allocated to a plurality of production devices and the purchase amount associated with the shortfall in the software. The display unit 13 displays the shortfall.

[0115] According to this, the shortfall amount is calculated and presented, so that the additional fee required for the user to purchase the shortfall in software licenses can be presented.

[0116] [5. Modifications] (1) In the above embodiment, the production management device 10 includes the acquisition unit 11, the allocation unit 12, the display unit 13, and the storage unit 15. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may include the acquisition unit 11, the allocation unit 12, and the storage unit 15. In other words, the display unit 13 may be included in an external device, and the external device may perform display based on the processing result by transmitting the processing result by the allocation unit 12 to the external device. In this case, the production management device 10 may be, for example, a server (computer) connected to the line management device and the production line L via a computer network such as the Internet. In this case, the external device may be a PC having a display unit and an input receiving unit. The external device is connected to the line management device so as to be able to communicate with the line management device.

[0117] (2) In the above embodiment, an example in which software licenses are manually assigned to added production devices has been described, but software licenses may be automatically assigned to added production devices. When multiple production devices are added, the production management device 10 may assign the software licenses in the order in which they were added, or in a predetermined order of priority. When there is a shortage of software licenses as a result of the assignment, the production management device 10 may calculate the amount (purchase amount) required to purchase the missing software licenses, and if the purchase amount is greater than the payment balance, may calculate the difference between the purchase amount and the payment balance as the shortage amount and display the shortage amount. When there is no shortage of software licenses as a result of the assignment, the production management device 10 may confirm the assignment. Furthermore, if the purchase amount of the missing software licenses is equal to or less than the payment balance, the production management device 10 may automatically purchase the missing software licenses and assign the purchased software licenses to the production device to which they are to be assigned.

[0118] [others] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory. Here, the software for realizing the production management device, production management system, etc. of the above-described embodiments is a program that causes a computer to execute each step included in the flowchart shown in the figure.

[0119] The following cases are also included in this disclosure:

[0120] (1) Specifically, each of the above devices is a computer system consisting of a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, hard disk unit, display unit, keyboard, mouse, etc. A computer program is stored in the RAM or hard disk unit. Each device achieves its function by the microprocessor operating in accordance with the computer program. Here, a computer program is composed of a combination of multiple instruction codes that indicate commands for a computer to achieve a specified function.

[0121] (2) Some or all of the components constituting each of the above devices may be composed of one system LSI (Large Scale Integration). The system LSI is an ultra-multifunctional LSI manufactured by integrating multiple components on one chip, and specifically, is a computer system including a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc. A computer program is stored in the RAM. The system LSI achieves its functions by the microprocessor operating in accordance with the computer program.

[0122] (3) Some or all of the components constituting each of the above devices may be composed of an IC card or a standalone module that is detachable from each device. The IC card or the module is a computer system composed of a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc. The IC card or the module may include the above-mentioned ultra-multifunction LSI. The microprocessor operates according to a computer program, causing the IC card or the module to achieve its functions. The IC card or the module may be tamper-resistant.

[0123] (4) The present disclosure may be embodied as any of the methods described above. It may also be embodied as a computer program for implementing these methods by a computer, or as a digital signal comprising the computer program.

[0124] The present disclosure may also be a computer program or a digital signal recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, a DVD, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, a BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc), a semiconductor memory, etc. Also, the present disclosure may be a digital signal recorded on such a recording medium.

[0125] Furthermore, the present disclosure may involve transmitting the computer program or the digital signal via a telecommunications line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network such as the Internet, data broadcasting, or the like.

[0126] The present disclosure may also provide a computer system having a microprocessor and a memory, the memory storing the above-mentioned computer program, and the microprocessor operating in accordance with the computer program.

[0127] In addition, the program or the digital signal may be implemented by another independent computer system by recording it on the recording medium and transferring it, or by transferring the program or the digital signal via the network, etc.

[0128] (5) The above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined with each other. [Industrial Applicability]

[0129] The present disclosure is useful as a production management system that can easily set software licenses according to the device configuration of a production line. [Explanation of symbols]

[0130] 1 Production management system 10 Production control device 11 Acquisition Department 12 Allocation Section 13, 23 Display section 14, 22 Input / output section 15, 24 Storage section 20 Line management device 21 Control section

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires line configuration information relating to an equipment configuration of a production line having a plurality of production devices used in the production of mounting boards; an allocation unit that allocates, to the plurality of production devices, a plurality of software licenses that correspond to a plurality of software programs that, when executed, realize a plurality of operations set for the plurality of production devices, and that are used to permit the plurality of software programs to be executed on the plurality of production devices, based on the line configuration information; a display unit that displays a status of the software licenses assigned to the plurality of production devices. Production management system.

2. moreover, a storage unit that stores a plurality of software licenses owned by users of the plurality of production devices; The allocation unit allocates the plurality of software licenses stored in the storage unit. The production management system according to claim 1.

3. The display unit displays the software licenses assigned to the plurality of production devices. The production management system according to claim 2.

4. The display unit displays the number of the software licenses owned by the users of the production devices and the number of the software licenses assigned to the production devices. The production management system according to claim 3.

5. The acquisition unit acquires new line configuration information of the updated production line in response to the update of the production line, The allocation unit allocates, to a production device added by updating, software licenses that have not been allocated to the production devices, among the software licenses owned by users of the production devices, based on the new line configuration information. The production management system according to claim 3.

6. When the software licenses to be allocated to the production devices are insufficient, the display unit displays information indicating that the software licenses are insufficient. The production management system according to claim 5.

7. the allocating unit calculates, from the new line configuration information, a shortage number of the software licenses to be allocated to the plurality of production devices of the updated production line; The display unit displays the number of the software licenses that is insufficient. The production management system according to claim 5 or 6.

8. The display unit displays a first user interface (UI) having a button for accepting an operation to transition to a purchase screen for the software license. The production management system according to claim 5 or 6.

9. The storage unit stores the number of the software licenses purchased from the purchase screen. The production management system according to claim 8.

10. The acquisition unit acquires new line configuration information of the updated production line in response to the update of the production line, The allocation unit releases the software licenses allocated to the production devices that have been reduced by the update based on the new line configuration information. The production management system according to claim 3.

11. The plurality of production devices include any one of a solder printing device that prints solder on a board, a component mounting device that mounts components on the board, an inspection device that inspects the board on which the solder is printed or the board on which the components are mounted, and a support device that manages at least one of the solder printing device, the component mounting device, and the inspection device, or that supports the at least one device by managing a production preparation work for the at least one device. The production management system according to claim 1.

12. the allocating unit calculates a shortfall in a payment balance held by the user based on a shortfall in the number of the software licenses to be allocated to the plurality of production devices and a purchase price associated with the shortfall in the software; The display unit displays the shortfall amount. The production management system according to claim 1.

13. Acquire line configuration information relating to an equipment configuration of a production line having a plurality of production devices used in the production of mounting boards; Based on the line configuration information, a plurality of software licenses are assigned to the plurality of production devices, the software licenses corresponding to a plurality of pieces of software that, when executed, realize a plurality of operations set for the plurality of production devices, and the software licenses are used to permit the plurality of pieces of software to be executed on the plurality of production devices. Production management methods.

14. A program for causing a computer to execute the production management method according to claim 13.

15. a storage unit that stores a plurality of software licenses that correspond to a plurality of software programs that, when executed, realize a plurality of operations set for a plurality of production devices used in the production of mounting boards, and that are used to permit the plurality of software programs to be executed on the plurality of production devices; an acquisition unit that acquires line configuration information regarding an equipment configuration of a production line having the plurality of production devices; an allocation unit that allocates the plurality of software licenses based on the line configuration information; Production management system.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • License operation method, license operation program, and license operation system

    JP2023004623A