Production planning device and method

Abstract

A production planning device and method according to an embodiment of the present invention obtains at least one piece of information related to product production, generates a simulation model to which Digital Twin technology is applied, creates a production plan for each unit process for product production based on the at least one piece of information, executes a simulation according to the production plan using the simulation model, analyzes result data from the simulation, and verifies and optimizes the production plan, thereby minimizing the amount of work-in-process between each process, minimizing process waiting time for work-in-process, and minimizing the possibility of quality defects, thereby providing a low-cost, highly efficient, and highly reliable production planning device and method.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0169583, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on November 30, 2021, and all of the contents disclosed in the documents of that Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a production planning device and method, and more specifically to a production planning device and method that uses a simulation model incorporating digital twin technology to create an optimal production plan before the production of a product. [Background technology]

[0003] Generally, when a product is produced through a manufacturing process, a manager manually checks and digitizes at least one piece of data related to product production, and manually creates a daily production plan.

[0004] Therefore, when a change occurs in the production volume or quantity of a product in a unit process, the manager must recollect the data on the change in the entire production system due to the change in the unit process and revise the production plan, which makes it difficult to process quickly and precisely, resulting in a decrease in efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, in the past, by preparing a quantity of work-in-progress between unit processes, it was used as a buffer to compensate for differences in production volume per process line.

[0006] On-site production requires securing more work-in-progress than necessary to eliminate the uncertainty that arises when production planning is done manually.

[0007] However, providing more than the appropriate amount of work-in-progress leads to unnecessary delays in the production process and requires additional space to store the work-in-progress, resulting in increased costs.

[0008] In addition, when storage space is limited, if the amount of work-in-progress exceeds the appropriate amount, problems will arise in logistics operations due to excess stock capacity and reduced utilization rates of automated guided vehicles (AGVs), resulting in additional costs. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost, highly efficient and highly reliable production planning system.

[0010] Another object of the present invention to solve the above problems is to provide a low-cost, highly efficient and highly reliable production planning method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To achieve the above object, an apparatus for creating a production plan for a product according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a memory and a processor that executes at least one instruction in the memory, wherein the at least one instruction includes an instruction to acquire at least one piece of information related to the production of the product and generate a simulation model to which Digital Twin technology is applied, an instruction to create a production plan for each unit process for the production of the product based on the at least one piece of information, an instruction to perform a simulation according to the production plan using the simulation model, and an instruction to analyze result data from the simulation to verify and optimize the production plan.

[0012] Here, the at least one piece of information may include at least one of production data information acquired from a production system for the product, process equipment information for manufacturing the product, and logistics equipment information for transporting the product.

[0013] Meanwhile, the command to analyze the result data from the simulation and verify and optimize the production plan may include a command to analyze the transition of the amount of work-in-progress provided for each unit process for manufacturing the product based on the result data, a command to analyze the real-time operation rate of equipment for each unit process, a command to analyze the logistics flow of work-in-progress in consideration of the real-time operation rate of equipment for each unit process, and a command to obtain an optimized production plan based on the analysis results.

[0014] If the at least one piece of information is changed by a user, the at least one command can be re-executed by acquiring the changed information.

[0015] Furthermore, when at least one piece of state information is changed by a user, the simulation model can receive the changed state information in real time and be updated.

[0016] In addition, the command to obtain the optimized production plan may include a command to obtain, as the optimized production plan, a production plan in which the amount of work in progress required to prepare for the problem of defect occurrence for each unit process is minimized and the process waiting time of work in progress is minimized based on the simulation result according to the production plan.

[0017] The production plan for the product may include a production plan for a battery.

[0018] To achieve the above object, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for formulating a production plan for a product includes the steps of: acquiring at least one piece of information related to the production of the product and generating a simulation model to which Digital Twin technology is applied; formulating a production plan for each unit process for the production of the product based on the at least one piece of information; executing a simulation based on the production plan using the simulation model; and analyzing result data from the simulation to verify and optimize the production plan.

[0019] Here, the at least one piece of information may include at least one of production data information acquired from a production system for the product, process equipment information for manufacturing the product, and logistics equipment information for transporting the product.

[0020] In this case, the step of analyzing the result data from the simulation and verifying and optimizing the production plan may include the steps of: analyzing the transition of the amount of work-in-progress provided for each unit process for manufacturing the product based on the result data; analyzing the real-time operation rate of the equipment for each unit process; analyzing the logistics flow of the work-in-progress in consideration of the real-time operation rate of the equipment for each unit process; and obtaining an optimized production plan based on the analysis results.

[0021] Furthermore, if the at least one piece of information is changed by the user, the at least one step can be re-executed by acquiring the changed information.

[0022] When at least one piece of state information is changed by a user, the simulation model can receive the changed state information in real time and be updated.

[0023] Meanwhile, the step of obtaining the optimized production plan may include a step of obtaining, as the optimized production plan, a production plan in which the amount of work-in-progress required to prepare for a defect occurrence problem for each unit process is minimized and the process waiting time of work-in-progress is minimized based on the simulation result according to the production plan.

[0024] The production plan for the product may include a production plan for a battery. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] A production planning device and method according to an embodiment of the present invention acquires at least one piece of information related to the production of a product, generates a simulation model to which Digital Twin technology is applied, creates a production plan for each unit process for the production of the product based on the at least one piece of information, executes a simulation based on the production plan using the simulation model, analyzes result data from the simulation, and verifies and optimizes the production plan, thereby minimizing the amount of work in progress between processes, minimizing process waiting time for work in progress, and minimizing the possibility of quality defects, thereby providing a low-cost, highly efficient, and highly reliable production planning device and method. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a conventional product production planning process. [Figure 2] 1 is a conceptual diagram of a production planning device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram of a production planning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a production planning method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Since the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, it is understood that this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific embodiments, but rather to include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. Like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout the drawings.

[0028] Terms such as "first," "second," "A," and "B" may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. For example, a first component may be termed a "second component," and similarly, a second component may be termed a "first component," without departing from the scope of the present invention. The term "and / or" includes a combination of multiple associated listed items or any of multiple associated listed items.

[0029] When a component is said to be "coupled" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that the component may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, but that there may be other components in between. In contrast, when a component is said to be "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to another component, it is understood that there are no other components in between.

[0030] The terms used in this application are merely used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expressions include the plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be understood that in this application, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and do not preclude the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms as defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning unless expressly defined in this application.

[0032] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a conventional product production planning process.

[0034] Referring to Figure 1, conventional product production plans are manually created by production managers.

[0035] More specifically, in the past, a production manager manually acquired at least one piece of information for each unit process from at least one production system. For example, the production manager manually acquired at least one piece of information such as history or work-in-progress from at least one production system. Here, work-in-progress refers to a product in the manufacturing process, and may be a semi-finished product waiting between processes.

[0036] Thereafter, the production manager digitized and analyzed at least one of the acquired information to calculate the trends in production volume and work-in-progress, and formulated a production plan for the product.

[0037] However, conventional production planning methods have difficulty reflecting variables occurring in unit processes of a product in real time. In this case, the variables are events that occur according to probability, such as the amount of winding and the occurrence of defects in a unit process in the case of a battery manufacturing process.

[0038] In other words, the conventional production planning method proposed by a production manager has the limitation that it is difficult to reflect data in real time due to the occurrence of variables, which reduces reliability.

[0039] Furthermore, in the case of work-in-progress items stockpiled to be used as a measure against the occurrence of variations, if more than the appropriate amount is stockpiled, it will result in a decrease in efficiency due to the waste of space and costs.

[0040] Therefore, the present invention discloses a low-cost, highly efficient, and highly reliable production planning device and method that provides a simulation model using digital twin technology, dynamically creates and verifies an optimal production plan for product production, analyzes the flow of logistics, and presents appropriate work-in-progress quantities.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a production planning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] 2, a production planning system according to an embodiment of the present invention can provide an optimal production plan for product production using the simulation model described above. For example, the production planning system can be used in a battery manufacturing process.

[0043] Here, the simulation model may be a model that simulates the manufacturing environment of the product under the same conditions as the current one using digital twin technology.

[0044] According to an embodiment, the production planning system may receive at least one piece of information from an external source to construct a simulation model, where the at least one piece of information may be production data information, process equipment information, and logistics equipment information that are actually used to manufacture the corresponding product.

[0045] According to an embodiment, the production data information may be information actually acquired from a production system. For example, the production data information may include factory plan information for each unit process, manufacturing execution system (MES) information including at least one process equipment history and work-in-progress information for each unit process, and product lifecycle management (PLM) information including basic information such as equipment settings and model information. For example, a production planning device according to an embodiment of the present invention may dynamically connect a simulation model to which digital twin technology is applied and a production system in real time. Therefore, when a user changes at least one production data of the production system, the changed information may be reflected in the simulation model in real time.

[0046] In addition, the process equipment information may include at least one piece of equipment used for each unit process for manufacturing a product. For example, in the case of a battery manufacturing process, the process equipment information may include information on equipment for forming electrodes, equipment for assembling batteries, and equipment for charging or discharging batteries to activate them.

[0047] The logistics facility information may also include facility information such as conveyor devices for transporting products, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and automated warehouses.

[0048] Thereafter, the production planning device according to the embodiment of the present invention can execute a simulation based on the production plan using the simulation model in which at least one piece of information is reflected.

[0049] Thereafter, the production planning system according to the embodiment of the present invention can analyze the simulation data.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the production planning system can analyze in real time the transition of the amount of work-in-progress required between each unit process in terms of the flow of logistics. For example, it can analyze whether the amount of work-in-progress produced in a previous process matches the amount of work-in-progress consumed (amount of defective products) in a subsequent process.

[0051] According to another embodiment, the production planning system can analyze the real-time utilization rate of unit process equipment.

[0052] According to another embodiment, the production planning system can analyze the flow of physical distribution from the physical distribution facility information.

[0053] As a result, the production planning device according to the embodiment of the present invention can create an optimized production plan that takes into account not only the real-time production data of the product but also the real-time status information of the process equipment and logistics equipment.

[0054] The production planning system can also verify and analyze the production plan to analyze the space conditions and logistics flow required for extra work-in-progress loading.

[0055] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a production planning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 3, the production planning apparatus may include a memory 100, a processor 200, a transceiver 300, an input interface 400, an output interface 500, and a storage device 600.

[0057] According to the embodiment, the components 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 included in the production planning system are connected by a bus 700 and can communicate with each other.

[0058] The memory 100 and the storage device 600 in the above configurations 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 may be configured with at least one of a volatile storage medium and a non-volatile storage medium. For example, the memory 100 and the storage device 600 may be configured with at least one of a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

[0059] The memory 100 may contain at least one instruction that is executed by the processor 200 .

[0060] According to an embodiment, the at least one instruction may include an instruction to acquire at least one piece of information related to the production of the product and generate a simulation model to which Digital Twin technology is applied, an instruction to formulate a production plan for each unit process for the production of the product based on the at least one piece of information, an instruction to execute a simulation according to the production plan using the simulation model, and an instruction to analyze result data from the simulation to verify and optimize the production plan.

[0061] The processor 200 may refer to a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor on which methods according to embodiments of the present invention are performed.

[0062] The processor 200 is capable of executing at least one program command stored in the memory 100, as described above.

[0063] In addition, the output interface unit 500 can output at least one result data analyzed by the simulation device.

[0064] As a result, the production planning system according to the embodiment of the present invention can provide analysis information tailored to the user of the production planning system.

[0065] According to one embodiment, a user who manages production can obtain optimal production plan information.

[0066] According to another embodiment, a user in charge of on-site equipment can obtain simulation-based abnormality monitoring information and, based on this, prevent abnormalities from occurring in the actual equipment.

[0067] According to another embodiment, a user in charge of production analysis can obtain the results of the analysis of the progress of work in progress and use them as verification data for logistics operations.

[0068] The production planning system according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Next, a production planning method performed by the process operation of the production planning system will be described.

[0069] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a production planning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 4, the processor 200 in the production planning device according to the embodiment of the present invention may acquire at least one piece of information for digital twinning from the outside (S1000).

[0071] According to an embodiment, the at least one information may be production data information, process equipment information, and logistics equipment information acquired from a production system.

[0072] Thereafter, the processor 200 may generate a simulation model to which digital twin technology is applied based on at least one of the acquired information (S2000). Here, the simulation model may be a virtual factory model to which digital twin technology is applied, having an environment similar to a manufacturing factory that actually manufactures products.

[0073] Thereafter, the processor 200 can use the simulation model to create a production plan for each unit process based on the production data information, the process equipment information, and the logistics equipment information (S3000).

[0074] The processor 200 can execute a simulation based on the created production plan (S4000).

[0075] The processor 200 can then analyze the simulation result data to verify the production plan (S5000).

[0076] To explain the method of analyzing the simulation result data in more detail, the processor 200 can analyze the progress of the work-in-progress quantity for each unit process based on the simulation result data and visualize it through the output interface device. For example, the processor 200 can grasp, analyze, and visualize the production volume and defective quantity of work-in-progress for each unit process.

[0077] Thereafter, the processor 200 can analyze the real-time operation rate of the equipment for each unit process, thereby enabling the processor 200 to analyze the flow of work-in-progress logistics in consideration of the real-time operation rate of the equipment.

[0078] Thereafter, based on the analysis results, the processor 200 can obtain an optimized production plan through a simulation of the production plan, which allows for an appropriate amount of work-in-progress with an appropriate production volume and defective quantity ratio occurring before and after the process, ensures space for loading work-in-progress with minimal excess, and minimizes the lead time for work-in-progress (S6000).

[0079] Meanwhile, when the processor 200 performs steps S3000 and S4000, if the user changes at least one of the status information of production data information, process equipment information, and logistics equipment information, it can move back to step S1000 to obtain the changed status information in real time and proceed with the subsequent steps sequentially.

[0080] The production planning system and method according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above.

[0081] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a production planning device and method acquire at least one piece of information related to the production of a product, generate a simulation model to which Digital Twin technology is applied, create a production plan for each unit process for the production of the product based on the at least one piece of information, perform a simulation according to the production plan using the simulation model, analyze result data from the simulation, and verify and optimize the production plan, thereby minimizing the amount of work in progress between processes, minimizing process waiting time for work in progress, and minimizing the possibility of quality defects. This makes it possible to provide a low-cost, highly efficient, and highly reliable production planning device and method.

[0082] The operations of the methods according to the embodiments of the present invention can be embodied as a computer-readable program or code on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of storage devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. In addition, the computer-readable recording medium can be distributed among computer systems connected via a network, so that the computer-readable program or code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0083] Furthermore, the computer-readable recording medium may include a hardware device specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, etc. The program instructions may include not only machine language code, such as that produced by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0084] Some aspects of the invention have been described in the context of an apparatus, but they may also be described in terms of a corresponding method, where a block or apparatus corresponds to a method step or feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in the context of a method may be described in terms of a corresponding block or item or feature of a corresponding apparatus. Some or all of the method steps may be performed by (or using) a hardware apparatus, such as a microprocessor, a programmable computer, or an electronic circuit. In some embodiments, one or more of the most important method steps may be performed by such an apparatus.

[0085] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 100:Memory 200: Processor 300: Transmitter / receiver 400: Input interface device 500: Output interface device 600: Storage device 700: Bus

Claims

1. An apparatus for creating a production plan for a product, memory, and a processor for executing at least one instruction in the memory; The at least one instruction causes the processor to: At least one piece of information related to the production of the product is acquired in real time to generate a simulation model to which Digital Twin technology is applied, the simulation model is a virtual factory model having an environment similar to a manufacturing factory where the product is actually manufactured, The at least one information includes production data information acquired from a production system of the product, process equipment information for manufacturing the product, and logistics equipment information for transporting the product, The production data information includes production plan information for each unit process; executing a simulation based on the production plan using the simulation model; analyzing the resulting data from the simulation to verify and optimize the production plan; Analyzing the transition of the amount of work in progress provided for each unit process for manufacturing the product based on the result data; determining the defective quantity of work-in-progress for each unit process based on the analysis of the change in the work-in-progress quantity; optimizing the production plan based on the defective quantity of work-in-progress for each unit process so that the work-in-progress quantity for each process is minimized; A production planning device that allows the above to be performed.

2. Analyzing the result data from the simulation to verify and optimize the production plan, Analyzing the real-time operation rate of the equipment for each unit process; Analyzing the flow of work-in-progress logistics in consideration of the real-time operation rate of the equipment for each unit process; 2. The production planning device according to claim 1, further comprising optimizing the production plan so as to minimize the amount of work in progress for each process based on the analysis results of the changes in the amount of work in progress, the real-time operating rate, and the flow of logistics of the work in progress.

3. 2. The production planning device according to claim 1, wherein, when the at least one piece of information is changed by a user, the changed information is acquired and the at least one command is re-executed.

4. The production planning device according to claim 1 , wherein the production plan for the product includes a production plan for a battery.

5. 1. A method for developing a production schedule for a product, the method comprising: A step of acquiring at least one piece of information related to the production of the product in real time and generating a simulation model to which a digital twin technology is applied, the simulation model is a virtual factory model having an environment similar to a manufacturing factory where the product is actually manufactured, The at least one information includes production data information acquired from a production system of the product, process equipment information for manufacturing the product, and logistics equipment information for transporting the product, The production data information includes production plan information for each unit process; a step of executing a simulation based on the production plan using the simulation model; analyzing the resulting data from the simulation to verify and optimize the production plan; analyzing the transition of the amount of work in progress provided for each unit process for manufacturing the product based on the result data; determining the defective quantity of work-in-progress for each unit process based on the analysis of the change in the work-in-progress quantity; optimizing the production plan based on the defective quantity of work-in-progress for each unit process so that the work-in-progress quantity for each process is minimized; A production planning method, including:

6. The step of analyzing the result data from the simulation to verify and optimize the production plan includes: Analyzing the real-time operation rate of the equipment for each unit process; Analyzing the flow of work-in-progress logistics in consideration of the real-time operation rate of the equipment for each unit process; 6. The production planning method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of optimizing the production plan so as to minimize the amount of work in progress for each process, based on the analysis results of the changes in the amount of work in progress, the real-time operating rate, and the flow of logistics of the work in progress.

7. 6. The production planning method according to claim 5, wherein when the at least one piece of information is changed by a user, the changed information is acquired and at least one of the steps is re-executed.

8. 6. The production planning method according to claim 5, wherein the production plan for the product includes a production plan for a battery.

9. A program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 5 to 8.

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