Production support device, method and program

Abstract

To enable production in view of the reduction of CO2 emissions while suppressing time and loads required for the formulation of production plans of business operators.SOLUTION: In one embodiment of the present invention, upon supporting operation of producing products with a production facility, prediction information of electricity charges and CO2 emissions per unit of electricity by time-of-day is acquired for each of a plurality of power supply sources assumed to be used for the production operation, and information specifying production conditions of the products is acquired from a terminal of a production requester. Then, based on the acquired electricity prediction information and the information specifying the production conditions, at least first production plan information that prioritizes the reduction of CO2 emissions is generated, and the generated first production plan information is output.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to a production support device, a method, and a program that provide production support for a system that produces products such as industrial products. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, the automation of equipment is being promoted in the manufacturing industry, which produces industrial products such as finished products and parts. This trend is also seen in other production industries, such as the manufacturing of various foods and the cultivation and farming of agricultural and marine products, in addition to industrial products.

[0003] Meanwhile, in recent years, in order to realize a decarbonized society and achieve the SDGs early, CO2 emission reduction targets have been set for all production industries, including the manufacturing industry, and they are being required to achieve them. However, in the current production system, it is common to formulate production plans based on the specifications, delivery dates, and prices of the products, and then carry out production (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). For this reason, many current production systems are unable to reflect the reduction of CO2 emissions in production plans.

[0004] In response to this, some manufacturers are attempting to measure or estimate the CO2 emissions from their production facilities and to reflect the results in their production plans in order to reflect the reduction of CO2 emissions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-88157 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-266413 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, measuring or estimating CO2 emissions by themselves places a heavy burden on producers, and as a result, it takes a lot of time and effort to formulate production plans and start production.

[0007] This invention was made in light of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a technology that enables production that takes into consideration the reduction of CO2 emissions, while reducing the time and burden required for manufacturers to formulate production plans. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the production support device or production support method according to the present invention obtains forecast information of the electricity fee and CO2 emission per unit of electricity for each date and time for each of a plurality of power supply sources expected to be used, and obtains information specifying the production conditions of the product from a terminal of a production client. Then, based on the obtained forecast information and the information specifying the production conditions, first production plan information prioritizing reduction of CO2 emission, second production plan information prioritizing delivery date, and / or third production plan information prioritizing production cost are generated, and the generated first production plan information and / or the second production plan information and / or the third production plan information are output. In addition, when generating the production plan information, at least one of a first production pattern that prioritizes reduction of CO2 emissions, a second production pattern that prioritizes the delivery date, and a third production pattern that prioritizes the production cost is generated by changing the weighting of each target value of the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission amount included in the information specifying the production conditions, and an optimal solution of a combination of a production start time, a production speed for each time period, and a power supply source is applied to the generated first production pattern, the second production pattern, and / or the third production pattern based on power forecast information included in the forecast information and information indicating the range of the production speed of the production equipment, thereby generating at least one of the first production plan information, the second production plan information, and the third production plan information. Further, the first aspect isThe production system also has a function of acquiring or calculating actual values ​​of the delivery date, the production cost, and the CO2 emission amount during the period in which the production operation is being performed, generating interim report information by associating the calculated interim actual values ​​with target values ​​of the delivery date, the production cost, and the CO2 emission amount designated in advance as production conditions by the production requester, and outputting the generated interim report information to the terminal of the production requester.

[0009] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the production support device automatically generates and outputs first production plan information that prioritizes the reduction of CO2 emissions. Therefore, for example, a producer does not need to measure the amount of CO2 emissions when producing a product using production equipment and create a production plan that reflects the amount of CO2 emissions. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required to create a production plan, reduce the workload, and carry out production that takes into account the reduction of CO2 emissions. In addition to the first production plan information that prioritizes reducing CO2 emissions, at least one of the second production plan information that prioritizes delivery dates and the third production plan information that prioritizes production costs is further generated and output. This allows, for example, a production requester to select the second production plan information or the third production plan information as necessary to request production. Effect of the Invention

[0012] That is, according to each aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that enables production that takes into consideration the reduction of CO2 emissions while suppressing the time and burden required for a manufacturer to formulate a production plan. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a production management system equipped with a production support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server device having a function as a production support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a software configuration of a server device having a function as a production support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the first half of the processing procedure and processing contents of the production support processing executed by the production support device shown in FIGS. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the latter half of the processing procedure and processing contents of the production support processing executed by the production support device shown in FIGS. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of electricity charges and CO2 emissions per unit amount of electricity for each date and time for each of a plurality of power supply sources from which electricity is expected to be used. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a production pattern that prioritizes reduction of CO2 emissions, generated by the production support device shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of production plan information corresponding to the production pattern shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a production pattern that prioritizes delivery time, generated by the production support device shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of production plan information corresponding to the production pattern shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] [One embodiment] (Configuration example) (1) System FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a production management system equipped with a production support device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] In one embodiment of the production management system, a server device SV having the function of a production support device is connected to a production system CS operated by a manufacturer via a network NW, and a terminal TM of a production requester can be connected to this server device SV via the network NW.

[0017] The production system CS includes, for example, a production facility WS, a plurality of controllers (Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) PL1 and PL2), a power meter PD, and a production control device CP. The production facility WS includes, for example, a puncher system including a work feeder and a plurality of conveyors and robots.

[0018] The controllers PL1 and PL2 control the operation of the production equipment WS according to a preset manufacturing logic. The power meter PD measures the power consumed by the production equipment WS and outputs measurement data including the measured power consumption and the measurement time to the production control device CP.

[0019] The production control device CP is, for example, a personal computer, and manages and controls the operation of the entire production system CS. For example, the production control device CP sets a control logic for production for the controllers PL1 and PL2 according to production plan information sent from the server device SV, which will be described later, and performs a process of selecting a power supply source to be supplied to the production equipment WS. The production control device CP also performs a process of acquiring measurement data of power consumption from a power meter PD during the operation period of the production equipment WS, and transmitting the acquired measurement data to the server device SV in response to an acquisition request from the server device SV.

[0020] The production requester's terminal TM is made up of a personal computer, and is used by the production requester to transmit and receive various information data related to production requests, instructions, etc., to and from the server device SV. For example, the production requester's terminal TM transmits production request information including the production conditions of the product to the server device SV. The production requester's terminal TM also receives and displays candidates for production plan information and candidates for production plan change information sent from the server device SV, and in response transmits the production plan selection information and approval / disapproval information for the production plan change input by the production requester to the server device SV.

[0021] The network NW includes a wide area network with the Internet at its core, and an access network for accessing the wide area network. The access network may be, for example, a public communication network using wired or wireless communication, a local area network (LAN) using wired or wireless communication, or a cable television (CATV) network.

[0022] The production equipment WS is not limited to a punching system, but may be a system for processing, painting, assembling, packaging, etc., of finished products or semi-finished products, and may be a system for cultivating and producing not only industrial products but also agricultural products, livestock products, and marine products. The configuration of the production system SC is also not limited to the above configuration.

[0023] (2) Server device SV 2 and 3 are block diagrams showing examples of the hardware and software configurations of the server device SV, respectively.

[0024] The server device SV is composed of a server computer arranged on the cloud, edge, or web, for example. The server device SV has a control unit 1 using a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), and a storage unit having a program storage unit 2 and a data storage unit 3, and a communication interface (hereinafter, the interface will be referred to as I / F) unit 4 are connected to the control unit 1 via a bus 5.

[0025] Under the control of the control unit 1, the communication I / F unit 4 transmits and receives information data between the production control device CP of the production system CS and the production client's terminal TM, using a communication protocol defined by the network NW.

[0026] The program storage unit 2 is configured, for example, by combining a non-volatile memory such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) as a storage medium that can be written to and read from at any time, and a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), and stores application programs necessary for executing various control processes related to one embodiment of the present invention, in addition to middleware such as an OS (Operating System).

[0027] The data storage unit 3 is, for example, a combination of a non-volatile memory such as an HDD or SSD as a storage medium that can be written to and read from at any time, and a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), and includes a power prediction information storage unit 31, a production condition storage unit 32, and a production plan information storage unit 33 as storage areas in one embodiment.

[0028] The power forecast information memory unit 31 is used to store power forecast information representing the power charges and predicted CO2 emissions for the electricity to be supplied for each of a plurality of power supply sources (e.g., electric power companies) expected to be used in the production system CS for production operations in the future.

[0029] The production condition storage unit 32 is used to store the production request information sent from the production requester's terminal TM at least until the production is completed.

[0030] The production plan information storage unit 33 is used to store the production plan information and its modification information generated by the control unit 1 at least until the production is completed.

[0031] The control unit 1 includes, as processing functions according to an embodiment of the present invention, a power prediction information acquisition processing unit 11, a production condition acquisition processing unit 12, a production plan generation processing unit 13, a production plan presentation / selection reception processing unit 14, a production execution instruction transmission processing unit 15, a performance value acquisition processing unit 16, an interim report transmission processing unit 17, and a production plan change processing unit 18. All of these processing units 11 to 18 are realized by causing a hardware processor of the control unit 1 to execute application programs stored in the program storage unit 2.

[0032] The power prediction information acquisition processing unit 11 acquires, for example, power profile information representing past power supply performance from each of a plurality of power supply sources (e.g., power companies) expected to be used in the production system CS. Then, the power prediction information acquisition processing unit 11 performs processing to predict the power fee and CO2 emission amount per unit of power amount for each date and time in the future for each of the plurality of power supply sources based on the acquired power profile information, and to store each predicted value in the power prediction information storage unit 31 as power prediction information.

[0033] The production condition acquisition processing unit 12 receives production request information transmitted from the production requester's terminal TM via the communication I / F unit 4, and stores the received production request information in the production condition storage unit 32. The production request information includes identification information and production quantity of the product to be produced, its production conditions, and production requester attribute information including the name and contact information of the production requester. The production conditions include the delivery date, cost, and target values ​​for CO2 emissions.

[0034] The production plan generation processing unit 13 generates candidates for production plan information for the product to be produced specified by the production request information, based on the production conditions stored in the production condition storage unit 32 and the power prediction information stored in the power prediction information storage unit 31. Then, the production plan generation processing unit 13 performs a process of storing the generated candidates for production plan information in the production plan information storage unit 33.

[0035] Candidates for production plan information include first production plan information that prioritizes reducing CO2 emissions, second production plan information that prioritizes delivery dates, and third production plan information that prioritizes production costs. At least one of the first production plan information, the second production plan information, and the third production plan information may be generated as candidates for production plan information. An example of the generation process for each of the above production plan information will be described in the operation example.

[0036] The production plan presentation / selection reception processing unit 14 reads out the production plan information candidates from the production plan information storage unit 33, and transmits the read out production plan information candidates from the communication I / F unit 4 to the production requester's terminal TM.

[0037] In addition, the production plan presentation / selection reception processing unit 14 receives selection information representing the production plan information selected by the production client from the generated candidates for the production plan information from the terminal TM via the communication I / F unit 4. Then, it performs processing to output the production plan information represented by the received selection information to the production execution instruction transmission processing unit 15.

[0038] The production execution instruction transmission processing unit 15 performs processing to transmit the production plan information output from the production plan presentation / selection reception processing unit 14 together with a production execution instruction to the production control device CP of the production system CS.

[0039] The performance value acquisition processing unit 16 performs processing to acquire performance values ​​of delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission from the production control device CP periodically or at any timing during the period when the production operation of the product is being executed in the production system CS.

[0040] The interim report transmission processing unit 17 includes the actual values ​​of the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission amount acquired by the actual value acquisition processing unit 16 in interim report information together with the target values ​​of the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission amount specified as production conditions by the production requester, and transmits this interim report information from the communication I / F unit 4 to the production requester's terminal TM.

[0041] The production plan change processing unit 18 calculates the degree of deviation of each of the actual values ​​from the target values ​​based on the actual values ​​of the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission acquired by the actual value acquisition processing unit 16 and the target values ​​of the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission designated in the production conditions, and performs processing to change the production plan so as to reduce the degree of deviation. An example of this change processing will be described in the operation example.

[0042] (Example of operation) Next, an example of the operation of the server device SV configured as above will be described.

[0043] 4 and 5 are flow charts showing an example of the processing procedure and processing contents of the production support processing executed by the control unit 1 of the server device SV.

[0044] (1) Forecast of information related to electricity supply plans The control unit 1 of the server device SV, under the control of the power prediction information acquisition processing unit 11, periodically or at any timing, predicts the electricity charges and CO2 emissions related to the future electricity planned to be supplied for each of the multiple power supply sources expected to be used in the production system CS.

[0045] For example, the power prediction information acquisition processing unit 11 first acquires power profile information representing past power supply performance from each of a plurality of power supply sources (e.g., power companies) expected to be used in the production system CS in step S10. Then, in step S11, the power prediction information acquisition processing unit 11 predicts the future power fee and CO2 emission amount per unit power amount for each date and time for each of the plurality of power companies based on the acquired power profile information, and stores the predicted value in the power prediction information storage unit 31 as power prediction information.

[0046] Fig. 6 shows an example of the power prediction information generated by the power prediction information acquisition processing unit 11, and in this example, it is assumed that the following power companies are used as power supply sources: Power A, Power B, Power C, Power D, Solar Power E (probability 30%: sunny), and Solar Power F (probability 70%: cloudy). As shown in Fig. 6, the power supplied by each power company has different power charges and CO2 emissions per unit of power for each date and time depending on the power generation method.

[0047] (2) Acquisition of production conditions When a production requester requests a producer to produce a product, the production requester generates production request information including identification information of the product to be produced, the production quantity, the production conditions, and production requester attribute information including the name and contact information of the production requester. The production conditions include target values ​​for delivery date, cost, and CO2 emission. The generated production request information is then transmitted from the terminal TM to the server device SV via the network NW.

[0048] In response to this, the control unit 1 of the server device SV monitors the arrival of the production request information from the terminal TM in step S12. In this state, when the production request information is transmitted from the terminal TM of the production requester, the control unit 1 of the server device SV receives the production request information via the communication I / F unit 4 under the control of the production condition acquisition processing unit 12 in step S13, and stores the received production request information in the production condition storage unit 32.

[0049] (3) Generation of production plan information When the production request information is acquired, the control unit 1 of the server device SV, under the control of the production plan generation processing unit 13, executes generation of production plan information in step S14 as follows.

[0050] That is, the production plan generation processing unit 13 first reads the production conditions included in the production request information from the production condition storage unit 32. As described above, the production conditions include the target values ​​for the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission amount.

[0051] The production plan generation processing unit 13 then changes the weightings for the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission amount specified by the production conditions in a stepped manner by a predetermined amount, thereby generating a first production pattern that prioritizes reduction of CO2 emission amount, a second production pattern that prioritizes delivery date, and a third production pattern that prioritizes production cost.

[0052] Next, the production plan generation processing unit 13 calculates and sets an optimal solution of the combination of the production start time, the production speed for each time period, and the power supply source for each of the first, second, and third production patterns generated, based on the power prediction information stored in the power prediction information storage unit 31 and information indicating the range of the production speed obtained in advance from the production system CS. Then, the production plans reflecting this optimal solution are set as the first, second, and third production plan information.

[0053] For example, suppose the target values ​​of the production conditions specified by the production client are delivery date (by 12:00 the next day), production cost (100 yen or less), and CO2 emissions (10 kg or less). If a first production pattern is generated under these production conditions that satisfies each target value and minimizes CO2 emissions, the production pattern shown in FIG. 7 is generated. According to this first production pattern, production will end at 11:31 the next day, the production cost will be 99 yen, and the CO2 emissions will be 4.91 kg. If the production speed and the power company's optimal values ​​are set for the first production pattern, the first production plan information will be as shown in FIG. 8, for example.

[0054] Furthermore, under the above production conditions, when a second production pattern is generated that satisfies the target values ​​of delivery date (by 12:00 the next day), production cost (100 yen or less), and CO2 emissions (10 kg or less) and also has the shortest delivery date, a production pattern such as that shown in FIG. 9 is generated. According to this second production pattern, the production cost is 93 yen, the CO2 emissions are 9.42 kg, and the delivery date is the shortest, 20:38 minutes. Then, when the production speed and the power company's optimal values ​​are set for the above second production pattern, the second production plan information becomes, for example, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0055] Similarly, under the above production conditions, a third production pattern is generated that meets the target values ​​of delivery date (by 12:00 the next day), production cost (100 yen or less), and CO2 emissions (10 kg or less) and minimizes the production cost, and third production plan information corresponding to this third production pattern is generated.

[0056] When generating the production plan information, the production plan generation processing unit 13 judges whether the optimal solution of the combination of the production speed and the power supply source satisfies the target value specified by the production conditions, and if it is judged that it does not satisfy the target value, adds an additional cost to the production cost. For example, if the target value of the CO2 emission is not satisfied or if the delivery date is not met, a predetermined penalty is added to the production cost.

[0057] (4) Present candidates for production plan information and obtain selected information When the generation of the first, second and third production plan information is completed, the control unit 1 of the server device SV, under the control of the production plan presentation / selection reception processing unit 14, performs a process of presenting candidates for the production plan information to the production requester in step S15.

[0058] For example, the production plan presentation / selection reception processing unit 14 reads out the first, second, and third production plan information from the production plan information storage unit 33. Then, each of the read out production plan information is transmitted from the communication I / F unit 4 to the production requester's terminal TM as a production plan candidate. As a result, in the production requester's terminal TM, the first, second, and third production plan information is displayed, for example, on a display as a production plan candidate.

[0059] In this state, it is assumed that the operator of the production client selects and specifies the desired production plan information from among the above-mentioned production plan information displayed on the terminal TM. Then, the selected information of the production plan information is transmitted from the terminal TM to the server device SV via the network NW.

[0060] In response to this, the control unit 1 of the server device SV, under the control of the production plan presentation / selection reception processing unit 14, monitors the transmission of selection information from the production requester's terminal TM in step S16, and when the selection information is sent, receives the selection information in step S17.

[0061] (5) Instructing the production system CS to execute production operations When the control unit 1 of the server device SV receives the above selection information from the production requester, then, under the control of the production execution instruction transmission processing unit 15, in step S18, it transmits the production plan information instructed by the received selection information, together with a production execution instruction, to the production control device CP of the production system CS.

[0062] As a result, the production control device CP sets the control logic for production for the controllers PL1 and PL2 according to the production plan information sent from the server device SV, and selects a combination of power supply sources (e.g., power companies) that supply power to the production equipment WS. Thus, the production equipment WS starts production operations for the products designated as production targets according to the production pattern based on the production plan information.

[0063] For example, when the server SV provides first production plan information that prioritizes reducing CO2 emissions, the production control device CP sets the production speed to minimize CO2 emissions according to the first production plan information and selects a combination of power companies with low CO2 emissions. Therefore, the production equipment WS performs production operations for products according to a production pattern based on the first production plan information to minimize CO2 emissions.

[0064] Also, when second production plan information that prioritizes delivery date is given from the server device SV, the production control device CP sets the production speed to high so as to minimize the delivery date according to the second production plan information, and selects a combination of electric power companies that corresponds to this production speed. Therefore, in the production facility WS, the production operation of the product is performed according to the production pattern based on the second production plan information so as to maximize the delivery date.

[0065] Similarly, when the server SV provides third production plan information prioritizing delivery date, the production control device CP sets the production speed to minimize production cost according to the third production plan information and selects the combination of electric power companies with the cheapest electricity rates. As a result, the production equipment WS performs production operations for the product according to the production pattern based on the second production plan information to minimize production cost.

[0066] (6) Interim reports during production When production operations start, in the production system CS, the power consumption of the production equipment WS and each controller PL1, PL2 is measured in chronological order by the power meter PD during production operations, and notified to the production control device CP. In this case, the notified power consumption includes the power consumption of the production control device CP itself. The production control device CP calculates the production cost by adding various fixed costs necessary for production to the electricity fee corresponding to the above power consumption. At the same time, the production control device CP obtains the production quantity of the product from the controllers PL1, PL2, and further obtains or calculates the amount of CO2 emissions from the production start time to the present time from the power company that supplies it with electricity.

[0067] In response to this, during the production operation by the production system CS, the control unit 1 of the server device SV monitors the end of the production operation in step S20, and monitors whether or not it is time to issue an interim report in step S19 under the control of the performance value acquisition processing unit 16. When it is time to issue an interim report in this state, the performance value acquisition processing unit 16 transmits a request to acquire an interim performance value to the production control device CP in step S21.

[0068] When the production control device CP receives the acquisition request, it transmits the intermediate results of the production quantity, production cost, and CO2 emission at this time to the server device SV. The results acquisition processing unit 16 of the server device SV receives the results of the production quantity, production cost, and CO2 emission transmitted from the production control device CP via the communication I / F unit 4.

[0069] When the interim performance values ​​are received, the control unit 1 of the server device SV generates interim report information in step S22 under the control of the interim report transmission processing unit 17 by associating the received interim performance values ​​of the production quantity, production cost, and CO2 emission with the target values ​​of the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission specified in advance as production conditions by the production requester. Then, the generated interim report information is transmitted from the communication I / F unit 4 to the terminal TM of the production requester.

[0070] When generating the interim report information, the interim report transmission processing unit 17 may predict the final delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission amount at the time of completion of the production operation based on the interim actual values ​​of the production quantity, production cost, and CO2 emission amount, and include this predicted value in the interim report information together with each target value specified in the production conditions.

[0071] In addition, the interim report transmission processing unit 17 may calculate interim target values ​​for the production quantity, production cost, and CO2 emission at the time of the interim report from the target values ​​for the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission specified in the production conditions, and include the calculated interim target values ​​in the interim report information together with the interim actual values ​​of the production quantity, production cost, and CO2 emission.

[0072] Alternatively, the interim report information may include only the interim actual values ​​of the production quantity, production cost, and CO2 emission.

[0073] The interim report information is received by the terminal TM of the production client and is displayed, for example, on a display. Therefore, the production client can check the progress of production during production operations. If the production client determines, as a result of checking the progress, that a change to the production plan is necessary to achieve the target value, the production client can transmit a request to change the production plan from the terminal TM to the server device SV.

[0074] (7) Changes in production plans During the above production operation, the control section 1 of the server device SV, under the control of the production plan change processing section 18, executes processing related to changes in the production plan as follows.

[0075] That is, in step S23, the production plan change processing unit 18 monitors a production plan change request from the production client's terminal TM. In this state, when a production plan change request is received, the production plan change processing unit 18 generates candidates for production plan change information in step S24.

[0076] For example, the production plan change processing unit 18 first predicts the final delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission after the end of production from the intermediate actual values ​​of the production quantity, production cost, and CO2 emission acquired by the actual value acquisition processing unit 16. The production plan change processing unit 18 then obtains the degree of deviation between the predicted values ​​of the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission and the target values ​​of the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission specified by the production conditions sent by the production requester. Specifically, the production plan change processing unit 18 calculates a difference value as the degree of deviation. Then, it generates candidates for production plan change information to reduce the calculated difference value. Next, in step S25, the production plan change processing unit 18 transmits the generated candidates for production plan change information from the communication I / F unit 4 to the terminal TM of the production requester.

[0077] As a result, the production requester's terminal TM displays the candidates for the production plan change information, for example, on a display. The production requester inputs answer information to the terminal TM, indicating whether the change contents are accepted or rejected for the displayed candidates for the production plan change information. The terminal TM transmits the input answer information to the server device SV via the network NW.

[0078] In response to this, the control unit 1 of the server device SV monitors the arrival of the response information in step S26 under the control of the production plan change processing unit 18. Then, if the response information is received and the content of the response information indicates that the change is permitted, the production plan change processing unit 18 updates the production plan information stored in the production plan information storage unit 33. At the same time, the production plan change processing unit 18 returns to step S18 and transmits the permitted production plan change information to the production control device CP of the production system CS, together with an instruction to change the production plan.

[0079] As a result, the production control device CP of the production system CS instructs the controllers PL1 and PL2 to change the control logic for production according to the production plan change information sent from the server SV, and also instructs them to change the combination of power supply sources (e.g., power companies). Thus, in the production facility WS, the production pattern is changed during production operation according to the production pattern corresponding to the changed production plan information.

[0080] Therefore, for example, when the final CO2 emission amount estimated from the actual CO2 emission amount is predicted to exceed the target value of the CO2 emission amount specified by the production conditions, the production system CS changes the production pattern to one that prioritizes the reduction of CO2 emission amount during the production operation based on the production plan change information sent from the server device SV. As a result, the power supply source is switched to, for example, an electric power company with low CO2 emission amount, and it becomes possible to suppress the final CO2 emission amount below the target value.

[0081] However, by switching to an electric power company with low CO2 emissions, it is expected that, for example, electricity charges will increase and production costs will rise. However, this increase in production costs will be recorded in advance in the production plan change information. This allows production clients to determine whether or not to allow changes to their production plans after confirming the disadvantage of increased production costs along with the benefit of keeping CO2 emissions below the target value.

[0082] Also, when it is predicted that the delivery date will not be within the target value specified by the production conditions, the production system CS changes the production pattern during the production operation based on the production plan change information sent from the server device SV, thereby, for example, speeding up the production speed of the production equipment WS. This makes it possible to meet the production delivery date.

[0083] However, by increasing the production speed, it is expected that, for example, power consumption will increase, leading to higher production costs. At the same time, it is also expected to result in an increase in CO2 emissions. However, this increase in production costs and increase in CO2 emissions is recorded in advance in the production plan change information. Therefore, the production client can determine whether or not to accept the change in the production plan after confirming the disadvantages of increased production costs and increased CO2 emissions, along with the merit of preventing delivery delays.

[0084] Similarly, when production costs are expected to exceed the target value specified by the production conditions, the production system CS changes the production pattern of the production equipment WS during production operations based on the production plan change information sent from the server SV, and as a result, for example, switches to an electric power company with a lower power rate, making it possible to keep production costs below the target value.

[0085] However, it is expected that switching to a power company with cheaper electricity rates will lead to an increase in CO2 emissions. However, this increase in CO2 emissions will be recorded in the production plan change information. This allows production clients to determine whether or not to allow changes to their production plans after confirming the disadvantage of increased CO2 emissions along with the benefit of reduced production costs.

[0086] (8) Processing after production ends When the production operation based on the production plan information or the change information thereof is completed in the production facility WS and a production end is transmitted from the production control device CP, the control unit 1 of the server device SV receives the production end in step S20.

[0087] Then, the control unit 1 of the server device SV generates a production end notification in step S28, and transmits the generated production end notification to the terminal TM of the production requester from the communication I / F unit 4. In the production end notification, for example, the delivery date, production cost, and final results of CO2 emission after the production end acquired from the production control device CP are inserted together with the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission target values ​​designated as production conditions by the production requester. Note that only the delivery date, production cost, and final results of CO2 emission after the production end may be inserted in the production end notification.

[0088] (effect) As described above, in one embodiment, the following process is carried out in the server device SV having the function of a production support device.

[0089] That is, for each of a plurality of power companies expected to be used in the production system CS, the power fee and CO2 emission per unit amount of power for each date and time are predicted, and the prediction results are stored as power prediction information. Then, when production conditions specifying the target values ​​of the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission are received from the terminal TM of the production requester, three types of production plan information are generated based on the power prediction information and information indicating the range of the production speed of the production equipment. The three types of production plan information are a first production plan information that satisfies each target value specified by the production conditions and minimizes the CO2 emission, a second production plan information that satisfies each target value and has the shortest delivery date, and a third production plan information that satisfies each target value and minimizes the production cost. Next, each of the generated production plan information is transmitted to the terminal TM of the production requester. Then, the production plan information selected and specified by the production requester is sent to the production system CS from among the above-mentioned production plan information, and a process is performed in which the production equipment WS executes a production operation according to the production pattern represented by the production plan information.

[0090] Therefore, according to one embodiment, neither the production requester nor the manufacturer is required to generate production plan information by themselves, and this allows the production system CS to start production operations according to a production plan suitable for the requester's wishes with a small workload and in a short time. In particular, when the production requester's main objective is to achieve a target value for CO2 emissions, the production requester can cause the production system CS to perform production operations that prioritize reduction of CO2 emissions simply by selecting the first production plan information presented by the server device SV, which prioritizes reduction of CO2 emissions. On the other hand, when the production requester wishes to prioritize production on delivery date or production cost, the production requester can cause the production system CS to perform production operations that prioritize delivery date or production cost simply by selecting the second or third production plan information, respectively.

[0091] In one embodiment, the server SV acquires actual values ​​of production quantity, production cost, and CO2 emission from the production system CS during production operation, and transmits these interim actual values ​​or final predicted values ​​of delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission calculated from these interim actual values ​​to the terminal TM of the production client, including the interim report information. Therefore, the production client can check the progress of production quantity, production cost, and CO2 emission, or the final predicted values, based on the interim report information during production operation of the production system CS, and can request mid-way changes to the production plan as necessary.

[0092] Furthermore, in one embodiment, when a request for mid-stage change of a production plan is received from a production client, the server device SV calculates the difference between the target values ​​of the delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission specified by the production conditions and the final predicted values ​​calculated from the intermediate actual values ​​of the production quantity, production cost, and CO2 emission, and generates production plan change information for reducing this difference.Then, the generated production plan change information is transmitted to the terminal TM of the production client, and the production plan of the production system CS is changed mid-stage with the permission of the production client.

[0093] Therefore, it becomes possible to appropriately change the production plan according to the actual state of the production operation in the production system CS, thereby making it possible to achieve the originally specified target values ​​for delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emission.

[0094] [Other embodiments] (1) In the above embodiment, the server device SV acquires power profile information from multiple power supply sources (e.g., power companies) expected to be used in the production system CS, and based on this power profile information, predicts the power fee and CO2 emission amount related to the power to be supplied from each power company. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if each power company holds power supply schedule information indicating the power fee and CO2 emission amount related to the power to be supplied, the server device SV may acquire the power supply schedule information from each power company without performing the power prediction process.

[0095] (2) In the embodiment described above, in addition to the first production plan information prioritizing the reduction of CO2 emissions, the server device SV generates second production plan information prioritizing delivery date and third production plan information prioritizing production costs, and presents these to the production requester as candidates for production plan information. However, without being limited thereto, only the first production plan information may be generated and presented to the production requester, or in addition to the first production plan information, only one of the second and third production plan information may be generated and presented to the production requester.

[0096] (3) In the above embodiment, the server SV presents the first, second or third production plan information to the production client, and issues an instruction to the production system CS to execute the production operation according to the production plan information selected and designated by the production client. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the server SV may directly transmit the production plan information to the production system CS without going through the selection and designation process of the production client, to execute the production operation.

[0097] (4) In the above embodiment, the server device SV generates production plan change information and transmits it to the terminal TM of the production requester when the server device SV receives a request for mid-way change of the production plan from the terminal TM of the production requester. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The server device SV may determine whether or not the production plan needs to be changed based on the difference between an intermediate actual value acquired from the production system CS and a target value specified by the production conditions, and when it is determined that the production plan needs to be changed, generate production plan change information and transmit it to the terminal TM of the production requester.

[0098] (5) In the above embodiment, the processing functions of the production support device are provided in a server device SV on the cloud, edge, or web. However, the processing functions of the production support device may be provided in a production control device CP in a production system CS. Moreover, the processing functions of the production support device may be distributed among multiple server devices or personal computers.

[0099] (6) In addition, the processing procedures and processing contents of each processing function of the production support device, the configuration and processing functions of the production system, the types of products and production operations, the processing functions of the production requester's terminal, etc. can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of this invention.

[0100] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the above description is merely an example of the present invention in every respect. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, in implementing the present invention, specific configurations according to the embodiment may be appropriately adopted.

[0101] In short, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment as it is, and in the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the gist of the invention. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] SV: Server device TM: Production requester's terminal CS: Production System CP: Production control device PL1, PL2...Controller PD: Power meter WS: Production equipment NW…Network 1...Control unit 2...Program memory section 3. Data storage section 4. Communication I / F section 5. Bus 11...Power forecast information acquisition processing unit 12...Production condition acquisition processing section 13...Production plan generation processing unit 14...Production plan presentation and selection reception processing section 15...Production execution instruction transmission processing unit 16...Actual value acquisition processing section 17...Interim report transmission processing section 18...Production plan change processing section 31...Power forecast information storage unit 32...Production condition memory section 33...Production plan information storage unit

Claims

1. A production support device that supports a production operation of a product by a production facility, A first processing unit that acquires forecast information of a power fee and a CO2 emission amount per unit power amount by date and time for each of a plurality of power supply sources expected to be used for the production operation; a second processing unit that acquires information specifying production conditions for the product from a terminal of a production requester; a third processing unit that generates at least one of first production plan information prioritizing reduction of CO2 emissions, second production plan information prioritizing delivery date, and third production plan information prioritizing production costs, based on the acquired prediction information and information specifying the production conditions; a fourth processing unit that outputs the generated first production plan information, the second production plan information, and / or the third production plan information; a fifth processing unit that acquires or calculates actual values ​​of the delivery date, the production cost, and the CO2 emission amount during a period in which the production operation is being performed, generates interim report information by associating the calculated interim actual values ​​with target values ​​of the delivery date, the production cost, and the CO2 emission amount that are designated in advance as production conditions by the production requester, and outputs the generated interim report information to the terminal of the production requester; Equipped with The third processing unit includes: a processing unit that generates at least one of a first production pattern that prioritizes reduction of the amount of CO2 emissions, a second production pattern that prioritizes the delivery date, and a third production pattern that prioritizes the production cost by changing weights for each target value of a delivery date, a production cost, and a CO2 emission amount included in the information specifying the production conditions; a processing unit that generates at least one of the first production plan information, the second production plan information, and the third production plan information by applying an optimal solution of a combination of a production start time, a production speed for each time period, and a power supply source to the generated first production pattern, and at least one of the second production pattern and the third production pattern, based on power forecast information included in the forecast information and information indicating a range of a production speed of the production facility; Equipped Production support equipment.

2. 2. The production support device according to claim 1, wherein the first processing unit predicts the electricity fee and the CO2 emission amount per unit electricity amount for each date and time for each of the plurality of power supply sources based on information representing past power supply performance of the plurality of power supply sources, and sets the prediction result as the prediction information.

3. 2. The production support device according to claim 1, wherein the third processing unit determines whether the optimal solution satisfies each of the target values ​​for the delivery date, the production cost, and the CO2 emission amount contained in the information specifying the production conditions, and if it is determined that the optimal solution does not satisfy each of the target values, the optimal solution performs a process of adding an additional cost to the production cost.

4. 2. The production support device according to claim 1, further comprising a sixth processing unit that acquires, from the terminal of the production requester, selection information representing production plan information selected by the production requester for at least one of the first production plan information, the second production plan information, and the third production plan information.

5. 2. The production support device according to claim 1, further comprising a seventh processing unit that acquires actual values ​​of the delivery date, the production cost, and the CO2 emission amount during a period in which the production operation is being performed, calculates a degree of deviation of each of the actual values ​​from each target value based on the acquired actual values ​​and target values ​​of the delivery date, the production cost, and the CO2 emission amount included in the information specifying the production conditions, and generates production plan change information for reducing the calculated degree of deviation.

6. A production support method in which an information processing device supports a production operation of a product by a production facility, comprising: A first process of acquiring predicted information on a power fee and a CO2 emission amount per unit of power by date and time for each of a plurality of power supply sources expected to be used for the production operation; A second process of acquiring information designating production conditions for the product from a production requester's terminal; a third process for generating at least one of first production plan information prioritizing reduction of CO2 emissions, second production plan information prioritizing delivery date, and third production plan information prioritizing production costs, based on the acquired forecast information and information specifying the production conditions; a fourth process of outputting at least one of the first production plan information, the second production plan information, and the third production plan information; a fifth process of acquiring or calculating actual values ​​of the delivery date, the production cost, and the CO2 emission amount during the period in which the production operation is being performed, generating interim report information by associating the calculated interim actual values ​​with target values ​​of the delivery date, the production cost, and the CO2 emission amount designated in advance as production conditions by the production requester, and outputting the generated interim report information to the terminal of the production requester; Equipped with The third process step includes: a process of generating at least one of a first production pattern that prioritizes reduction in CO2 emissions, a second production pattern that prioritizes the delivery date, and a third production pattern that prioritizes the production cost by changing weights for each target value of delivery date, production cost, and CO2 emissions included in the information specifying the production conditions; a processing step of generating at least one of the first production plan information, the second production plan information, and the third production plan information by applying an optimal solution of a combination of a production start time, a production speed for each time period, and a power supply source to the generated first production pattern, and at least one of the second production pattern and the third production pattern, based on power forecast information included in the forecast information and information indicating a range of a production speed of the production facility; A production support method comprising:

7. A program that causes a processor provided in a production support device described in any one of claims 1 to 5 to execute at least one of the processes performed by the first processing unit to the seventh processing unit.

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