Work instruction system, work instruction method, and work instruction program

Abstract

To improve work efficiency during product manufacturing by issuing instructions to load a work-in-progress onto transport means and to move the transport means appropriately.SOLUTION: A work instruction system comprises: a production management unit that is configured to create production plan information for products containing one or more components; and a work instruction unit that outputs instructions regarding the loading of a work-in-progress created for each manufacturing process of the product and the movement of transportation means. The work instruction unit is configured to execute production plan information acquisition processing that acquires the production plan information, work-in-progress identification processing that specifies a transportation means for each manufacturing process and identifies the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transportation means, linking processing that links and manages transportation means information regarding the transportation means related to the work-in-progress identification processing with work-in-progress information regarding the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transportation means, and movement instruction processing that outputs a movement instruction to move the transportation means loaded with the work-in-progress to a storage area where the transportation means can be stored.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work instruction system, a work instruction method, and a work instruction program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a work instruction system that allows a worker to understand the content of the next process after the work process that the worker is currently performing in a product manufacturing process (for example, Patent Document 1, etc.). The work instruction system of Patent Document 1 is configured to extract a next work candidate based on a process plan that defines the execution order of the work for multiple processing machines, and to give instructions for the next work to the worker via a display unit equipped on each processing machine or a display terminal held by each worker, thereby allowing the worker to understand the content of the work to be performed next. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-199150 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in conventional work instruction systems that instruct workers on the contents of the next process, including the work instruction system described in Patent Document 1, when the currently executed work process is completed, the product of the currently executed work (hereinafter referred to as work in progress) is loaded onto a transport means that can carry it, and the work in progress is transported to the vicinity of the processing machine for the next process or the work location for the next process, and then work on the next process begins.

[0005] However, in conventional work instruction systems, since it is not specified how to load the work-in-progress onto which transportation means, there is a risk that the work-in-progress required for the next process will not be accurately loaded onto the transportation means. Furthermore, since there is no instruction as to where in the factory the transportation means loaded with the work-in-progress should be moved, if the transportation means loaded with the work-in-progress is moved to a work area different from the work area related to the next process due to human error or the like, there is a risk that the location of the transportation means loaded with the work-in-progress will become unknown.

[0006] When these problems occur, it becomes necessary to search within the factory for a means of transport loaded with the work-in-progress that will be used for the next operation, which causes delays in operations and ultimately hinders efficient product manufacturing.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention relates to a work instruction system, a work instruction method, and a work instruction program that can improve work efficiency during product manufacturing by issuing instructions to load work-in-progress onto a transportation means and instructions to appropriately move the transportation means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A work instruction system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a production management unit configured to be able to create production plan information for a product including one or more parts, and a work instruction unit that outputs instructions regarding the loading of work-in-progress created for each manufacturing process of the product and the movement of a transportation means, wherein the work instruction unit is configured to be able to execute a production plan information acquisition process that acquires the production plan information, a work-in-progress identification process that designates the transportation means for each manufacturing process and identifies the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transportation means, a linking process that links and manages transportation means information regarding the transportation means related to the work-in-progress identification process with work-in-progress information regarding the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transportation means, and a movement instruction process that outputs a movement instruction to move the transportation means loaded with the work-in-progress to a storage area capable of storing the transportation means.

[0009] Furthermore, a work instruction method according to one aspect of the present invention uses an information processing terminal to perform the following steps: a production plan information creation process for creating production plan information for a product including one or more parts; a production plan information acquisition process for acquiring the production plan information; a work-in-progress identification process for specifying a transportation means for each manufacturing process and identifying the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transportation means; a linking process for linking and managing transportation means information related to the transportation means related to the work-in-progress identification process with work-in-progress information related to the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transportation means; and a movement instruction process for outputting a movement instruction to move the transportation means loaded with the work-in-progress to a storage area capable of storing the transportation means.

[0010] Furthermore, a work instruction program according to one embodiment of the present invention causes an information processing terminal to execute a production plan information acquisition process for acquiring production plan information, a work-in-progress identification process for specifying a transport means for each manufacturing process and identifying work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transport means, a linking process for linking and managing transport means information relating to the transport means related to the work-in-progress identification process with work-in-progress information relating to the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transport means, and a movement instruction process for outputting a movement instruction to move the transport means loaded with the work-in-progress to a storage area capable of storing the transport means.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the work instruction system, work instruction method, and work instruction program of the present invention, it is possible to identify the work-in-progress that should be loaded onto a specified transportation means, thereby improving work efficiency when loading the work-in-progress onto a transportation means, and it is also possible to output instructions to move the transportation means on which the work-in-progress is loaded, thereby preventing work delays and the like caused by the location of the transportation means being unknown. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to a work instruction system, a work instruction method, and a work instruction program according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to improve work efficiency during product manufacturing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a work instruction system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a factory where work instructions according to this embodiment are implemented. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a work instruction unit according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing content of the processing unit according to this embodiment. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of the work-in-progress specification process according to this embodiment. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of the work-in-progress specification process according to this embodiment. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C is a diagram illustrating an example of the work-in-progress specification process according to this embodiment. [Figure 5D] FIG. 5D is a diagram illustrating an example of the work-in-progress specification process according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a display terminal of this embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a check item setting screen according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the destination registration screen of this embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the destination confirmation screen of this embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a work instruction method according to this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the inventions according to the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. Furthermore, in the present embodiments, the scale and dimensions of each component may be exaggerated, and some components may be omitted.

[0015] [Overall configuration of the work instruction system according to this embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a travel instruction system according to this embodiment. First, a work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment will be outlined with reference to Figure 1. The work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment generally includes a production management unit 10 capable of creating production plan information for a product including one or more parts, a work instruction unit 100 that outputs instructions to a transport means P regarding the loading of work-in-progress created for each product manufacturing process and the movement of the transport means P, and a storage area A capable of storing the transport means P.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the work instruction system 1 includes a server 20, a workshop terminal 30 used in the workshop where each work process is performed, a processing machine 40 used in each work process, and a display terminal 200 capable of displaying the instructions of the work instruction unit 100.

[0017] In this specification, the term "product" refers to an item that has gone through all manufacturing processes in a factory and is ready to be delivered to a customer or the like. In addition, in this specification, the term "work in progress" refers to the product of each manufacturing process of a product, in other words, a product that is in the manufacturing process of a product but is not ready to be delivered to a customer or the like. Furthermore, in this specification, the term "part" refers to an item that constitutes a product.

[0018] In the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment, the manufacturing process of a product includes, for example, a blanking process in which a single metal plate (hereinafter referred to as a "sheet" in this specification) of a fixed length is blanked to any shape, a sorting process in which the work-in-progress cut out in the blanking process is sorted, a secondary process in which the work-in-progress created in the blanking process is subjected to predetermined processing, an assembly process, an inspection process, and other processes until the product is completed. The secondary process includes, for example, a bending process, a painting process, and a deburring process, and the assembly process includes a welding process.

[0019] The work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment includes a transport means P that can be loaded with work in progress and that can be moved to various locations within a factory with the work in progress loaded. In this embodiment, the transport means P is described as a pallet that can be moved to various locations within the factory with the work in progress loaded. In addition, in the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment, the transport means P is described as including an automatic transport means PA that is configured to be able to move automatically within the factory, such as an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle), and a manual transport means PW that is configured to be able to be moved manually within the factory by workers (hereinafter referred to as "workers") engaged in various work processes.

[0020] All of the transport means P in the factory may be automatic transport means PA, or all of the transport means P may be manual transport means PW. Furthermore, the transport means P is not limited to pallets, and may be any means capable of moving with a small amount of work-in-progress loaded, such as trays, flatbed trucks, basket carts, containers, etc.

[0021] Each transportation means P is assigned a unique transportation means identifier (e.g., a pallet number) that uniquely identifies it, and multiple transportation means P present in a factory can be identified. The transportation means identifier attached to each transportation means P can be confirmed by directly displaying the transportation means identifier on the surface of the transportation means P, or by displaying a two-dimensional code on the transportation means P and reading the two-dimensional code with the workshop terminal 30, the display terminal 200, or the like. Alternatively, the transportation means identifier can be confirmed by the workshop terminal 30, the display terminal 200, or the like acquiring information transmitted from information transmission means that transmits information related to the transportation means identifier, such as a UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) tag.

[0022] In the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment, the production management unit 10, work instruction unit 100, server 20, workshop terminal 30, processing machine 40, and display terminal 200 are interconnected so as to be able to communicate with each other via a private network, etc. When these are connected by wireless communication, the work instruction system 1 may be provided with one or more access points.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a factory where work instructions according to this embodiment are executed. The work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment can be used, for example, in a factory as shown in FIG. 2. The factory shown in FIG. 2 has multiple processing plants or work areas where various work processes are performed to complete a product, such as a "blank processing plant" where a blanking process is performed, a "sorting workshop" where a sorting process is performed, "bending workshop (1)" and "bending workshop (2)" where a bending process is performed, a "painting workshop" where a painting process is performed, and a "welding workshop" where a welding process is performed. The work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment also has "storage area (1)" to "storage area (8)" for storing transportation means P. The overall configuration of the factory in which the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment is implemented is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2, and various arbitrary configurations can be adopted.

[0024] In this embodiment, the storage area A includes an in-workplace area AW, an intermediate area AS, and a flat-laying area AL, as shown in FIG. 2. The in-workplace area AW is an area located within the work area of ​​each work process, and in this embodiment, it is located, for example, within the blanking work area, the sorting work area, the bending work area (1), and the bending work area (2). The intermediate area AS and the flat-laying area AL are storage areas located between work areas within a factory, and are located, for example, between the sorting work area and the bending work area (1) and the bending work area (2). In this embodiment, the in-workplace area AW is provided with a section capable of storing the automatic transporting means PA of the transporting means P and a section capable of storing the manual transporting means PW, which are spaced apart from each other. Furthermore, the intermediate area AS is configured to store only the automatic transporting means PA, and the flat-laying area AL is configured to store only the manual transporting means PW. In this way, by changing the storage location within storage area A according to the type of transportation means P or limiting the types of transportation means P that can be stored in each storage area A, the convenience of workers when storing transportation means P is improved, and it becomes easier to understand which storage area A the transportation means P is in after storage, thereby further improving work efficiency throughout the factory.

[0025] Furthermore, in this embodiment, each storage area A is assigned a unique storage area identifier (e.g., a storage area number) that uniquely identifies the individual storage area A. Specifically, a storage area identifier is assigned to each of the work area AW, intermediate area AS, and flat area AL included in the storage area A, and each storage area A can be uniquely identified.

[0026] [Production Management Department Structure] The production management unit 10 is an information processing terminal configured as a desktop personal computer, laptop computer, tablet terminal, or the like. The production management unit 10 manages order information, product information, product and component manufacturing process information, and progress information for each process, and creates production plan information related to the production plan for the ordered product. The production management unit 10 is also configured to be able to acquire processing results for each process from the processing machine 40 (described below), and is configured to be able to configure production plan information based on the processing results.

[0027] The production plan information includes information on business partners, products and parts, part processing programs, etc. The product and part information also includes, for example, product names, part names, production delivery dates for products and parts, scheduled processing dates for products and parts, manufacturing process information for products and parts, product and part quantities, product and part serial numbers, etc.

[0028] [Work Instruction Section Configuration] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a work instruction unit according to this embodiment. The work instruction unit 100 is generally configured to be able to execute a production plan information acquisition process for acquiring production plan information, a work-in-progress identification process for specifying a transport means P for each manufacturing process and identifying work-in-progress to be loaded on the transport means P, a linking process for linking and managing transport means information 143 related to the transport means P related to the work-in-progress identification process with work-in-progress information 142 related to the work-in-progress to be loaded on the transport means P, and a movement instruction process for outputting a movement instruction to move the transport means P loaded with the work-in-progress to a storage area A capable of storing the transport means P. Specifically, the work instruction unit 100 is an information processing terminal such as a desktop personal computer, a laptop computer, or a tablet terminal that includes an input unit 110, a display unit 120, a control unit 130, and a memory unit 140, as shown in FIG. 3 .

[0029] The input unit 110 is composed of input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a joystick, etc., and can be used to input basic information required by the work instruction unit 100. The input unit 110 can also be used by a user to perform various operations, such as registering various instructions such as instructions to move a transport means P and instructions to load work-in-progress onto the transport means P, which will be described later, determining whether or not to judge a judgment item in the work-in-progress identification process and determining the order in which to judge the judgment items, and editing the linking information between the work-in-progress information 142 and the transport means information 143 and the linking information between the transport means information 143 and the storage area information 144.

[0030] The display unit 120 displays, for example, a check item setting screen 122 (see FIG. 7 ), which will be described later, in addition to the screen display functions required by the work instructing unit 100. The display unit 120 may be configured as a touch panel or the like having the functions of the input unit 110. In this way, when the display unit 120 is configured as a touch panel, the user can input the various operations described above to the work instructing unit 100 by operating the display unit 120.

[0031] The configurations of the input unit 110 and the display unit 120 are not limited to those described above, and any configuration can be adopted, such as a display means or input means that can be used remotely, as long as it has the same functions as the input unit 110 and the display unit 120.

[0032] The control unit 130 is configured by, for example, an integrated arithmetic processing device having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). As shown in Fig. 3, the control unit 130 includes a display control unit 131 that controls the display unit 120, a work-in-progress information management unit 132, a transportation means information management unit 133, a storage area information management unit 134, and a processing unit 135.

[0033] The display control unit 131 is configured to be able to execute control of the screen displayed on the display unit 120, and specifically is configured to be able to display a check item setting screen 122 (described later) on the display unit 120. The display control unit 131 is also configured to be able to display a destination registration screen 222 (see FIG. 8) and a destination confirmation screen 224 (see FIG. 9) (described later) on the display unit 220 of the display terminal 200.

[0034] The work-in-progress information management unit 132 is configured to acquire at least one of the production plan information created by the production management unit 10 and the processing schedule information created by the workshop terminal 30, and create and manage work-in-progress information 142, which is information regarding work-in-progress created in each manufacturing process, based on the production plan information and the processing schedule information.

[0035] Here, the work-in-progress information 142 includes, for example, the part name of the work-in-progress, the serial number of the work-in-progress, information about the next process of the work-in-progress, information about the next workshop of the work-in-progress, information about the thickness of the work-in-progress, information about the material of the work-in-progress, information about the dimensions of the work-in-progress, information about the shape of the work-in-progress, the quantity of the work-in-progress, the production delivery date of the work-in-progress, information about the workers who worked on creating the work-in-progress, a bill of materials (BOM) of the product that includes the work-in-progress as a component, etc. Note that, among the above-mentioned work-in-progress information 142, "information about the workshop of the work-in-progress" relates to, for example, the names of the workshops such as "blank processing workshop," "sorting workshop," and "welding workshop" as shown in FIG. 2, and coordinate information of each workshop, etc.

[0036] The transportation information management unit 133 is configured to create, edit, and manage transportation information 143. Here, the transportation information 143 is information created for each individual transportation P, and the transportation information 143 includes a transportation identifier of the transportation P, current location information of the transportation P, destination information of the transportation P, information on the type of the transportation P, information on the dimensions of the transportation P, etc. The transportation information management unit 133 is configured to be able to register the transportation information 143 of the transportation P by inputting the transportation identifier from the input unit 110, etc. Note that, when the transportation P is equipped with information transmission means, the transportation information management unit 133 is also configured to be able to acquire location information of the transportation P and register the current location information of the transportation P based on the location information.

[0037] In addition, the transportation means information management unit 133 is configured to obtain destination information of transportation means P by inputting the results of the linking process between transportation means information 143 and storage area information 144 of the processing unit 135 described below from the input unit 110, etc. or obtaining them from the linking master 147, etc. of the memory unit 140, and to register the destination information of transportation means P based on the destination information.

[0038] The storage area information management unit 134 is configured to create, edit, and manage storage area information 144. Here, the storage area information 144 is information created for each individual storage area A, and includes the storage area identifier of the storage area A, the coordinates of each storage area A within the factory, the storage status of each storage area A, etc.

[0039] The storage area information management unit 134 is configured to be able to register storage area information 144 of storage area A by inputting a storage area identifier from the input unit 110, etc. The storage area information management unit 134 is also configured to be able to register the storage status of storage area A by inputting the storage status of storage area A from the input unit 110, etc.

[0040] The processing unit 135 is configured to be able to manage location information of work-in-progress by linking the work-in-progress information 142 managed by the work-in-progress information management unit 132 with the transportation means information 143 managed by the transportation means information management unit 133. The processing unit 135 is also configured to acquire the storage area information 144 managed by the storage area information management unit 134, and link the storage area information 144 with the transportation means information 143, thereby managing destination information of the transportation means information 143. The processing unit 135 is configured to be able to edit and manage linking information between the work-in-progress information 142 and the transportation means information 143 and linking information between the transportation means information 143 and the storage area information 144, and specifically, is configured to register and manage the linking information between the work-in-progress information 142 and the transportation means information 143 and the linking information between the transportation means information 143 and the storage area information 144 in a linking master 147 of the storage unit 140.

[0041] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the processing unit of this embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the processing unit 135 performs a pre-work movement instruction process (S100 in FIG. 4) of designating a transportation means P loaded with work-in-progress created in a previous process based on the work-in-progress information 142 and transportation means information 143 and moving the transportation means P to the work site of the current process, a work-in-progress specification process (S101 in FIG. 4) of designating a transportation means P for each manufacturing process based on the work-in-progress information 142 and transportation means information 143 and specifying the work-in-progress to be loaded on the transportation means P, and a process of specifying the transportation means information 143 related to the transportation means P related to the work-in-progress specification process and the work-in-progress to be loaded on the transportation means P. The system is configured to be able to execute a linking process (S102 in FIG. 4) that links and manages the work-in-progress information 142 stored in the transport vehicle P, a storage status acquisition process (S103 in FIG. 4) that acquires information regarding the storage status of the transport vehicle P in storage area A, a storage location identification process (S104 in FIG. 4) that identifies a storage area A for the transport vehicle P from among candidate storage areas A based on the information acquired by the storage status acquisition process, and a post-work movement instruction process (S105 in FIG. 4) that outputs a movement instruction to move the transport vehicle P loaded with the work-in-progress to the storage area A identified by the storage location identification process.

[0042] In this embodiment, the output destination of the "movement instruction to move the transportation means P" in the pre-work movement instruction processing and the post-work movement instruction processing differs depending on the type of transportation means P that is the target of the movement instruction. Specifically, when the transportation means P that is the target of the movement instruction is an automated transportation means PA, the processing unit 135 is configured to automatically move the automated transportation means PA by outputting the movement instruction to a control unit (not shown) of the automated transportation means PA, etc. Furthermore, when the transportation means P that is the target of the movement instruction is a manual transportation means PW, the processing unit 135 is configured to manually move the manual transportation means PW by outputting a movement destination confirmation screen 224 (described later) to the display unit 220 of the display terminal 200 via the display control unit 131.

[0043] The pre-work movement instruction process is a process that outputs an instruction to move a transportation means P carrying work-in-progress created in a previous process to the work site of the current process. Specifically, the pre-work movement instruction process is a process that identifies work-in-progress to be moved to the work site of the current process from information about the work site of the next process included in the work-in-progress information 142 created in the previous process, and then outputs an instruction to move the transportation means P related to the transportation means information 143 linked to the work-in-progress information 142 to the work site of the current process. Note that the pre-work movement instruction process is not executed in a process where no work-in-progress created in a process previous to the current process exists, such as a blanking process.

[0044] The work-in-progress identification process is a process for specifying a transport means P for loading work-in-progress in each process and for specifying the work-in-progress to be loaded on the specified transport means P. Specifically, the work-in-progress identification process is a process for specifying a transport means P for loading the work-in-progress created in the current process based on work-in-progress information 142 related to the work-in-progress created in the current process. Note that, from the viewpoint of reducing the travel time of the transport means P and improving work efficiency, the work-in-progress identification process preferably specifies the transport means P that was specified in the pre-work movement instruction process and that was loaded with the work-in-progress created in the previous process, but is not limited to this, and a transport means P (empty pallet) that was not specified in the pre-work movement instruction process and that does not have work-in-progress loaded on it may also be specified.

[0045] In addition, in the work-in-progress identification process, if the transport means P specified in the pre-work movement instruction process is not sufficient to load all the work-in-progress created in the current process, it is also possible to specify an additional transport means P (empty pallet) that is not loaded with work-in-progress.

[0046] In the work-in-progress identification process, after a transportation means P is specified, it is determined how the work-in-progress created in the current process should be loaded onto the specified transportation means P. Specifically, in the work-in-progress identification process, at least two or more judgment items are set based on work-in-progress information 142 related to the work-in-progress created in the current process, and the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transportation means P is identified based on the judgment items. Here, the "judgment items" include information related to the next process of the work-in-progress, information related to the work location related to the next process of the work-in-progress, information related to the worker who created the work-in-progress, information related to the thickness of the work-in-progress, information related to the material of the work-in-progress, information related to the dimensions of the work-in-progress, information related to the shape of the work-in-progress, information related to the number of work-in-progress, information related to the weight of the work-in-progress, etc.

[0047] The weighting of the above-mentioned check items can be arbitrarily set by the user on the check item setting screen 122, which will be described later. Specifically, in this embodiment, the user can arbitrarily set the check order (priority) of the above-mentioned check items and whether or not to make a check (implement) on the check item setting screen 122, which will be described later. Furthermore, the above-mentioned check items are merely examples, and the user can set any information included in the work-in-progress information 142 as a check item.

[0048] 5A to 5D are diagrams showing an example of the work-in-progress specification process performed by the processing unit 135. FIG. 5A to 5D, a specific example of the work-in-progress identifying process and the linking process according to this embodiment will be described. The examples in Fig. 5A to 5D relate to the work-in-progress identifying process and the linking process after the bending process. First, the processing unit 135 acquires work-in-progress information 142 related to work-in-progress created in the current process (bending process) from the work-in-progress information management unit 132, and selects work-in-progress to be identified in the work-in-progress identification process, such as work-in-progress with part names A to C. Then, based on preset judgment items, the processing unit 135 identifies the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transportation means P. Note that the judgment items set in Figures 5A to 5D are four items of information related to "next process," "work location," "thickness," and "quantity," and these judgment items are set to be judged in the order of "next process" → "work location" → "thickness" → "quantity."

[0049] Processing unit 135 first focuses on information about the "next process" of the work-in-progress, which is the first judgment item, and identifies the work-in-progress to be loaded onto transportation means P. As shown in FIG. 5A, work-in-progress information 142 for parts A and B includes information about the next process, "welding." Furthermore, work-in-progress information 142 for part C includes information about the next process, "assembly." Therefore, processing unit 135 identifies parts A and B, which include the same information, as a set to be loaded onto pallet 1, and identifies part C as being loaded onto pallet 2.

[0050] Next, processing unit 135 focuses on the information on the "work place" of the next process of the work-in-progress, which is the second judgment item, and identifies the work-in-progress to be loaded onto transportation means P. As shown in FIG. 5B , work-in-progress information 142 for parts A and B includes information on the "welding work place" as information on the work place of the next process, and work-in-progress information 142 for part C includes information on the "assembly work place" as information on the work place of the next process. In other words, since the identification result is the same as the identification result based on the information on the next process of the work-in-progress, which is the first judgment item, the identification content of the work-in-progress to be loaded onto transportation means P in this item is not changed, and processing moves on to identification based on the next judgment item.

[0051] Next, processing unit 135 identifies the work-in-progress items to be loaded onto transportation means P based on information about the "thickness" of the work-in-progress items, which is the third judgment item. As shown in FIG. 5C , work-in-progress information 142 for part A includes information that the thickness is "3.1," while work-in-progress information 142 for parts B and C includes information that the thickness is "2.3." Therefore, processing unit 135 disassociates parts A and B, which have different information about thickness, and re-specifies that only part A should be loaded onto pallet 1. Note that in this judgment item, parts B and C have the same information about their thicknesses, but because their information about the next process of the work-in-progress items, which is the first judgment item, is not the same, parts B and C are not paired. In other words, as a result of the judgment in this judgment item, part B is re-specified to be loaded onto pallet 2, and part C is re-specified to be loaded onto the newly added pallet 3.

[0052] Finally, the processing unit 135 identifies the work-in-progress items to be loaded onto the transportation means P based on information regarding the number of work-in-progress items, which is the final judgment item. As shown in FIG. 5D , the work-in-progress information 142 for part A includes information that the number is "25," the work-in-progress information 142 for part B includes information that the number is "15," and the work-in-progress information 142 for part C includes information that the number is "50." If it is determined based on the information regarding the number of parts C that all of the parts C cannot be loaded using only the currently specified pallet 3, the processing unit 135 newly specifies pallet 4, and specifies that parts C should be loaded onto pallets 3 and 4. The determination of whether the work-in-progress items can be loaded onto the transportation means P is made by referring to information regarding the dimensions of the transportation means P, etc., included in the transportation means information 143.

[0053] When the processing unit 135 determines that the designation of the transport means P and the identification of the work-in-progress to be loaded on the transport means P have been completed for all of the judgment items in the work-in-progress identification process described above, it executes a linking process that links the work-in-progress information 142 related to the work-in-progress identification process with the transport means information 143. That is, in Fig. 5D, the processing unit 135 links the work-in-progress information 142 related to part A with the transport means information 143 related to pallet 1, the work-in-progress information 142 related to part B with the transport means information 143 related to pallet 2, the work-in-progress information 142 related to part C with the transport means information 143 related to pallet 3, and the work-in-progress information 142 related to part C with the transport means information 143 related to pallet 4. This completes the work-in-progress identification process and the linking process related to the work-in-progress identification process performed by the processing unit 135.

[0054] Furthermore, after executing the linking process, the processing unit 135, based on the linking information, outputs a loading instruction to load the work-in-progress onto the transport means P. The processing unit 135 is also configured to be able to output the linking information to a control unit of a sorting device (not shown), and can also cause the sorting device to automatically load the work-in-progress onto the transport means P.

[0055] Furthermore, in the work-in-progress identification process, if a transport means P for loading the work-in-progress is added or the current process is a blank process, the processing unit 135 outputs, in addition to the above-mentioned loading instruction, a movement instruction to move the added or specified transport means P into the work area related to the current work process.

[0056] After the linking process, the processing unit 135 executes a storage status acquisition process to acquire storage area information 144 from the storage area information management unit 134, and acquires information on the current storage status of each storage area A. Note that, in order to improve the processing speed, the storage status acquisition process preferably refers to the work-in-progress information 142 for which linking has been completed by the linking process, selects a candidate storage area A for storing the transport means P based on information on the workplace in the next process included in the work-in-progress information 142, and acquires storage area information 144 only for the candidate storage area A.

[0057] Here, it is preferable that the "candidate for storage area A" is selected taking into consideration the location of the work area in the next process, which is included in the work-in-progress information 142. Specifically, if the information regarding the work area in the next process, which is included in the work-in-progress information 142, is a "painting workshop," it is preferable that an in-work area AW located within the painting workshop is selected as the first candidate, and an intermediate area AS and a flat-lay area AL adjacent to the workshop in the painting process are selected as the second and third candidates, respectively.

[0058] Thereafter, the processing unit 135 determines whether the transportation means P can be stored in the storage area A whose storage status was acquired in the storage area status acquisition process, and executes a storage position identification process to identify the storage area A in which the transportation means P can be stored.

[0059] The processing unit 135 executes a linking process to link the storage area information 144 regarding the storage area A identified by the storage location identification process with the transportation means information 143 regarding the transportation means P to be moved to the storage area A, and then outputs a post-work movement instruction to move the transportation means P loaded with the work-in-progress to the storage area A identified by the storage location identification process.

[0060] In this embodiment, when linking the storage area information 144 related to the storage area A with the transportation means information 143 related to the transportation means P to be moved to the storage area A, the processing unit 135 is configured to update the current position of the transportation means P included in the transportation means information 143 to the position of the storage area A, which is the planned destination of the movement. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, after the transportation means P moves to the storage area A, which is the destination of the instruction, the worker may output to the work instruction unit 100 via the display terminal 200 that the movement has been completed, thereby updating the current position of the transportation means P included in the transportation means information 143.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the processing unit 135 is configured to be able to execute a work-in-process re-identification process (so-called transshipment process) that executes the work-in-process identification process again for multiple transportation means P. Specifically, the work-in-process re-identification process is a process that, after outputting a movement instruction in the above-described post-work movement instruction process, acquires the work-in-process information 142 associated with each of the multiple transportation means P stored in the storage area A, re-designates the transportation means P, and re-identifies the work-in-process to be loaded onto the re-designated transportation means P. Note that, similar to the processing content of the above-described work-in-process identification process, the processing content of the work-in-process re-identification process can identify the work-in-process to be loaded onto the transportation means P based on multiple judgment items. Furthermore, the judgment items in the work-in-process re-identification process may be the same as or different from the judgment items in the work-in-process identification process before linking.

[0062] By configuring the processing unit 135 to be able to execute the work-in-progress re-identification process, there is an advantage in that it is possible to more accurately reload the work-in-progress, taking into account the loading status of the work-in-progress on the multiple transportation means P stored in the storage area A.

[0063] After the processing unit 135 executes the work-in-progress re-identification process, a linking process is executed to link the transportation means information 143 relating to the transportation means P specified by the work-in-progress re-identification process with the work-in-progress information 142 re-identified as being to be loaded onto the transportation means P, and after the linking process is executed, a loading instruction is output to reload the work-in-progress onto each transportation means P, thereby completing the work-in-progress identification process after linking.

[0064] The above-described work-in-progress re-identification process may be performed on transport means P stored in the same storage area A, or on transport means P stored in different storage areas A. The work-in-progress re-identification process can be performed regardless of the type of transport means P. For example, it is also possible to perform a process such as reloading work-in-progress loaded on an automatic transport means PA onto a manual transport means PW.

[0065] The processing unit 135 having these components is configured to be able to create and output instructions regarding the loading of work-in-progress onto the transport means P and the movement of the transport means P. In this embodiment, the processing unit 135 is configured to automatically perform the above-mentioned work-in-progress identification process, linking process, and other processes, but is not limited to this, and may be configured to allow various processes such as the work-in-progress identification process and linking process to be performed manually by a user. Furthermore, the processing method may be changed depending on the type of transport means P, such as automatically issuing movement instructions to the automatic transport means PA and manually issuing movement instructions to the manual transport means PW.

[0066] The storage unit 140 has a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores various data in a readable and writable manner. As shown in Fig. 3, the storage unit 140 stores work-in-progress information 142, transportation means information 143, storage area information 144, a work site master 145, a work instruction program 146, and a linking master 147. The storage unit 140 also stores programs necessary for controlling each part of the work instruction unit 100.

[0067] A list of workshops in a factory is registered in the workshop master 145. The information on the workshop registered in the workshop master 145 is linked to information on the manufacturing process being carried out in the workshop and information on the processing machines 40 installed in the workshop, and the information is registered.

[0068] The work instruction program 146 causes the work-in-progress information management unit 132 of the control unit 130 to execute a production plan information acquisition process for acquiring production plan information from the production management unit 10 . In addition, the work instruction program 146 specifies a transport means P for each manufacturing process based on the work-in-progress information 142 and the transport means information 143, and causes the information processing terminal (in this embodiment, the processing unit 135 of the control unit 130) to execute the following processes: a work-in-progress identification process that specifies the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transport means P; a linking process that links and manages the transport means information 143 related to the transport means P related to the work-in-progress identification process with the work-in-progress information 142 related to the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transport means P; a storage status acquisition process that acquires information regarding the storage status of the transport means P in storage area A; a storage location identification process that identifies the storage area A of the transport means P from among candidate storage areas A based on the information acquired by the storage status acquisition process; and a move instruction process that outputs a move instruction to move the transport means P loaded with the work-in-progress to the storage area A identified by the storage location identification process.

[0069] The linking master 147 stores a list of linking information between work-in-progress information 142 and transportation means information 143, which are linked by the linking process of the processing unit 135 of the control unit 130, and a list of linking information between transportation means information 143 and storage area information 144.

[0070] The work instruction unit 100 having the above configuration can output instructions regarding the loading work of work-in-progress and the movement work of the transport means P, which are created for each production process of the product.

[0071] [Server Configuration] The server 20 has a storage medium such as an HDD or SSD, and stores a management database (not shown). The management database stored in the server 20 includes data created by the production management department 10 and the work instruction department 100, and this data is referenced by the production management department 10, the work instruction department 100, the workshop terminal 30, and the display terminal 200. Note that the configuration of the server 20 can be any of a variety of well-known configurations, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0072] [Workplace terminal configuration] The workshop terminal 30 is an information processing terminal such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, or tablet terminal that includes CAD (computer-aided design) and CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) software, and is configured to create drawing data for parts and products, processing programs for the processing machines 40, and processing schedule information for the processing machines 40 based on the production plan information created by the production management department 10, and store these in the management database of the server 20.

[0073] For example, when the processing machine 40 is a blank processing machine 40a described below, the workshop terminal 30 selects parts with the same plate thickness included in the production planning information based on the production planning information created by the production management department 10, performs nesting to arrange the processing programs for those parts without any gaps, and creates sheet data (processing programs).

[0074] In addition, in this embodiment, the work site terminal 30 has a display unit (not shown) and an input unit (not shown), and is configured to be able to display work-in-progress loading instructions and instructions for moving the transport means P output from the work instruction unit 100, and to register instructions for moving the transport means P to the work instruction unit 100, etc.

[0075] Note that the workshop terminal 30 can employ various known configurations as long as it has the above-described configuration, and therefore detailed description of each configuration will be omitted. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 2, it is preferable that the workshop terminal 30 is provided for each workshop in the factory, but this is not limited thereto. For example, a single workshop terminal 30 may be used in multiple workshops, such as using a common workshop terminal 30 in both the bending workshop (1) and the bending workshop (2). Furthermore, the workshop terminal 30 may be an NC (Numerical Control) device that is attached to the processing machine 40 and controls each processing machine 40.

[0076] [Machine configuration] The processing machines 40 include a blanking machine 40a that processes sheets under NC control and a secondary processing machine 40b that processes individual workpieces after blanking. The blanking machine 40a is, for example, a laser processing machine, a turret punch press, a plasma processing machine, a water jet processing machine, etc. The secondary processing machine 40b is, for example, a bending machine such as a press brake, an NC milling machine, an NC lathe, a machining center, a drilling machine, a grinding machine, etc. In this embodiment, the processing machine 40 is configured to be able to communicate with the production management unit 10, the server 20, the workshop terminal 30, and the work instruction unit 100, respectively.

[0077] In this embodiment, the processing machine 40 is configured to be able to transmit processing results to the production management unit 10 when processing starts, when processing is interrupted, and when processing is completed. The processing results include, for example, information such as the times corresponding to the start, interruption, and completion of processing for each sheet.

[0078] The blanking machine 40a performs processing by, for example, reading sheet data of a processing schedule from a management database stored in the server 20. The secondary processing machine 40b performs processing by, for example, reading a processing program from a management database stored in the server 20.

[0079] [Display device configuration] FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a display terminal according to this embodiment. The display terminal 200 is an information processing terminal such as a desktop computer, notebook computer, or tablet terminal, and as shown in Fig. 6, includes an input unit 210, a display unit 220, a control unit 230, and a storage unit 240. By connecting to the work instruction unit 100 via a network, the display terminal 200 is configured to be able to display work-in-progress loading instructions and instructions for moving the transport means P output from the work instruction unit 100, and to register instructions for moving the transport means P to the work instruction unit 100. The display terminal 200 may include a reading unit (not shown) that can read the transport means identifier of the transport means P.

[0080] It is preferable that the display terminal 200 is a portable tablet terminal or the like from the viewpoint of appropriately outputting instructions for moving the transport means P to each worker, but this is not limiting, and the display terminal 200 may not be portable and may be configured to be placed in various work areas within a factory. Also, a single display terminal 200 may be configured to be used in multiple work areas.

[0081] The input unit 210 is composed of input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, joystick, etc., and in addition to inputting information required for the display terminal 200, it can also perform operations such as registering movement instruction information for the transportation means P in the work instruction unit 100 and linking work-in-progress information 142 with transportation means information 143.

[0082] The display unit 220 has a display as a display device, and is configured to be able to display a destination registration screen 222 and a destination confirmation screen 224, which will be described later, etc. The display unit 220 can also be configured as a touch panel having the functions of the input unit 210. When the display unit 220 is configured as a touch panel, the user can input information to the input unit 210 described above by operating the display unit 220.

[0083] The configurations of the input unit 210 and the display unit 220 are not limited to those described above, and various other configurations can be adopted as long as they have the same functions as the input unit 210 and the display unit 220.

[0084] The control unit 230 is configured, for example, by an integrated processing unit having a CPU and a GPU. In the display terminal 200 according to this embodiment, the control unit 230 includes a display control unit 232 that can control the display unit 220. The display control unit 232 controls the screens to be displayed on the display unit 220. When the destination registration screen 222 and the destination confirmation screen 224 are displayed on the display unit 220, the display control unit 232 controls the display unit 220 so that the position of the selected transportation means P or storage area A is highlighted on the screen. Here, the highlighting can be set in any of a variety of ways, such as blinking, color coding, or border display.

[0085] The storage unit 240 has a storage medium such as an HDD or SSD, and stores various data in a readable and writable manner.

[0086] [About the judgement item editing screen] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the check item editing screen of this embodiment. Next, the check item editing screen displayed on the display unit 120 of the work instruction unit 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7, the user can edit and confirm check items related to the work-in-progress identification process on the check item setting screen 122. The check item setting screen 122 includes a check item list display area 122a, a check item selection area 122b, and a check order setting area 122c.

[0087] The check item list display area 122a is configured to display a list of currently set check items. The check items displayed in the check item list display area 122a are created based on the work-in-progress information 142 created by the work-in-progress information management unit 132. The user can edit or delete a check item by selecting a check item displayed in the check item list display area 122a or the check item editing section 122e. The user can also add a new check item to the check item list display area 122a by selecting a blank space in the check item list display area 122a or the check item editing section 122e and entering the information to be added, as long as the information is included in the work-in-progress information 142.

[0088] The check item selection area 122b is configured to allow the user to select whether or not to make a check item displayed in the check item list display area 122a the target of check. When selecting a check item, the user selects the check item by selecting the check target selection section 122d located in the check item selection area 122b adjacent to the check item displayed in the check item list display area 122a. It is preferable that the check item selected in the check item selection area 122b be displayed in a manner that allows it to be distinguished from unselected check items.

[0089] The judgment order setting area 122c is configured to allow weighting, specifically the judgment order (priority order), for the judgment items selected in the judgment item selection area 122b. When setting the judgment order, the user selects a blank space in the judgment order setting area 122c and inputs the judgment order on a separately displayed input screen (not shown), thereby setting the judgment order of the judgment items present in the same row as the judgment order setting area 122c. Note that in addition to inputting the judgment order of the judgment items as numerical values, the judgment order of each judgment item may also be distinguished by, for example, color-coding the judgment order.

[0090] After setting the judgment order in the judgment order setting area 122c, the user can complete the setting of judgment items by selecting the judgment item registration section 122f. The judgment item setting screen 122 configured as described above can be used to edit and manage judgment items in the work-in-process identification process. The judgment item setting screen 122 may also be configured to register the registered information as a judgment item preset, allowing the user to quickly set judgment items from the next time onward by loading the registered preset. The judgment item editing screen (not shown) for the work-in-process re-identification process of the processing unit 135 of the work instruction unit 100 has a configuration similar to that of the above-described judgment item editing screen 122, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0091] [Destination registration screen and destination confirmation screen] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the destination registration screen of this embodiment. Next, we will explain each screen displayed on the display unit 220 of the display terminal 200. As shown in Fig. 8, the user can link the transportation means information 143 and the storage area information 144 on the destination registration screen 222 and output a movement instruction for the transportation means P. Specifically, the destination registration screen 222 includes a layout display area 222a, a movement target palette display area 222b, a destination display area 222c, and a movement instruction determination unit 222d.

[0092] The layout display area 222a is an area that displays a schematic layout of the factory, and displays the positions of work areas for each process in the factory and the positions of storage areas A that can store the transport means P in a distinguishable manner. Furthermore, when a transport means identifier (pallet number) of the transport means P to be moved is selected in the movement target pallet display area 222b under the control of the display control unit 232 of the control unit 230, the layout display area 222a displays the position of the storage area A in which the selected transport means P is stored in a distinguishable manner from the positions of other storage areas A. Furthermore, when a storage area identifier (storage area number) of the storage area A to which the transport means P is to be moved is selected in the movement destination display area 222c under the control of the display control unit 232, the layout display area 222a displays the position of the selected storage area A in a distinguishable manner from the positions of other storage areas A.

[0093] The palette display area 222b to be moved is configured to display a list of the transportation means identifiers of the transportation means P stored in the storage area A, and the user is configured to be able to select the transportation means P to be moved from the list.

[0094] The destination display area 222c is configured to display a list of storage areas A that can store the transport means P selected in the transport target pallet display area 222b. The destination registration screen 222 configured as described above allows the user to select the transport means identifier of the transport means P to be moved from the transport target pallet display area 222b, select the storage area identifier of the storage area A to which the transport means P is to be moved from the list in the destination display area 222c, and then select the move instruction determination unit 222d, thereby linking the transport means information 143 of the transport means P with the storage area information 144 related to the storage area A to which the transport means P is to be moved, and registering the linking information in the linking master 147 of the work instruction unit 100.

[0095] The selection method on the destination registration screen 222 may be a click operation, or may be a tap operation if the display unit 220 of the display terminal 200 is a touch panel. In addition, from the viewpoint of supporting the user in specifying the destination of the transportation means P, the destination registration screen 222 may be configured so that, when the transportation means identifier of the transportation means P is selected in the movement target palette display area 222b and then the storage area identifier of the storage area A that is the destination of the transportation means P is selected in the movement destination display area 222c, a movement route to the storage area A is displayed in the layout display area 222a.

[0096] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the destination display screen. 9, the user can confirm to which storage area A in the factory a specific transportation means P is to be moved, on the destination confirmation screen 224. The destination confirmation screen 224 includes a layout display area 224a, a movement target pallet display area 224b, and a movement destination display area 224c. In this embodiment, the display content of the destination confirmation screen 224 is generally the same as that of the movement destination registration screen 222. However, since the movement destination confirmation screen 224 is a screen displayed after the movement destination of the transportation means P has already been determined by the processing unit 135 of the work instructing unit 100 or the movement destination registration screen 222, when the transportation means P to be moved is selected in the movement target pallet display area 224b, information on the determined movement destination is automatically selected in the movement destination display area 224c.

[0097] By configuring the transfer destination confirmation screen 224 in this manner, the user can move the transport means P selected in the transfer target palette display area 224b to the location of the storage area A highlighted in the layout display area 224a, thereby making it possible to reliably move the specified transport means P to the specified storage area A. Note that in the layout display area 222a in FIG. 8 and the layout display area 224a in FIG. 9, the highlighting is configured to be indicated by a pin, but this is not limited to this, and various arbitrary configurations can be adopted as long as the user can grasp the storage location of the transport means P to be moved. Furthermore, as a result of the work-in-progress re-identification process by the processing unit 135 of the work instructing unit 100, a transfer instruction screen (not shown) for the transport means P and a loading instruction screen (not shown) for the work-in-progress onto the transport means P, which are displayed on the display unit 220 of the display terminal 200, have the same configurations as the transfer destination registration screen 222 and the transfer destination confirmation screen 224, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0098] [Work instruction method according to this embodiment] Next, a work instruction method according to this embodiment will be described. The work instruction method according to this embodiment generally includes a production plan information creation step of creating production plan information for a product including one or more parts, a production plan information acquisition step of acquiring production plan information, a work-in-progress identification step of designating a transport means P for each manufacturing process and identifying work-in-progress to be loaded on the transport means P, a linking step of linking and managing transport means information 143 related to the transport means P related to the work-in-progress identification step with work-in-progress information 142 related to the work-in-progress to be loaded on the transport means, and a movement instruction step of outputting a movement instruction to move the transport means P loaded with the work-in-progress to a storage area A capable of storing the transport means P.

[0099] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a work instruction method according to this embodiment. Here, the work instruction method according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 10. In the following description, only the blanking process and the sorting process of the series of manufacturing processes will be dealt with, and the sorting work in the sorting process will be described as being performed by a worker, but this is not intended to be limiting. Also, the description will be made assuming that the pre-work movement instruction processing and work-in-progress re-identification processing by the processing unit 135 are not performed, but this is not intended to be limiting. Furthermore, the description will be made assuming that the movement instruction to move the transport means P by the processing unit 135 is output only to the display terminal 200, but this is not intended to be limiting. The automatic transport means PA may be operated by directly outputting the movement instruction to the automatic transport means PA.

[0100] First, when an order for the production of a product is received from a business partner, the production management unit 10 creates production plan information (S1 in FIG. 10: production plan information creation step). The production management unit 10 stores the production plan information created in the production plan information creation step in the management data of the server 20.

[0101] Thereafter, the workshop terminal 30 installed in the workshop related to the blanking process acquires production plan information from the management database of the server 20 (S10 in FIG. 10), executes nesting based on the acquired production plan information, and creates processing schedule information for the nested sheets (S11 in FIG. 10). The processing schedule information created in the workshop terminal 30 is stored in the management database of the server 20.

[0102] After the processing schedule information is created, the work-in-progress information management unit 132 of the work instruction unit 100 acquires at least one of the production plan information created by the production management unit 10 and the processing schedule information created by the workshop terminal 30, and creates work-in-progress information 142 based on that information (S20 in Figure 10: production plan information acquisition process).

[0103] The blanking machine 40a reads out the processing schedule information from the management database of the server 20 and performs blanking (S30 in FIG. 10). The blanking machine 40a passes processing results to the production management unit 10 when blanking starts, when blanking is interrupted, and when blanking is completed (S31 in FIG. 10). The production management unit 10 saves the processing results obtained from the blanking machine 40a.

[0104] During or after blanking by the blanking machine 40a, the processing unit 135 of the work instruction unit 100 designates the transport means P on which the work-in-progress is to be loaded and identifies the work-in-progress to be loaded on the designated transport means P (S21 in FIG. 10: work-in-progress identification process) based on the work-in-progress information 142. Note that the specific content of the work-in-progress identification process is the same as the processing content in the work-in-progress identification process described above, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0105] After the work-in-progress is identified, the processing unit 135 of the work instruction unit 100 links the transport means information 143 of the transport means P designated by the work-in-progress identification process with the work-in-progress information 142 of the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transport means P (S22 in FIG. 10: linking process). The linking information created by the processing unit 135 is displayed on the display unit 220 of the display terminal 200, and the worker moves the designated transport means P to the sorting work area in accordance with the linking information displayed on the display unit 220, and sorts the blanked work-in-progress and loads the work-in-progress onto the designated transport means P (S40 in FIG. 10: sorting work).

[0106] After loading the work-in-progress, the processing unit 135 acquires the storage status of the storage area A in which the transportation means P can be stored (S23 in FIG. 10: storage status acquisition step), determines whether the transportation means P can be stored in the storage area A, and identifies the storage area A in which to store the transportation means P (S24 in FIG. 10: storage area identification step).

[0107] After identifying the storage area A in which the transportation means P is to be stored, the processing unit 135 displays the transfer destination confirmation screen 224 on the display unit 220 of the display terminal 200 (S24 in FIG. 10: transfer instruction process), and the worker moves the transportation means P to the identified storage area A according to the information displayed on the transfer instruction confirmation screen. Through the above process, a series of work instructions are executed by the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment. The above-mentioned series of work instructions are executed in each process.

[0108] [Advantages of the work instruction system, work instruction method, and work instruction program according to the present embodiment] As described above, the work instruction system 1 of this embodiment comprises a production management unit 10 configured to be able to create production plan information for products containing one or more parts, and a work instruction unit 100 that outputs instructions regarding the loading of work-in-progress created for each manufacturing process of the product and the movement of the transport means P. The work instruction unit 100 is configured to be able to execute a production plan information acquisition process that acquires production plan information, a work-in-progress identification process that specifies a transport means P for each manufacturing process and identifies the work-in-progress to be loaded on the transport means P, a linking process that links and manages transport means information 143 related to the transport means P related to the work-in-progress identification process with work-in-progress information 142 related to the work-in-progress to be loaded on the transport means P, and a movement instruction process that outputs a movement instruction to move the transport means P loaded with the work-in-progress to a storage area A capable of storing the transport means P.

[0109] The work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment, having such a configuration, can identify the work in progress to be loaded onto the specified transport means P, thereby improving work efficiency when loading the work in progress onto the transport means P. Furthermore, it is possible to output instructions as to which storage area A within the factory the transport means P loaded with the work in progress should be stored in, so it is possible to accurately store the transport means P in the specified storage area A, and it is possible to prevent work delays and the like caused by the location of the transport means P being unknown.

[0110] Furthermore, in the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment, the work-in-progress identification process identifies the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transportation means P based on at least two or more judgment items. With this configuration, it is possible to more efficiently identify the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transportation means P.

[0111] Furthermore, the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment can arbitrarily set the weighting of the judgment items. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to arbitrarily change the order in which work-in-progress items are loaded onto the transport means P in consideration of the situation in the factory, thereby improving user convenience.

[0112] Furthermore, in the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment, the judgment items include information about the next process of the work in progress. This configuration makes it possible to classify multiple work in progress created in one work process into work in progress to be transported to the same work site and load them onto the transportation means P.

[0113] Furthermore, in the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment, the judgment items include information regarding the thickness of the work in progress. This configuration makes it possible to classify multiple work in progress created in one work process into work in progress having the same thickness and load them onto the transport means P. Also, by loading work in progress having the same thickness onto the transport means P, it becomes possible to more effectively utilize the loading space of the transport means P.

[0114] Furthermore, in the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment, the judgment items include information regarding the number of work-in-progress items. With this configuration, it is possible to classify multiple work-in-progress items created in one work process in consideration of the number of each item, and load them onto the transportation means P.

[0115] Furthermore, in the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment, the judgment items include information about the material of the work in progress. This configuration makes it possible to classify multiple work in progress created in one work process into work in progress that have the same material and load them onto the transport means P. Furthermore, by loading work in progress made of the same material onto the transport means P, it is possible to prevent problems caused by the work in progress being made of different materials (for example, damage or dents in the work in progress caused by work in progress made of different materials being stacked on top of each other).

[0116] Furthermore, in the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment, the work instruction unit 100 is configured to be able to execute a storage status acquisition process that acquires information regarding the storage status of the transportation means P in storage area A, and a storage position identification process that identifies a storage area A for the transportation means P from among candidate storage areas A based on the information acquired by the storage status acquisition process, and the movement instruction process outputs a movement instruction to move the transportation means P to the storage area A identified by the storage position identification process. This configuration makes it possible to output a movement instruction for the transportation means P taking into consideration the actual storage status of the storage area A, and therefore it is possible to prevent the occurrence of wasteful work, such as moving the transportation means P to a storage area A where the transportation means P cannot actually be stored.

[0117] Furthermore, the work instruction system 1 according to this embodiment is configured to include a display terminal 200 that can display the details of the work-in-progress identification process and the movement instruction process. This configuration allows workers to reliably perform the loading work of loading work-in-progress onto the transport means P and the moving work of moving the transport means P loaded with the work-in-progress, thereby improving convenience for workers and enabling a series of processing operations to be quickly carried out throughout the factory.

[0118] [Variations] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above-described embodiments. Various modifications and improvements can be made to the above-described embodiments.

[0119] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the work-in-progress identification process was described as identifying work-in-progress to be loaded onto a transportation means P based on at least two or more judgment items, and the order in which the judgment items are judged can be set arbitrarily, but this is not limited to this, and the work-in-progress to be loaded onto a transportation means P may also be identified based on one predetermined judgment item.

[0120] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the judgment items were described as including information regarding the next process of the work-in-progress, but this is not limited to this, and it is not necessary that information regarding the next process of the work-in-progress can be set as a judgment item.

[0121] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the judgment items were described as including information regarding the thickness of the work-in-progress, but this is not limited to this, and it is not necessary for information regarding the thickness of the work-in-progress to be set as a judgment item.

[0122] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the judgment items are described as including information regarding the number of work-in-progress items, but this is not limited to this, and information regarding the number of work-in-progress items does not have to be set as a judgment item.

[0123] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the judgment items were described as including information regarding the material of the work-in-progress, but this is not limited to this, and it is not necessary for information regarding the material of the work-in-progress to be set as a judgment item.

[0124] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the work instruction unit 100 is described as being capable of executing a storage status acquisition process to acquire the storage status in the storage area A, and a storage location identification process to identify the storage area A of the transportation means P from among candidate storage areas A based on the information acquired by the storage status acquisition process, but this is not limited to this, and the work instruction unit 100 may be configured not to execute the storage status acquisition process.

[0125] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the work instruction system 1 has been described as including the display terminal 200 capable of displaying the processing contents of the work-in-progress identification processing and the movement instruction processing, but this is not limited thereto, and the display terminal 200 does not have to be configured to be able to display the processing contents of the work-in-progress identification processing and the movement instruction processing. Also, if the processing contents of the work-in-progress identification processing and the movement instruction processing are not displayed on the display terminal 200, the processing contents may be displayed on the display unit 120 of the work instruction unit 100 or on a display unit (not shown) of the work site terminal 30. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 1: Work instruction system 10: Production Management Department 20: Server 30: Workshop terminal 40: Processing machine 100: Work instruction department 110: Input section 120:Display section 122: Judgment item setting screen 122a: Judgment item list display area 122b: Judgment item selection area 122c: Judgment order setting area 122d: Judgment object selection section 122e: Judgment Items Editorial Department 122f: Judgment item registration section 130: Control unit 131: Display control unit 132: Work-in-Process Information Management Department 133: Transportation Information Management Department 134: Storage area information management unit 135: Processing section 140: Storage section 142: Work in progress information 143: Transportation information 144: Storage area information 145: Workshop Master 146: Work instruction program 147: Linking Master 200: Display terminal 210: Input section 220: Display section 222: Destination registration screen 222a: Layout display area 222b: Palette display area to be moved 222c: Move destination display area 222d: Movement instruction determination section 224: Destination confirmation screen 224a: Layout display area 224b: Palette display area to be moved 224c: Move destination display area 230: Control unit 232: Display control unit 240: Storage section A: Storage area AL: Flat area AS: intermediate area AW: Work area P: Means of transportation PA: Automated Transportation Vehicle PW: Manual conveyance

Claims

1. a production management unit configured to be able to create production plan information for a product including one or more parts; a work instruction unit that outputs instructions regarding the loading of work-in-progress products and the movement of transportation means, which are created for each manufacturing process of the product; Equipped with The work instruction unit a production plan information acquisition process for acquiring the production plan information; a work-in-progress specification process for specifying the transport means for each of the manufacturing processes and specifying the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transport means; a linking process for linking and managing transportation means information related to the transportation means involved in the work-in-progress identification process with work-in-progress information related to the work-in-progress loaded on the transportation means; a movement instruction process for outputting a movement instruction to move the transport means loaded with the work-in-progress to a storage area where the transport means can be stored; is configured to run Work instruction system.

2. The work-in-progress identification process identifies the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transportation means based on at least two or more determination items. The work instruction system according to claim 1 .

3. The weighting of the judgment items can be set arbitrarily. The work instruction system according to claim 2 .

4. The judgment item includes information about the next process of the work in progress. The work instruction system according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The judgment item includes information regarding the thickness of the work-in-progress. The work instruction system according to claim 2 or 3.

6. The judgment item includes information regarding the number of the work-in-progress items. The work instruction system according to claim 2 or 3.

7. The judgment item includes information about the material of the work in progress. The work instruction system according to claim 2 or 3.

8. The work instruction unit a storage status acquisition process for acquiring information about the storage status of the vehicle in the storage area; a storage location specification process for specifying a storage area for the vehicle from among the storage area candidates based on the information acquired by the storage status acquisition process; It is configured to be able to execute The movement instruction process outputs the movement instruction to move the transportation means to the storage area identified by the storage position identification process. The work instruction system according to claim 1 or 2.

9. a display terminal capable of displaying the process details of the work-in-progress specification process and the process details of the movement instruction process; The work instruction system according to claim 1 or 2.

10. a production plan information creation step of creating production plan information for a product including one or more parts; a production plan information acquisition step of acquiring the production plan information; a work-in-progress specifying step of specifying a transport means for each manufacturing process and specifying the work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transport means; a linking step of linking and managing transportation means information related to the transportation means involved in the work-in-progress identifying step with work-in-progress information related to the work-in-progress loaded on the transportation means; a movement instruction step of outputting a movement instruction to move the transport means loaded with the work-in-progress products to a storage area where the transport means can be stored; This is done using an information processing terminal. Work instruction method.

11. a production plan information acquisition process for acquiring production plan information; a work-in-progress specification process for specifying a transport means for each of the manufacturing processes and specifying work-in-progress to be loaded onto the transport means; a linking process for linking and managing transportation means information related to the transportation means involved in the work-in-progress identification process with work-in-progress information related to the work-in-progress loaded on the transportation means; a movement instruction process for outputting a movement instruction to move the transport means loaded with the work-in-progress to a storage area where the transport means can be stored; The information processing terminal executes Work instruction program.

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