Component arrangement support system and method

Abstract

To provide a component arrangement support system and a method thereof which can optimize costs in consideration of allowance of a component.SOLUTION: A component arrangement support system 1 includes: a storage unit 10 having a component design information 11 including allowance of a component and a base material information 12 including an order reception condition; a nesting processing unit 20 for carrying out nesting processing based on the component design information 11 and the base material information 12 to output order placing information 13 including the combination of the base member to be ordered and a component disposed in the base material; a cost calculation processing unit 30 for calculating costs based on the order placing information; and a search control unit 40 for repeatedly carrying out the processing by the nesting processing unit 20 and the processing by the cost calculation processing unit 30 so that the calculated costs should become smaller. The search control unit 40 controls the nesting processing unit 20 so that it should carry out processing by changing a material and / or a size of at least one component or more for each search.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a component placement support system that supports the ordering of a base material by determining a plate- or sheet-shaped base material from which steel components are cut and the placement of components on the base material. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a system for determining placement positions when placing a plurality of components on a plate-shaped or sheet-shaped base material, that is, a nesting system, is known, for example, from Patent Document 1.

[0003] The technique described in Patent Document 1 involves repeatedly performing the steps of determining an arrangement pattern by arranging components on a base material based on dimensional data of the components and the base material, and calculating the yield for the determined arrangement pattern, while reducing the dimensions of the base material, to search for an arrangement pattern with the optimal yield. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-146094 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Depending on the type of part, changing dimensions or materials of the base material from those originally designed may be acceptable from the perspective of strength or specifications. For example, increasing the thickness may be acceptable as long as it is within a predetermined range. Also, changing the base material to a higher quality may be acceptable. Nesting in response to such changes may result in fluctuations in various costs, such as the cost of the required base material, the cost of cutting work, and the yield (waste rate). Therefore, there is a need for a nesting system that can optimize costs by taking into account the tolerances of such parts. However, conventional nesting systems cannot meet such demands because the dimensions of parts are fixed at the design stage.

[0006] In recent years, there has been a social demand for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in business activities. Therefore, in the manufacture of products using steel, there is a demand for improving the yield of steel, which is the raw material. From this perspective, it should be noted that in this specification, the cost that is the target of optimization mentioned above is in a broad sense, including not only monetary costs such as the cost of the base material, but also yield, which is an index showing the utilization efficiency of the base material.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a component placement support system and method that can optimize costs by taking into account the tolerance range of components. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a component placement support system that assists in determining plate- or sheet-shaped base material from which steel components are cut and the placement of the components on the base material, and ordering the base material, comprising: a component design information storage unit that stores component design information including component materials and dimensions, the component design information including tolerances for the component materials and / or dimensions; a base material information storage unit that stores base material information including order conditions related to the base material dimensions; nesting means that determines the dimensions of the base material that satisfy the order conditions and the placement of one or more components on the base material based on the component design information and the base material information, and outputs order information including pairs of the base material to be ordered and the components placed on the base material; cost calculation means that calculates a cost based on the order information; and search means that repeatedly performs processing by the nesting means and processing by the cost calculation means so as to reduce the cost calculated by the cost calculation means, and that controls the nesting means to change the material and / or dimensions of at least one or more components within the tolerances for each search. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the search means changes the material and / or dimensions of the parts within the allowable range so as to reduce costs, and the processes by the nesting means and the cost calculation means are repeated. In other words, according to the present invention, costs can be optimized by taking the allowable range of the parts into consideration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a component placement support system according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] An example of part design information [Figure 3] An example of base material information [Figure 4] Example of ordering information [Figure 5] Flowchart explaining the operation of the component placement support system [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating an example of changing part placement by changing part information. [Figure 7]A diagram illustrating an example of changing part placement by changing part information. [Figure 8] 1 is a block diagram of a component placement support system according to a second embodiment; [Figure 9] 10 is a block diagram of a component placement support system according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] (First embodiment) A component placement support system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the steel material to be ordered is determined on the premise that components for a bridge will be cut out from a plate- or sheet-shaped steel material that is the base material. More specifically, the width and length of the dimensions of the steel material on which the components will be placed, as well as the material of the steel material (material quality, quality, whether or not special processing is required, other attributes, etc.) are determined, and the placement pattern of the components to be placed on the steel material is also determined. The steel material is then ordered by specifying the determined material and dimensions. The component placement support system is designed to support such work.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the component placement support system 1 according to this embodiment includes a storage unit 10, a nesting processing unit 20, a cost calculation processing unit 30, a search control unit 40, and an order information output unit 50.

[0013] The component placement support system 1 can be configured using a conventionally known computer equipped with a main processing unit, a main memory unit, an auxiliary memory unit, an input device, an output device, an imaging device, a communication device, etc. The component placement support system 1 can be implemented by installing a program on the computer. The component placement support system 1 can also be implemented as dedicated hardware. The component placement support system 1 can also be implemented in a distributed manner across multiple devices.

[0014] The storage unit 10 stores part design information 11, base material information 12, and order information 13.

[0015] The part design information 11 is information including the material and dimensions of the part at the design stage, and further includes the allowable range of changes allowed for the material and / or dimensions of the part at the design stage. Furthermore, the part design information 11 can include lot information indicating the order timing.

[0016] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the part design information 11 includes a part identifier, material, thickness, planar shape information, tolerance information, and lot number. The part identifier is identification information that uniquely identifies a part. The material is information about the base material used in the part. The part design information 11 can include other attributes related to the base material, such as the quality of the base material, whether or not it is painted, the type of paint, and whether or not various special processes such as surface treatments are applied. The thickness indicates the thickness dimension of the part. The planar shape information is information that specifies the planar shape of the part. The data format of the planar shape information is not important. For example, it can be a group of data indicating the straight lines or curves indicating the outer shape of the part, a group of relative coordinates of each vertex if the outer shape of the part is composed only of straight lines, or the width and length if the outer shape of the part is rectangular. The tolerance information indicates the range of change allowed from the value at the design stage for any of the material, thickness, and planar shape information. For example, "Thickness: 0 mm to +3 mm" means that the thickness is allowed to be increased up to 3 mm.

[0017] The base material information 12 includes order conditions related to the dimensions of the base material and the unit price of the base material. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the base material information 12 includes the material, order conditions, and unit price. The material is information corresponding to the material in the part design information 11. The base material information 12 can also include other attributes such as quality, whether or not the material is painted and the type of paint, and whether or not various special processing such as surface treatment is performed. As shown in FIG. 3, the order conditions include minimum and maximum values ​​for width, length, and thickness. The unit price indicates the price per unit weight. Note that even for the same material, the unit price may vary depending on the dimensions. In this case, the base material information 12 can be set for each unit price.

[0018] The order information 13 includes information on pairs of steel materials, which are base materials to be ordered, and parts placed on the steel materials, for each lot, determined by the nesting processing unit 20. The order information 13 also includes the cost for each lot, calculated by the cost calculation processing unit 30. The order information 13 also includes the number of times the nesting processing unit 20 and the cost calculation processing unit 30 are processed repeatedly by the search control unit 40, i.e., the number of searches.

[0019] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the order information 13 includes the number of searches, the lot number, the ordered steel number, the material, the thickness, width, and length of the steel, nesting information, and cost. Here, the ordered steel number is identification information for identifying the steel order. The material is information corresponding to the material in the base material information 12. The material, thickness, width, and length of the steel are information required for ordering steel.

[0020] The nesting information includes part identifiers of one or more parts to be placed on the steel material, and placement information for the parts to be placed. The data format of the nesting information is not important. In the example of Figure 4, the placement information of the nesting information is the file name of an image file separately saved in the storage unit 10. The nesting information also functions as a specification for cutting out and processing the purchased steel material.

[0021] The cost includes an ordering cost, which is the cost required to purchase the steel material calculated from the unit price of the steel material. The cost may also include other costs, such as various costs required to cut out parts from the steel material. Other indices such as the weight of the steel material or the reciprocal of the yield rate can also be used as the cost.

[0022] The nesting processing unit 20 determines the dimensions of steel materials that meet the order requirements and the placement of one or more components on the steel materials based on the part design information 11 and the base material information 12, generates order information 13, and stores the order information 13 in the storage unit 10. Specifically, the nesting processing unit 20 extracts one or more components with the same material, thickness, and lot number from the part design information 11 and determines the width and length of one or more steel materials onto which these components can be placed. The nesting processing unit 20 then performs a process of placing the extracted components on the determined steel materials, and stores the result as order information 13 in the storage unit 10. The process of placing components on the base steel material uses various well-known algorithms. The placement process is performed to improve yield, i.e., (area of ​​placed components / area of ​​base material). In other words, the placement process is performed to minimize the area of ​​the base material on which components are not placed, i.e., the amount of discarded materials.

[0023] The nesting processing unit 20 includes a component information modification unit 21. Processing by the nesting processing unit 20 is repeatedly performed under the control of the search control unit 40, as described below. The component information modification unit 21 modifies the material and / or dimensions of at least one component within an allowable range in response to an instruction from the search control unit 40. For example, the component information modification unit 21 modifies the dimensions of the component related to the component design information to increase the thickness. In addition, for example, the component information modification unit 21 modifies the material of the component related to the component design information to one of higher quality. Note that multiple parameters may be modified for one component.

[0024] In the second and subsequent processing, the nesting processing unit 20 generates order information 13 based on the part design information 11 and base material information 12 changed by the part information change unit 21, and stores the order information 13 in the memory unit 10.

[0025] In the second or subsequent processing, nesting processing unit 20 can generate new order information 13 by updating part of order information 13 based on order information 13 calculated in the previous processing. More specifically, in the second or subsequent processing, nesting processing unit 20 can generate new order information 13 by changing order information 13 to the extent that it is affected by the changes made by parts information changing unit 21 based on order information 13 calculated in the previous processing, and maintaining order information 13 to the extent that it is not affected by the changes made by parts information changing unit 21.

[0026] The cost calculation processing unit 30 calculates the ordering cost based on the unit price included in the ordering information 13 and the base material information 12, and stores it in the ordering information 13. Note that the ordering cost calculated here may include not only the cost required to purchase the steel material calculated from the unit price of the steel material, as described above, but also other costs such as various costs required to cut out parts from the steel material.

[0027] The search control unit 40 controls the nesting processing unit 20 to repeatedly execute processing by the cost calculation processing unit 30 so as to reduce the ordering cost calculated by the cost calculation processing unit 30. Here, the search control unit 40 controls the nesting processing unit 20 so that the material and / or dimensions of at least one part are changed within an allowable range for each search. The termination condition for the search by the search control unit 40 may be, for example, that the total ordering cost calculated in that search is equal to or less than a predetermined target value. Another example of the termination condition is that the decrease or increase / decrease in the total ordering cost due to the search is equal to or less than a predetermined target value. Another example of the termination condition is that the decrease or increase / decrease in the total ordering cost due to the search is equal to or less than a predetermined target value for a predetermined number of consecutive times. To reduce processing time and processing load, an upper limit may be set for the number of searches, and the search control may be terminated when the number of searches exceeds the upper limit.

[0028] The order information output unit 50 outputs, as a final solution, the design information 13 in the search round that minimizes the total ordering cost from among the order information 13 stored in the storage unit 10. The design information 13 may be output to any destination, such as a storage unit or display unit of its own computer or another computer.

[0029] The operation of the component placement support system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 5. Here, it is assumed that appropriate data is stored in the component design information 11 and the base material information 12.

[0030] First, the nesting processing unit 20 determines the dimensions of a base material that satisfies the order conditions and the placement of one or more components on the base material based on the component design information 11 and the base material information 12, and generates order information 13 (step S1). Next, the cost calculation processing unit 30 calculates the ordering cost (step S2). Next, the search control unit 40 evaluates whether the search termination condition is met (step S3). If the predetermined termination condition is met (step S4), the order information output unit 50 outputs the design information 13 in the search round that minimizes the total ordering cost as the final solution (step S5). On the other hand, if the predetermined termination condition is not met (step S4), the search control unit 40 instructs the nesting processing unit 20 to change the material and / or dimensions of the components within the allowable range (step S6), and the processes of steps S1 to S2 are repeated.

[0031] According to the component placement assistance system of this embodiment, the search control unit 40 changes the material and / or dimensions of the components within the allowable range to reduce costs, and the processes by the nesting processing unit 20 and the cost calculation processing unit 30 are repeatedly performed. In other words, cost can be optimized by taking the allowable range of the components into consideration. [Example]

[0032] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Here, we will explain a case where, after generating order information in a first run of processing by the nesting processing unit 20, the search control unit 40 changes part of the part information, and the nesting processing unit 20 performs a second run of processing based on the order information generated in the first run of processing. FIG. 6(A) shows an example of order information generated in the first run of processing. FIG. 6(B) shows an example of order information generated in the second run of processing. Here, it is assumed that the minimum width and minimum length that can be purchased for steel material SM490 are 1 m and 3 m, respectively, and that this information is stored in the base material information 12 as order conditions.

[0033] In the first processing, for ordered steel material number 101, which relates to a steel material with a thickness of 18 mm and a material of SM490, only the part with part number 123, which is 18 mm thick and made of SM490 and is included in part design information 11, is placed. Also, for ordered steel material number 102, which relates to a steel material with a thickness of 19 mm and a material of SM490, the parts with part numbers 010 and 011, which are 19 mm thick and made of SM490 and are included in part design information 11, are placed. Here, for ordered steel material number 101, as shown in FIG. 6(A), the minimum width of the steel material must be met, which is one of the ordering conditions included in base material information 12 for the steel material with a material of SM490, resulting in very poor yield and high costs.

[0034] Therefore, the search control unit 40 changes the thickness of the part with part number 123 from 18 mm at the time of design to 19 mm. As a result, in the second processing, for ordered steel material number 102a, which corresponds to a steel material with a thickness of 19 mm and made of SM490, the part with part number 123 whose thickness has been changed to 19 mm, and the parts with part numbers 010 and 011 whose thicknesses are 19 mm and are included in the part design information 11, are placed. Here, comparing the steel material with ordered steel material number 102 before the change processing and the steel material with ordered steel material number 102a after the change processing, the width of ordered steel material number 102a after the change processing has been expanded in order to accommodate the part with part number 123. That is, the nesting processing unit 20 changes the dimensions of the steel material with ordered steel number 102, which is different from the steel material with ordered steel number 101 on which the part with part number 123 was placed, and places the part with part number 123 after the change process on the steel material with the changed dimensions, and designates this as ordered steel number 102a.

[0035] As a result of this processing, as shown in Figure 6(B), for the 19 mm thick steel material, the width of the steel material ordered with steel material number 102a in the second processing run is larger than the width of the steel material ordered with steel material number 102 in the first processing run. However, in the second processing run, the 18 mm thick steel material ordered with steel material number 101 that was necessary in the first processing run is no longer needed, resulting in a significant improvement in yield, and therefore a reduction in costs. [Example]

[0036] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7. Here, we will describe a case where, after generating order information in a first run of processing by the nesting processing unit 20, the search control unit 40 changes part of the part information, and then the nesting processing unit 20 performs a second run of processing based on the order information generated in the first run of processing. FIG. 7(A) shows an example of order information generated in the first run of processing. FIG. 7(B) shows an example of order information generated in the second run of processing. Here, the minimum width and length that can be purchased for steel materials made of SM490 and SM520 are 1 m and 3 m, respectively, and this information is stored as ordering conditions in the base material information 12. Furthermore, for the part with part number 123, the material is SM490, but the part design information 11 stores information indicating that the material may also be SM520 as allowable information.

[0037] In the first processing, for ordered steel material number 101, which corresponds to a steel material with a thickness of 19 mm and a material of SM490, only the part with part number 123, which is 19 mm thick and made of SM490 and is included in part design information 11, is placed. For ordered steel material number 102, which corresponds to a steel material with a thickness of 19 mm and a material of SM520, only the part with part number 010, which is 19 mm thick and made of SM520 and is included in part design information 11, is placed. For ordered steel material number 101, the minimum steel width, which is one of the ordering conditions included in base material information 12 for the SM490 steel material, must be satisfied, resulting in very poor yield and high costs. The same is true for ordered steel material number 102. For ordered steel material number 102, there is free space (an area where no part is placed) in the steel material where part number 123 can be placed.

[0038] Therefore, the search control unit 40 refers to the tolerance information in the part design information 11 and changes the material of the part with part number 123 from the material SM490 at the time of design to SM520. As a result, in the second processing, for the ordered steel material number 102a with a thickness of 19 mm and material SM520, the part with part number 123 whose material has been changed to SM520 and the part with part number 010 whose material is SM520 in the part design information 11 are placed. Comparing the steel with ordered steel material number 102 before the change processing and the steel with ordered steel material number 102a after the change processing, the width and length of both are the same. That is, for the steel with ordered steel material number 102, which is different from the steel with ordered steel material number 101 on which the part with part number 123 was placed, the nesting processing unit 20 places the part with part number 123 after the change processing in the empty area (area where no part is placed) of the steel, and designates this as ordered steel material number 102a.

[0039] As a result of this process, as shown in Figure 7(B), the steel material with ordered steel number 101 (material SM490) that was required in the first process is no longer required in the second process, which significantly improves yield and reduces costs.

[0040] (Second embodiment) A component placement support system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[0041] The component placement support system 1a according to this embodiment is the component placement support system 1a according to the first embodiment, to which a change instruction receiving unit 45 has been added. After processing by the nesting processing unit 20 and the cost calculation processing unit 30, the change instruction receiving unit 45 presents the component design information 11 and the generated order information 13 to the user and receives instructions from the user as to which component's material or dimensions should be changed. The instructions may include changes to the material or dimensions. The component to be changed can be identified by specifying the ordered steel material included in the order information 13. The component to be changed will be placed on another ordered steel material included in the order information 13 by subsequent processing by the nesting processing unit 20. Therefore, the instructions may include the ordered steel material that is the placement destination or a candidate placement destination.

[0042] Prior to the second or subsequent processing by the nesting processing unit 20 and the cost calculation processing unit 30, the search control unit 40 acquires a change instruction from the user using the change instruction receiving unit 45, and controls the nesting processing unit 20 to change the material or dimensions of the parts based on the change instruction.

[0043] According to this component placement support system 1a, flexible component placement according to the user's intentions is possible without being restricted solely by cost considerations, making it more convenient. The other configurations, operations, and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, so explanations will be omitted.

[0044] (Third embodiment) A component placement support system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[0045] The component placement support system 1b according to this embodiment is the component placement support system 1 according to the first embodiment, to which an order information receiving unit 60 has been added. The order information receiving unit 60 receives order information separately created by the user and stores it in the storage unit 10. At this time, the number of searches for the order information is set to zero, which indicates the initial value. Then, in the first processing, the nesting processing unit 20 generates new order information 13 by updating a part of the order information received by the order information receiving unit 60 based on the order information. That is, in this embodiment, search control is performed using the order information received by the order information receiving unit 60 as a seed.

[0046] Such a component placement support system 1b allows flexible component placement according to the user's intentions without being restricted solely by cost considerations, resulting in greater convenience. The other configurations, operations, and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted. Note that although this embodiment has been described as a modification of the first embodiment, a similar modification may also be made to the second embodiment.

[0047] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0048] For example, in the above embodiment, bridge parts are used as examples of parts, but other parts may also be used.

[0049] Furthermore, for example, in the above embodiment, the monetary cost of purchasing the base steel material is used as the cost to be optimized, but other indicators may be used as the cost. For example, as described above, from the viewpoint of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the yield, which is an indicator showing the efficiency of use of the base steel material, may be the target of optimization. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1, 1a, 1b...Component placement support system 10...Storage section 11...Part design information 12...Base material information 13...Ordering Information 20...Nesting processing section 21...Parts information change section 30...Cost calculation processing unit 40...Search control unit 45...Change Instructions Reception Department 50...Order information output section 60...Order Information Reception Department

Claims

1. A parts placement support system that supports the ordering of base materials by determining plate- or sheet-shaped base materials from which steel parts are cut and the placement of parts on the base materials, a part design information storage unit that stores part design information including material and dimensions of the part, the part design information including tolerances for the material and / or dimensions of the part; a base material information storage unit that stores base material information including order conditions related to the dimensions of the base material; nesting means for determining the dimensions of a base material that satisfies order conditions and the placement of one or more components on the base material based on component design information and base material information, and outputting order information including a pair of the base material to be ordered and the components placed on the base material; a cost calculation means for calculating costs based on the order information; and a search means for repeatedly performing processing by the nesting means and processing by the cost calculation means so that the cost calculated by the cost calculation means is reduced, the search means controlling the nesting means so that the material and / or dimensions of at least one or more parts are changed within an allowable range for each search. A component placement support system characterized by:

2. The searching means changes the dimensions of the part related to the part design information so as to increase the thickness.

2. The component placement support system according to claim 1.

3. The searching means changes the material of the part related to the part design information to a higher quality material.

2. The component placement support system according to claim 1.

4. The nesting means changes the dimensions of a base material different from the base material on which the component before the material and / or dimension change was placed, and places the component after the material and / or dimension change on the base material whose dimensions have been changed.

2. The component placement support system according to claim 1.

5. The nesting means places the part after the material and / or size change in an area of ​​a base material different from the base material on which the part before the material and / or size change was placed, where no part is placed.

2. The component placement support system according to claim 1.

6. The nesting means arranges a plurality of parts whose order lots are the same or within a predetermined range on one base material.

2. The component placement support system according to claim 1.

7. A change instruction receiving unit is provided to receive a change instruction for a part from a user.

2. The component placement support system according to claim 1.

8. An order information receiving means for receiving input of order information is provided, The search means performs search control using the order information received by the order information receiving means as a seed.

2. The component placement support system according to claim 1.

9. the base material information includes a unit price of the base material; The cost calculation means calculates the cost based on the unit price included in the order information and the base material information.

2. The component placement support system according to claim 1.

10. A component placement support method that uses a computer to assist in determining a plate- or sheet-shaped base material from which steel components are cut and the placement of components on the base material, and ordering the base material, comprising: a nesting step in which the nesting means determines the dimensions of a base material that satisfies the order-receiving conditions included in the base material information and the placement of one or more parts on the base material, based on part design information including the material and dimensions of the part and tolerances for the material and / or dimensions of the part, and base material information including order-receiving conditions related to the dimensions of the base material, and outputs order-receiving information including pairs of base materials to be ordered and parts placed on the base material; a cost calculation step in which cost calculation means calculates costs based on order information; the searching means comprises a searching step of repeatedly performing the processing by the nesting means and the processing by the cost calculation means so as to reduce the cost calculated by the cost calculation means; The search step controls the nesting means to change the material and / or dimensions of at least one or more parts within a tolerance range for each search. A component placement support method comprising:

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