Production plan preparation device

Abstract

To provide a technique to reduce production time in a production line having two or more component mounters.SOLUTION: A production plan preparation device preparing a production plan for a production line having two or more component mounters that mount components on substrates, comprises: a component information acquisition unit; a commonness degree calculation unit; and an order determination unit. The component information acquisition unit acquires, on the basis of each of a plurality of jobs executed by the component mounters, the type and number of components to be mounted on the substrates in the job. The commonness degree calculation unit calculates the degree of commonness of the components between every two jobs of the plurality of jobs. The order determination unit determines the order to execute the plurality of jobs to decrease the degree of commonness of the components between one job of the plurality of jobs and a job to be executed after the one job.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a technology for mounting electronic components on a substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] When a production line with two or more mounters is producing two or more types of component-mounted boards, each mounter repeats the process of executing one job and then another job. Generally, since different types of electronic components are used for each job, when switching between jobs to be executed, it is necessary to change the setup, such as by changing the arrangement of the feeders installed in the mounters.

[0003] Regarding the above point, Patent Document 1 describes a technology for determining the order in which jobs are executed in descending order of the number of types of electronic components commonly used between one job and the job executed after that job, thereby reducing the number of setup changes and shortening the production time for the entire production line. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-159160 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, if the types of electronic components used are standardized between jobs executed by each mounter, restrictions may be placed on the placement of electronic components in each job. These restrictions may result in differences in the number of electronic components to be mounted between mounters, which may result in differences in the time required to mount electronic components between mounters, making it impossible to reduce the production time of the entire production line.

[0006] This specification discloses a technique for shortening production time in a production line having two or more component mounters. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The production planning device disclosed in this specification is a production planning device that creates a production plan for a production line having two or more mounters that mount components on a board. This production planning device includes a component information acquisition unit that acquires, based on each of a plurality of jobs executed by the mounters, the types and quantities of components to be mounted on a board by the job, a commonality calculation unit that calculates the degree of commonality of components between each of two of the plurality of jobs, and an order determination unit that determines the order in which the plurality of jobs are to be executed so that the degree of commonality of components between one of the plurality of jobs and a job executed after the one job is low.

[0008] In the above-described production planning device, the order in which jobs are executed is determined so that the degree of commonality of components between jobs executed before and after each mounter is reduced. This relaxes the constraints on the placement of electronic components in each job, reduces differences in the number of components to be mounted between mounters, and reduces differences in the time required to mount electronic components between mounters. This reduces the production time for the entire production line. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a production line 100 equipped with a production plan creation device 10 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a production plan creation device 10. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a production plan creation process executed by the production plan creation device 10. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the types and numbers of parts used in each job. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the commonality of parts between jobs. [Figure 6] 6A is a diagram showing an example of determining the order in which jobs are executed so that the degree of commonality of parts between the preceding and succeeding jobs is low, and FIG. 6B is a comparative example showing an example of determining the order in which jobs are executed so that the degree of commonality of parts between the preceding and succeeding jobs is high. [Figure 7] 7(A) and 7(B) show the commonalities of the parts in Fig. 6(A) and 6(B), respectively, where P1 to P5 represent the first to fifth parts. [Figure 8] 8(A) and 8(B) show the number of components mounted by each component mounter 2 in the cases of FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B), respectively. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The main features of the embodiments described below are listed below. Note that the technical elements described below are independent technical elements that exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing.

[0011] The production plan creation device disclosed in this specification may further include a standard production time calculation unit that calculates a standard production time for executing each of a plurality of jobs. The order determination unit may determine the order in which the plurality of jobs are to be executed so that the degree of commonality of parts between one of the plurality of jobs and a job executed after the one job is reduced, within a range in which the standard production time calculated for one of the plurality of jobs does not exceed the time required for a changeover to prepare parts to be used in a job executed after the one job. With this configuration, it is possible to avoid delays in production time due to the time required for changeover work.

[0012] In the production plan creation device disclosed in this specification, the order determination unit may rearrange the multiple jobs so that the degree of commonality of parts between one of the multiple jobs and a job executed after the one job is low, and determine the order of execution of the multiple jobs in the rearranged order so that the setup time for the one job and all of the jobs executed after the one job does not exceed the standard production time. With this configuration, setup work can be completed during the production of the immediately preceding job, thereby avoiding production delays due to setup work.

[0013] The production planning device disclosed in this specification may further include a component determination unit that determines the type and number of components to be used in each mounter for each of the multiple jobs based on the order determined by the order determination unit. With this configuration, it is possible to determine the type and number of components to be used in each mounter when executing jobs in the determined order.

[0014] In the production planning device disclosed in this specification, the standard production time for each of the multiple jobs may be calculated based on the mounting time per board and the number of boards to be produced. Additionally or alternatively, the standard production time for each of the multiple jobs may be calculated based on the shortest time required to execute the job. As one example, the standard production time for each of the multiple jobs may be calculated as the time required to execute the job when the degree of commonality of parts between one of the multiple jobs and a job executed after the one job is zero. [Example]

[0015] With reference to the drawings, a production system 1 including a production plan creation device 10 according to an embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the production system 1 includes a plurality of component mounters 2. The component mounters 2 are devices that mount electronic components on circuit boards. The component mounters 2 are also called surface mounters or chip mounters. The plurality of component mounters 2 are arranged in order from the upstream side to the downstream side, and together they form a series of production lines 100. Boards are sent from the upstream side (left side of FIG. 1) of the production line 100 to the downstream side (right side of FIG. 1). The boards sent to the downstream side of the production line 100 are shipped as final products or sent to a subsequent process as semi-finished products.

[0016] The specific number of component mounters 2 in the production line 100 is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more. The configuration of the production line 100 shown in Fig. 1 is an example, and other board work machines such as a printing machine and an inspection machine may be further provided depending on the type of boards to be produced, etc.

[0017] 1, each of the multiple mounters 2 includes a control device 4. Each control device 4 is configured using a computer including a CPU and memory. Each control device 4 is communicably connected to a production plan creation device 10, and controls the operation of each part of the mounter 2 based on the production plan transmitted from the production plan creation device 10.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the production system 1 further includes a production planning device 10. The production planning device 10 creates a production plan for the production line 100 and issues production instructions to each control device 4. Specifically, the production planning device 10 determines the order of jobs (commands including the type and number of boards to be produced) to be executed by each component mounter 2 that makes up the series of production line 100. Based on the determined job order, the production planning device 10 determines the type and number of electronic components to be mounted on boards by each component mounter 2 and creates a production plan. The production planning device 10 issues production instructions to the control device 4 based on the production plan, and each control device 4 controls the operation of the corresponding component mounter 2. In this way, the required electronic components are mounted on boards.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the production plan creation device 10 includes an input unit 12, a display unit 14, and a calculation unit 16. The input unit 12 is an interface that allows an operator to input various information, including information necessary for the production plan creation process, and includes, for example, a touch screen, buttons, etc. The display unit 14 displays the progress of the production plan creation process executed by the calculation unit 16, the created production plan, etc. The calculation unit 16 is configured using a computer including a CPU and a memory unit 18. The calculation unit 16 includes a part information acquisition unit 20, a standard production time calculation unit 22, a commonality calculation unit 24, an order determination unit 26, and a part determination unit 28. The calculation unit 16 functions as each of the part information acquisition unit 20, the standard production time calculation unit 22, the commonality calculation unit 24, the order determination unit 26, and the part determination unit 28 by executing a program stored in the memory unit 18. The processing of each of these units will be described in detail in the description of the production plan creation process in FIG. 3 below.

[0020] The production plan creation process executed by the production plan creation device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. In this embodiment, the production plan creation process determines the order of three jobs to be executed by two component mounters 2 that make up a series of production line 100, and when the jobs are executed in that order, the types and numbers of electronic components to be mounted on a board by each component mounter 2 are determined. The display unit 14 of the production plan creation device 10 can display the production plan created by the production plan creation process shown in Fig. 3 and related information (see Figs. 4 to 8). The display method in this case is not particularly limited.

[0021] 3, first, the component information acquisition unit 20 acquires the type and number of components to be mounted on a board by each job, based on each of a plurality of jobs executed by the component mounter 2 (S12). In this embodiment, an operator inputs information regarding the three jobs (i.e., first to third jobs) executed by the component mounter 2 and the number of five types of electronic components (i.e., first to fifth components) to be mounted on a board in each job, via the input unit 12 to the production plan creation device 10 (see FIG. 4). This information is acquired by the component information acquisition unit 20.

[0022] Next, the standard production time calculation unit 22 calculates the standard production time for executing each of the three jobs across the entire production line 100 (S12). In this embodiment, the standard production time is calculated based on the mounting time per board and the number of boards produced for each of the three jobs. The standard production time is the production time when component placement is determined without attempting to standardize components used between previous and subsequent jobs. The standard production time for each job is calculated by allocating the components used in that job to multiple mounting machines so that the time it takes to execute that job is equal among the multiple mounting machines. However, the time it takes to execute that job does not necessarily have to be equal among the multiple mounting machines; it is sufficient if the difference in the time it takes to execute that job is minimized.

[0023] Next, based on the information acquired by the part information acquisition unit 20 in S10, the commonality calculation unit 24 calculates the commonality of parts for each combination of two jobs that can be selected from the three jobs (S14). The commonality of parts is calculated as the proportion of the number of types of parts used in common between the two jobs to the total number of types of parts used in all jobs. For example, between the first job and the second job, of the five types of parts used in all three jobs, two types of parts, the first part and the third part, are used in common, so the commonality of parts between these jobs is calculated to be 40% (see FIG. 5).

[0024] Next, the order determination unit 26 rearranges the three jobs so that the degree of commonality of parts between one job executed first and the job executed after the first job is lower (S16). In this embodiment, there are six possible combinations of the order in which the three jobs can be executed, and the optimal combination is determined from among the six combinations. To this end, one combination appropriately selected from the six (e.g., a combination of the first job, the second job, and the third job) is designated as the first combination, and the order of this combination is rearranged so that the degree of commonality of parts is lower to search for the optimal combination. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the degree of commonality of parts between the first job and the third job (here, 20%) is lower than the degree of commonality of parts between the first job and the second job (here, 40%). Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A, the jobs are rearranged in the order of the first job, the third job, and the second job.

[0025] Next, the sequence determination unit 26 calculates the setup time for preparing components to be used in jobs executed after the current job, in the order rearranged in S16 (S18). In S18, the mounter 2 to which each component is assigned is determined. Therefore, in the setup work, in addition to the component feeders to be placed for components to be used in jobs executed after the current job, component feeders to be removed that were used in jobs executed before the current job and are no longer needed are also determined. Therefore, the setup time is calculated based on the time to place the component feeders and the time to remove the component feeders. Here, both placing the component feeders and removing the component feeders are included in preparing components to be used in jobs executed after the current job.

[0026] Here, the production time for the entire mounter 2 is calculated based on the job execution time and the setup time. Specifically, the larger of the job execution time for the first job and the setup time from the first job to the second job is added to the production time for the entire mounter 2. Similarly, the larger of the job execution time for the second job and the setup time from the second job to the third job is added to the production time for the entire mounter 2. The job execution time for the third job is added directly to the settlement time for the entire mounter 2. Therefore, when each setup time is equal to or less than the job execution time of the corresponding job, it is possible to avoid delays in production time (machine downtime) due to setup work, and the production time for the entire mounter 2 is shortened.

[0027] The job execution time is the time required for each mounter 2 constituting the production line 100 to mount components on a board by executing three jobs in a rearranged order. In this case, the job execution time for each job in each mounter 2 is calculated taking into account the degree of commonality of components with the job executed before that job. Specifically, in each mounter 2, components common to one job and the job executed before that job are arranged so that they are identically positioned between those jobs. Furthermore, the lower the degree of commonality of components between the previous and next jobs, the shorter the job execution time tends to be. In particular, when the degree of commonality of components between the previous and next jobs is zero, the job execution time for each job matches the standard production time for that job. Therefore, the standard production time for each job to be executed in each mounter 2 is less than or equal to the job execution time for each job to be executed in each mounter 2.

[0028] Based on the above relationship, in this embodiment, the magnitude relationship between the setup time and the job execution time is compared using the magnitude relationship between the setup time and the standard production time. Specifically, the sequence determination unit 26 determines whether the standard production time calculated for one job exceeds the setup time calculated for a job executed after the first job (S20). For example, the sequence determination unit 26 determines whether the setup time for preparing parts to be used in a third job executed after the first job exceeds the standard production time calculated for the first job. As described above, since the standard production time for the first job is equal to or less than the job execution time for the first job, if the setup time for the third job is equal to or less than the standard production time for the first job, the setup time for the third job will be equal to or less than the job execution time for the first job. In this case, the setup work for preparing parts to be used in the third job can be performed within the production time for the first job, thereby avoiding a delay in production time (machine downtime) due to the setup work. Next, the sequence determination unit 26 determines whether the setup change time required to prepare parts to be used in the second job executed after the third job exceeds the standard production time calculated for the third job.

[0029] In the rearranged job order, if the setup change time calculated for a job executed after a job does not exceed the standard production time calculated for all jobs before and after the job (i.e., YES in S20), the order determination unit 26 determines to execute the three jobs in the order rearranged in S16 (S22). If, in the rearranged job order, the setup change time calculated for a job executed after the job exceeds the standard production time calculated for at least one job before and after the job (i.e., NO in step S20), the order determination unit 26 returns to S16, rearranges the three jobs so that the commonality of parts between the preceding and following jobs is high, and repeats the processes from S16 to S20 until YES in S20. In this embodiment, if the three jobs are executed in the order of the first job, the third job, and the second job, YES is determined in S20.

[0030] Next, as shown in Figures 7(A) and 8(A), the component determination unit 28 determines the type and number of components to be used in each of the component mounters 2 for each of the three jobs based on the order determined in S24 (S24). In this way, a production plan is created. In accordance with this production plan, each control device 4 controls the operation of the corresponding component mounter 2, thereby executing the three jobs in the determined order and mounting the required components on the board in each component mounter 2.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 6(B) and 7(B), in a comparative example in which three jobs are rearranged so that the degree of commonality of components between the preceding and succeeding jobs is high, a first component is commonly used between the first job of the first component mounter and the second job executed thereafter. This creates restrictions on the placement of components used in the second job, resulting in a difference in the number of components mounted between the two component mounters 2 when the second job is executed (see FIG. 8(B)). In contrast, in the production plan creation device 10 described above, the order in which jobs are executed is determined so that the degree of commonality of components between the preceding and succeeding jobs executed by each component mounter 2 is low (S28). By rearranging the three jobs so that the degree of commonality of components between the preceding and succeeding jobs is low, the restrictions on the placement of components in each job are relaxed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the first component used in the second job can be mounted on a board by the second component mounter instead of the first component mounter. In addition, the fourth component used in the second job can be mounted on the board by the first mounter instead of the second mounter. This makes it possible to prevent differences in the number of components mounted in each job among the mounters 2, as shown in Fig. 8(A), and to prevent differences in the time required to mount components among the mounters 2. This makes it possible to shorten the production time for the entire production line 100.

[0032] In this embodiment, the production plan creation device 10 includes a standard production time calculation unit 22 that calculates a standard production time for executing each of the multiple jobs. In this case, the order determination unit 26 determines the order in which the three jobs are executed so that the degree of commonality of parts between one of the three jobs and the job executed after the previous job is low, within a range in which the standard production time calculated for one of the three jobs does not exceed the time required for a changeover to prepare parts to be used in the job executed after the previous job. This configuration can avoid delays in production time due to the time required for changeover work. However, if the changeover time is relatively short, steps S18 and S20 in FIG. 3 may be omitted. In this case, the order determination unit 26 simply rearranges the three jobs so that the degree of commonality of parts between the previous and next jobs is low.

[0033] In this embodiment, as described above, the commonality of parts is calculated based on the type of parts commonly used between the previous and next jobs. However, in other embodiments, the commonality of parts may be calculated based on the number of parts used, etc.

[0034] Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. Furthermore, the technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technology exemplified in this specification or drawings simultaneously achieves multiple objectives, and achieving one of those objectives itself has technical utility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1: Production System 2: Component mounter 4: Control device 10: Production planning device 12: Input section 14: Display section 16: Arithmetic section 18: Storage part 20: Part information acquisition unit 22: Standard production time calculation unit 24: Commonality calculation part 26: Order determination section 28: Parts determination unit 100: Production line

Claims

1. A production plan creation device that creates a production plan for a production line having two or more component mounters that mount components on a board, a component information acquisition unit that acquires, based on each of a plurality of jobs executed by the component mounter, the type and number of components to be mounted on a board by the job; a commonality calculation unit that calculates a commonality of parts between each two jobs among the plurality of jobs; an order determination unit that determines an order in which the plurality of jobs are to be executed so that a degree of commonality of parts between one job of the plurality of jobs and a job executed after the one job is reduced; A production plan creation device comprising:

2. a standard production time calculation unit that calculates a standard production time for executing each of the plurality of jobs, 2. The production plan creation device according to claim 1, wherein the order determination unit determines the order of execution of the plurality of jobs so that a degree of commonality of parts between one of the plurality of jobs and a job executed after the one job is low, within a range in which the standard production time calculated for one of the plurality of jobs does not exceed a setup time for preparing parts to be used in a job executed after the one job.

3. The order determination unit rearrange the plurality of jobs so that a commonality of parts between one job of the plurality of jobs and a job executed after the one job is reduced; 3. The production plan creation device according to claim 2, wherein the order of execution of the plurality of jobs is determined so that, in the rearranged order, the standard production time does not exceed the setup change time for the one job and all jobs executed after the one job.

4. 4. The production plan creation device according to claim 1, further comprising a component determination unit that determines, for each of the plurality of jobs, the type and number of components to be used in each of the component mounters based on the order determined by the order determination unit.

5. 3. The production plan creation device according to claim 2, wherein the standard production time for each of the plurality of jobs is calculated based on the mounting time per one board and the number of boards to be produced.

6. 3. The production plan creation device according to claim 2, wherein the standard production time for each of the plurality of jobs is calculated based on the shortest time required to execute the job.

7. 7. The production plan creation device according to claim 6, wherein the standard production time for each of the plurality of jobs is calculated as a time required to execute a job when a commonality of parts between one of the plurality of jobs and a job executed after the one job is zero.

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