Device, method and program for supporting outsourcing of parts manufacturing to processing companies

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to reduce the burden for confirming whether the described content of two-dimensional data representing a component in two dimensions correctly represents the intention of a manufacturer, in a method for assisting subcontracting of manufacture of the component to a fabricator. Two-dimensional data of a component to be fabricated are transmitted from a manufacturer terminal 120 to a device 110 (S201). After receiving the two-dimensional data, the device 110 performs analysis thereof (S202). Designated information contained in the two-dimensional data is extracted, and subcontracting conditions of the component represented by the two-dimensional data are determined. The device 110 also acquires an estimated price of the component represented by the two-dimensional data. Next, the device 110 transmits the determined subcontracting conditions and the calculated estimated price to the manufacturer terminal 120 (S203). If the manufacturer decides to place an order at the received estimated price, the manufacturer transmits an order placement instruction to the device 110 (S204). The device 110 transmits an order receipt confirmation to a fabricator terminal 131 (S205).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method, and a program for supporting outsourcing of parts manufacturing to a processing company. [Background technology]

[0002] CAD (Computer Aided Design) is a design support tool that can digitally create technical drawings. There are two types of CAD: 2D-CAD, which expresses solid objects in two dimensions, and 3D-CAD, which expresses solid objects in three dimensions. Although the adoption rate of each type varies depending on the industry and country, the proportion of 2D-CAD used for drawing is not low. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6462945 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Processors who process products or their parts based on 2D-CAD data naturally need that data, but they may not be able to receive the necessary data from the manufacturers they order to produce the products or parts.

[0005] For example, even if a manufacturer uses CAD data in DXF format, a standard for 2D-CAD, during the design stage, they may only provide document data in PDF format, which is not compatible with 2D-CAD. In such cases, the processor must create CAD data from the received document data. Document data often contains unclear or inaccurate information, placing a burden on the manufacturer to confirm the correct specifications. If processing is performed without confirming the correct specifications, quality defects may occur, and discrepancies with the manufacturer may become apparent later, resulting in a greater burden.

[0006] Even when 2D-CAD data corresponding to the 2D-CAD is received, it is not rare that dimension lines are not connected or there are inaccuracies, so the processing company still has to bear the burden of confirming the correct specifications with the manufacturer and correcting the CAD data. When CAD data is received in addition to document data, there may be discrepancies between the two.

[0007] While the applicant was providing a service that enabled manufacturers to efficiently select processors when outsourcing the production of parts to processors (see Patent Document 1), the inventors discovered that data representing parts to be processed in two dimensions, such as 2D-CAD data and PDF data (hereinafter referred to as "two-dimensional data"), had the problems described above, and more specifically, that there was a problem as to whether the contents of the two-dimensional data accurately represented the manufacturer's intentions. For manufacturers, confirming that their intentions have been conveyed to processors is a transaction cost when selecting a new processor.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to reduce the burden of checking whether the contents of the two-dimensional data representing a part accurately represent the manufacturer's intentions in an apparatus, method, and program for supporting a manufacturer in outsourcing the manufacture of parts to a processing company.

[0009] In this specification, the term "part" includes an assembly made up of a plurality of parts, and the term "processing" includes the assembly of a plurality of parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve this object, a first aspect of the present invention is a method for assisting a manufacturer in outsourcing the manufacture of parts to a processor, comprising the steps of receiving two-dimensional data representing the parts in two dimensions from a manufacturer terminal, extracting specified information from the two-dimensional data, determining outsourcing conditions according to the specified information, and transmitting an estimated price for processing under at least some of the outsourcing conditions to the manufacturer terminal.

[0011] A second aspect of the present invention is the first aspect, characterized in that the extraction is performed by character recognition using OCR.

[0012] Furthermore, a third aspect of the present invention is the first aspect, characterized in that it further includes a step of adding additional data corresponding to at least a part of the commission conditions to the two-dimensional data and transmitting it to the processor terminal.

[0013] Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention is any one of the first to third aspects, characterized in that the judgment is made by referring to the correspondence between the specified information that may be contained in the two-dimensional data and its interpretation.

[0014] A fifth aspect of the present invention is the fourth aspect, characterized in that the association is an association for each manufacturer.

[0015] A sixth aspect of the present invention is the fourth aspect, characterized in that the correspondence is common to at least some manufacturers.

[0016] Furthermore, a seventh aspect of the present invention is the fourth aspect, characterized in that the correspondence corresponds to a specific interpretation from among multiple possible interpretations for at least any of the specified information that may be included in the two-dimensional data.

[0017] An eighth aspect of the present invention is the third aspect, characterized in that the additional data is data for displaying a visual representation of at least a part of the terms of commission.

[0018] A ninth aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a method for assisting a manufacturer in outsourcing the manufacture of parts to a processor, the method including the steps of receiving two-dimensional data representing the parts in two dimensions from a manufacturer terminal, extracting specified information from the two-dimensional data, determining outsourcing conditions according to the specified information, and transmitting an estimated price for processing under at least some of the outsourcing conditions to the manufacturer terminal.

[0019] A tenth aspect of the present invention is a device for assisting a manufacturer in outsourcing the manufacture of parts to a processor, which receives two-dimensional data representing the parts in two dimensions from a manufacturer terminal, extracts specified information from the two-dimensional data, determines outsourcing conditions according to the specified information, and transmits an estimated price for processing under at least some of the outsourcing conditions to the manufacturer terminal.

[0020] According to one aspect of the present invention, by extracting specified information from the received two-dimensional data and determining the outsourcing conditions according to the specified information, it is possible to reduce the burden on the manufacturer to check whether the contents of the document data representing the parts to be processed accurately represent the manufacturer's intentions. This contributes to preventing quality defects without increasing the number of steps. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a system for supporting a processor in outsourcing the manufacture of parts according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a flow diagram of a method for facilitating outsourcing of parts to a fabricator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drawing displayed using two-dimensional data received in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a drawing displayed using two-dimensional data having additional data according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10 is another example of a drawing displayed using two-dimensional data received in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a visual representation of terms of service determined with reference to a manufacturer consensus interpretation in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0023] 1 shows a system for supporting a manufacturer in outsourcing the manufacture of parts to a processor according to one embodiment of the present invention. The system 100 includes an intermediary device 110 that is interposed between the manufacturer and one or more processors, a manufacturer terminal 120 that transmits two-dimensional data of the parts to be processed to the device 110, and a processor terminal 131 that receives an order confirmation for the processing of the parts from the device 110.

[0024] The device 110 includes a communication unit 111 such as a communication interface, a processing unit 112 such as a processor or CPU, and a storage unit 113 including a storage device or storage medium such as a memory or hard disk, and can be configured by executing a program for performing each process on the processing unit 112, and may include one or more devices or servers. The program may include one or more programs, and may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium to form a non-transitory program product.

[0025] In addition to the storage unit 113, the device 110 may include a database 114 accessible from the device 110. For example, the database 114 may store data to be added to received drawing data in order to accurately represent the manufacturer's intentions. In the following description, the device 110 will be described as having the database 114 separate from the storage unit 113, but the data stored in the database 114 may also be stored in the storage unit 113, or vice versa.

[0026] In Fig. 1, the manufacturer terminal 120, the first processor terminal 131, the second processor terminal 132, and the third processor terminal 133 are shown by illustrations representing the respective companies, but more accurately, they correspond to the computers used by the respective companies. Also, in Fig. 1, in addition to the first processor terminal 131, the second processor terminal 132 and the third processor terminal 133 are also shown, but the first processor terminal 131 may sometimes be simply referred to as the processor terminal 131. Also, the manufacturer terminal 120 and the processor terminal 131 have a communication unit, a processing unit, and a memory unit, similar to the device 110, but these are not shown for simplicity.

[0027] In this embodiment, the device 110 is described as being capable of communicating with the processor terminal 131 via a computer network including an IP network, but it is also possible to send and receive the required data to and from the processor terminal 131 through a human intervention using a communication means such as a fax.

[0028] First, a manufacturer who outsources manufacturing transmits two-dimensional data of the parts to be processed from the manufacturer terminal 120 to the device 110 (S201). Examples of two-dimensional data include document data in PDF format and 2D-CAD data in DXF format. 2D-CAD data can be obtained by outputting drawings created using 3D-CAD as multiple two-dimensional drawings, and can be output in PDF format or DXF format. After outputting the 2D-CAD data in DXF format, specified information (described below) may be entered using the 2D-CAD. The 2D-CAD data can then be output as a drawing in PDF format. In addition to the two-dimensional data, the device 110 may also receive various conditions required by the manufacturer, such as quantity, material, tolerances, quality standards, delivery date, delivery destination, packaging style, and whether or not an identification tag is required, as order conditions.

[0029] 3 shows an example of a drawing displayed by the two-dimensional data received by the device 110. In addition to the shape and dimensions of the part to be machined, the drawing 300 may include other specifications, manufacturing methods for achieving those specifications, and other designation information. In the example of FIG. 3, the designation information includes a first designation 310-1 of "full hard chrome plating 0.03 mm thick" and a second designation 310-2 of "G" grinding, i.e., roughness.

[0030] After receiving the two-dimensional data, device 110 analyzes the two-dimensional data (S202). Details of the analysis will be described later. Designation information included in the two-dimensional data is extracted, and the outsourcing conditions for the parts represented by the two-dimensional data are determined based on the extracted designation information. The extraction can be performed, for example, by OCR character recognition, image recognition, or other techniques.

[0031] Simultaneously with or after determining the outsourcing conditions, device 110 may obtain an estimated price for the part represented by the two-dimensional data. The estimated price can be obtained by various methods, including calculation by device 110 based on the two-dimensional data or input of a price calculated by an employee of the business providing device 110 based on the two-dimensional data. Because the estimated price may vary depending on the order conditions and outsourcing conditions, it is preferable to set the price for processing under at least some of the received order conditions and the determined outsourcing conditions. Here, it is possible that items overlap between the order conditions and the outsourcing conditions, and in such cases, it is sufficient to appropriately determine which takes priority.

[0032] For example, the estimated price may be the sales price of the part from a real or fictitious processor plus the profit of the intermediary business providing device 110. Device 110 stores its own profit price in a database, as well as various unit prices for calculating the processor's sales price of the part, thereby calculating the sales price of each processor and thus the estimated price of the intermediary. Depending on the type of transaction conducted via device 110, the estimated price may also be the processor's sales price. In either case, device 110 can calculate the estimated price of the part by referencing price information stored in database 114. Here, the sales price of the fictitious processor may be, for example, a price calculated based at least in part on multiple sales prices calculated for multiple real processors.

[0033] Additionally, device 110 may determine the possibility of processing the part represented by the two-dimensional data simultaneously with, before, or after determining the outsourcing conditions. This determination includes identifying one or more shapes and their dimensions required for processing the part, and may further identify the position, thickness, diameter, angle, etc. of the shape. From the shape data thus identified, device 110 determines whether the part can be processed using a processing method that each processor can handle and / or whether the part can be processed using equipment available to each processor. At this time, it may further determine whether the part can be processed under the outsourcing conditions determined as described above.

[0034] After analyzing the two-dimensional data, the device 110 transmits the calculated estimated price along with the determined terms of commission to the manufacturer terminal 120 (S203). If the manufacturer decides to place an order at the estimated price received at its terminal 120, it transmits an order instruction to the device 110 (S204). The intermediary providing the device 110 transmits an order confirmation to one or more processor terminals 131 (S205). Here, the intermediary may confirm the order upon receiving the order instruction, or may confirm its own order after the order from one of the processors is confirmed. It is also possible for the order to be confirmed directly between the manufacturer and the processor, depending on the type of transaction conducted via the device 110. The order transmission order, order instruction, and order confirmation may be reversed depending on the type of transaction conducted via the device 110.

[0035] At the same time as transmitting the order confirmation to the processor terminal 131, or before or after that, the device 110 adds additional data corresponding to at least a part of the determined commission conditions to the two-dimensional data and transmits the data.

[0036] FIG. 4 shows an example of a drawing displayed using two-dimensional data with additional data. The second specification 310-2 for roughness "G" indicates that a manufacturer will "polish after plating" when a plating specification similar to the first specification 310-1 is specified. Database 114 stores interpretations of such specification information for each manufacturer or common to all manufacturers. Based on the specification information included in the two-dimensional data, the system determines the terms of commissioning according to the specification information by referencing the correspondence between the specification information and its interpretation. Additional data corresponding to the determined terms of commissioning is added to the two-dimensional data, and a stamp 410 is displayed on drawing 400 using the additional data as a visual representation of the terms of commissioning. Database 114 can also store interpretations of the specification information for each processor.

[0037] In this way, device 110 extracts the specified information from the received 2D data and, based on the specified information, determines the consignment conditions according to the specified information by referencing the interpretation of the specified information for each manufacturer or common to all manufacturers. Here, determination also includes determining specific consignment conditions when no explicit specification is made. By determining the consignment conditions, device 110 does not need to unnecessarily confirm the manufacturer's intentions, making it possible to easily present an estimated price. Alternatively, by sending 2D data to a processor that accurately reflects the manufacturer's intentions, inconsistent interpretation by the processor can be reduced.

[0038] It should be noted that unless the word "only" is used, such as "based only on XX," "depending only on XX," or "only in the case of XX," this specification assumes that additional information may also be taken into consideration. As an example, please note that the phrase "do b when a" does not necessarily mean "do b always when a" or "do b immediately after a" unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, the phrase "each a constituting A" does not necessarily mean that A is composed of multiple components, but includes the case where the component is singular.

[0039] Also, just to be clear, even if there is an aspect of a method, program, terminal, device, server, or system (hereinafter referred to as a "method, etc.") that performs an operation different from that described in this specification, each aspect of the present invention is directed to an operation that is identical to one of the operations described in this specification, and the existence of an operation different from that described in this specification does not make the method, etc. outside the scope of each aspect of the present invention.

[0040] Learn more about 2D data analysis In the example of Figure 3, by referencing the interpretation of the specified information for each manufacturer, the outsourcing conditions that match the manufacturer's intentions are determined, reducing ambiguity in the description of the two-dimensional data received by device 110. As an example of similar specified information, if the material is specified as stainless steel, by referencing the interpretation for each manufacturer, it can be determined that processing should be done with a specific material such as SUS304. In this way, when there are multiple possible interpretations for at least one of the specified information that can be included in the two-dimensional data, clarity can be achieved by associating a specific interpretation from among those interpretations.

[0041] In the example shown in Figure 5, iron is specified as the material. Iron generally comes in many subclassified varieties, making it difficult to identify a single material. If a manufacturer has a customary practice of equating "iron" with "SPCC" when it appears on a drawing, storing the association between the manufacturer's designation and its interpretation allows accurate confirmation of the manufacturer's intent. While the "MICr" designation in Figure 5 is sometimes used to represent "hard chrome plating," it is not necessarily common. Therefore, manufacturers who use this term can store the association for that manufacturer. Similarly, the "post-weld appearance" designation in Figure 5 represents a requirement for a beautiful appearance after welding. However, there is no industry standard for the required level of quality, and the expected level varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Therefore, when such a designation is made, each manufacturer must determine the level of quality as part of the contract terms, such as "no special processing is actually required; simply grinding the surface with a grinder is sufficient." In addition to the example in Figure 3, as shown in the example in Figure 5, ambiguous designations are often included in two-dimensional data, and there is great significance in reducing ambiguity by associating by manufacturer.

[0042] In addition, depending on the manufacturer, even drawings that do not include welding may contain specified information such as ``the welding must be full-circumference welding,'' and such specified information can be determined to be not included in the terms of commission and can be canceled.

[0043] Furthermore, when a specified material is stainless steel, it is possible to determine from multiple options that a specific material, such as SUS304, is to be used for processing, based on the number of available fabricators or the low processing cost. This determination can be made, for example, by referencing the interpretation of the manufacturer-wide specification information stored in database 114. Similarly, when the welding method is not specified, it is possible to determine that a specific welding method, such as pitch welding, is to be used. In other words, it is possible to determine specific contract conditions even when no specific information is included in the 2D data. Furthermore, when only "welding" is specified but the specific method, such as circumferential welding or intermittent welding, is not specified, it is also possible to determine that a specific welding method is to be used from multiple options. When the specification information included in the 2D data can have multiple interpretations, or when the specification information is not explicitly stated, determining specific contract conditions can improve the accuracy of the estimated price. Figure 6 shows an example 600 of a visual representation of contract conditions determined by referring to the manufacturer-wide interpretation when stainless steel is specified as the specification information and welding is not explicitly stated.

[0044] Furthermore, the two-dimensional data received by the device 110 may contain information specifying that the service provided by the device 110 is unavailable. In such cases, it is possible to send a message to the manufacturer terminal 120 indicating that the service is unavailable, but by determining the outsourcing conditions within the range that the device can accommodate and sending an estimated amount, or by determining the outsourcing conditions for processes excluding the inaccessible processes and sending an estimated amount, it is possible to encourage the manufacturer to consider placing an order without unnecessarily increasing the burden on the manufacturer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 100 systems 110 Intermediary device 120 Manufacturer Terminal 131 First processor terminal 132 Second processor terminal 133 Third processor terminal 300 drawings 400 stamped drawings 500 drawings 600 stamps

Claims

1. A method for a computer to support a manufacturer in outsourcing manufacturing of a part to a processor, the method comprising: receiving, by the computer, two-dimensional data representing the part in two dimensions from a manufacturer terminal; extracting designated information from the two-dimensional data by image recognition or character recognition of the two-dimensional data; The computer determines, based on the specified information, the conditions of commissioning according to the specified information by referring to the correspondence between the specified information that may be included in the two-dimensional data and its interpretation; a step in which the computer adds additional data corresponding to at least a part of the consignment conditions to the two-dimensional data and transmits the data to a processor terminal; Including, The specification information includes specifications other than the shape and dimensions of the part or a manufacturing method for achieving the specifications of the part.

2. 10. The method of claim 1, The additional data is data for displaying a visual representation of at least a portion of the terms of reference.

3. A program for causing a computer to execute a method for supporting a manufacturer in outsourcing manufacturing of parts to a processor, the method comprising: receiving, by the computer, two-dimensional data representing the part in two dimensions from a manufacturer terminal; extracting designated information from the two-dimensional data by image recognition or character recognition of the two-dimensional data; The computer determines, based on the specified information, the conditions of commissioning according to the specified information by referring to the correspondence between the specified information that may be included in the two-dimensional data and its interpretation; a step in which the computer adds additional data corresponding to at least a part of the consignment conditions to the two-dimensional data and transmits the data to a processor terminal; Including, The specification information includes specifications other than the shape and dimensions of the part or a manufacturing method for achieving the specifications of the part.

4. A device for supporting a manufacturer in outsourcing manufacturing to a parts processing company, receiving, from a manufacturer terminal, two-dimensional data representing the part in two dimensions; Extracting designated information from the two-dimensional data by image recognition or character recognition of the two-dimensional data, and determining, based on the designated information, the outsourcing conditions according to the designated information by referring to the correspondence between the designated information that may be included in the two-dimensional data and its interpretation; The two-dimensional data is configured to be transmitted to a processor terminal after adding additional data corresponding to at least a part of the entrustment conditions to the two-dimensional data; The specification information includes specifications other than the shape and dimensions of the part or a manufacturing method for achieving the specifications of the part.

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