Work area layout simulation apparatus

Abstract

To provide a work area arrangement simulation device for improving the use efficiency of a work area.SOLUTION: The simulation device 1 is, for example, a work area layout simulation device that optimally lays out work areas in a production site. The information acquisition unit 100 acquires the arrangement setting 200 and the movement necessity setting 201 of the work area. A simulation part 101 executes simulation for arranging the work area on the basis of the acquired arrangement setting 200, and confirms the movement propriety setting 201 of the reserved work area of the arrangement when executing the simulation, and performs rearrangement when it is set to be movable. For a work area for which the movement permission setting 201 is set to "movable", the simulation unit 101 rearranges the work area when the reserved work area can be moved to another area and can be moved to a place to which the reserved work area has been moved, based on the size, shape, and work time in the vacant area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention particularly relates to a work area layout simulation device for optimally arranging work areas. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been systems for formulating utilization plans for work areas in factories and the like, and for realizing efficient use of the work areas. Such systems are required to simulate the optimal layout of the work areas.

[0003] Here, referring to Patent Document 1, a system for reducing the frequency of replenishment and replacement of goods is described. In this system, for each of a plurality of front spaces having a plurality of shelves and in which a plurality of products are arranged, the system calculates the frequency of products arranged in the front spaces during a specified future period. The system calculates the recommended capacity of the product based on the predicted shipping volume as a result of the demand forecast. In other words, this system can also be applied to the layout of work areas. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-175977 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, even when the system described in Patent Document 1 is applied to the allocation of work areas, only unreserved (unallocated) work areas are allocated, which results in overlapping work areas and makes it impossible to reserve them, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of work area utilization.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a work area layout simulation device that improves the utilization efficiency of work areas and to solve the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The work area layout simulation device of the present invention is a work area layout simulation device that optimally lays out work areas, and is characterized by comprising an information acquisition unit that acquires layout settings and movable / non-movable settings for the work areas, and a simulation unit that executes a simulation to lay out the work areas based on the layout settings acquired by the information acquisition unit, checks the movable / non-movable settings of work areas reserved for layout during the execution of the simulation, and performs re-layout if they are set as movable. The work area placement simulation device of the present invention is characterized in that the simulation unit performs rearrangement of a work area whose movement feasibility setting is set to movable if the reserved work area can be moved to another area and can be moved to the location to which the reserved work area has been moved, based on the size, shape, and work time within the available area. The work area layout simulation device of the present invention is characterized in that the simulation unit performs a simulation based on any one or any combination of conditions for minimizing the number of work areas where movement occurs, conditions for minimizing the movement distance of the work areas, and conditions for transforming the work areas. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, a work area layout simulation device can be provided that can improve the utilization efficiency of work areas by obtaining the layout settings and the movable / non-movable settings of the work areas, running a simulation to layout the work areas based on these layout settings, checking the movable / non-movable settings of reserved work areas, and re-arranging them if they are set as movable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a system configuration diagram of a simulation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a work area layout simulation process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 3 is a screen example of the work area layout simulation process shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating reservation information for the work area layout simulation process shown in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 shows the control configuration of a simulation device 1 according to this embodiment. The simulation device 1 is an information processing device that includes a PC (Personal Computer), a server, a dedicated simulation device, a general-purpose machine, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and other mobile terminals. In this embodiment, the simulation device 1 is used as a work area allocation simulation device that optimally reserves (allocates) work areas in, for example, a production site. The simulation device 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 11, a display unit 12, and an input unit 13.

[0011] The control unit 10 is a control and calculation means composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an NPU (Neural Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Processor), etc.

[0012] The storage unit 11 is a non-transitory storage medium such as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), etc. The ROM also includes non-volatile devices such as a flash memory. The storage unit 11 stores a control program and various data for the simulation device 1. Of these, the control program includes an operating system (OS), middleware, device drivers, and various application software (hereinafter simply referred to as "application software"). In this embodiment, the application includes a work area utilization planning application (hereinafter simply referred to as "dedicated application") that causes the simulation device 1 to function as a work area layout simulation device. This dedicated application may be an application (native application) that runs on the OS, an intermediate language application that runs on a platform such as JAVA (registered trademark), a web application that runs on a web browser, or any other type of application.

[0013] The input unit 13 is a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a trackball, a touchpad, or a touch panel, an infrared device, a camera, a biometric authentication device such as a fingerprint or vein authentication, or other devices for inputting information.

[0014] The display unit 12 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Organic Electro Luminescence, Organic Light Emitting Diode) display, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), electronic paper, or a fluorescent display tube. The input unit 13 and the display unit 12 may be integrally formed as a touch panel display or the like.

[0015] Next, the functional configuration of the simulation device 1 will be described. The control unit 10 of the simulation device 1 includes an information acquisition unit 100 and a simulation unit 101 . The storage unit 11 includes work area information 110, condition settings 111, and reservation information 112.

[0016] The information acquisition unit 100 acquires a work area layout setting 200 and a movement permission setting 201. The information acquisition unit 100 can acquire various information related to the layout of the work area using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) of a dedicated application.

[0017] The simulation unit 101 executes a simulation of arranging work areas based on the arrangement setting 200 acquired by the information acquisition unit 100. Then, the simulation unit 101 checks the moveability setting 201 of the work area that has been reserved for arrangement at the time of execution of the simulation (hereinafter referred to as "reserved work area") from the work area information 110. At this time, the simulation unit 101 can perform rearrangement if it is set as "movable."

[0018] Specifically, for a work area whose movement possibility setting 201 is set to "movable", the simulation unit 101 performs rearrangement if, based on the work area information 110, the reserved work area can be moved to another area and can be moved to the location to which the reserved work area has been moved.

[0019] In addition, the simulation unit 101 can also perform a simulation based on any combination of conditions in the condition settings 111.

[0020] The work area information 110 is information about the work area for performing a simulation. The work area information 110 includes information about the location and room where the work will be performed, the passageway, the available empty area where the work will be performed, the work area where the factory equipment will be placed, etc. In this embodiment, the work area information 110 includes a layout setting 200 and a movement permission setting 201, which will be described later.

[0021] Condition settings 111 are setting information for conditions when optimally arranging work areas in a simulation. In this embodiment, the condition setting 111 can set, for example, any one or any combination of (1) a condition to minimize the number of work areas in which movement occurs, (2) a condition to minimize the movement distance of the work areas, and (3) a condition to modify the work areas. The condition (3) to modify the work areas can also set a condition to either not change the size of the work areas or to change them to be larger.

[0022] The reservation information 112 is information indicating the simulation results. The reservation information 112 may be output as image data such as PDF (Portable Document Format) or PNG, or as a spreadsheet application file, for example.

[0023] Next, the placement setting 200 and the movement permission setting 201 will be described in detail. The layout setting 200 includes information about the layout, such as the size (area) of the work area, the shape, the work time (duration), the worker, and the worker's contact information. The move permission setting 201 is a setting as to whether or not rearrangement of reserved work areas is permitted. In this embodiment, "moveable" or "immovable" can be set.

[0024] Here, the control unit 10 can function as an information acquisition unit 100 and a simulation unit 101 by expanding a control program stored in the ROM or HDD of the storage unit 11 into RAM and executing it. Note that a part or any combination of these functional configurations may be configured using an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or other circuits.

[0025] [Work area layout simulation processing by simulation device 1] Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, the work area layout simulation process using the simulation device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail. In the work area layout simulation process according to this embodiment, a layout setting 200 for the work area and a movable / non-movable setting 201 are acquired. Then, a simulation is performed to arrange the work areas based on the acquired layout setting 200. Then, the movable / non-movable setting 201 of the reserved work areas for layout is checked during the execution of this simulation. If the setting indicates that the work areas are movable, the work areas are relocated. Below, the work area layout simulation process performed by the simulation device 1 will be described in detail for each step using the flowchart in Fig. 2. These processes are performed by the control unit 10 executing a control program stored in the storage unit 11 using hardware resources.

[0026] First, in step S101, the information acquisition unit 100 performs information acquisition processing. Explaining this with reference to FIG. 3, when the dedicated application is started, the information acquisition unit 100 displays a screen for acquiring the work area information 110. 3 is an example of a screen 500 displayed on the display unit 12 for reserving work area information 110 using an input form F or the like in the GUI of a dedicated app. In this form F, the user sets, for example, the "size," "work period," "worker name," "contact information," and "movement availability setting" of the work area.

[0027] In this example, the "area" can be input by, for example, inputting one square of a work area as the smallest unit of the work area, as shown in the reservation information 112 described later. The size of this square can be set to an appropriate value, for example, 3m x 3m. In "Work Period," the period during which the work area will be used for work can be entered using dates, etc. Alternatively, it is also possible to set the period for the number of days for which the arrangement is required. "Worker name" is an example of information about a worker according to this embodiment, and the name of the worker, or an employee number or employee ID linked to the name, etc. can be input. "Contact information" is an example of information about the worker according to this embodiment. Specifically, the worker's extension phone number, mobile phone number, email address, ID, etc. can be input. The "movable / non-movable setting" is an input item corresponding to the work area movable / non-movable setting 201, and "movable" or "non-movable" can be input.

[0028] The information acquisition unit 100 acquires information that the user inputs into such a form F using the input unit 13. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 100 stores the information on the “work period”, “worker name”, and “contact information” in the layout setting 200 of the work area information 110 . The information acquisition unit 100 stores the input items of the “movement permission setting” in the movement permission setting 201 . In addition, the information acquiring unit 100 can acquire information such as the size of the room in which the work area is set, the location of the passageway, and the arrangement of air conditioning, windows, and wires as room information.

[0029] The information acquisition unit 100 also acquires information about the conditions for moving between work areas that the user has input using the input unit 13 , and stores this information in the condition settings 111 . The information on these conditions can be set as follows: (1) minimize the number of work areas that require movement, (2) minimize the movement distance of the work areas, and (3) allow not only the movement of the work areas but also the deformation of the work areas as a means of rearrangement. For condition (3), an additional condition can be set, such as allowing the shape of the work areas to be changed even if the size of the work areas remains the same.

[0030] Next, in step S102, the information acquisition unit 100 determines whether or not to start a simulation. The information acquisition unit 100 determines "Yes" when it acquires an instruction from the user to start a work area layout simulation. In the GUI of the above-mentioned screen example 500, the information acquisition unit 100 can determine "Yes" when, for example, the "Start Simulation" button is pressed. If the answer is Yes, the information acquiring unit 100 advances the process to step S102. If No, the information acquisition unit 100 returns the process to step S101 and continues to acquire various input information.

[0031] When starting the simulation, in step S103, the simulation unit 101 performs a work area arrangement process. The simulation unit 101 acquires room information and work area information 110, and performs a simulation of arranging each work area within the room. This arrangement position setting can use various algorithms for solving optimal arrangement problems. Specifically, for example, the simulation unit 101 searches for an arrangement that minimizes the lead lines between each work area, taking into account the size of the work area and the work period, while pruning using heuristics or a predetermined evaluation function, or by using reinforcement learning, DNN (Deep Neural Net), or the like.

[0032] Then, the simulation unit 101 can store the optimal or suboptimal layout for each work area from the search results in the reservation information 112. Furthermore, as will be described below, the simulation unit 101 also detects overlaps if they may occur.

[0033] Next, in step S104, the simulation unit 101 determines whether or not there is an overlap. Specifically, the simulation unit 101 checks whether or not overlap occurs as a result of the above simulation.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 4(a), reservation information 112-1 is an example of the results of an optimal layout simulation for work areas A (unoccupied areas) other than aisles C and reserved work areas R. In this example, aisles C are shown with diagonal lines, allocated (reserved) work areas R are shown in dark gray, and work area N to be placed is shown in light gray. In this example, the total size of the work areas that can be placed in the room exceeds the size of work area N, resulting in overlap. This overlapping work area O is shown in black.

[0035] The simulation unit 101 checks the layout of the work areas in this way, and if there is any overlap, the result is Yes. If there is no overlap, the simulation unit 101 determines No. If the answer is Yes, the simulation unit 101 advances the process to step S105. If the answer is No, the simulation unit 101 advances the process to step S108.

[0036] If an overlap has occurred, in step S105, the simulation unit 101 determines whether or not the movement is possible according to the movement permission setting 201. Specifically, the simulation unit 101 determines whether the moveability setting 201 of the already-placed work area in the overlapping work area is set to "movable." If "movable" is set, the simulation unit 101 determines Yes. 4(b) shows an example in which the reservation information 112-2 has a reserved work area M with the movement permission setting 201 set to "movable." This work area M is indicated by vertical stripes.

[0037] On the other hand, if "immovable" is set, the simulation unit 101 determines "No." In the example of FIG. 4(b), the other work areas are set as "impossible to move."

[0038] If the answer is Yes, the simulation unit 101 advances the process to step S106. If the answer is No, the simulation unit 101 returns the process to step S103 and re-arranges the work areas. That is, if the answer is "immovable," the simulation unit 101 checks the reserved work area movement permission setting 201, and re-arranges the "movable" work areas as targets for re-arrangement, thereby reconsidering the arrangement.

[0039] If the movable / non-movable setting 201 is set to movable, the simulation unit 101 performs a condition reading process in step S106. The simulation unit 101 acquires the condition settings 111 stored in the storage unit 11 and sets them for another simulation.

[0040] Next, in step S107, the simulation unit 101 performs a movement process. The simulation unit 101 performs rearrangement when the work area movement setting 201 is set to "movable." Specifically, the simulation unit 101 performs the movement in accordance with the above-mentioned conditions, taking into consideration the size (area), shape, work time, etc. within the vacant area. As described above, the simulation unit 101 performs the movement of the work area under any one or any combination of the following conditions: (1) minimize the number of work areas that require movement, (2) minimize the movement distance of the work area, and (3) enable not only the movement of the work area but also the deformation of the work area as a means of rearrangement. In this case, (3) when the work area is deformed, the shape of the work area may be changed even if the size of the work area is not changed, and it is also possible to deal with the condition of whether to keep the size of the work area unchanged or to increase it.

[0041] According to the reservation information 112-3 in FIG. 4(c), as described above, if the movement permission setting 201 is set to "movable," the work area is moved. In this example, the position of work area M has been moved. This makes it possible to move the work area N to be reserved (placed), shown in light gray, to the position before work area M was moved. In other words, it is possible to place work area N as shown in reservation information 112-3.

[0042] Here, in step S108, the simulation unit 101 determines whether or not the arrangement is complete. If the arrangement of all work areas in the work area information 110 has been completed, the simulation unit 101 determines Yes. If all work areas have not yet been arranged, the simulation unit 101 determines No. If Yes, the simulation unit 101 ends the work area layout simulation process. If No, the simulation unit 101 returns the process to step S103 and continues the simulation. This completes the work area layout simulation process according to this embodiment.

[0043] The above configuration can provide the following effects. Conventionally, systems for work area utilization planning have simulated optimal allocation to achieve efficient utilization of work areas in factories and other facilities. Such conventional systems received inputs such as "work area size, work period, and worker information" and performed simulations of optimal allocation based on this data. However, because only unreserved (unallocated) work areas were allocated, if available work areas were fragmented, overlapping work areas would occur, making reservations impossible and further fragmenting the allocated work areas. This reduced the utilization efficiency of the work areas.

[0044] In other words, in conventional systems, even if there was a work area where it was permissible to change the location after reservation, the location of the reserved work area could not be changed, making it impossible to efficiently utilize the work area.

[0045] In contrast, (1) a simulation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a work area layout simulation device that optimally lays out work areas, and is characterized by comprising an information acquisition unit 100 that acquires layout settings 200 and movement possibility settings 201 of work areas, and a simulation unit 101 that executes a simulation to lay out work areas based on the layout settings 200 acquired by the information acquisition unit 100, checks the movement possibility settings 201 of reserved work areas for layout during the execution of the simulation, and performs rearrangement if the work areas are set as movable.

[0046] With this configuration, the moveability setting 201 is set, and when a simulation is executed, the reserved work area's moveability setting 201 is checked, and if it is set to "movable," it can be made a target for relocation. This allows the work areas to be appropriately arranged while avoiding overlaps in a simulation of the work areas including the reserved work areas. Therefore, by being able to consider the optimal arrangement including the reserved work areas, the work areas can be used more flexibly. As a result, the utilization efficiency of the work areas can be improved.

[0047] This allows for the movement and consolidation of reserved work areas in simulations, reducing fragmentation of the work area. This improves work area utilization and reduces wasted space. This leads to efficient use of work areas and a reduction in overall work duration, especially in resource-limited environments.

[0048] Furthermore, (2) in the simulation device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the simulation unit 101 is characterized in that, for a work area whose movement feasibility setting 201 is set to be movable, the simulation unit 101 rearranges the reserved work area if it is possible to move the reserved work area to another area and to the location to which the reserved work area has been moved, based on the size, shape, and work time within the free area. This is a work area arrangement simulation device as described in (1).

[0049] With this configuration, it is possible to relocate a reserved work area if it is possible to move it to another area and to arrange a new work area in the space where the reserved work area has been moved, taking into consideration the size (area), shape, work time, etc. of the free area. This makes it possible to reliably move and arrange work areas.

[0050] Furthermore, (3) in the simulation device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the simulation unit 101 is a work area arrangement simulation device as described in (1) or (2) that performs a simulation based on any one or any combination of the conditions for minimizing the number of work areas in which movement occurs, the conditions for minimizing the movement distance of the work areas, and the conditions for transforming the work areas.

[0051] By configuring in this way, it is possible to rearrange reserved work areas according to conditions, improving the probability of reservation availability and the utilization rate of work areas. In addition, it is possible to perform a simulation of optimal layout under optimal conditions according to the results after layout.

[0052] Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, the shape of the work area is described as rectangular, but other shapes, such as a three-dimensional shape, can also be specified. Furthermore, although the types of work areas are not described in the above embodiment, it may be possible to set and arrange the flow lines according to the types. By configuring in this way, it is possible to perform a simulation of the layout of the work area that is more suited to the situation.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the example has been described in which the movement of the work area is performed based on the number of work areas, the movement distance, and the transformation conditions. However, work areas may be moved based on other conditions. For example, a condition may be set, such as whether it is possible to move through other work areas. Alternatively, the moving distance may be specified as a straight-line distance, a distance via a passageway, or a distance that minimizes changes in the flow line. Furthermore, the weight of the equipment to be placed in the work area may be included in the work area information 110, and the weight may be added as a condition. Furthermore, it is also possible to move and place equipment based on conditions that take ventilation ducts and other piping into consideration. This configuration allows the work area to be moved according to various situations.

[0054] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a layout simulation is performed using a single simulation device has been described. However, a system for work area utilization planning can also be configured to perform the above-described simulation using multiple devices. In this case, for example, the layout simulation may be performed at high speed using a large-scale server. Furthermore, the size of the room and the location of the passageway may be measured using a separate device such as a camera or laser measuring device, or may be obtained from a design drawing server. By configuring in this way, it is possible to perform an appropriate simulation depending on the scale of the simulation and the user's requests.

[0055] It goes without saying that the configurations and operations of the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1 Simulation device 10 Control Unit 11 Storage section 12 Display section 13 Input section 100 Information acquisition department 101 Simulation Department 110 Work Area Information 111 Condition Settings 112, 112-1, 112-2, 112-3 Reservation Information 200 Placement settings 201 Movement setting 500 Screen Examples

Claims

1. A work area layout simulation device for optimally arranging work areas, an information acquisition unit that acquires the layout setting of the work area and the setting of whether or not movement is possible; a simulation unit that executes a simulation of arranging the work areas based on the arrangement setting acquired by the information acquisition unit, checks the movable / non-movable setting of the reserved work areas for arrangement during the execution of the simulation, and performs the rearrangement if the movable setting is set to be movable; A work area layout simulation device characterized by:

2. The simulation unit For the work area for which the movable setting is set to movable, if the reserved work area can be moved to another area based on the size, shape, and work time within the vacant area, and if the reserved work area can be moved to the location to which it has been moved, then rearrangement is performed.

2. The work area layout simulation device according to claim 1.

3. The simulation unit A condition that minimizes the number of work areas where movement occurs; A condition that minimizes the travel distance of the work area; and A simulation is performed based on any one or any combination of the conditions for modifying the working area.

3. The work area layout simulation device according to claim 1 or 2.

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