Component traceability management device and management method

Abstract

To clarify a section of assembly into a product for each production lot of parts used continuously, and accurately identify a cause of a problem of the product in an early stage.SOLUTION: A part traceability management device includes: a product identification information acquisition unit which receives product identification information of a product; a part information reception unit which calculates an assembly flag for a part forming the product based on the product identification information and model information for each product identification information; a part box storage information acquisition unit which acquires production lot identification information for each part box; a remaining amount detection unit which detects part box information and a remaining amount of used parts assembled into the product or detective parts not assembled into the product; a remaining amount receiving unit which calculates, based on the amount of used parts and defective parts, a remaining amount threshold flag when the remaining amount of parts has become equal to or less than a threshold; and a production lot identification information calculation unit which calculates a remaining amount of parts upon assembly into the product based on the assembly flag and the remaining amount threshold flag.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a traceability system, and to a technique for analyzing the causes of defects in manufactured products and for quality control. [Background technology]

[0002] On the production line, especially in the automobile industry, new vehicles are produced on a minute-by-minute basis. However, if a defect (including a recall) is found after a manufactured product has been released onto the market, the cause is investigated, and the part that caused the defect, such as a component, is identified, and the extent of the impact of that component on other manufactured products is investigated based on a traceability system.

[0003] Some parts and components can be linked one-to-one with finished products, but for many parts and components that are managed by lot (for example, packaging unit), the mainstream method is to link them by comparing the usage time of each lot with the time when the finished product passed through the manufacturing process. Since it is difficult to improve the accuracy of linking parts and components that are handled during minute-by-minute work when assembling finished products to the finished products to which they are attached, or because no records of linking are kept, investigations can be prolonged and it may not be possible to narrow the scope of identified causes in a short period of time, which increases the investigation costs and time and places a burden on companies, creating problems.

[0004] An example of prior art related to the above quality control and the like is Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-65841 (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a component traceability management device that extracts manufacturing lot identification information of components that can be used in a manufactured product based on the manufacturing start time and manufacturing end time of the manufactured product and the supply start time and supply stop time of the component, and records the manufacturing product identification information and the component name in association with each other. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-65841 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] According to Patent Document 1, manufacturing lot identification information (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated as "manufacturing lot") is extracted based on the time related to the supply of components. However, around the time when the manufacturing lot of a component is changed, the component may have been attached in either the manufacturing lot before or after the changeover, making it difficult to identify the manufacturing lot of the component attached to the product, and multiple manufacturing lots must be dealt with. This creates uncertainties in the management of manufacturing lots, and the problem remains that it is difficult to further improve the efficiency of component traceability.

[0007] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to clarify the assembly sections for continuously used parts into manufactured products for each production lot, and to discover the cause of defects in the manufactured products early and with high accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] As an example, the present invention is a component traceability management device that manages production lot identification information of components that constitute a finished product in a process for manufacturing the finished product, and includes a manufactured product identification information acquisition unit that accepts the manufactured product identification information of the finished product, a component information receiving unit that calculates an assembly flag of the components that constitute the finished product from the manufactured product identification information and model information for each manufactured product identification information, a component box storage information acquisition unit that acquires manufacturing lot identification information for each component box, a remaining quantity detection unit that detects the component box information and the quantity of used components to be incorporated into the finished product or defective components not to be incorporated, a remaining quantity receiving unit that calculates a remaining quantity threshold flag from the quantities of used components and defective components when the remaining quantity of components falls below a threshold value, and a manufactured product lot identification information calculation unit that calculates the remaining quantity of components at the time of assembly of the components into the finished product based on the assembly flag and the remaining quantity threshold flag. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to clarify the section in which parts that are used continuously are assembled into products for each production lot, thereby improving the accuracy of traceability technology for production lines. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scene of a component traceability management device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a component traceability management device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the linking of manufacturing lot identification information and manufactured product identification information of component parts in the prior art and the embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a process flow of a component assembly operation performed in each process in the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is information acquired at the time of passing of a product, which is acquired by a product identification information acquisition unit in the embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a data example of a product model information DB in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is a data example of a model-specific component configuration information DB in the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a process table for updating a component installation flag of a component information receiving unit in the embodiment. [Figure 9A] 13 is an example of data before storage information in a material box storage information DB is updated in the embodiment. [Figure 9B] 13 is an example of data after storage information in a material box storage information DB has been updated in the embodiment. [Figure 10A] 4 is a process flow of a remaining amount detection unit in the embodiment. [Figure 10B] 11 is a data example showing information acquired by a remaining amount detection unit in the embodiment. [Figure 11] 10C is an image diagram of a work scene when a defective product is detected in the remaining amount detection unit shown in FIG. 10B. [Figure 12A]13 is a conceptual diagram of a work scene during remaining amount detection when the same material is stored in a plurality of material boxes on a material shelf in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12B] 12B is a data example showing information acquired by the remaining amount detection unit during the remaining amount detection shown in FIG. 12A. [Figure 13A] 11 is a process table before processing for calculating a remaining amount threshold flag of a remaining amount receiving unit in the embodiment. [Figure 13B] 13 is a process table after processing for calculating a remaining amount threshold flag of a remaining amount receiving unit in the embodiment. [Figure 14] 11 is a diagram for explaining a remaining amount calculation method performed by a production lot identification information calculation unit when assembling a component to a vehicle in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 15] 13 is a data example of an assembly component performance DB in the embodiment. [Figure 16] 13 is an example of a screen when component identification information and manufacturing lot identification information are designated as search conditions on a manufacturing lot search screen in the embodiment. [Figure 17] 13 is a screen example when product identification information and work time are specified as search conditions on the vehicle search screen in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. EXAMPLES

[0012] 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an application scene of a component traceability management device 10 in this embodiment. The component traceability management device 10 in this embodiment is a device that can link the manufacturing lot identification information of a component assembled to each manufactured product identification information when the component is assembled into a finished product 80. Here, the manufactured product identification information is information that identifies each manufactured product. Also, the manufacturing lot identification information of a component is information that identifies the lot of the component, with the unit of delivery of the component to the manufacturer being the lot.

[0013] In Fig. 1, a storage lot 21 is a lot stored in a material box 23, and the storage lot 21 is transferred to a material box 23 stored in a material shelf 24 for each process. When replenishing materials, material box identification information is linked to the production lot identification information of the stored material and the material storage time. Here, material box identification information is information that identifies each material box 23 that stores material 22. Also, material box identification information is assumed to be issued independently. The material box identification information and the production lot identification information are acquired by a code information reading medium 11. In Fig. 1, the material box identification information and the production lot identification information are assumed to be barcodes, and the code information reading medium 11 is assumed to be a barcode reader or the like, but other means may be used as long as the material box and the production lot identification information can be linked one-to-one.

[0014] In addition, since there is a possibility that defective parts are mixed in with the parts 22, there are parts shelves 24 and defective parts shelves 25 at each process. A worker takes out a part 22 from a parts box 23 stored on the parts shelf 24, and assembles it into a finished product 80 on the production line. If a worker finds that the part he or she picked up is defective, the worker stores the part on the defective parts shelf 25.

[0015] In the component storage area, the remaining amount detection medium 12 is fixed and installed at a location where it can monitor the storage of components on the defective shelf 25, and acquires component box identification information and information on the usage history of the components. That is, the remaining amount detection medium 12 is assumed to be a camera, and the component box identification information can be acquired from the image acquired by the camera, and the usage history of the components can be determined by an AI posture extraction processing means provided in the component traceability management device 10. However, as long as it is possible to acquire the component box identification information and information on the usage history of the components, other means may be used, such as the remaining amount detection medium 12 being a weighing scale, the weight of the component box being measured by the weighing scale, and the usage history of the components being calculated in the component traceability management device 10.

[0016] In the production line, the product identification information of the finished product 80 can be acquired for each process by the product identification information acquisition medium 13. The product identification information acquisition medium 13 is, for example, an RFID reading device. The finished product is assumed to be equipped with an RFID or the like with the product identification information written therein before being introduced into the production line, and can be read online by an RFID reading device in the process. The above-mentioned RFID may be replaced with another means as long as it can store the product identification information and can be read in the process.

[0017] The information registered in the database (DB) by the component traceability management device 10 regarding the assembled components for each product identification information can be output on the screen by the screen display unit 14.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of the component traceability management device 10 in this embodiment. In Fig. 2, the component traceability management device 10 includes a manufactured product identification information acquisition unit 31, a component information reception unit 32, a component box storage information acquisition unit 33, a component box storage information accumulation unit 34, a remaining amount detection unit 35, a remaining amount reception unit 36, a manufacturing lot identification information calculation unit 37, a database accumulation unit 38, a manufactured product model information DB 41, a model-specific component configuration information DB 42, a component box storage information DB 43, and an assembly component performance DB 44. The communication network 50 is, for example, a LAN. Here, the model information refers to information on the manufactured product model that is possessed for each manufactured product.

[0019] Furthermore, the screen display unit 14 may display various information from the component traceability management device 10 via the communication network 50, or may be provided inside the component traceability management device 10 to display various information.

[0020] Although not shown in the figure, the code information reading medium 11, remaining amount detection medium 12, and manufactured product identification information acquisition medium 13 communicate with the component traceability management device 10 via the communication network 50, and the component traceability management device 10 acquires information by receiving the necessary information.

[0021] The hardware image of the component traceability management device 10 is composed of a general processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage device, and the functions shown in FIG. 2 are executed by reading out programs and information that realize each function from the storage device and performing the specified processing by software processing.

[0022] If the communication network 50 is guaranteed to have a certain communication speed that allows online processing, the component traceability management device 10 may be located remotely, for example as a server device. The assembled component performance DB 44 can also be accumulated by batch processing rather than online processing. The communication network 50 can be a general public line network, whether wired or wireless, for example, a fifth generation mobile communication system that allows "multiple simultaneous connections" and "ultra-low latency," so-called 5G (5th Generation).

[0023] The product identification information acquisition unit 31 acquires product identification information of products passing on the production line by using the product identification information acquisition medium 13 installed for each process.

[0024] The product model information DB 41 is a DB in which the model for each product identification information is stored. There is one master regardless of the process.

[0025] The type-specific component configuration information DB 42 is a DB in which assembled components and the number of components, and assembly process information are stored for each model. There is one as a master regardless of the process.

[0026] The component information receiving unit 32 extracts the model from the manufactured product model information DB 41 based on the manufactured product identification information, extracts the component configuration information required for each process from the component configuration information by model DB 42, and calculates an assembly flag indicating whether or not each component needs to be assembled into the manufactured product in the current process.

[0027] The material box storage information acquisition unit 33 acquires the material box identification information and the stored production lot identification information from the code information reading medium 11, and links the material box with the production lot identification information.

[0028] The material box storage information accumulation unit 34 stores the material box identification information and the manufacturing lot identification information online when the lot is stored in the material box in the material box storage information DB 43. There is one material box storage information DB 43 as a master regardless of the process.

[0029] The remaining quantity detection unit 35 acquires component box identification information and component usage history information via the remaining quantity detection medium 12 installed for each process. Here, the component usage history information refers to the record of which component box the component was taken out from, whether the taken component was incorporated into the finished product as a used component, or whether the taken component was placed on the defective component shelf without being incorporated into the finished product as a defective component. The remaining quantity detection unit 35 detects the quantity of used components or defective components that will not be incorporated.

[0030] The remaining amount receiving unit 36 ​​calculates a remaining amount threshold flag when the remaining amount of each component stored in each component box falls below a threshold, based on the component box storage information DB 43 and the component box information and component usage history information of the remaining amount detection unit 35. It is assumed that the remaining amount threshold for flag calculation is determined in advance for each component.

[0031] The production lot identification information calculation unit 37 calculates the remaining amount of components at the time of assembling the components to the finished product from the assembly flag information of the component information receiving unit 32 and the remaining amount threshold flag of the remaining amount receiving unit 36. Note that the production lot identification information calculation unit 37 may calculate a switching point for the production lot identification information of the components based on the remaining amount, or the user may determine the switching point when the remaining amount changes from 1 to zero.

[0032] The database storage unit 38 stores the information from the manufacturing lot identification information calculation unit 37 in the assembly component performance DB 44 .

[0033] The assembly component performance DB 44 stores assembly information of components for each piece of product identification information stored in the database storage unit 38. One exists as a master regardless of the process.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the linking of the manufacturing lot identification information of the component with the manufactured product identification information in the conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 and in this embodiment.

[0035] In FIG. 3, in the automobile industry, product identification information is VIN, and for example, in process 60, it is assumed that VIN001 to VIN010 indicated by I and parts X000001 of production lots (identification information) A001 and A002 are linked to a vehicle.

[0036] In conventional technology, the opening times of manufacturing lots A001 and A002 for component X000001 are compared with the process passing time T of the manufactured product, and the time period when manufacturing lot A001 was definitely used, the time period when manufacturing lot A002 was definitely used, and the time when either manufacturing lot A001 or A002 was used are separated. In other words, if manufacturing lot A002 was opened at 11:50 on 12 / 01 / 2020, and if the unique calculation logic calculates that manufacturing lot A001 was definitely assembled on the vehicle by 11:49, that either manufacturing lot A001 or AO02 was assembled on the vehicle from 11:50 to 12:03, and that manufacturing lot A002 was definitely assembled on the vehicle after 12:04, then by comparing the passing time T of each vehicle shown in Figure 3, it is possible to link that VIN001 to VIN005 are part X000001 of manufacturing lot A001, VIN006 to VIN008 are part X000001 of manufacturing lot A001 or A002, and VIN009 and VIN010 are part X000001 of manufacturing lot A002. However, it was not possible to clearly separate the use times of A001 and A002.

[0037] In contrast, in this embodiment, by calculating the remaining amount for each component in the production lot identification information calculation unit 37 based on the performance information of the remaining amount detection unit 35, it becomes possible to clearly distinguish between a manufactured product to which component X000001 of production lot A001 is assembled and a manufactured product to which component X000001 of production lot A002 is assembled, as shown in Fig. 3. Details of this embodiment will be described below.

[0038] 4 is a process flow of a component assembly operation performed for each process in this embodiment. At a factory, which is the site, multiple components are assembled to a manufactured product in different processes depending on the model and manufactured product. It is assumed that workers start work when the production line starts operating, and that the component box placed on the component shelf of the process at the start of work and the components in the component box have been linked in advance to component box identification information and manufacturing lot identification information by the component box storage information acquisition unit 33.

[0039] First, in step S41, the product identification information acquisition unit 31 acquires product identification information and acquires process passage information of a product entering a process on the production line.

[0040] Next, in step S42, the product identification information acquired by the product identification information acquisition unit 31 is used as a key to extract type information linked to the product identification information from the product type information DB 41. The component information reception unit 32 assumes that it has its own process information when acquiring information, and accesses the type-specific component configuration information DB 42 using the type information acquired from the product type information DB 41 as a key to acquire component information. Then, based on the acquired component information and its own process information, the assembly flag of the component to be assembled in its own process is updated from 0 to 1.

[0041] In parallel with the processing of step S42, in step S43, remaining amount detection unit 35 acquires identification information of parts boxes installed on the parts shelf, acquires actual usage information of parts from the work of workers removing parts from the parts boxes and assembling them, and in step S44, remaining amount acceptance unit 36 ​​acquires production lot identification information of the parts stored in the parts boxes from the parts box storage information DB 43, calculates the remaining amount of parts for each parts box from the acquired information, and if the remaining amount falls below the threshold value, updates the remaining amount threshold flag from 0 to 1. Then, in step S45, it is determined whether the remaining amount is 0.

[0042] If the remaining amount is 0 in step S45, the process returns to step S43, new material box information is acquired, and the subsequent processes are repeated. At the site, the worker removes the empty material box from the material shelf and places the material box containing the necessary material on the material shelf, and the remaining amount detection unit 35 detects that the material boxes have been replaced. On the other hand, when a material box becomes empty, its material box identification information and the production lot identification information of the material stored therein are acquired by the material box storage information acquisition unit 33 when the material is next stored in the material box, and the material box storage information accumulation unit 34 updates the material box storage information DB 43.

[0043] If the remaining amount is not 0 after calculation of the remaining amount in step S45, in step S46, the manufacturing lot identification information calculation unit 37 calculates the remaining amount of the component at the time of assembling the component to the finished product based on the assembly flag calculated by the component information receiving unit 32 and the remaining amount threshold flag calculated by the remaining amount receiving unit 36.

[0044] Then, in step S47, the database storage unit 38 stores the product identification information, process information, process passing time information, component identification information, manufacturing lot identification information, assembly quantity information, and remaining amount information calculated by the manufacturing lot identification information calculation unit 37 in the assembly component record DB 44. Then, the processing of the component assembly work performed for each process is terminated.

[0045] The application of the component traceability management device 10 will be described below using a specific example in the automobile industry. For example, assume that in process 60, product identification information VIN001 to VIN010 pass through in order starting from VIN001. Note that the processing flow proceeds based on the actual information of the product passing time in the process acquired by the product identification information acquisition unit 31, so even if the products do not flow in order starting from VIN001, processing is implemented for each product identification information and data is accumulated.

[0046] Fig. 5 shows information acquired at the time of passing VIN001 in this embodiment, which is acquired by the product identification information acquisition unit 31 shown in Fig. 2. The product identification information acquisition medium 13 has a set process address (the process information in the leftmost column), and the product identification information acquisition unit 31 acquires the process information 60, the product identification information VIN001, and the passing time of VIN001.

[0047] 6 shows an example of data from VIN001 to VIN010 stored in the product model information DB 41 in this embodiment. The product identification information has model information such as "AB", "CD", and "EF".

[0048] 7 shows component configuration information for each model information "AB", "CD", and "EF" in this embodiment, which is stored in the model-specific component configuration information DB 42. Each model information has an attachment process, component identification information, and component assembly quantity information.

[0049] Fig. 8 is a processing table for updating the assembly flag in step S42 shown in the processing flow for assembling a component in Fig. 4 by the component information receiving unit 32 in this embodiment. The model information in Fig. 6 is obtained using the manufactured product identification information in Fig. 5 as a key, and the component configuration information in Fig. 7 is extracted using the obtained model information as a key to create the processing table shown in Fig. 8. In Fig. 8, the assembly flag of the component to be assembled in step 60 of the manufactured product identification information VIN001 is updated from 0 to 1.

[0050] Figures 9A and 9B are examples of information stored in the component box storage information DB 43 in this embodiment. It is also possible to have component box identification information, component identification information, production lot identification information, quantity, and other component storage time information. Figure 9A shows the storage information for component boxes BOX001 to BOX009 stored in the component box storage information DB 43 at the time VIN001 passed (2020 / 12 / 1 11:32), and as explained in the processing flow for assembling components in Figure 4, when the remaining amount becomes 0, a new component is stored and overwritten. Figure 9B is an example of data after the storage information for component boxes BOX001 to BOX009 stored in the component box storage information DB has been updated at the time when component assembly up to VIN010 was completed in process 60 (12:08 on December 1st, 2020).This is the DB in which production lot B003 of component Y000001 is stored at 12:10 on December 1st, 2020, next to production lot A001 of component X000001 in component box BOX001, production lot C002 of component Z000001 is stored at 12:30 on December 1st, 2020, next to production lot D001 of component W000001 in BOX4, and production lot D005 of component X000001 is stored at 12:55 on December 1st, 2020. If the DB capacity is sufficient, it is also possible to keep an update history of the manufacturing lot identification information.

[0051] Fig. 10A shows the processing flow of remaining amount detection unit 35 in this embodiment. Remaining amount detection medium 12 is installed for each process and has the process address installed. Remaining amount detection medium 12 acquires information on the component box from which the worker has removed components, detects the number of components, and the results of components used / defective components for the removed components, and sends the information to remaining amount detection unit 35. Remaining amount detection unit 35 can also have process information, component box identification information, results of components used / defective components, and other information such as work time information. For example, it is assumed that remaining amount detection unit 35 will utilize AI posture extraction.

[0052] AI posture extraction can detect a person's skeleton from a video. The camera, which is the remaining amount detection medium 12, is fixed, and the areas of each component box on the component shelf, the defective shelf area, and the assembly area are also registered. Based on the information acquired by the remaining amount detection medium 12, the remaining amount detection unit 35 can detect that a specified part of the person's skeleton has entered a specified area in the video. Therefore, using the AI ​​posture extraction function, the remaining amount detection unit 35 can detect the components that have been taken out, the number of components, and the results of the components used / defective components.

[0053] In FIG. 10A, in step S51, the remaining quantity detection unit obtains identification information for each component box on the component shelf, for example by detecting a barcode with the remaining quantity detection medium 12, and by processing the remaining quantity detection medium 12 described above, detects an event in which a component has been removed from each component box area on the component shelf, and starts counting the components that have been removed.

[0054] In step S52, it is determined whether the removed part has entered the defective part shelf area or the work area for assembly. If the part has entered the defective part shelf area, the process proceeds to step S53, where the number of defects is counted, and if the part has entered the work area, the process proceeds to step S54, where the number of parts used is counted.

[0055] Then, in step S55, the component box identification information and the usage history information are passed to the remaining amount receiving unit 36. For example, in the area determination, when one component is obtained from component box BOX001, two from BOX002, and one from BOX003 and assembled to a vehicle, if one defective component is found among the components taken out from BOX002, the remaining amount detection unit obtained information as shown in FIG.

[0056] Fig. 11 is an image diagram of a work scene in detecting defective products in the remaining amount detection scene shown in Fig. 10B. The area surrounded by dotted lines indicates the component box, defective product shelf 25, and assembly area detected by remaining amount detection medium 12. The data acquired by remaining amount detection unit 35 in this case is shown in Fig. 10B.

[0057] Fig. 12A is an image diagram of a work scene when the same component is stored in multiple component boxes on the component shelf. The areas surrounded by dotted lines indicate the component box, defective component shelf 25, and assembly area detected by remaining amount detection medium 12. For example, assume that in the area determination, one component is taken from component box BOX004 and one from BOX005, and these are to be assembled into a vehicle. Figure 12B shows data acquired by remaining amount detection unit 35. Even if the same component is stored in multiple component boxes on the component shelf, if the area from which the component was taken out is known by remaining amount detection medium 12, the manufacturing lot identification information can be determined by comparing it with the component box storage information in the remaining amount reception unit.

[0058] 13A and 13B are processing tables for calculating the remaining amount threshold flag of the remaining amount receiving unit in this embodiment. That is, the remaining amount receiving unit 36 ​​calculates the remaining amount threshold flag in the procedure shown in the processing flow of the component traceability management device 10 in FIG. 4 when assembling components. In the above-mentioned automobile industry, data is shown for a case where components are assembled to manufactured product identification information VIN001 to VIN010 in process 60, and component boxes BOX001 to BOX006 are set on the component shelf. FIG. 13A is a processing table of the remaining amount receiving unit before processing, and the remaining amount of components is calculated using the component box identification information as a key from the component information in the component box storage information DB shown in FIG. 9 and the component box identification information and usage record information acquired by the remaining amount detection unit shown in FIG. 10B, and the processing table is updated as shown in FIG. 13B. When the remaining amount becomes equal to or less than the threshold, the remaining amount threshold flag of each component box is updated from 0 to 1. All of the parts shown in this embodiment have a remaining amount threshold of 5, and are set so that the remaining amount threshold flag is updated when the remaining amount falls below the threshold. As shown in Fig. 10B, the usage record shows that there is one used item from part box BOX001, two used items and one defective item from BOX002, and one used item from BOX003, so the remaining amounts in part boxes BOX001 to BOX003 in Fig. 13B are 4, 5, and 8 as shown in the figure, and the remaining amount threshold flags for part boxes BOX001 and BOX002, which are below the remaining amount threshold, are set to 1.

[0059] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing the calculation in step S46 in Fig. 4 performed by the production lot identification information calculation unit 37. Assume the above-mentioned example of linking the vehicles from VIN001 to VIN010 with the component X000001 of the production lot A001 stored in the component box BOX001. As shown in Fig. 14, it is assumed that the remaining amount of the component X000001 is 6 or more when the component is assembled to VIN001, and that the remaining amount becomes empty before VIN001 to VIN010 pass, and that the component is replaced by the component X000001 of the production lot A002 stored in BOX007. It is assumed that the remaining amount threshold flag of the component X000001 is updated from 0 to 1 when the remaining amount is 5, and that the component X000001 is stored only in the component box BOX001. In Fig. 14, the assembly flag calculated by the component information receiving unit 32 in Fig. 8 is shown in the upper row, and the remaining amount threshold flag calculated by the remaining amount receiving unit 36 ​​in Fig. 13 is shown in the lower row, and when both the upper and lower flags are 1, the remaining amount of the component is calculated, and when the remaining amount is equal to or less than the remaining amount threshold, the remaining amount is recorded in the processing table of the remaining amount receiving unit. The information of the processing table is stored in the assembled component record DB 44 by the database storage unit 38. In the case of Fig. 14, it is known that component X000001 assembled in VIN009 was assembled when VIN008 had a remaining amount of 1, so the boundary between the assembly records of production lots A001 and A002 of component X000001 is between VIN008 and VIN009.

[0060] Fig. 15 shows an example of information stored in the assembly component performance DB 44 for VIN001 to VIN010 in process 60. The information includes product identification information, process information, component identification information, assembly quantity, manufacturing lot identification information, remaining amount, process passing time, and other work times. The remaining amount information is input as the remaining amount information recorded in the manufacturing lot identification information calculation unit 37 shown in Fig. 14, and if there is no remaining amount information, it is passed as NULL. Note that, for ease of viewing, the remaining amount information is displayed only when the remaining amount is equal to or less than the remaining amount threshold value 5 and before and after switching of the manufacturing lot identification information, but the remaining amount may be displayed all the time.

[0061] In the example shown in FIG. 15, when parts are assembled from VIN001 to VIN010 in process 60, the parts whose production lot identification information has been changed are X000001, Y000001, and W000001.

[0062] For example, if production lot A001 of component X000001 in process 60 has a remaining quantity of 1 when VIN008 is assembled, the assembled component performance DB shows that production lot A002 is being used when the next VIN009 is assembled, so the timing of the switch from production lot A001 to A002 for component X000001 is between VIN008 and VIN009.

[0063] For example, component Y000001 in process 60 has an assembly quantity of 2 for VIN008, but when production lot B001 has assembled one component to VIN008, it is clear that a component with a remaining quantity of 1 is being used. If you refer to the record below, you will see that the other component is using a component that was switched to the next production lot B002 according to the assembly component performance DB, and since the quantity is at MAX, the remaining quantity is entered as NULL. This means that the timing when component Y000001 was switched from production lot B001 to B002 was during assembly to VIN008.

[0064] Also, component W00001 in process 60 is a component that is stored in multiple component boxes. From Figure 15, we can see that W000001 is stored in three places: D001, D002, and D003. The remaining amount of D001 was 3 when VIN002 was being assembled, but the W000001 component from D002 was used for VIN004 and VIN005 that passed afterwards, and the remaining amount of D001 was 1 used for VIN006, so according to the assembly component performance DB, the assembly of D004, which is the next component D001 in BOX4, begins from VIN007, and the timing when the production lot of component W000001 was switched from D001 to D004 is between VIN006 and VIN007.

[0065] FIG. 16 is an example of a screen in which a search is performed on the production lot search screen of the screen display unit 14 in this embodiment using the component identification information, production lot identification information, and process information as conditions. As a necessary condition, a search is possible if either the component identification information or the production lot identification information is specified. In addition to the minimum component identification information and production lot identification information, for example, process information can be specified as a search condition item. It is also possible to add search condition items, and it is also possible to add information such as work time and perform a search. In addition, the sort function in the upper right of the screen in the figure shows that the work time is selected, sorted, and displayed, but it is also possible to select other items, for example, production lot identification information, and sort. Furthermore, by clicking on the production identification information, it is also possible to refer to information using the production identification information as a key on the vehicle search screen in FIG. 17 by using the link function.

[0066] Figure 16 shows the results of a search performed on the left side of the screen, where the search criteria are parts identification information X000001, manufacturing lot identification information A001 / A002, and process information 60. The data items that are output are basically assumed to be data from the assembly parts performance database. For example, the time of passing through a process can also be output.

[0067] The timing when the remaining amount is counted down based on the remaining amount threshold for component X000001 in process 60 is displayed as a separate line, for example, a dotted line between VIN001 and VIN002. The time point when the production lot identification information of a component is switched is defined as the switching point of the production lot identification information, and the switching point of the production lot identification information for component X000001 in process 60 is displayed as an easily understandable separate line, for example, a thick line between VIN008 and VIN009. This allows the manager to easily visually identify the switching point of the production lot identification information, leading to more efficient management.

[0068] FIG. 17 shows an example of the vehicle search screen in the screen display section when product identification information and work time are used as keys. In FIG. 17, product identification information and work start / end times can be specified as search condition items. It is also possible to add search condition items, and to add information such as component identification information and production lot identification information for searching. In addition, the sort function in the upper right corner of the screen in the figure shows that product identification information is selected, sorted, and displayed, but it is also possible to sort by selecting other items, such as work time. Furthermore, by clicking on production lot identification information, it is also possible to refer to information using lot identification information as a key on the production lot search screen in FIG. 16 by using the link function.

[0069] Figure 17 shows the results of a search performed with search criteria of manufactured product identification information VIN001 / VIN002, work start time 2020 / 12 / 1 9:00, and work end time 2020 / 12 / 1 12:00, output on the left side of the screen. The data items output are basically assumed to be data from the assembly parts performance DB, but for example, process passing times can also be output.

[0070] Since no process information is specified, data that meets the above conditions for all processes is output. In the case of Y000001 in process 60 of VIN001, the data is highlighted, for example with a thick line or a record in a different color, to show that it is data stored when the remaining amount in the component box was below the threshold value (2). This allows the manager to easily visually check whether the point is immediately before the switching point of the production lot identification information, leading to more efficient production lot management of component parts for each product identification information.

[0071] In this way, in the representative manufacturing lot identification information calculation function of this embodiment, the remaining amount threshold flag calculated by the remaining amount receiving unit from the component box storage information DB, the component box identification information of the remaining amount detection unit capable of detecting used components / defective components, and the usage record information, and the assembly flag calculated by the component information receiving unit from the component identification information to be assembled in each process from the manufactured product identification information acquisition unit, the manufactured product type information DB, and the type-specific component configuration information DB, link the components assembled for each manufactured product identification information to the manufacturing lot identification information of the components, and for components that have reached an arbitrary remaining amount determined for each component, calculate the component remaining amount at the time of linking by the manufacturing lot identification information calculation unit. This makes it possible to assemble components based on the record of used components / defective components for the manufactured product, thereby improving the accuracy of linking the manufacturing lot identification information of the components attached to the manufactured product, and improving the accuracy of traceability technology on the manufacturing line.

[0072] As described above, according to this embodiment, since the manufacturing lot identification information is recorded based on the remaining amount of parts for each part box in each process, it becomes easy to identify the manufacturing lot identification information even in cases where it was difficult to identify it by the conventional time matching method shown in Fig. 3. This contributes to improving the efficiency of parts traceability.

[0073] There are two ways of utilizing traceability data: trace forward and trace back. The above-mentioned improvement in the efficiency of component traceability will also promote these utilization forms. That is, in the case of trace back, the introduction of this embodiment makes it possible to easily identify the manufacturing lot of the component that caused the defect from the manufactured product in which a defect occurred, and it is expected that the investigation period and investigation cost at the time of the occurrence of a recall will be reduced. In addition, in the case of trace forward, the introduction of this embodiment makes it possible to clearly identify the manufactured product linked to the manufacturing lot of the component, and furthermore, by building in quality, it will increase the motivation of workers and improve their skills, and by clarifying the manufacturing process, it will increase the quality certification of the product and the reliability of manufacturing, which will contribute to improving the corporate value of the manufacturer.

[0074] Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10: component traceability management device, 11: code information reading medium, 12: remaining amount detection medium, 13: manufactured product identification information acquisition medium, 14: screen display unit, 21: storage lot, 22: component, 23: component box, 24: component shelf, 25: defective shelf, 31: manufactured product identification information acquisition unit, 32: component information reception unit, 33: component box storage information acquisition unit, 34: component box storage information accumulation unit, 35: remaining amount detection unit, 36: remaining amount reception unit, 37: manufacturing lot identification information calculation unit, 38: database accumulation unit, 41: manufactured product type information DB, 42: component configuration information by type DB, 43: component box storage information DB, 44: assembled component performance DB, 80: manufactured product

Claims

1. A component traceability management device that manages manufacturing lot identification information of components that constitute a manufactured product in a process for manufacturing the manufactured product, comprising: a product identification information acquisition unit that receives product identification information of the product; a component information receiving unit that calculates an assembly flag of the component constituting the product based on the product identification information and model information for each of the product identification information; a material box storage information acquisition unit that acquires the manufacturing lot identification information for each material box; a remaining quantity detection unit that detects the component box identification information and the components to be incorporated into the finished product and the defective components not to be incorporated, and counts the quantity of each of the components; a remaining quantity receiving unit that calculates a remaining quantity threshold flag when the remaining quantity of the parts falls below a threshold value based on the quantities of the used parts and the defective parts; a production lot identification information calculation unit that calculates a remaining amount of the component at the time of assembling the component to the finished product based on the assembly flag and the remaining amount threshold flag, and calculates a switching point of the production lot identification information based on the remaining amount of the component at the time of assembling the component to the finished product; a database storage unit that stores in a storage unit, in association with the product identification information of the product, the component identification information of the component constituting the product, and the production lot identification information, in accordance with a switching point of the production lot identification information; a sorting processing unit that searches the data stored in the database storage unit by specifying component identification information or manufacturing lot identification information and sorts the data by operation time. A component traceability management device comprising:

2. 2. The component traceability management device according to claim 1, A component traceability management device characterized in that the data stored in the database storage unit is transmitted to an external screen display unit for display.

3. 2. The component traceability management device according to claim 1, the product identification information acquisition unit acquires the product identification information of the product passing on the production line by a product identification information acquisition medium installed for each process; the component box storage information acquisition unit acquires the manufacturing lot identification information by a code information reading medium, A component traceability management device characterized in that the remaining quantity detection unit obtains the component box identification information and information regarding the quantities of the used components and the defective components using a remaining quantity detection medium installed at each process.

4. 4. The component traceability management device according to claim 3, The product identification information acquisition medium is an RFID reader, The code information reading medium is a barcode reader, The remaining amount detection medium is a camera, receiving information from the product identification information acquisition medium, the code information reading medium, and the remaining amount detection medium via a communication network; A component traceability management device characterized in that the remaining quantity detection unit obtains the component box identification information and the quantity of the used components and the defective components from the image captured by the camera using an AI posture extraction processing means.

5. A management method for a component traceability management device that manages manufacturing lot identification information of components constituting a finished product, comprising: Acquire product identification information of the product passing through a production line; Calculating an assembly flag for the component constituting the product from the product identification information and model information for each product identification information; Acquire the manufacturing lot identification information for each component box; Detecting component box identification information and components to be incorporated into the manufactured product or defective components not to be incorporated, and counting the quantity of each; calculating a remaining quantity threshold flag when the remaining quantity of the parts is equal to or less than a threshold value based on the quantity of the used parts and the defective parts; calculating a remaining amount of the component at the time of assembling the component to the finished product based on the assembly flag and the remaining amount threshold flag, and calculating a switching point of the manufacturing lot identification information based on the remaining amount of the component at the time of assembling the component to the finished product; According to a switching point of the manufacturing lot identification information, the manufactured product identification information of the manufactured product, the component identification information of the component constituting the manufactured product, and the manufacturing lot identification information are linked and stored in a database storage unit; The data stored in the database storage unit is searched by specifying the component identification information or manufacturing lot identification information, and sorted by operation time. A management method for a component traceability management device comprising:

6. A management method for a component traceability management device that manages manufacturing lot identification information of components constituting a manufactured product that can communicate with a product identification information acquisition medium, a code information reading medium, and a remaining amount detection medium via a communication network, comprising: receiving product identification information of the product passing through a production line from the product identification information acquisition medium; calculating an assembly flag of the component constituting the product from the product identification information and model information for each product identification information; receiving the manufacturing lot identification information for each component box from the code information reading medium; receiving image information from the remaining amount detection medium; A step of detecting component box identification information and components to be incorporated into the finished product or defective components not to be incorporated from the image information by an AI posture extraction processing means, and counting the quantity of each of the components; calculating a remaining quantity threshold flag when the remaining quantity of the parts is equal to or less than a threshold based on the quantity of the used parts and the defective parts; calculating a remaining amount of a component at the time of assembling the component to the finished product based on the assembling flag and the remaining amount threshold flag; calculating a switching point of the manufacturing lot identification information based on the remaining amount of the component at the time of assembling the component to the finished product; storing, in a database storage unit, in association with the product identification information of the product, the component identification information of the component constituting the product, and the production lot identification information, in accordance with a switching point of the production lot identification information; and a step of searching the data stored in the database storage unit by specifying component identification information or manufacturing lot identification information, and sorting the data by operation time. A management method for a component traceability management device comprising:

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