Information providing device, information providing method, and information providing program

Abstract

To allow for consistently achieving product quality goals.SOLUTION: An information processing device 10 according to an embodiment comprises a collection unit 151 and an evaluation unit 152. The collection unit 151 collects management parameters and quality of a manufactured lot. The evaluation unit 152 uses the management parameters and quality of the manufactured lot to evaluate quality of an evaluation target lot that is predicted from management parameters of the evaluation target lot.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing device, an information providing method, and an information providing program. [Background technology]

[0002] In many manufacturing industries, it is necessary to stably achieve the target PQCD (Productivity, Quality, Cost, Delivery) and be able to produce products. Conventionally, technologies have been proposed that aim to stabilize product quality in particular.

[0003] For example, to ensure the stable production of products that meet the target quality characteristics, a known method is to determine in advance the key parameters (hereafter referred to as control parameters) and the control range that the control parameter values should fall within. The control range of the control parameters is maintained during the manufacturing process. A QM matrix is sometimes used as a means of managing the control parameters and their control ranges.

[0004] There is also a known method of assuring the quality of products by quality inspection. For example, manufactured products are inspected for quality to prevent defective products from being shipped to the market. Only products that pass the quality inspection are shipped. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-55231 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As mentioned above, technologies have been proposed to achieve the quality target (Q) of PQCD. However, conventional technologies have the problem that it is difficult to stably achieve the quality target.

[0007] For example, if there is a large variation in the 4Ms (raw material characteristics, equipment condition, human work, and process condition) related to manufacturing, defective products may be produced even if operations are carried out within the control range of the control parameters.

[0008] Furthermore, as the demands of users who receive products become more stringent and the quality levels that must be achieved become higher, there are an increasing number of cases where products that have passed quality inspection are treated as defective by users, and quality inspections alone may not be enough to guarantee quality.

[0009] One aspect is to achieve quality targets consistently. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] An information providing device according to one aspect is characterized by having a collection unit that collects control parameters and quality of manufactured lots, and an evaluation unit that evaluates the quality of the lot to be evaluated, which is predicted from the control parameters of the lot to be evaluated, based on the control parameters and quality of the manufactured lots.

[0011] An information providing method according to one aspect is characterized in that a computer executes a process of collecting control parameters and quality of manufactured lots, and evaluating the quality of the lot to be evaluated that is predicted from the control parameters of the lot to be evaluated, based on the control parameters and quality of the manufactured lots.

[0012] An information provision program according to one aspect is characterized in that it causes a computer to execute a process of collecting control parameters and quality of manufactured lots, and evaluating the quality of the lot to be evaluated that is predicted from the control parameters of the lot to be evaluated, based on the control parameters and quality of the manufactured lots. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to one embodiment, quality targets can be stably achieved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information providing device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of aggregated data. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing performed by the information providing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the information providing device, information providing method, and information providing program disclosed herein will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the invention of the present application is not limited to the embodiments described here. Furthermore, identical elements are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined as appropriate within a range that does not cause contradictions.

[0016] The information providing device of this embodiment provides information related to the production of products in a facility such as a plant. Products are produced by an operator operating production equipment. The operator can set control parameters. The control parameters are parameters for determining the amount of operation of the production equipment, the amount of material input, the processing time, etc. Furthermore, products are produced in lots. The operator sets the control parameters for each lot.

[0017] The configuration of the information providing device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information providing device according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the information providing device 10 includes a communication unit 11, an input unit 12, an output unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a control unit 15.

[0018] The communication unit 11 communicates data with other devices. The input unit 12 accepts data input. The input unit 12 may be an interface connected to input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse. The output unit 13 outputs data. The output unit 13 may be an interface connected to output devices such as a display and a speaker.

[0019] The storage unit 14 stores various data and various programs executed by the control unit 15. For example, the storage unit 14 is a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk. The storage unit 14 stores various data generated in the processes executed by the information providing device 10, such as data obtained in the process of the control unit 15 executing various processes and processing results obtained by executing the various processes. The storage unit 14 stores aggregated data 141.

[0020] The aggregated data 141 is data obtained by aggregating the control parameters and quality of the manufactured lots. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the aggregated data.

[0021] Each record (row) of the aggregated data 141 shown in Fig. 2 corresponds to a manufactured lot. Each item (column) of the aggregated data 141 corresponds to a control parameter or quality. The control parameters include "Raw material A. Property 1," "Mixing time," "Internal temperature," "Outlet temperature," and "Reaction time." The quality is represented by "Viscosity."

[0022] Furthermore, each cell of the aggregated data 141 is a discrete value indicating the degree of variation in the control parameter or quality. A degree of variation of "+X" means that the control parameter or quality varies by X levels upward (towards increasing values). A degree of variation of "-X" means that the control parameter or quality varies by X levels downward (towards decreasing values). A degree of variation of "0" means that the control parameter or quality falls within a predetermined range.

[0023] The control unit 15 is a processing unit that controls the entire information providing device 10. The control unit 15 is realized by, for example, a processor, etc. The control unit 15 includes a collection unit 151, an evaluation unit 152, and a display control unit 153.

[0024] The collection unit 151 collects the control parameters and quality of the manufactured lot and the lot to be evaluated. Here, it is assumed that the manufactured lot and the lot to be evaluated are the same product. The collection unit 151 collects the control parameters and quality from 4M data (raw material data, equipment data, human data, and process data) during manufacturing and product quality inspection data.

[0025] The collection unit 151 stores the collected management parameters and quality variations of the manufactured lots as aggregated data 141 in the storage unit 14.

[0026] If the control parameter or quality falls between the upper limit and lower limit of a predetermined control range, the collection unit 151 sets the value of the control parameter or quality in the aggregate data 141 to "0."

[0027] If the management parameter or quality exceeds the upper limit and is below the upper threshold, the collection unit 151 sets the value of the management parameter or quality in the aggregate data 141 to "+1."

[0028] If the management parameter or quality exceeds the upper threshold, the collection unit 151 sets the value of the management parameter or quality in the aggregate data 141 to "+2."

[0029] If the management parameter or quality exceeds the lower limit and also exceeds the lower threshold, the collection unit 151 sets the value of the management parameter or quality in the aggregate data 141 to "-1."

[0030] If the management parameter or quality is below the lower threshold, the collection unit 151 sets the value of the management parameter or quality in the aggregated data 141 to "-2."

[0031] Here, the control range of the control parameter "mixing time" is "32 to 42," the upper limit is "39," the lower limit is "37," the upper threshold is "40," and the lower threshold is "34." For example, if the control parameter "mixing time" of a certain lot is "38," the collection unit 151 sets the value of the "mixing time" column in the aggregated data 141 of that lot to "0." Also, for example, if the control parameter "mixing time" of a certain lot is "39," the collection unit 151 sets the value of the "mixing time" column in the aggregated data 141 of that lot to "+1." Also, for example, if the control parameter "mixing time" of a certain lot is "33," the collection unit 151 sets the value of the "mixing time" column in the aggregated data 141 of that lot to "-2."

[0032] It should be noted that the manufacturing of the product may not be completed for the lot to be evaluated. In this case, some control parameters and product quality of the lot to be evaluated are unknown.

[0033] The evaluation unit 152 evaluates the quality of the lot to be evaluated, which is predicted from the control parameters of the lot to be evaluated, based on the control parameters and quality of the lot that has already been manufactured.

[0034] The display control unit 153 displays a screen that can be used to evaluate the quality of the lot to be evaluated. For example, the display control unit 153 displays the screen on a display or the like via the output unit 13.

[0035] The display control unit 153 displays the screen shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the screen. As shown in Fig. 3, the display control unit 153 arranges, on a matrix, pie charts corresponding to each of a plurality of control parameters of a manufactured lot and corresponding to each of discrete values representing the degree of variation of the control parameters relative to their reference values.

[0036] The horizontal axis of the matrix lists the control parameters in the order in which their values are determined during the manufacturing process (chronological order), and the rightmost column corresponds to quality. The vertical axis represents the variation in the control parameters or quality as discrete values (five levels: "-2", "-1", "0", "+1", and "+2"). The values on the vertical axis correspond to the values of the aggregated data 141.

[0037] The pie chart also shows the percentage of quality-qualifying products and the percentage of quality-defective products for the corresponding lot. The part enclosed by the solid line in the pie chart is the percentage of quality-qualifying products for the lot. The part enclosed by the dashed line in the pie chart is the percentage of quality-defective products for the lot.

[0038] For example, in the pie chart corresponding to a variance of "-1" for the control parameter "Raw material A. Characteristic 1," approximately 90% is surrounded by a solid line, and approximately 10% is surrounded by a dashed line. This means that of the manufactured lots in which the variance of the control parameter "Raw material A. Characteristic 1" was "-1," approximately 90% were good quality products, and approximately 10% were defective quality products.

[0039] The lines drawn between the pie charts represent the transition of the control parameters for each lot. The solid lines correspond to non-defective lots, and the dashed lines correspond to defective lots.

[0040] Figure 3 shows that the control parameters "Raw material A. Property 1," "Mixing time," "Internal temperature," "Outlet temperature," and "Reaction time" transitioned from "+1," "0," "0," "+1," and "0," indicating that there was a batch in which the product was good (quality "Viscosity" was "0").

[0041] Furthermore, Figure 3 shows that the control parameters "Raw material A. Property 1," "Mixing time," "Internal temperature," "Outlet temperature," and "Reaction time" transitioned from "-1," "0," "-1," "0," and "0," indicating that there was a batch in which the product was defective (quality "Viscosity" was "+2").

[0042] Furthermore, the display control unit 153 displays a pie chart that is common to the degree of variation of the multiple control parameters of the lot being evaluated relative to their reference values in a comprehensible manner. The display control unit 153 represents the lot being evaluated by a thick line. That is, Fig. 3 shows that the control parameters of the lot being evaluated, "Raw material A. Property 1," "Mixing time," "Internal temperature," and "Outlet temperature," are "+2," "0," "-2," and "0."

[0043] Furthermore, the lot being evaluated is in the middle of the manufacturing process, and at the current time, the control parameters up to the "outlet temperature" have been set (or are known), but the control parameters from "reaction time" onwards (including quality) have not yet been set (or are unknown).

[0044] The display control unit 153 receives the selection of the pie chart, and then displays a histogram, a change trend, a scatter diagram, and a process trend for the selected pie chart.

[0045] The histogram shows how much the parameter value of the selected lot is larger or smaller than its past value. The change trend shows the trend of change in the value of the selected parameter, the trend of the transition state, and the relationship with the raw material lot. The scatter plot shows the relationship between the selected parameters. The process trend allows you to check the process trend related to the selected parameter. This shows the process by which the parameter reached its result.

[0046] As shown in Figure 3, the operator can understand the characteristics of the lot being evaluated by comparing it with information on the manufactured lot. The lot characteristics are represented by the control parameters and quality patterns (shape of the thick lines), and the degree of variation (vertical axis).

[0047] Even if many control parameters vary, each control parameter does not vary independently. Variation in one control parameter may trigger an impact on other control patterns.

[0048] 3, when a certain pie chart is selected, the display control unit 153 displays only the line passing through the selected pie chart, thereby narrowing down the displayed lots and enabling comparison with the lot to be evaluated.

[0049] For example, when a pie chart with a control parameter of "Raw material A. Property 1" and a degree of variation of "+2" is selected in Fig. 3, the display control unit 153 displays only the lots that pass through the pie chart, as shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the screen.

[0050] This shows that, for example, when the variation in the control parameter "raw material A. characteristic 1" is large, the variation in the control parameter "internal temperature" becomes small.

[0051] The evaluation unit 152 selects a lot from the manufactured lots whose control parameter characteristics are similar to the control parameter characteristics of the lot to be evaluated, and evaluates the quality of the lot to be evaluated based on the quality of the selected lot.

[0052] In the example of Figure 4, the pie chart with the control parameter "internal temperature" and the magnitude of variation "-2" is selected.

[0053] The evaluation unit 152 selects, as lots similar to the lot being evaluated, lots that share the same control parameters as the lot being evaluated, from "Raw Material A. Characteristic 1" to "Outlet Temperature", and whose control parameter "Reaction Time" is "+2", and lots whose control parameter "Reaction Time" is "0".

[0054] A lot with the control parameter "reaction time" of "+2" is a good lot. A lot with the control parameter "reaction time" of "0" is a defective lot. Furthermore, lots with quality "viscosity" of "-1," "0," or "+1" are good lots. Lots with quality "viscosity" of "-2" or "+2" are defective lots.

[0055] If the selected lots include a lot of defective products, the evaluation unit 152 sets the evaluation result to "Caution Required." If the selected lots do not include a lot of defective products, the evaluation unit 152 sets the evaluation result to "Good." The evaluation unit 152 outputs "Caution Required" or "Good" as the evaluation result.

[0056] In this way, the evaluation unit 152 extracts the pattern of variation and the degree of variation relative to the reference value as the characteristics of each control parameter, and evaluates the quality of the lot to be evaluated using the extracted characteristics.

[0057] The operator can take appropriate action based on the evaluation results. For example, if the evaluation result is "good," the operator can continue the current operation. This increases the chances of obtaining a non-defective product from the lot being evaluated.

[0058] Also, for example, if the evaluation result is "Caution Required," the operator can identify the difference between a good product and a defective product and take action to make the product good. If the lot being evaluated is in operation, the operator will take action while the lot is in operation. If the lot being evaluated has already been in operation, the operator will take action for the next lot.

[0059] For example, as shown in Figure 4, the operator can increase the possibility of obtaining a non-defective product by performing operations so that the magnitude of variation in the control parameter "reaction time" becomes "0" for the lot being evaluated.

[0060] The flow of processing in the information providing device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the information providing device according to the first embodiment.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 5, first, the information providing device 10 collects data on past lots (already manufactured lots) and the lot to be evaluated (step S101).

[0062] Then, the information providing device 10 displays a screen that visualizes the variations in the control parameters and the quality of the past lots (step S102). The information providing device 10 displays a screen on which a pie chart is arranged, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0063] Next, the information providing device 10 evaluates the evaluation target lot based on the aggregated results of the variations in the control parameters of past lots and the variations in the control parameters of the evaluation target lot (step S103), and outputs the evaluation results (step S104).

[0064] For example, the information providing device 10 selects a lot similar to the lot to be evaluated from among past lots. The information providing device 10 can calculate the similarity between the lots based on the magnitude of variation in the control parameters. The information providing device 10 evaluates the lot to be evaluated based on whether the selected lots include a lot in which the manufactured products were defective.

[0065] [effect] As described above, the information providing device 10 includes a collection unit 151 and an evaluation unit 152. The collection unit 151 collects the control parameters and quality of a manufactured lot. The evaluation unit 152 evaluates the quality of the lot to be evaluated, which is predicted from the control parameters of the lot to be evaluated, based on the control parameters and quality of the manufactured lot.

[0066] The information providing device 10 evaluates the lot to be evaluated based on previously manufactured lots. Therefore, the operator can stably achieve the quality target by referring to the evaluation results by the information providing device 10.

[0067] Furthermore, even if an operator sets the control parameters within the control range, there are cases where defective products are manufactured. The information providing device 10 can prevent the operator from experiencing such a situation and improve the motivation of the operator.

[0068] Furthermore, the information providing device 10 makes it possible to prevent wasteful manufacturing of defective products to some extent in advance. When product inspection is performed by sampling inspection, there is a risk that defective products will be shipped, but the information providing device 10 can reduce this risk.

[0069] The evaluation unit 152 extracts the pattern and degree of variation relative to the reference value as features of each control parameter, and evaluates the quality of the lot to be evaluated using the extracted features. The evaluation unit 152 selects, from the manufactured lots, a lot whose control parameter features are similar to the control parameter features of the lot to be evaluated, and evaluates the quality of the lot to be evaluated based on the quality of the selected lot.

[0070] This allows the information providing device 10 to evaluate the lot to be evaluated by referring to past lots with similar variations in control parameters, and also to present appropriate control parameters.

[0071] The display control unit 153 displays, in a matrix, pie charts that correspond to each of the multiple control parameters of the manufactured lot and to each of the discrete values that indicate the degree of variation of the control parameters from their reference values, and that indicate the proportion of good quality products and the proportion of defective products in the quality of the corresponding lot, and further displays, among the pie charts, pie charts that are common to the degree of variation of the multiple control parameters of the lot to be evaluated from their reference values in a comprehensible manner. This allows the operator to intuitively compare the characteristics of the lot to be evaluated with the characteristics of previously manufactured lots.

[0072] [system] The information including the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed arbitrarily unless otherwise specified.

[0073] Furthermore, the components of each device shown in the figure are conceptual functional components and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure. In other words, all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

[0074] Furthermore, all or any part of the processing functions performed by each device may be realized by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or may be realized as hardware using wired logic.

[0075] [Hardware] Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the information providing device 10 will be described. Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration. As shown in Fig. 6, the information providing device 10 includes a communication device 100a, a hard disk drive (HDD) 100b, a memory 100c, and a processor 100d. The components shown in Fig. 6 are connected to each other via a bus or the like.

[0076] The communication device 100a is a network interface card or the like, and communicates with other servers. The HDD 100b stores programs and DBs that operate the functions shown in FIG.

[0077] The processor 100d reads out a program that executes the same processes as the respective processing units shown in FIG. 1 from the HDD 100b or the like and loads it into the memory 100c, thereby operating a process that executes each function described in FIG. 1 or the like. For example, this process executes the same functions as the respective processing units of the information providing device 10. Specifically, the processor 100d reads out a program having the same functions as the collection unit 151, the evaluation unit 152, and the display control unit 153 from the HDD 100b or the like. Then, the processor 100d executes a process that executes the same processes as the collection unit 151, the evaluation unit 152, and the display control unit 153.

[0078] In this way, the information providing device 10 operates as an information providing device that executes an information providing method by reading and executing a program. The information providing device 10 can also realize functions similar to those of the above-described embodiment by reading the program from a recording medium using a medium reading device and executing the read program. Note that the program in these other embodiments is not limited to being executed by the information providing device 10. For example, the present invention can also be applied in the same way to cases where another computer or server executes the program, or where these execute the program in cooperation with each other.

[0079] This program can be distributed via a network such as the Internet. In addition, this program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk (MO), or a digital versatile disk (DVD), and can be executed by being read from the recording medium by a computer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 10 Information provision device 11 Communications Department 12 Input section 13 Output section 14 Storage section 15 Control Unit 141 Aggregated Data 151 Collection Department 152 Evaluation Department 153 Display control unit

Claims

1. a collection unit for collecting control parameters and quality of manufactured lots; an evaluation unit that evaluates the quality of the lot to be evaluated, which is predicted from the control parameters of the lot to be evaluated, based on the control parameters and quality of the lot that has already been manufactured; a display control unit that displays, in a matrix, pie charts corresponding to each of a plurality of control parameters of the manufactured lot and to each of discrete values representing the degree of variation of the control parameters from their reference values, the pie charts representing the proportion of good quality products and the proportion of defective quality products of the corresponding lot, and that further displays, among the pie charts, a pie chart that is common to the degree of variation of the plurality of control parameters of the lot to be evaluated from their reference values in a comprehensible manner; An information providing device comprising:

2. 2. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit selects from the manufactured lots a lot whose control parameter characteristics are similar to the control parameter characteristics of the lot to be evaluated, and evaluates the quality of the lot to be evaluated based on the quality of the selected lot.

3. 3. The information providing device according to claim 2, wherein the evaluation unit extracts a pattern of variation and a degree of variation relative to a reference value as features of each control parameter, and evaluates the quality of the lot to be evaluated using the extracted features.

4. Collecting control parameters and quality of manufactured lots; Evaluating the quality of the lot to be evaluated that is predicted from the control parameters of the lot to be evaluated based on the control parameters and quality of the lot that has already been manufactured; Pie charts are displayed in a matrix, each pie chart corresponding to a plurality of control parameters of the manufactured lot and each pie chart corresponding to a discrete value representing the degree of variation of the control parameters from their reference values, and each pie chart represents the proportion of good quality products and the proportion of defective quality products of the corresponding lot. Furthermore, among the pie charts, a pie chart common to the degree of variation of the plurality of control parameters of the lot to be evaluated from their reference values is displayed so as to be grasped. An information providing method characterized in that the processing is executed by a computer.

5. Collecting control parameters and quality of manufactured lots; Evaluating the quality of the lot to be evaluated that is predicted from the control parameters of the lot to be evaluated based on the control parameters and quality of the lot that has already been manufactured; Pie charts are displayed in a matrix, each pie chart corresponding to a plurality of control parameters of the manufactured lot and each pie chart corresponding to a discrete value representing the degree of variation of the control parameters from their reference values, and each pie chart represents the proportion of good quality products and the proportion of defective quality products of the corresponding lot. Furthermore, among the pie charts, a pie chart common to the degree of variation of the plurality of control parameters of the lot to be evaluated from their reference values is displayed so as to be grasped. An information providing program that causes a computer to execute a process.

Images