Apparatus, system and method for organizing production line

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of organizing a production line that can reliably comply with a target tact time by predicting a waiting time that may occur during operation of the production line, at a design stage prior to the actual operation of the production line.SOLUTION: This production line organization apparatus, which is an apparatus for organizing a production line, causes a computer including at least a processor and a memory: to acquire a combination of a series of steps for determining a makespan from production plan information including at least a scheduled start time and a scheduled completion time for each of a series of steps for producing an item to be produced, which is executed in a production line to be organized; and to change an organization of the production line based on the combination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to computer technology for organizing production lines, primarily in the manufacturing industry. [Background technology]

[0002] At a production base such as a factory, optimally organizing the production lines (hereinafter simply referred to as "lines") used to produce various products (hereinafter also referred to as "production objects") is one of the extremely important factors in improving the productivity of the base.

[0003] This production line is generally organized for each process by using input information such as the target production volume and working hours, and determining the type and number of production equipment (hereinafter simply referred to as "equipment") required so that KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) such as initial investment costs and operating costs are optimal, while satisfying constraints such as the degree of flexibility in the number of product varieties that can be produced at the production base and the production capacity, which is the number of products that can be produced at the production base within a specified period of time.

[0004] When organizing a production line using the above-mentioned method, for example, if the number of products to be produced simultaneously or the number of processes required to produce the target product are enormous, it is difficult to manually derive an optimal organization for the production line at a computation speed sufficient for practical use. In particular, when the constraints are complex, it is extremely difficult to manually derive a solution that satisfies all the constraints. To meet these business demands, various technologies for supporting production line organization have been proposed (e.g., Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes a "process candidate generation means for generating process candidates consisting of process groups divided according to a candidate operation sequence and arranged in order, the processes being such that the required time for each operation sequence falls within the scheduled takt time." This technology allows for the generation of process candidates that fall within a target takt time, given the operation sequence and operation time. This allows a production line to be organized with the minimum necessary equipment so that the difference between the actual time required to complete a group of tasks (hereinafter also referred to as "production completion time") and the target takt time is small. As a result, it is possible to design a highly productive line that meets the target takt time while keeping capital investment and operating costs down. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-170240 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into account waiting times (hereinafter also referred to as "blocking") that may occur in a given piece of equipment depending on the operating status of the equipment before and after it. The waiting time in this equipment refers to, for example, when a piece of equipment completes a process for a given item and the next piece of equipment is unable to start the next process for that item, the equipment waits for the next piece of equipment to complete its work before removing the production object and starting the next work. Therefore, when a production line is organized using the technology described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the production completion time will increase due to the waiting time in the equipment during production execution, and the target takt time will not be met.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that can organize a production line that can reliably comply with the target takt time by predicting in advance, at the design stage before the production line actually goes into operation, the waiting time that may occur during the operation of the production line. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The production line organization device according to the present invention is a device for organizing a production line, in which a computer having at least a processor and a memory obtains a combination of a series of processes that determines the makespan from production plan information that includes at least the scheduled start time and scheduled completion time of each of the series of processes for producing an item to be produced, which are executed on the production line to be organized, and changes the organization of the production line based on the combination.

[0009] Other problems and solutions disclosed in the present application will be made clear in the detailed description and drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to predict in advance the waiting time that may occur during the operation of a production line at the design stage before the production line is actually put into operation, and to organize a production line that can reliably comply with the target takt time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a production line organization system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of process information. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of order information. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of resource information. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of countermeasure candidate information. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of line formation information. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of production plan information. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of critical path information. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of input / output information of each processing unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a production line organization device. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a production line organization process. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a line organization planning process. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a line organization candidate. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a production planning process. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Gantt chart. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a line organization improvement process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a critical path. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a Gantt chart for line organization after the implementation of measures. [Figure 19]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a line organization improvement log display screen. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a line formation improvement result display screen. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a production line organization system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of countermeasure constraint information. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a line organization improvement process according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, several examples will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for explaining the embodiments, the same components are generally designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof may be omitted.

[0013] Furthermore, it goes without saying that in the following embodiments, the components (including element steps, etc.) are not necessarily essential unless specifically stated otherwise or unless they are clearly considered essential in principle.

[0014] Furthermore, when it is said that "consists of A," "is made of A," "has A," or "includes A," it goes without saying that it does not exclude other elements, unless it is specifically stated that only those elements are included.

[0015] Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc. of components, etc., it is intended to include things that are substantially similar or approximate to those shapes, etc., unless otherwise specified or when it is clearly considered otherwise in principle.

[0016] In the following embodiments, the "input unit" and the "output unit" may be one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following: One or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. The I / O interface device is an interface device for at least one of the I / O device and a remote display computer. The I / O interface device for the display computer may be a communications interface device. The at least one I / O device may be a user interface device, for example, either an input device such as a keyboard and a pointing device, or an output device such as a display device. One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., an NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0017] In the following description, "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0018] In the following description, "storage" may refer to one or more persistent storage devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices. A persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., an auxiliary storage device), and specifically may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0019] In the following description, the term "storage unit" may refer to either a memory or a storage, or both.

[0020] Furthermore, in the following description, a "processing unit" or a "processor" may refer to one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also include or be another type of processor device such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor device in a broader sense, such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs some or all of the processing (e.g., an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0021] In the following description, functional units that control various functions may be described using expressions such as a "line organization planning unit," a "production planning unit," or a "line organization improvement unit." However, these functions may be realized by one or more computer programs (hereinafter simply referred to as "programs") executed by a processor, by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., FPGAs or ASICs), or by a combination thereof. When a function is realized by a program executed by a processor, the specified processing is performed using memory, storage, and / or interface devices, as appropriate, and therefore the functional unit that controls the function may be at least a part of the processor. Processing described using these functional units as the subject may also be processing performed by a processor or a device having the processor. A program may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution computer or a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). The description of each function is merely an example, and multiple functions may be combined into one function or divided into multiple functions.

[0022] Furthermore, in the following description, a "production line organization system" may be a system configured with one or more physical computers (for example, an on-premise system), or may be a system implemented on a group of physical computing resources (for example, a cloud platform) (for example, a cloud computing system). When the production line organization system "displays" display information, it may mean that the display information is displayed on a display device possessed by the computer, or that the computer transmits the display information to a display computer (in the latter case, the display information is displayed by the display computer). [Example]

[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a production line organization system 1 according to a first embodiment.

[0024] The production line organization system 1 includes a production line organization device 100 and is installed at a production site (area) or in a facility outside the production site. The production line organization system 1 includes a group of devices according to the usage environment, such as a display computer, which are communicably connected via a network (not shown).

[0025] Although not shown, the network may be, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a VPN (Virtual Private Network), a communication network that uses a general public line such as the Internet in part or in whole, a mobile phone communication network, or a combination of these. Note that the network may also be a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or 5G (Generation).

[0026] The production line organization device 100 has an input unit 110, a display unit 120, a communication unit 130, a processing unit 140, and a storage unit 150. The processing unit 140 includes a line organization planning unit 141, a production plan planning unit 142, and a line organization improvement unit 143. The storage unit 150 includes process information 151, order information 152, resource information 153, countermeasure candidate information 154, line organization information 155, production plan information 156, and critical path information 157.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the process information 151. As shown in FIG.

[0028] The process information 151 is information that defines the order of processes required to produce the production item, the equipment used in each process, and the required time.

[0029] In the process information 151, an item name 151b, which is the name of the object to be produced, a process name 151c, resource names 151d, such as equipment and workers, required for the process, and a work time 151e, which is the time required from the start to the completion of the process, are stored in association with a process ID 151a. In other words, the process information 151 is information that defines the production procedure for the object to be produced.

[0030] The example of the process information 151 indicates that a process having a process ID 151a of "1" and a process name 151c of "Process A1" will be executed by a resource called "Equipment 1-1" for "7200" seconds, ie, two hours.

[0031] In addition, two processes with process IDs 151a "1" and "2" whose item name 151b is "Item A" indicate a process order constraint that process ID "2" must be executed after process ID "1" is executed. In other words, process ID "2" cannot be started until process ID "1" has been completed.

[0032] For the two processes with process IDs 151a "2" and "3," the process name 151c is the same as "Process A2," but the resource name 151d is different, "Equipment 1-2" and "Equipment 1-4," respectively, indicating that the process in question can be executed by either "Equipment 1-2" or "Equipment 1-4." For the two processes with process IDs 151a "4" and "5," the item name 151b is different between "Item A" and "Item B," indicating that process ID "4" is the last process of "Item A" and process ID "5" is the first process of "Item B."

[0033] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the order information 152. As shown in FIG.

[0034] The order information 152 is information related to an order from a customer.

[0035] The order information 152 stores, for each order ID 152a, an item name 152b which is the name of the item ordered by the customer, a production amount 152c which is the quantity of the item ordered by the customer, and a delivery date 152d in association with each other.

[0036] Here, an order with order ID 152a "1" indicates that production of an item named "item A" in item name 152b must be completed by "2023 / 8 / 1 16:00:00" with "1" specified in production quantity 152c and due date 152d specified in production quantity 152c. Similarly, an order with order ID 152a "2" indicates that production of "item B" must be completed by "2023 / 8 / 1 16:00:00".

[0037] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the resource information 153. As shown in FIG.

[0038] The resource information 153 is information that defines production resources such as equipment and workers that can be used to produce the production item.

[0039] The resource information 153 stores, for each resource ID 153a, a resource name 153b which is the name of the resource, an operation start time 153c which is the time when the resource becomes available, and an operation end time 153d which is the time when the resource becomes unavailable, in association with each other.

[0040] The resource information 153 indicates that a resource with resource ID 153a "1" and resource name 153b "equipment 1-1" is available from operation start time 153c "08:00:00" to operation end time 153d "22:00:00." In other words, resource ID "1" is unavailable during the time period from 22:00:00 onwards to 08:00:00 onwards, and no process can be assigned to that time period.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the countermeasure candidate information 154. As shown in FIG.

[0042] The countermeasure candidate information 154 is information that defines countermeasures for improving the organization of the production line to be organized.

[0043] Countermeasure candidate information 154 stores, for each countermeasure ID 154a, a countermeasure content 154b, a priority 154c, and a status 154d indicating whether the resource is in operation or blocking, etc. In the priority 154c, "1" is the highest priority, and the larger the value, the lower the priority.

[0044] In the example of countermeasure candidate information 154, when status 154d is "blocking," the countermeasures that can be implemented are limited to two countermeasures with countermeasure ID 154a of "1" or "2." When there are multiple countermeasures that can be implemented, the countermeasure with the lowest priority 154c is implemented. Specifically, when there are two countermeasures that can be implemented and their respective priorities 154c are "1" and "2," the countermeasure with priority 154c of "1" is selected.

[0045] Similarly, when the status 154d is "in progress," the measures that can be implemented are limited to two measures whose measure ID 154a is "3" or "4," and the measure whose measure ID 154a is "4" and whose priority level 154c is the lower "3" is selected and executed. Details of the process will be described later in the section on line formation improvement process.

[0046] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the line formation information 155. As shown in FIG.

[0047] The line organization information 155 is information that defines the production resources that make up the production line to be organized. In other words, the line organization information 155 is information that defines the allocation of production resources to the production line.

[0048] The line organization information 155 stores, in association with a line ID 155a, a resource name 155b, a resource number 155c which is the quantity of the resource, and a buffer number 155d which indicates the capacity of a buffer which is a temporary storage space for work-in-progress placed in front of each resource.

[0049] In the example of line organization information 155, the line with line ID 155a of "1" is assigned "1" resource with resource name 155b of "equipment 1-1" listed in resource number 155c, "1" resource with resource name "equipment 1-2", and "1" resource with resource name "1-3".

[0050] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the production plan information 156. As shown in FIG.

[0051] The production plan information 156 is information that stores the scheduled times when the process of the item to be produced in the production line to be organized will start and end.

[0052] In the production plan information 156, an order ID 156a and a process name 156b are stored in association with a line ID 156c to which a resource to be used to execute the process is assigned, a resource name 156d, a start date and time 156e which is the time when the process begins to be executed, an end date and time 156f which is the time when the process is completed, and a status 156g.

[0053] In the example of production plan information 156, a process having order ID 156a "1" and process name 156b "Process A1" is to be started at start date and time 156e "2023 / 8 / 1 8:00:00" and completed at end date and time 156f "2023 / 8 / 1 10:00:00" in a resource having resource name 156d "Equipment 1-1."

[0054] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the critical path information 157. As shown in FIG.

[0055] The critical path information 157 stores a critical path, which represents the combination of ordered processes that takes the longest time to complete the production of an ordered item on a production line. In other words, the critical path information 157 determines the time required from the start of production to the completion of production, i.e., the production completion time, for each ordered item. From this, a critical path can be expressed as a combination of a series of processes for which the makespan is determined from, for example, the production plan information 156. Therefore, by implementing measures using the critical path information 157 for an order that is experiencing a delivery delay, it is possible to aim to meet the delivery date by shortening the production completion time.

[0056] The critical path information 157 stores, for each ID 157a, a process name 157b, a resource name 157c which is the name of the resource that executes the process, a start date and time 157d which is the date and time when the resource starts executing the process, an end date and time 157e which is the date and time when the resource completes executing the process, and a status 157f which indicates the state of the resource, such as whether it is working or blocking.

[0057] In the example of critical path information 157, the first process included in the critical path has ID 157a of "1" and process name 157b of "Process A3." Similarly, the second process included in the critical path has ID 157a of "2" and process name 157b of "Process B2."

[0058] A process with ID 157a "4," process name 157b "Process A1," and status 157f "Blocking" indicates that the resource has completed the process, but the resource executing the next process is currently working on another process or is outside of operating hours, and the target item is waiting for the other resource to be able to deliver it. In other words, "Blocking" is a state of waiting for an empty buffer. Because the critical path information 157 determines the production completion time, removing "Blocking" from the critical path information 157 is expected to shorten the production completion time.

[0059] Returning to the explanation of Fig. 1, the processing unit 140 includes a line organization planning unit 141, a production planning unit 142, and a line organization improvement unit 143.

[0060] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of input / output information of each processing unit.

[0061] The line organization planning unit 141 executes a line organization planning process that receives process information 151, order information 152, and resource information 153 as input and outputs line organization information 155 that includes the types and numbers of pieces of equipment that make up the production line.

[0062] The production planning unit 142 executes a production planning process that takes process information 151, order information 152, resource information 153, and line organization information 155 as input, and outputs production plan information 156 that includes the start date and time and the end date and time of the process for each resource.

[0063] The line formation improvement unit 143 executes a line formation improvement process in which it receives countermeasure candidate information 154, line formation information 155, and production plan information 156, generates critical path information 157, selects a countermeasure to be implemented, and outputs line formation information after the countermeasure is implemented 155. Note that in order to generate the critical path information 157, it is sufficient to have the production plan information 156, and it is not necessarily essential that, for example, a device for formulating a production plan and the production line formation device 100 simultaneously execute processes and demonstrate their functions.

[0064] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the production line organization device 100. As shown in FIG.

[0065] The production line organization device 100 can be realized as a general computer 300 having a processor 301, memory 302, storage 303 such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a storage medium read / write device 305 that reads or writes information from a portable storage medium 304 such as a CD (Compact Disk) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an input device 306 such as a keyboard, mouse, or barcode reader, an output device 307 such as a display, and a communication device 308 that communicates with other computers via a communication network such as the Internet, or as a network system having multiple such computers 300.

[0066] For example, the processing unit 140 can be realized by loading a predetermined program stored in the storage 303 into the memory 302 and executing it on the processor 301, the input unit 110 and the display unit 120 can be realized by the processor 301 using the input device 306 and the output device 307, and the memory unit 150 can be realized by the processor 301 using the memory 302 or the storage 303.

[0067] This predetermined program may be downloaded to storage 303 from storage medium 304 via storage medium read / write device 305 or from a network via communication device 308, and then loaded onto memory 302 and executed by processor 301.

[0068] Furthermore, this predetermined program may be directly loaded onto memory 302 from storage medium 304 via storage medium read / write device 305 or from a network via communication device 308, and executed by processor 301. Communication unit 130 can be realized by processor 301, memory 302, and communication device 308.

[0069] However, the production line organization device 100 is not limited to this, and may be a wearable computer that can be worn by a worker, such as a headset, goggles, glasses, or an intercom.

[0070] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the production line scheduling process. The production line scheduling process starts when a start instruction is received from a user via the interface device.

[0071] First, the line organization planning unit 141 executes a line organization planning process (described later) (step S001). Then, the production planning unit 142 executes a production start sequence planning process (described later) (step S002). Then, it is determined whether the delivery date defined in the order information 152 is being observed (step S003).

[0072] If the determination result in step S003 is "No" (step S003: No), that is, if the delivery deadline is not met, the line formation improvement unit 143 executes the line formation improvement process described later and passes control to step S002 (step S004).

[0073] If the determination result in step S003 is "Yes" (step S003: Yes), the display unit 120 displays the log and results of the line formation improvement process (step S005). That is, the processing unit 140 of the production line formation device 100 repeats the processes of steps S002 to S004 until the determination result in step S003 becomes "Yes" (step S003: Yes), thereby repeatedly executing the line formation improvement process by the line formation improvement unit 143.

[0074] The above is an example of the flow of the production line scheduling process.

[0075] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the line organization planning process. The line organization planning process starts in step S001 of the production line organization process.

[0076] First, the input unit 110 receives the input of the process information 151 (step S101). Then, the input unit 110 receives the input of the order information 152 (step S102). Then, the input unit 110 receives the input of the resource information 153 (step S103). Note that the input of the process information 151, the order information 152, and the resource information 153 received by the input unit 110 may be received by the input unit 110 based on the input content on a predetermined input screen, or may be received by inputting a path or the like for accessing data grouped as a database or a file.

[0077] Then, the line formation planning unit 141 plans the line formation (step S104). The specific processing executed by the line formation planning unit 141 at that time is as follows.

[0078] First, the line formation planning unit 141 generates N line formation candidates. This process will be described using FIG. 13.

[0079] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a line formation candidate. In this figure, an example of line formation candidate n = 1 and an example of line formation candidate n = k are shown. First, in the example of line formation candidate n = 1, the line is formed from one resource called "multifunction machine 1". Similarly, in the example of line formation candidate n = k (where 1 < k < N), it shows that the line is formed from three resources called "equipment 1-1", "equipment 1-2", and "equipment 1-3". Note that the number "N" of line formation candidates to be generated may be the total number of all combinations of resources defined in the resource information 153, or a specific numerical value may be specified.

[0080] Returning to the description of FIG. 12. Then, the line formation planning unit 141 calculates the resource allocation number, which is the total number of resources allocated to the line as a KPI, for all N line formation candidates generated in the above process, and sorts the N line formation candidates in ascending order of the resource allocation number. Then, the line formation planning unit 141 selects the one with n = 1, that is, the one with the smallest resource allocation number as the KPI, from the sorted line formation candidates.

[0081] Then, the line organization planning unit 141 determines the allocation of processes and resources (process allocation) that minimizes the production completion time for the selected line organization candidate n. Here, the production completion time and process allocation will be explained using Figure 13. As a premise, in the example of Figure 13, it is assumed that there are two types of production items, item A and item B, and the process order for item A is process A1, process A2, and process A3, and the process order for item B is process B1 and process B2.

[0082] First, process allocation is information about whether or not processes and resources are assigned. For example, when line organization candidate n=1, it indicates that all processes are assigned to "Multifunction Printer 1." Similarly, in the example of line organization candidate n=k, it indicates that processes A1 and B1 are assigned to "Equipment 1-1," process A2 is assigned to "Equipment 1-2," and process A3 and B2 are assigned to "Equipment 1-3."

[0083] Next, production completion time is the time required from when the production line to be organized starts producing the first item until it finishes producing the last item. For example, in the case of line organization candidate n=1, as shown in the bar graph, the production completion time is calculated as the sum of the work times of all processes assigned to "Multifunction Printer 1," and the resulting production completion time is 11 hours. Similarly, in the example of line organization candidate n=k, the production completion time is calculated by calculating the sum of the work times of the processes assigned to each resource and taking the maximum of these results, and the production completion time is shown to be 4 hours.

[0084] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 12, the line organization planning unit 141 then determines whether the production completion time for line organization candidate n satisfies the constraint of the target production time. Here, the target production time is a target value for the production completion time required of the production line to be organized. The bar graph in FIG. 13 shows an example in which the target production time is "5" hours. First, in the example of line organization candidate n=1 shown in the upper part of FIG. 13, the production completion time is "11" hours, which exceeds the target production time, so the determination result is "No." Next, in the example of line organization candidate n=k shown in the lower part of FIG. 13, the production completion time is "4" hours, which is shorter than the target production time, so the determination result is "Yes."

[0085] If the determination result is “No,” that is, if the line organization candidate n does not satisfy the constraint of the target production time, the line organization planning unit 141 increments the number of processes n of the line organization candidate, and returns to the process of determining the process allocation that minimizes the production completion time.

[0086] If the determination result is "Yes", that is, if the line organization candidate n satisfies the constraint of the target production time, the line organization planning unit 141 updates the line organization information 155 and ends the line organization planning process.

[0087] The above is an example of the line organization planning process flow.

[0088] The processes from step S104 to step S108 may be performed using a mathematical optimization technique such as a mixed integer programming (MIP) solver that satisfies constraints and optimizes an objective function, or may be performed using a metaheuristic method such as a genetic algorithm (GA).In addition to the number of allocated resources, other KPIs such as the purchase price of resources, labor costs of workers, or production costs may also be used as KPIs.

[0089] 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the production planning process. The production planning process starts in step S002 of the production line organization process. First, the input unit 110 accepts input of process information 151 (step S201). Then, the input unit 110 accepts input of order information 152 (step S202). Then, the input unit 110 accepts input of resource information 153 (step S203). Then, the input unit 110 accepts input of line organization information 155 (step S204). Note that the input of the process information 151, order information 152, and line organization information 155 accepted by the input unit 110 may be accepted by the input content entered into a predetermined input screen by the input unit 110, or may accept input of a path for accessing data compiled as a database or file.

[0090] Then, the production planning unit 142 formulates a production plan (step S205). The specific processing executed by the production planning unit 142 at this time is as follows.

[0091] First, the production planning unit 142 creates a list of processes waiting to be assigned. Then, from the list of processes waiting to be assigned, the production planning unit 142 selects one process that has an allocatable resource. Then, the production planning unit 142 assigns the selected process to a resource and calculates the start time and end time. Then, the production planning unit 142 updates the list of processes waiting to be assigned. Then, the production planning unit 142 determines whether the list of processes waiting to be assigned is empty, i.e., whether all processes have been assigned.

[0092] If the determination result is "No", the production planning unit 142 returns to the process of selecting one process that has an allocatable resource from the list of processes waiting for allocation.

[0093] If the determination result is "Yes", the production planning unit 142 ends the production planning process.

[0094] The above-mentioned processes for formulating this production plan (step S205) will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

[0095] Figure 15 is a diagram showing an example of a Gantt chart. This diagram assumes a situation in which there are two orders, with the first order being for item A and the second order being for item B.

[0096] Of the above processes, in the process of creating a list of processes waiting to be assigned, as defined in the process information 151, the process order for item A is "process A1," "process A2," and "process A3," and the process order for item B is "process B1" and "process B2," so the first process, "process A1" and "process B1," are stored in the list of processes waiting to be assigned.

[0097] Of the above processes, in the process of selecting one process from the list of processes waiting to be assigned and assigning it to a resource, as defined in the process information 151, the resource that can execute "Process A1" and "Process B1" is "Equipment 1-1," so "Process A1" is assigned to "Equipment 1-1" using the rule that processes with smaller order IDs are given priority.

[0098] Any rule may be used to determine the allocation of processes and resources. For example, a process with a large number of subsequent processes may be given priority in allocation, or a process with a large total working time of the subsequent processes may be given priority in allocation.

[0099] Of the above processes, the process for calculating the start and end times of the assigned process calculates the start and end times of "Process A1" in "Equipment 1-1." First, the time period during which "Equipment 1-1" is available for work is between the operation start time of "08:00:00" and the operation end time of "22:00:00," as defined in the resource information 153, so the earliest time "Process A1" can be processed is "08:00:00." Therefore, the start time of "Process A1" is calculated as "08:00:00." Next, the completion time of "Process A1" is calculated as "10:00:00" by adding the operation time of "7200" seconds, defined in the process information 151, to the start time.

[0100] Of the above processes, the process of updating the list of processes waiting for allocation deletes the already assigned "Process A1" from the list of processes waiting for allocation and adds the next process, "Process A2." As a result, the list of processes waiting for allocation now includes "Process A2" and "Process B1."

[0101] In the above judgment process, it is determined whether the list of processes waiting to be assigned is empty, and since it contains "Process A2" and "Process B1", the judgment result is set to "No" and the process returns to selecting one process from the list of processes waiting to be assigned that has an allocatable resource.

[0102] This series of processes is repeated until the determination result becomes "Yes," thereby obtaining the Gantt chart shown in FIG. For "Equipment 1-1," the period from "10:00:00" to "12:00:00" is marked as "Blocked." This is because "Process A1" was completed at "10:00:00," but "Equipment 1-2," which can execute "Process A2," the next process after Process A1, is on a scheduled halt until "12:00:00." Therefore, item A could not be transported to other resources until "12:00:00." In other words, from "10:00:00," when "Equipment 1-1" completed "Process A1," until "12:00:00," when "Equipment 1-2" begins executing "Process A2," "Equipment 1-1" needed to store item A, and therefore could not execute other processes. This state is described as blocking.

[0103] The above is an example of the production planning process flow.

[0104] The above-mentioned processes performed to create a production plan (step S205) have been described using an example of a method in which process and resource allocation is determined on a rule-based basis and the start and end times of the processes are simulated, but they may also be formulated as a mixed integer programming (MIP) problem and executed using an MIP solver.

[0105] 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the line organization improvement process in the first embodiment. The line organization improvement starts in step S004 of the production line organization process. First, the input unit 110 accepts input of countermeasure candidate information 154 (step S301). Then, the input unit 110 accepts input of line organization information 155 (step S302). Then, the input unit 110 accepts input of production plan information 156 (step S303). Note that the input of the countermeasure candidate information 154, line organization information 155, and production plan information 156 accepted by the input unit 110 may be accepted by the input unit 110 in accordance with the content entered on a predetermined input screen, or may be accepted as input of a path for accessing data compiled as a database or a file.

[0106] Then, the line organization improvement unit 143 acquires the process immediately before the selected resource performed the work and the end date and time of that process (step S304).The line organization improvement unit 143 then acquires the process immediately before the acquired process and the end date and time of that process (step S305).The line organization improvement unit 143 then selects the process with the latest end date and time from the acquired processes and adds it to the critical path information 157 (step S306).

[0107] Then, the line organization improvement unit 143 counts the processes that can be acquired in steps S305 and S306, and determines whether the number is 1 or more (step S307). If the number of acquired processes is 1 or more, the determination result of step S307 is set to "Yes" (step S307: Yes). If the number of acquired processes is 0, the determination result of step S307 is set to "No" (step S307: No).

[0108] If the determination result in step S307 is "Yes" (step S307: Yes), control is passed to step S308. Then, the process with the latest end date and time is selected from the acquired processes, added to the critical path information 157, and control is returned to step S305 (step S308).

[0109] If the determination result in step S307 is "No" (step S307: No), control is passed to step S309.

[0110] Then, the line formation improvement unit 143 acquires measures for which the presence or absence of blocking matches from the critical path information 157 and the measure candidate information 154 (step S309).The line formation improvement unit 143 then acquires the measure with the highest priority from the acquired multiple measures (step S310).The line formation improvement unit 143 then executes the measure, updates the line formation information 155, and ends the line formation improvement process (step S311).

[0111] The processing from step S304 to step S310 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a critical path. This diagram shows the same situation as FIG. 15, and clearly shows the critical path, which is a combination of processes that determines the production completion time, and processes that are not included in the critical path. The processes included in the critical path are process A1, blocking, process B1, process B2, and process A3. Information such as the names of the resources that execute these processes and the start dates and times of the processes is stored in critical path information 157.

[0112] In step S304, "Process B2" with the latest end date and time "2023 / 8 / 1 16:00:00" in the production plan information 156 and "Facility 1-3" which is the resource that executes this process are obtained and added to the critical path information 157.

[0113] In step S305, "Process B2", which is the process immediately before the one in which "Equipment 1-3" performed the work, is acquired, and "16:00:00" is acquired as the end date and time of the process.

[0114] In step S306, "Process A2", which is the process immediately before "Process A3", is acquired, and "15:00:00" is acquired as the end date and time of this process.

[0115] In step S307, one process can be acquired in each of step S305 and step S306, and the process count is "2", so the determination result is "Yes" (step S307: Yes), and control is passed to step S308.

[0116] In step S308, the end date and time of "Process B2" obtained in step S305, "16:00:00," is compared with the end date and time of "Process A3" obtained in step S306, "Process B2" with the later end date and time is obtained, added to the critical path information 157, and control is returned to step S305.

[0117] The processes from step S304 to step S308 are repeated until the determination result in step S307 becomes "No," thereby creating the critical path information 157.

[0118] In step S309, since the status of ID="4" in the critical path information 157 is "blocking", measure ID="1" and measure ID="2" in the measure candidate information 154 are obtained as executable measure candidates.

[0119] In step S310, the measure ID "1" is selected from the two obtained measures, which has the smallest value of the priority 154c, that is, the highest priority.

[0120] In step S311, the selected measure "add buffer for next process" in the measure content 154b of the measure ID "1" is implemented, and the line formation information 155 is updated. The processing of step S311 will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

[0121] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a Gantt chart for line organization after implementing measures. This diagram consists of a Gantt chart "after implementing measure ID=1" and a Gantt chart "after implementing measure ID=4." The former Gantt chart "after implementing measure ID=1" is a Gantt chart that is drawn by executing a production planning process after executing the first line organization improvement process. Similarly, the latter Gantt chart "after implementing measure ID=4" is a Gantt chart that is drawn by executing a production planning process after executing the second line organization improvement process.

[0122] First, we will explain in detail the processing of step S311 in the first line formation improvement process. In step S311, as shown in Figure 18, "Buffer 1" is added before "Equipment 1-2," where "Process A2," the process following "Process A1," is executed. As a result, "Equipment 1-1" can transfer item A to "Buffer 1" immediately after completing "Process A1," and then execute the next task, "Process B1." Because the start time of "Process B1" has been advanced, the start time of "Process B2" on "Equipment 1-3" has also been advanced, and the end time of "Process B2" has been shortened by two hours from "16:00:00" before the countermeasure to "14:00:00." Meanwhile, the end time of "Process A2" remains unchanged at "15:00:00," so the start time of "Process A3" becomes "15:00:00" and the end time becomes "17:00:00." Therefore, as a result of implementing measure ID=1, the production completion time can be shortened by one hour compared to before the measure was implemented, and the processes included in the critical path change to "Process A3" and "Process A2." Here, the first line formation improvement process ends, and control returns to step S002. Then, by executing the production plan formulation process in step S002, the Gantt chart "after implementation of measure ID=1" in FIG. 18 is obtained. However, since the situation remains that the production completion time exceeds the due date of "16:00:00," the determination result in step S003 is "No" (step S003: No), and the line formation improvement process is executed again.

[0123] Next, in the second iteration of the line formation improvement process, because the critical path does not include blocking, two measures, measure IDs "3" and "4," are selected in step S309. Then, in step S310, measure ID "4" is selected as the measure with the highest priority. Then, in step S311, the measure content for measure ID "4," "change the resource of the most upstream process," is executed. Specifically, the resource executing "Process A2," the most upstream process included in the critical path, is "Equipment 1-2." As defined in the process information 151, another resource capable of executing "Process A2" is "Equipment 1-4." Therefore, "Equipment 1-2" is changed to "Equipment 1-4." The second iteration of the line formation improvement process then ends, and control returns to step S002. Then, by executing the production planning process in step S002, the Gantt chart "after implementing measure ID=4" in FIG. 18 is obtained. Then, in step S003, as shown in FIG. 18, the delivery dates of all orders have been met, so the determination result becomes "Yes" (step S003: Yes), and the production line organization process ends.

[0124] The above is an example of the line formation improvement processing flow.

[0125] The production line organization process can derive a line organization that can meet the delivery dates of all orders.

[0126] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the line formation improvement log display screen 500.

[0127] The line formation improvement log display screen 500 is an example of a screen displayed in step S005 of the production line formation process. The line formation improvement log display screen 500 includes a table 510 for showing the progress of line formation improvement.

[0128] In table 510, for each improvement result ID, the target equipment, equipment status, and measure ID are displayed in the order of the implemented measure. Also, an improvement result display button 520 is displayed, which accepts an instruction to display details of each improvement result ID.

[0129] When an input is received, the display improvement result button 520 transitions to a line organization improvement result display screen that displays details of the corresponding improvement result ID. The line organization improvement result display screen will be described later.

[0130] By using the line formation improvement log display screen 500, the user can understand the improvement process, such as which equipment was targeted, what measures were implemented, and what improvement effects were obtained.

[0131] 20 is a diagram showing an example of the line organization improvement result display screen 600. The line organization improvement result display screen 600 is displayed when an input from the improvement result display button 520 on the line organization improvement log display screen 500 is accepted.

[0132] The line organization improvement result display screen 600 includes a table 610 of the line organization information 155 , a line organization diagram 620 , a table 630 of the production plan information 156 , and a Gantt chart 640 .

[0133] The table 610 of the line organization information 155 includes the line ID, the resource name, and the number of resources.

[0134] The line organization diagram 620 displays a simple layout of the resources listed in the table 610 of the line organization information 155.

[0135] Table 630 of production plan information 156 displays the line ID, resource name, start date and time, and end date and time for each order ID and process name.

[0136] In the Gantt chart 640, the horizontal axis represents time, the vertical axis represents resources, and rectangular objects whose widths represent work times are plotted.

[0137] By using the line formation improvement result display screen 600, the user can visually understand the line formation information 155 and the production plan information 156, and can quickly grasp the changes made by the line formation improvement processing.

[0138] The production line organization device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

[0139] Although the first embodiment described above shows an example in which the resource is equipment, the resource may also be a worker. When the resource is a worker, the operation start time and operation end time in the resource information 153 correspond to the start time and end time of a work shift, and a countermeasure such as "increase the overtime hours of the worker in the most upstream process" may be added to the countermeasure candidate information 154. [Example]

[0140] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which measures to be implemented in the line formation improvement process are selected using not only the priority order but also constraint information.

[0141] 21 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a production line organization system 1 according to a second embodiment. In addition to the components of the first embodiment, the system has countermeasure constraint information 158.

[0142] 22 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the countermeasure constraint information 158. The countermeasure constraint information 158 is information that defines constraints for determining whether a countermeasure can be implemented or not. The countermeasure constraint information 158 stores, for each constraint ID 158a, a constraint item 158b and a setting value 158c in association with each other.

[0143] In the example of the countermeasure constraint information 158, when the constraint ID 158a is "1", it indicates that the value of "1" is set in the setting value 158c for the item "maximum number of buffers" specified in the constraint item 158b. In other words, when the current number of buffers is 0, a countermeasure to increase the number of buffers such as countermeasure ID=1 shown in the countermeasure candidate information 154 can be implemented, but when the current number of buffers is 1, a countermeasure to increase the number of buffers cannot be implemented. Explanation of the components already described in FIG. 1 and assigned the same reference numerals will be omitted.

[0144] Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of line formation improvement processing in Example 2. The difference from the example of the flow of line formation improvement processing in Fig. 16 shown in Example 1 is that processing of step S401 is added after step S309. Explanation of the processing from step S301 to step S311, which are assigned the same reference numerals as in Example 1, will be omitted.

[0145] In step S401, measures that satisfy the constraints in the measure constraint information 158 are selected from the acquired measures. For example, in the example of FIG. 17, the status of the critical path information 157 includes "blocking," so measure ID=1 is selected based on the priority, and one buffer is added before "equipment 1-2" as shown in "After Implementing Measure ID=1" in FIG. 18. In this situation, when the status of the critical path information 157 again includes "blocking," there is already one buffer before "equipment 1-2," so measure ID=1 cannot comply with the constraint of "maximum number of buffers" = "1" defined in the measure constraint information 158. Therefore, in step S401, measure ID=2 that can comply with this constraint is selected. This process makes it possible to select an appropriate measure even when the buffer size that can be added is limited due to floor space constraints in the factory, etc.

[0146] In this embodiment, an example has been given in which the resource is equipment, but if the resource is a worker, it is possible to improve production capacity by having the worker work overtime within the range that does not exceed the specified upper limit of overtime hours by adding a measure such as "increase the overtime hours of the worker in the most upstream process" to the measure candidate information 154 and adding "upper limit of overtime hours" to the measure constraint information 158.

[0147] The above is the production line organization device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0148] The above-described embodiment of the present invention can be summarized as follows.

[0149] (1) The production line organization device 100 is a device for organizing a production line, in which a computer 300 having at least a processor 301 and a memory 302 obtains a combination of a series of processes that determines the makespan from production plan information 156 that includes at least the scheduled start time and scheduled completion time of each of the series of processes for producing an item to be produced on the production line to be organized, and changes the organization of the production line based on the combination. In this way, the production line organization device 100 can predict in advance, at the design stage before the production line is actually operated, the waiting time that may occur during operation of the production line, i.e., blocking, and organize a production line that can reliably comply with the target takt time.

[0150] (2) The production line organization device 100 includes a storage unit 150 that stores process information 151 including each of a series of processes for producing an item to be produced, production resources available for the process, and the working time of the process by the production resources; order information 152 including items, quantities, and delivery dates related to orders from customers; resource information 153 including operation start times and operation end times of available production resources; and candidate countermeasure information 154 including candidate countermeasures for improving the organization of the production line, the priority of the candidate countermeasures, and a status indicating the operating state of equipment as a production resource. a processing unit 140 that executes a line organization planning process that takes as input process information 152 and resource information 153, and outputs line organization information 155 including the type and number of pieces of equipment that make up the production line; a production planning process that takes as input process information 151, order information 152, resource information 153, and line organization information 155, and outputs production plan information 156 including the start date and time and the end date and time of work at each piece of equipment; and a line organization improvement process that takes as input countermeasure candidate information 154, the line organization information 155, and the production plan information 156, selects a countermeasure to be implemented, and outputs line organization information 155 after the countermeasure has been implemented.

[0151] (3) The processing unit 140 uses the production plan information 156 to generate critical path information 157 representing the critical path, which is the process route that takes the longest time from the start of production to the end of production, and uses the critical path information 157 to select selectable measures from the candidate measure information 154.

[0152] (4) The processing unit 140 obtains the status indicating whether the equipment is in operation or on standby depending on the operating status of the subsequent equipment using the critical path information 157, and selects a selectable countermeasure from the candidate countermeasure information 154 according to the status.

[0153] (5) When there are multiple selectable countermeasure candidates, the processing unit 140 selects the countermeasure to be implemented based on the priority order.

[0154] (6) The system further includes a display unit 120 that displays a line formation improvement log including the target equipment for which measures were implemented in the line formation improvement process, the status of the target equipment, the ID of the implemented measures, and the ID of the results of implementing the measures.

[0155] (7) The display unit 120 displays at least one of the line formation information 155, a two-dimensional or three-dimensional line formation diagram related to the line formation information 155, the work start time information, and a Gantt chart related to the work start information.

[0156] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented using any components without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0157] In the above explanation, the target of organization according to the present invention is assumed to be a production line at a production facility such as a factory, and an embodiment for preferably organizing the production line in that case has been illustrated, but the present invention can also be applied to various other objects to be organized. As one example, even when the present invention is applied to the organization of an entire supply chain or various elements that make up a supply chain such as a logistics network for the purpose of preferably constructing these, favorable results can be obtained, similar to the above-mentioned embodiment, examples, and modifications.

[0158] The above-described embodiments, examples, and modifications are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these details as long as the features of the invention are not impaired. Furthermore, although various embodiments, examples, and modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these details. Other aspects that can be considered within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0159] The above-described layout of the functional units of the production line organization device 100 is merely an example. The layout of the functional units can be changed to an optimal layout in terms of the performance, processing efficiency, communication efficiency, etc. of the hardware and software included in the production line organization device 100.

[0160] Furthermore, the above-described configurations and functions, processing unit 140, processing means, etc. may be partially or entirely realized in hardware by, for example, designing them as integrated circuits. The above-described configurations and functions may also be realized in software by processor 301 interpreting and executing programs that realize the respective functions. Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize the respective functions can be stored in memory 302, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD, or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0161] In addition, in the above figures, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines that are actually implemented. For example, it may be considered that almost all components are actually connected to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0162] 1: Production line organization system, 100: Production line organization device, 110: Input unit, 120: Display unit, 130: Communication unit, 140: Processing unit, 141: Line organization planning unit, 142: Production plan planning unit, 143: Line organization improvement unit, 150: Memory unit, 151: Process information, 152: Order information, 153: Resource information, 154: Countermeasure candidate information, 155: Line organization information, 156: Production plan information, 157: Critical path information.

Claims

1. A production line organizing device that organizes a production line, A computer having at least a processor and a memory, A combination of a series of processes for determining a makespan is obtained from production plan information including at least a scheduled start time and a scheduled completion time for each of the series of processes for producing the item to be produced that is executed on the production line to be organized; changing the organization of the production line based on the combination; Production line organization device.

2. The production line organization device according to claim 1, process information including each of a series of processes for producing the item to be produced, production resources available for the process, and working times for the process by the production resources; Order information including items, quantities, and delivery dates for orders from customers; resource information including the operation start time and operation end time of the available production resources; Countermeasure candidate information including countermeasure candidates for improving the organization of the production line, the priority of the countermeasure candidates, and a status indicating the operating state of the equipment as the production resource; a storage unit that stores the a line organization planning process that receives the process information, the order information, and the resource information as inputs and outputs line organization information including the types and numbers of pieces of equipment that make up the production line; a production planning process that receives the process information, the order information, the resource information 153, and the line organization information as inputs, and outputs production plan information including work start dates and times and work end dates and times at each piece of equipment; a line formation improvement process that receives the countermeasure candidate information, the line formation information, and the production plan information as inputs, selects a countermeasure to be implemented, and outputs line formation information after the countermeasure has been implemented; a processing unit that executes the A production line organization device comprising:

3. 3. The production line organization device according to claim 2, The processing unit uses the production plan information to generate critical path information that represents a critical path, which is a process route that takes the longest time from the start of production to the end of production, and uses the critical path information to select selectable measures from the measure candidate information.

4. 3. The production line organization device according to claim 2, The processing unit uses the critical path information to obtain a status indicating whether the equipment is in operation or on standby depending on the operating status of subsequent equipment, and selects a selectable measure from the candidate measure information according to the status.

5. 5. The production line organization device according to claim 4, The production line organization device, wherein when there are a plurality of selectable candidate measures, the processing unit selects the measure to be implemented based on priority.

6. The production line organization device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, The production line organization device further includes a display unit that displays a line organization improvement log including target equipment for which measures have been implemented in the line organization improvement processing, the status of the target equipment, the ID of the implemented measures, and the ID of the results of implementing the measures.

7. 7. The production line organization device according to claim 6, The display unit displays at least one of the line organization information, a two-dimensional or three-dimensional line organization diagram related to the line organization information, the production start time information, and a Gantt chart related to the production start information.

8. A production line organization system for organizing a production line, A computer having at least a processor and a memory, A combination of a series of processes for determining a makespan is obtained from production plan information including at least a scheduled start time and a scheduled completion time for each of the series of processes for producing the item to be produced that is executed on the production line to be organized; changing the organization of the production line based on the combination; Production line organization system.

9. A production line organization method for organizing a production line, comprising: A computer having at least a processor and a memory, A combination of a series of processes for determining a makespan is obtained from production plan information including at least a scheduled start time and a scheduled completion time for each of the series of processes for producing the item to be produced that is executed on the production line to be organized; changing the organization of the production line based on the combination; How to organize a production line.

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