Information processing device, information processing method, article manufacturing method, program, and recording medium

Abstract

There was a need for technology that could reduce the burden of inputting and maintaining the master data that schedulers must handle. [Solution] An information processing device that creates master data used to create process plans, characterized in that the master data is created using resource data that includes data related to resources used to carry out the process, and process management data that includes data related to the management of the process.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique useful for efficiently creating a process plan for manufacturing a product, for example. [Background technology]

[0002] In factories and other places, schedule management is carried out to efficiently manufacture products. Schedule management is carried out, for example, using a computer-based scheduler. Because schedule management requires a wide range of information, the number and types of data that a scheduler must handle can become enormous, placing a heavy burden on the scheduler in terms of input and maintenance.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a method for generating master data handled by a scheduler. In a data structure in which multiple resources required for product processing are associated with the product, resources that are all associated with the same product are grouped and treated as one resource group, and simplified master data is generated by associating the resource group with the product. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-95089 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In Patent Document 1, resources that are all associated with the same product are grouped. However, the types and number of data that a scheduler must handle are enormous, and simply grouping resources that share a common product does not sufficiently reduce the burden of data input and maintenance into the master data. This makes it difficult to efficiently create process plans. Therefore, there has been a demand for technology that can reduce the burden of inputting and maintaining the master data that a scheduler must handle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that creates master data used to create a process plan, characterized in that the master data is created using resource data including data related to resources used to carry out the process, and process management data including data related to the management of the process.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention is an information processing method, characterized in that an information processing device creates master data to be used for creating the process plan using resource data including data on resources used to implement the process plan and process management data including data on process management. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique that can significantly reduce the load required for inputting and maintaining master data that a scheduler must handle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for creating master data. [Figure 3](a) An example of a UI screen for referencing and registering resource data. (b) An example of a UI screen displaying data. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between the use of various data. [Figure 5] (a) An example of a UI screen showing worker shift data, (b) an example of worker definition data, and (c) an example of a UI screen showing worker shift data with data displayed. [Figure 6] (a) An example of a UI screen showing worker skill data. (b) Examples of worker definition data, product master data, and process capability master data. (c) An example of a UI screen showing worker skill data with data displayed. [Figure 7] (a) An example of a UI screen showing device shift data, (b) an example of device definition data, and (c) an example of a UI screen showing device shift data with data displayed. [Figure 8] (a) An example of a UI screen showing equipment skill data. (b) Examples of equipment definition data, product master data, and process capability master data. (c) An example of a UI screen showing equipment skill data with data displayed. [Figure 9] 10 shows an example of a UI screen displayed in step S4. [Figure 10] (a) An example of shipping plan schedule data. (b) An example of process chart data and process performance data. (c) An example of unstarted process chart data. [Figure 11] (a) An example of the unstarted process schedule data created in step S8. (b) An example of the converted unstarted process schedule data. (c) An example of master data in which the converted unstarted process schedule data is duplicated into each of the process data and item data. [Figure 12] (a) An example of item resource capacity data related to workers, (b) an example of process master data, and (c) an example of worker skill data to be entered. [Figure 13] (a) An example of item resource capacity data related to manufacturing equipment, (b) an example of process master data, and (c) an example of equipment skill data to be entered. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An information processing system, an information processing device, and the like according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown below are merely examples, and those skilled in the art can appropriately modify and implement the detailed configurations within the scope of the present invention.

[0011] In the drawings referred to in the following description of the embodiments, elements denoted by the same reference numerals have the same functions unless otherwise specified. When a plurality of identical elements are arranged in a drawing, the reference numerals and their descriptions may be omitted.

[0012] Furthermore, the drawings may be represented schematically for the convenience of illustration and explanation, and the shape, size, arrangement, etc. of the elements depicted in the drawings may not necessarily be strictly identical to the actual objects.

[0013] [Embodiment] (Information Processing System) 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. The information processing system 10 includes a schedule creation device 100, an information processing device 200, and a process control data storage device 300. These devices are connected to each other via a wired or wireless communication path so that they can communicate data with each other.

[0014] The schedule creation device 100 is a computer that creates a schedule for, for example, efficient production of products, and is internally equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O ports, etc. An information processing program related to schedule creation is stored in the ROM, but the information processing program may also be loaded into the RAM from an external source via a network.

[0015] The schedule creation device 100 includes a master data storage device 110 that stores data (master data) necessary for creating a schedule, and a planning engine unit 120 that creates a schedule using the master data. The planning engine unit 120 can be configured by a CPU reading and executing an information processing program, but may also be configured in part or in whole by hardware such as an ASIC.

[0016] The master data stored in the master data storage device 110 may include various types of data, such as order data, process data, item data, resource data, product configuration table data, item resource capacity data, and detailed calendar data. For example, order data may be data defining the production start date, delivery date, and quantity of a product. Process data may be data related to process management for product manufacturing. Item data may be data defining raw materials, intermediate products after each process, and finished products. Resource data is data defining the resources used in product manufacturing, and resources may include manufacturing equipment, manufacturing facilities, and workers involved in manufacturing. Product configuration table data may be data defining the process flow and the items (products) produced by the processes. Item resource capacity data may be data defining the capacity of resources required to produce items (products). Detailed calendar data may be data defining time information such as the operation start date and time and operation end date and time for each resource.

[0017] The process management data storage device 300 is a storage device that stores process management data necessary for creating master data. The process management data may include various types of data, such as process chart data, process performance data, process category master data, product master data, and process master data.

[0018] For example, process chart data may be data that defines the manufacturing processes to be performed and the order of the processes for each product. Process performance data may be data that indicates whether each process has actually been performed. Process category master data may be data that defines the master of the work units required to perform each process. Product master data may be data that defines the type of product. Process master data may be data that defines the work units and work times required to perform each process.

[0019] The information processing device 200 is an information processing device (computer) that creates master data, and is internally equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O ports, etc. An information processing program related to the creation of master data is stored in the ROM, but the information processing program may be loaded into the RAM from an external device via a network. The information processing device 200 is equipped with a data conversion unit 210, a resource data storage device 220, and a UI unit 230.

[0020] The data conversion unit 210 performs information processing to create master data using the process control data described above and resource data, which will be described next. The data conversion unit 210 can be configured by a CPU reading and executing a program for creating master data, but may also be configured in part or entirely by hardware such as an ASIC.

[0021] The resource data storage device 220 is a storage device that stores resource data necessary for creating master data. The resource data includes various data related to resources used in product manufacturing and product delivery dates. The resource data may include, for example, shipping plan schedule data, operating time definition data, resource skill data, skill definition data, worker definition data, equipment definition data, worker shift data, equipment shift data, worker skill data, and equipment skill data.

[0022] For example, the shipping schedule data may be data defining the start date and delivery date of product manufacturing. The operating time definition data may be data defining the operating time and downtime for each period. The resource skill data may be data defining the skills of each resource (e.g., each worker) for each manufacturing process. The skill definition data may be data defining the reduction rate, which indicates how much the working time required to complete a task is reduced depending on the skill of each resource (e.g., each worker). The worker definition data may be data defining the workers required to perform a manufacturing process. The equipment definition data may be data defining the equipment required to perform a manufacturing process. The worker shift data may be data defining the available working hours for each worker on a calendar day. The equipment shift data may be data defining the available working hours for each manufacturing device on a calendar day. The worker skill data may be data defining the skills that each worker has for each manufacturing process. The equipment skill data may be data defining the efficiency that each manufacturing device demonstrates in each manufacturing process.

[0023] Resource data is data in which multiple items are entered by the worker, but it is handled as normalized data to reduce the labor required for input work. Normalization refers to a state in which data is formatted so that it does not overlap with other data.

[0024] Figure 4 shows examples of various data contained in the process control data, resource data, and master data. In Figure 4, arrows indicate the usage relationships between the various data. The open process chart data in the figure is data created by the data conversion unit 210 of the information processing device 200 based on the process control data and resource data, as will be described later. Information processing using these data and data handling will be described in the explanation of the information processing procedure below.

[0025] The information processing device 200 includes a UI unit 230 that functions as a user interface with the user. The worker operates the information processing device 200 via the UI unit 230, but the information processing device 200 may also be configured so that the worker can operate the entire information processing system 10 via the UI unit of the information processing device 200. The UI unit 230 includes an input unit and a display unit. The input unit can be configured by a terminal such as a handy terminal, or devices such as a keyboard, a jog dial, a mouse, a pointing device, or a voice input device (or a control terminal equipped with these). The display unit may be any device that can display information related to the processing executed by the information processing device 200 on a display screen, and may be, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

[0026] In the following description, the screen displayed on the display device provided in the UI unit 230 may be referred to as a UI screen. For example, when a user performs operations such as referring to, editing, or registering resource data, the necessary data can be displayed on the UI screen. The information processing device 200 can also read out process management data from the process management data storage device 300 and display it on the UI screen. Alternatively, master data stored in the master data storage device of the schedule creation device 100 can be displayed on the UI screen.

[0027] (Information processing method) An example of an information processing method executed by the information processing device 200 will be described below. The data conversion unit 210 of the information processing device 200 performs maintenance processing to receive maintenance required for resource data. The data conversion unit 210 also acquires process chart data and process performance data from the process management data storage device 300, acquires shipping plan schedule data from the resource data storage device 220, and uses these to create unstarted process chart data. The data conversion unit 210 also creates master data in a predetermined format using the unstarted process chart data, resource data, and process management data that it has created.

[0028] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for creating master data. Here, an example will be described in which master data is created after maintenance of resource data is performed.

[0029] In steps S1 to S3, the information processing device 200 performs a maintenance process to accept maintenance of resource data. First, in step S1, the data conversion unit 210 reads and acquires resource data from the resource data storage device 220, and further reads and acquires process control data from the process control data storage device 300 as necessary. Then, in step S2, the data conversion unit 210 accepts an edit operation of the resource data by the user via the UI unit 230. The edited resource data is registered in the resource data storage device 220 in step S3.

[0030] The resource data maintenance process will be described using an example. The UI unit 230 of the information processing device 200 displays a UI screen for referring to and registering resource data on the display unit. Fig. 3(a) shows an example of the UI screen, which includes a reference button 231, a registration button 232, a data display area 233, and a data selection tab 234.

[0031] The data selection tab 234 is a tab for selecting the data to be edited from the various data included in the resource data (planned shipping days to equipment skills), and Figure 3(a) shows an example in which the user has selected the "Worker definition" tab.

[0032] In this state, when the user clicks the reference button 231, the data conversion unit 210 reads out the worker definition data from the resource data storage device 220 and displays it in the data display area 233 of the UI screen as shown in FIG. 3(b) (step S1).

[0033] The user can check the contents of the data display area 233 and can also edit (add, change, delete, etc.) the worker definition data using the input unit of the UI unit 230 (step S2). When the user clicks the register button 232, the data conversion unit 210 stores the edited resource data (worker definition data) in the resource data storage device 220 (step S3).

[0034] As in the above example, the user can select the data that he or she wishes to check or edit using the data selection tab 234, but there may be cases where the selected data uses other data due to the usage relationships shown in Fig. 4. In such cases, the data conversion unit 210 reads not only the selected data but also the other data used by the selected data from the resource data storage device 220 or the process control data storage device 300, and displays them in the data display area 233. The data conversion unit 210 can normalize multiple pieces of data that are in a usage relationship and display them in the data display area 233.

[0035] As a first example of a case in which, in addition to the data selected to be edited, other data that has a usage relationship with the selected data is displayed on the UI screen, a case will be described where "Worker Shift" is selected in the data selection tab 234. Worker shift data is data that defines the available working hours for each worker on each calendar day, and is displayed in the data display area 233 of the UI screen in the form shown in FIG. 5(a). The displayed worker shift data is configured using the worker definition data shown in FIG. 5(b) (see the usage relationship in FIG. 4). Note that in the worker definition data used by the worker shift data, for example, shifts in shift work and worker work areas are defined as groups.

[0036] Therefore, when the user selects "Worker Shift" in the data selection tab 234 and clicks the browse button 231, the data conversion unit 210 reads out the worker shift data and worker definition data from the resource data storage device 220. The data conversion unit 210 normalizes the read out data and displays the worker shift data in the data display area 233 of the UI screen in the form shown in Fig. 5(c) (step S1).

[0037] The user can check the contents of the data display area 233 and can also edit (add, change, delete, etc.) the available hours for each calendar day for each worker via the input unit of the UI unit 230 (step S2). In this case, to prevent inconsistencies from occurring with the worker definition data stored in the resource data storage device, the parts corresponding to the worker definition data cannot be changed and are displayed in gray to indicate to the user that they cannot be changed.

[0038] When the user clicks the register button 232, the data conversion unit 210 stores the edited resource data (worker shift data) in the resource data storage device 220 (step S3).

[0039] As a second example in which, in addition to the data selected to be edited, other data that has a usage relationship with the selected data is displayed on the UI screen, the case where "Worker Skills" is selected on the data selection tab 234 will be described. Worker skill data is data that defines the skill level that each worker has for each manufacturing process, and is displayed in the data display area 233 of the UI screen in the form shown in FIG. 6(a). The displayed worker skill data is configured using the worker definition data, product master data, and process capability master data shown in FIG. 6(b) (see the usage relationship in FIG. 4).

[0040] Therefore, when the user selects "Worker Skills" in the data selection tab 234 and clicks the browse button 231, the data conversion unit 210 reads out the worker definition data from the resource data storage device 220, and reads out the product master data and process capability master data from the process control data storage device 300. The data conversion unit 210 normalizes the read out data and displays the worker shift data in the data display area 233 of the UI screen in the form shown in Fig. 6(c) (step S1).

[0041] The user can check the contents of the data display area 233 and edit (add, change, delete, etc.) the skill levels that each worker has for each manufacturing process via the input section of the UI section 230 (step S2). At this time, to prevent inconsistencies from occurring between the worker definition data stored in the resource data storage device 220 and the product master data and process capability master data stored in the process control data storage device 300, the corresponding parts are made unchangeable and are displayed in gray to indicate to the user that they cannot be changed.

[0042] When the user clicks the registration button 232, the data conversion unit 210 stores the edited resource data (worker skill data) in the resource data storage device 220 (step S3).

[0043] The first and second examples are examples relating to workers as resources, and the third and fourth examples are examples relating to manufacturing equipment as resources.

[0044] As a third example in which, in addition to the data selected to be edited, other data that has a usage relationship with the selected data is displayed on the UI screen, the case where "equipment shift" in the data selection tab 234 is selected will be described. Equipment shift data is data that defines the available operating hours for each calendar day for each piece of manufacturing equipment, and is displayed in the data display area 233 of the UI screen in the form shown in FIG. 7(a). The displayed equipment shift data is configured using the equipment definition data shown in FIG. 7(b) (see the usage relationship in FIG. 4). Note that in the equipment definition data used by the equipment shift data, for example, the area where the equipment is installed and the type of equipment are defined as groups, but if there is no need to separate the groups, they may all be placed in the same group.

[0045] Therefore, when the user selects "Device Shift" in the data selection tab 234 and clicks the browse button 231, the data conversion unit 210 reads out the device shift data and device definition data from the resource data storage device 220. The data conversion unit 210 normalizes the read out data and displays the device shift data in the data display area 233 of the UI screen in the form shown in Fig. 7(c) (step S1).

[0046] The user can check the contents of the data display area 233 and can also edit (add, change, delete, etc.) the available operation time for each calendar day for each manufacturing device via the input unit of the UI unit 230 (step S2). At this time, in order to prevent inconsistencies from occurring with the device definition data stored in the resource data storage device, the parts corresponding to the device definition data cannot be changed and are displayed in gray to indicate to the user that they cannot be changed.

[0047] When the user clicks the register button 232, the data conversion unit 210 stores the edited resource data (device shift data) in the resource data storage device 220 (step S3).

[0048] As a fourth example of a case in which, in addition to the data selected for editing, other data in a usage relationship with the selected data is displayed on the UI screen, the case where "equipment skills" is selected in the data selection tab 234 will be described. Equipment skill data defines the product capability and process capability of each manufacturing device in the product manufacturing process, and is displayed in the data display area 233 of the UI screen in the form shown in FIG. 8(a). Product capability is an index that defines the level of compatibility of each manufacturing device with the product to be manufactured. Process capability is an index that defines the level of capability (processing speed, processing accuracy, etc.) that each manufacturing device can demonstrate in that process (e.g., a processing process). Regarding product capability or process capability, if there is no difference between the manufacturing devices, they may all be defined as the same level. The displayed equipment skill data is configured using the equipment definition data, product master data, and process capability master data shown in FIG. 8(b) (see the usage relationship in FIG. 4).

[0049] Therefore, when the user selects "equipment skill" in the data selection tab 234 and clicks the reference button 231, the data conversion unit 210 reads out the equipment definition data from the resource data storage device 220, and reads out the product master data and process capability master data from the process control data storage device 300. The data conversion unit 210 normalizes the read out data and displays the equipment skill data in the data display area 233 of the UI screen in the form shown in Fig. 8(c) (step S1).

[0050] The user can check the contents of the data display area 233 and can also edit (add, change, delete, etc.) the product response capacity and process capacity for each manufacturing device via the input unit of the UI unit 230 (step S2). At this time, in order to prevent inconsistencies from occurring between the device definition data stored in the resource data storage device 220 and the product master data and process capability master data stored in the process control data storage device 300, the parts corresponding to these cannot be changed and are displayed in gray to indicate to the user that they cannot be changed.

[0051] When the user clicks the register button 232, the data conversion unit 210 stores the edited resource data (device skill data) in the resource data storage device 220 (step S3).

[0052] Steps S1 to S3 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 have been described above. The information processing device 200 then creates unstarted process chart data (see FIG. 4) in the subsequent steps S4 to S8, and creates master data in step S9.

[0053] 9 on the display unit of the UI unit 230. The UI screen includes a conversion button 211 for performing data conversion processing and a resource selection area 212 for selecting resources to be used during the conversion processing.

[0054] The resource selection area 212 displays information for the user to select resources related to the master data to be created. In this example, the user has selected "Worker" with the button. In this state, when the user clicks the conversion button 211, the data conversion unit 210 starts the data conversion process and executes steps S5 to S8 to create unstarted process schedule data. Here, an example will be described in which unstarted process schedule data is created on April 1, 2024. In step S5, the data conversion unit 210 reads and acquires the shipping plan schedule data shown in FIG.

[0055] Next, in step S6, products for which not-started process chart data is to be created are selected. Products for which the possible start date of the shipping plan schedule data acquired in step S5 is before the date for creating not-started process chart data are selected. In other words, products for which production can be started according to the schedule at the time of creating not-started process chart data are selected. In this example, products A, B, and D in the shipping plan schedule data shown in FIG. 10(a) are the products for which not-started process chart data is to be created. The selection of target products may be performed automatically by the data conversion unit 210, or may be performed by the user via the UI screen.

[0056] Next, in step S7, the data conversion unit 210 acquires the process chart data and process performance data shown in FIG. 10(b) from the process management data storage device 300 for product A, product B, and product D for which unstarted process chart data was created in step S6. The process chart data is data that defines the manufacturing processes to be performed and the order of the processes for each product. The process performance data is data that indicates whether each process has actually been performed.

[0057] Next, in step S8, the data conversion unit 210 removes the already completed processes stored in the process performance data from the process chart data for products A, B, and D obtained in step S7, and obtains the not-started process chart data shown in Figure 10(c). That is, for products for which production can be started, already completed manufacturing processes are excluded, and not-started process chart data is created in which manufacturing processes that have not yet been started are identified. At this time, if there is a product such as product D for which all processes have been completed, the data for that product can be deleted from the shipping plan schedule data stored in the resource data storage device 220 after the not-started process chart data has been created.

[0058] Next, in step S9, the data conversion unit 210 of the information processing device 200 combines and processes the unstarted process chart data, resource data, and process management data created in step S8 to create master data. Processing includes combining, duplicating, and converting data.

[0059] 11(a) to 11(d) are diagrams for explaining the process data and item data among the master data generated by the data conversion unit 210. As shown in Fig. 4, both the process data and item data, which are master data, are created using the unstarted process schedule data.

[0060] Figure 11(a) shows the unstarted process schedule data of Figure 10(c) created in step S8. Figure 11(c) shows the item data and process data to be created as master data, and the process column of the item data and the process column of the process data contain the same data, linking the product code and process code. On the other hand, in the unstarted process schedule data of Figure 11(a), the product and the process corresponding to the product are defined in different columns in the same row.

[0061] Therefore, the data conversion unit 210 performs a conversion process based on the not-started process schedule data of Fig. 11(a) to link the product and process columns and integrate them into one column data, converting it into not-started process schedule data shown in Fig. 11(b). After that, the data conversion unit 210 copies the converted not-started process schedule data into process data and item data respectively, as shown in Fig. 11(c), to create master data, and registers it in the master data storage device 110.

[0062] As another example of step S9, a case where item resource capability data related to workers is created as master data will be described. Figures 12(a) to 12(c) are diagrams for explaining a method for creating item resource capability data related to workers as resources using normalized resource data. As shown in the usage relationship in Figure 4, item resource capability data related to workers is created using worker skill data, skill definition data, and process master data.

[0063] As shown in Figure 12(a), what is required for the item resource capability data related to workers is data on the predicted working time required for each worker to perform each process for each product. In this embodiment, the data conversion unit 210 acquires the process master data shown in Figure 12(b) from the process management data storage device 300. The process master data is data that defines the worker capabilities required to perform each manufacturing process for each product and the working time required for a worker with standard skills to perform that process.

[0064] The data conversion unit 210 also reads out worker skill data that has been registered in advance by the user in the resource data storage device 220. That is, as shown in Fig. 12(c), it acquires product understanding ability that defines the worker's level of understanding of the product, process capability skills that define the worker's skill level for each manufacturing process, and skill definition data that defines the reduction rate of work time for each process capability skill based on the work time of a worker with standard skills.

[0065] The data conversion unit 210 creates the item resource capacity data of FIG. 12(a) using the data shown in FIG. 12(b) and FIG. 12(c). In the item resource capacity data, the work time of each worker is calculated and registered according to the product understanding ability for the product in question and the process capability skill for carrying out the manufacturing process of that product. As a specific example, we will explain the case where the work time when worker A performs manufacturing process A of product A in FIG. 12(a) is calculated. As shown in FIG. 12(b), to carry out manufacturing process A of product A, product understanding ability for product A, capabilities A and capabilities B are required.

[0066] The working time required by a worker to carry out a manufacturing process for a product can be calculated, for example, using the following formula (1).

number

[0067] In the skill definition data shown in FIG. 12(c), integers such that x≦α1≦x+1 and x−1≦β1≦x are defined as skill α1 and skill β1, and their shortening rates are defined as α2 and β2.

[0068] Furthermore, x is expressed as the following formula (2).

number

[0069] As shown in the example of Figure 12(c), worker A's product understanding for product A is 5, his skill for ability A is 2, and his skill for ability B is 5. Substituting this into formula (1), the following formula (3) is obtained, and the working time when worker A performs manufacturing process A for product A is calculated to be 19 minutes.

number

[0070] In this way, by performing calculations for each manufacturing process of each product, quality resource capability data for workers shown in FIG. 12(a) can be created.

[0071] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 12(b), the manufacturing process of a product and its capabilities are defined in association with each other, which makes it possible to reduce the labor required for data entry. For example, when capabilities A and B, which are skills required for manufacturing process A, are defined, the skills for process D, which requires the same capability A, can also be automatically defined. By using normalized data in this way, it is possible to manage data in a format that prevents duplication and reduce the labor required for data entry.

[0072] As another example of step S9, a case where item resource capacity data related to manufacturing equipment is created as master data will be described. Figures 13(a) to 13(c) are diagrams for explaining a method for creating item resource capacity data related to manufacturing equipment as a resource using normalized resource data. As shown in the usage relationship in Figure 4, item resource capacity data related to manufacturing equipment is created using equipment skill data, skill definition data, and process master data.

[0073] As shown in Figure 13(a), what is required for item resource capacity data related to manufacturing equipment is data on the predicted work time required for each manufacturing equipment to perform each process for each product. In this embodiment, the data conversion unit 210 acquires the process master data shown in Figure 13(b) from the process management data storage device 300. The process master data is data that defines the capacity of manufacturing equipment required to perform each manufacturing process for each product and the time it takes for manufacturing equipment with standard processing capacity to perform that process.

[0074] The data conversion unit 210 also reads out equipment skill data that has been registered in advance by the user in the resource data storage device 220. That is, as shown in Fig. 13(c), the data conversion unit 210 acquires product capability that defines the capability of the manufacturing equipment to handle the product, the process capability of each manufacturing process of the manufacturing equipment, and skill definition data that defines the reduction rate of the working time for each capacity of the manufacturing equipment based on the working time of a manufacturing equipment having a standard processing capacity.

[0075] The data conversion unit 210 creates the item resource capacity data of Fig. 13(a) using the data shown in Fig. 13(b) and Fig. 13(c). In this case, like the item resource capacity data related to the worker described above, the data conversion unit 210 calculates the operation time related to the manufacturing equipment by using equation (1) to create the item resource capacity data related to the manufacturing equipment.

[0076] The master data created by the data conversion unit 210 in the above manner is registered in the master data storage device 110 of the schedule creation device 100. Based on the timely updated master data, the planning engine unit 120 of the schedule creation device 100 can create an optimized manufacturing process plan for each product.

[0077] As described above, according to this embodiment, resource data and process control data can be efficiently input and maintained, and based on that, open process chart data can be created, and master data that is the basis for schedule creation can be easily created and updated. Therefore, for example, schedules for manufacturing processes that manufacture products can be created extremely efficiently.

[0078] [Other embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and many modifications are possible within the technical concept of the present invention.

[0079] Although the information processing system 10 including the schedule creation device 100, the information processing device 200, and the process management data storage device 300 has been described with reference to Fig. 1, it is not necessarily required to be configured as illustrated. For example, the specific form of distribution and integration of each functional block is not limited to the example of Fig. 1, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on the usage situation, etc. For example, the schedule creation device 100, the information processing device 200, and the process management data storage device 300 may all be integrated and configured as a single information processing device.

[0080] The data items and usage relationships included in the resource data, process control data, and master data have been explained with reference to Figure 4, but the data structure and usage relationships are not limited to this example. The point is that it is sufficient to configure a data group that is useful for creating a process plan for carrying out a target task (for example, product manufacturing) and that is at least partially normalized.

[0081] The present invention also includes a program capable of executing the information processing method for creating the master data described above, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program. Examples of recording media that can be used include a flexible disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, a USB memory, and an SSD.

[0082] The present invention also includes a schedule creation method in which an information processing device creates a schedule for product manufacturing based on the master data created as described above. Furthermore, the present invention also includes a method for manufacturing an article in which resources (workers, equipment) are allocated and operated according to the created schedule to manufacture a product. The equipment as resources includes various types of processing equipment, such as cutting equipment, polishing equipment, painting equipment, heating equipment, film deposition equipment, and injection molding equipment, as well as cleaning equipment and inspection equipment.

[0083] The master data created by the information processing device according to the embodiment is preferably master data used to create a process plan for manufacturing a product. However, the master data handled by the information processing device according to the embodiment is not limited to master data used to create a process plan for manufacturing a product. In short, any master data used to create a plan for a work process in which some work is performed using resources can be efficiently created by the information processing device according to the embodiment.

[0084] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0085] This specification discloses at least the following: [Matter 1] An information processing device that creates master data used to create a process plan, resource data including data regarding resources used to perform the process; and process management data including data related to the process management, and creating the master data using the data. 1. An information processing device comprising: [Matter 2] creating unstarted process chart data using the process chart data and process performance data included in the process management data; creating the master data using the unstarted process schedule data and the resource data; 2. The information processing device according to item 1. [Matter 3] The unstarted process schedule data includes information on unstarted processes corresponding to the product, The master data includes item data and process data in which information on the product and information on the unstarted process are linked. 3. The information processing device according to item 2. [Matter 4] creating the master data using the resource data normalized to include a plurality of items relating to at least one of manufacturing equipment and workers; 4. The information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 3. [Matter 5] creating the master data using the normalized resource data including worker definition data and worker shift data for the worker; 5. The information processing device according to item 4. [Matter 6] creating the master data using the resource data normalized to include worker definition data and worker skill data for the worker; 5. The information processing device according to item 4. [Matter 7] The worker skill data includes at least one of data indicating the worker's understanding of the product and data indicating the worker's skill level in performing a process for manufacturing the product. 7. The information processing device according to item 6. [Matter 8] creating the master data using the resource data normalized to include equipment definition data and equipment shift data for the manufacturing equipment; 5. The information processing device according to item 4. [Matter 9] creating the master data using the resource data normalized to include equipment definition data and equipment skill data for the manufacturing equipment; 5. The information processing device according to item 4. [Matter 10] The equipment skill data includes at least one of data indicating the capability of the manufacturing equipment to handle the product and data indicating the level of capability of the manufacturing equipment to perform a process for manufacturing the product. 10. The information processing device according to item 9. [Matter 11] The resource data includes at least one of shipping plan schedule data, operating time definition data, skill definition data, worker definition data, worker shift data, worker skill data, equipment definition data, equipment shift data, and equipment skill data. 11. The information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 10. [Matter 12] The process management data includes at least one of process chart data, process performance data, process capability master data, product master data, and process master data. 12. The information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 11, [Matter 13] The master data includes at least one of order data, process data, item data, resource data, product configuration bill data, item resource capacity data, and detailed calendar data. 13. The information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 12. [Matter 14] Accepting editing of the resource data by a user; creating the master data using the edited resource data and the process control data; 14. The information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 13, [Matter 15] Using the information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 14, the master data is created, the information processing device uses the master data to create a schedule for the production of products, and the manufacturing device manufactures the products based on the schedule. A method for manufacturing an article. [Matter 16] The information processing device creating master data to be used for creating the process plan using resource data including data on resources used to implement the process plan and process control data including data on process control; 1. An information processing method comprising: [Matter 17] The information processing device, creating unstarted process chart data using the process chart data and process performance data included in the process management data; creating the master data using the unstarted process schedule data and the resource data; 17. The information processing method according to item 16, [Matter 18] The unstarted process schedule data includes information on unstarted processes corresponding to the product, The master data includes item data and process data in which information on the product and information on the unstarted process are linked. 18. The information processing method according to item 17, [Matter 19] 19. A program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to any one of items 16 to 18. [Matter 20] 20. A computer-readable recording medium having the program according to item 19 recorded thereon. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 10. Information processing system / 100. Schedule creation device / 110. Master data storage device / 120. Planning engine section / 200. Information processing device / 210. Data conversion section / 211. Conversion button / 212. Resource selection area / 220. Resource data storage device / 230. UI section / 231. Reference button / 232. Registration button / 233. Data display area / 234. Data selection tab / 300. Process control data storage device

Claims

1. An information processing device that creates master data used to create a process plan, resource data including data regarding resources used to perform the process; and process management data including data related to the process management, and creating the master data using the data.

1. An information processing device comprising:

2. creating unstarted process chart data using the process chart data and process performance data included in the process management data; creating the master data using the unstarted process schedule data and the resource data; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The unstarted process schedule data includes information on unstarted processes corresponding to the product, The master data includes item data and process data in which information on the product and information on the unstarted process are linked.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

4. creating the master data using the resource data normalized to include a plurality of items relating to at least one of manufacturing equipment and workers; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

5. creating the master data using the normalized resource data including worker definition data and worker shift data for the worker; 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

6. creating the master data using the resource data normalized to include worker definition data and worker skill data for the worker; 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

7. The worker skill data includes at least one of data indicating the worker's understanding of the product and data indicating the worker's skill level in performing a process for manufacturing the product.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6,

8. creating the master data using the resource data normalized to include equipment definition data and equipment shift data for the manufacturing equipment; 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

9. creating the master data using the resource data normalized to include equipment definition data and equipment skill data for the manufacturing equipment; 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

10. The equipment skill data includes at least one of data indicating the capability of the manufacturing equipment to handle the product and data indicating the level of capability of the manufacturing equipment to perform a process for manufacturing the product.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9,

11. The resource data includes at least one of shipping plan schedule data, operating time definition data, skill definition data, worker definition data, worker shift data, worker skill data, equipment definition data, equipment shift data, and equipment skill data.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

12. The process management data includes at least one of process chart data, process performance data, process capability master data, product master data, and process master data.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

13. The master data includes at least one of order data, process data, item data, resource data, product configuration bill data, item resource capacity data, and detailed calendar data.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

14. Accepting editing of the resource data by a user; creating the master data using the edited resource data and the process control data; 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

15. The master data is created using the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the information processing device uses the master data to create a schedule for the production of products, and a manufacturing device manufactures the products based on the schedule. A method for manufacturing an article.

16. The information processing device creating master data to be used for creating the process plan using resource data including data on resources used to implement the process plan and process control data including data on process control; 1. An information processing method comprising:

17. The information processing device, creating unstarted process chart data using the process chart data and process performance data included in the process management data; creating the master data using the unstarted process schedule data and the resource data; 17. The information processing method according to claim 16.

18. The unstarted process schedule data includes information on unstarted processes corresponding to the product, The master data includes item data and process data in which information on the product and information on the unstarted process are linked.

18. The information processing method according to claim 17.

19. A program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to any one of claims 16 to 18.

20. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 19 is recorded.

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