Planning device, planning method, and control program

Abstract

To enable reduction of a processing load or processing time when planning a strip cutting operation for cutting product coils from original coils that may include defective parts.SOLUTION: A planning apparatus (1) comprises: an acquisition unit (11) for acquiring original coil information for each of one or more original coils; a first calculation unit (13) for adding up a normal part length, which is the length of a consecutive area having approximately the same normal part width and calculated for each normal part width of each original coil, for each normal part width of the one or more original coils; a second calculation unit (14) for calculating cuttable weight, which is the total weight of product coils that can be cut out from the one or more original coils and has a width corresponding to the normal part width, for each normal part width, based on the added normal part length; and a third calculation unit (15) for calculating a product coil width range corresponding to the cuttable weight that is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference weight.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a planning device, a planning method, and a control program. [Background technology]

[0002] In manufacturing industries that produce products to order with different specifications for each customer, planning for the strip cutting process, which cuts out the product coils (hoops) to be shipped from, for example, rectangular plate-shaped raw coils, is an important task that affects the manufacturing cost of the product coils. This process requires the creation of a plan that enables cutting out rectangular products with the specifications specified by the customer using cutting blades arranged for strip cutting from raw coils that may contain defects in various positions and vary in size. Patent Document 1 discloses a coil rewinding combination processing method that automates the coil combination problem and can improve the yield in rewinding equipment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-023739 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional devices or methods for cutting strips do not adequately deal with the possibility that the original coil may contain defective parts, and there is room for improvement in the processing procedures.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to reduce the processing load or processing time when planning a strip cutting operation to cut out product coils from original coils that may contain defective parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the planning device of aspect 1 of the present invention is a planning device for planning the cutting work of cutting product coils from original coils, and is equipped with: an acquisition unit that acquires original coil information including the width, length, weight, and location of defective parts for each of one or more original coils; a first calculation unit that adds up normal part lengths calculated for each normal part width of each original coil, where the normal part width is the maximum width of the part of the original coil that does not contain defective parts in the width direction of each part, and the normal part lengths are the lengths of areas having approximately the same continuous normal part width for the normal part width, a second calculation unit that calculates, for each normal part width, the harvestable weight, which is the total weight of product coils having a width corresponding to the normal part width that can be cut out from the one or more original coils, based on the added up normal part lengths; and a third calculation unit that calculates a range of product coil widths corresponding to harvestable weights equal to or greater than a predetermined standard weight.

[0007] According to the above configuration, candidate product coil widths can be extracted in advance when performing the strip cutting work, which reduces the processing load or processing time when planning the strip cutting work of cutting product coils from raw coils that may contain defects.

[0008] In the planning device according to aspect 2 of the present disclosure, in the above aspect 1, the acquisition unit further acquires at least one of an upper limit value and a lower limit value of the product coil width set as a product specification of the product coil cut out from the one or more original coils, and the third calculation unit calculates a range of product coil width corresponding to a harvestable weight equal to or greater than the predetermined reference weight within a range defined by at least one of the upper limit value and the lower limit value.

[0009] According to the above configuration, it is possible to extract a range of product coil widths corresponding to harvestable weights equal to or greater than a predetermined reference weight, for example, within a range set by the user.

[0010] In the planning device according to aspect 3 of the present disclosure, in the above aspect 1 or 2, the first calculation unit calculates, for each calculated normal portion width, a harvestable length which is the sum of the normal portion lengths in areas having normal portion widths equal to or greater than the calculated normal portion width, and the second calculation unit calculates the harvestable weight based on the harvestable length.

[0011] According to the above configuration, the second calculation unit can calculate the harvestable weight from the total length of the normal portion based on the calculation result of the first calculation unit.

[0012] In the planning device according to aspect 4 of the present disclosure, in any of aspects 1 to 3 above, the third calculation unit uses the total weight of the one or more original coils multiplied by a predetermined value less than 1 as the reference weight.

[0013] The above-described configuration contributes to cutting product coils into strips with a high yield rate using a simple configuration.

[0014] In the planning device according to aspect 5 of the present disclosure, in any of aspects 1 to 3 above, the third calculation unit uses as the reference weight the value obtained by multiplying the maximum collectable weight among the collectable weights for each normal portion width calculated by the second calculation unit by a predetermined value not greater than 1.

[0015] According to the above configuration, the third calculation unit can calculate a certain range of product coil widths including the product coil width corresponding to the maximum harvestable weight.

[0016] A planning device according to aspect 6 of the present disclosure, in any of aspects 1 to 3 above, further includes an input unit that accepts user-operated input, and the third calculation unit uses a value corresponding to the input accepted by the input unit as the reference weight.

[0017] According to the above configuration, it is possible for the user to arbitrarily set a desired value as the reference weight.

[0018] In the planning device according to aspect 7 of the present disclosure, the first calculation unit is configured to calculate the normal portion width at predetermined intervals from a starting point at an arbitrary position along the length direction of each of the one or more original coils, and to add the calculated normal portion widths together when the calculated normal portion widths are approximately the same to calculate the normal portion length; a memory processing unit that, each time the normal portion width changes, associates the normal portion length with the normal portion width before the change and stores it in a memory unit; and an adding unit that adds up the stored normal portion lengths for each normal portion width that is approximately the same in the one or more original coils.

[0019] According to the above configuration, the normal portion length for each normal portion width of the original coil can be calculated by the above procedure.

[0020] In the planning method according to aspect 8 of the present disclosure, the third calculation unit performs an extraction process to exclude candidates having product coil widths outside the calculated range of product coil widths from a group of product coil candidates to be planned.

[0021] According to the above configuration, candidates for the product coil width are extracted in advance, which contributes to reducing the processing load in calculations related to the product coil width.

[0022] A planning method according to aspect 9 of the present disclosure is a planning method for planning the cutting work of cutting product coils from original coils, and includes: an acquisition step for acquiring original coil information including the width, length, weight, and location of defective parts for each of one or more original coils; a first calculation step for adding up normal part lengths, which are the lengths of areas having approximately the same continuous normal part width for each original coil, calculated for each normal part width of the one or more original coils, for normal part widths, which are the maximum widths of the parts of the original coil in the width direction that do not contain defective parts; a second calculation step for calculating, for each normal part width, the harvestable weight, which is the total weight of product coils having a width corresponding to the normal part width that can be cut out from the one or more original coils, based on the added normal part lengths; and a third calculation step for calculating a range of product coil widths corresponding to harvestable weights equal to or greater than a predetermined standard weight.

[0023] The above method achieves the same effect as the above-mentioned planning device, and makes it possible to reduce the processing load or processing time when planning the strip cutting work of cutting product coils from raw coils that may contain defective parts.

[0024] The control program of aspect 10 of the present disclosure is a control program for causing a computer to function as the planning device described in aspect 1 above, and is a control program for causing a computer to function as the acquisition unit, the first calculation unit, the second calculation unit, and the third calculation unit.

[0025] The above configuration achieves the same effect as the above-mentioned planning device, and makes it possible to reduce the processing load or processing time when planning the strip cutting work of cutting product coils from raw coils that may contain defective parts. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the processing load or processing time when planning a strip cutting operation for cutting out product coils from an original coil that may contain defective portions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an example of a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a planning device. [Figure 2] 1 is a conceptual diagram of an example of a strip cutting device that cuts product coils from raw coils. [Figure 3] 10 is an example of a flowchart illustrating the overall flow of processing executed by the planning device. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of a flowchart showing the flow of a first calculation process. [Figure 5] 10 is an example of the position of a defective portion, and the width and length of a normal portion. [Figure 6] 10 is an example of the normal portion length calculated by adding up the normal portion widths of one or more original coils. [Figure 7]10 is an example of a collectable length corresponding to each normal portion width. [Figure 8] 10 is an example of the harvestable weight corresponding to each normal portion width. [Figure 9] This is an example of a range of product coil widths corresponding to harvestable weights equal to or greater than a predetermined reference weight. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process flow for cutting off defective portions that cannot be used in product coils from an original coil. [Figure 11] 10 is an example of a flowchart illustrating the flow of a fifth calculation process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. A planning device 1 according to this embodiment is a device for making a strip cutting plan, which is a plan for cutting raw coils of rolled steel sheet into product coils in accordance with product specifications required by a user.

[0029] Before describing the configuration of the planning device 1, a brief explanation of the strip cutting will be provided. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of an example of a strip cutting device that strip cuts a raw coil into a product coil. As shown in the figure, the raw coil 31 is fed in a predetermined direction by the strip cutting device 3 and cut by a cutting blade 30, such as a round blade, fixed midway along the feed direction. A plurality of cutting blades 30 are typically arranged, with adjacent cutting blades 30 spaced at a predetermined interval. In the example of FIG. 2, seven cutting blades 30 are arranged on the strip cutting device 3. The predetermined interval is set to the product coil width, which is the width of the product coil 32, one of the product specifications. Furthermore, in many cases, as illustrated in FIG. 2, at least one end 33 in the width direction of the raw coil 31, i.e., the left and right directions in FIG. 2, is cut off. Typically, the end 33 is treated as waste when manufacturing the product coil 32.

[0030] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the "width" of an original coil or a product coil means the distance in the width direction of the original coil or the product coil, and the "length" means the distance in the length direction of the original coil or the product coil. Also, the "length direction" means the direction perpendicular to the width direction.

[0031] 2 shows an example in which six product coils 32 are cut out in parallel, but the planning device 1 will be described as a device corresponding to a line cutting device that cuts out product coils one by one. An example configuration of the planning device 1 will be described below.

[0032] (Configuration example of planning device 1) 1 is an example of a block diagram showing the configuration of a planning device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the planning device 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 21, and an input unit 22.

[0033] The control unit 10 is a control device that controls the entire planning device 1, and is, for example, one or more processors, and various types of processors such as an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) can be used.

[0034] The control unit 10 also functions as a first acquisition unit 11, a second acquisition unit 12, a first calculation unit 13, a second calculation unit 14, a third calculation unit 15, a fourth calculation unit 16, and a fifth calculation unit 17.

[0035] The first acquisition unit 11 acquires original coil information for each of one or more available original coils to be used in creating a strip cutting plan. The original coil information is information about each original coil, including the width, length, weight, and location of defective parts of the original coil. The original coil information may also include the thickness of the original coil and its density, which is the weight per unit volume.

[0036] The second acquisition unit 12 acquires product coil information for one or more product coils cut out from the above-mentioned available raw coil. The product coil information is information set as product specifications for the cut product coil, and includes the product unit weight, the product total weight, etc. The product coil information may also include the number of welds possible and the product coil length, and may also include at least one of the upper and lower limits of the product coil width.

[0037] Here, the product unit weight is the weight that each product coil should reach. The total product weight is the total weight of all product coils that should be obtained from the one or more original coils. The number of welds that can be performed is the upper limit of the number of welds that each product coil can undergo to reach the product unit weight, and indicates the maximum number of welds that can be performed per product coil. However, the number of welds that can be performed does not necessarily have to be set. Details of welding will be described later.

[0038] Furthermore, the source from which the first acquisition unit 11 and the second acquisition unit 12 acquire information may be, for example, the storage unit 21 or an external storage medium connected to the planning device 1. Furthermore, the first acquisition unit 11 may acquire information input via the input unit 22 as original coil information, and the second acquisition unit 12 may acquire information input via the input unit 22 as product coil information.

[0039] The first calculation unit 13 calculates, for each normal portion width of the original coil, the normal portion length, which is the length of a region having a continuous normal portion width that is approximately the same, for the normal portion width, which is the maximum width of the portion of each portion of the original coil that does not include a defective portion in the width direction. Here, the approximately same normal portion width means normal portion widths that can be considered to be the same within a range that allows for an error up to a certain predetermined value. However, the predetermined value may be 0. Details of the normal portion width and normal portion length of the original coil will be described later.

[0040] 1, the first calculation unit 13 includes a normal portion length calculation unit 131, a storage processing unit 132, and an adder unit 133. The normal portion length calculation unit 131 calculates normal portion widths at predetermined intervals from an arbitrary position serving as the starting point along the length direction of each of one or more original coils, and adds the calculated normal portion widths together when the normal portion widths are approximately the same to calculate the normal portion length. For example, the starting point may be a position that is a predetermined distance greater than or equal to 0 away from the end of the original coil in the length direction. In this embodiment, the description will be given assuming that the predetermined distance is 0.

[0041] Every time the normal portion width changes, the storage processing unit 132 stores the normal portion length in the storage unit 21 in association with the normal portion width before the change.

[0042] The summing unit 133 sums up the stored normal portion lengths for each of the normal portion widths that are approximately the same in one or more original coils.

[0043] The second calculation unit 14 calculates, for each normal portion width, the harvestable weight, which is the total weight of product coils having a width corresponding to the normal portion width that can be cut out from one or more original coils, based on the combined normal portion lengths.

[0044] The third calculation unit 15 calculates the range of product coil widths corresponding to harvestable weights equal to or greater than a predetermined reference weight.

[0045] The fourth calculation unit 16 performs processing such as calculating the passing positions of cutting blades at predetermined intervals for extracting product coils from one or more original coils so as not to include defective portions.

[0046] The fifth calculation unit 17 performs processing such as calculating the arrangement order of original coils for cutting out, which include part or all of one or more original coils.

[0047] Here, the original coils for cutting refer to the original coils that are actually used to cut out the product coils from the prepared original coils. In other words, the one or more original coils mentioned above are divided into one or more original coils for cutting and zero or more remaining original coils.

[0048] The storage unit 21 is a storage device that at least temporarily stores various information, such as original coil information and product coil information. The original coil information and product coil information stored in the storage unit 21 may be information input via the input unit 22. The storage unit 21 may also be an external storage medium connected to the planning device 1.

[0049] The input unit 22 accepts user operation input to the planning device 1. The input unit 22 is, for example, a keyboard and a mouse. The user inputs product coil information and the like to the planning device 1 via the input unit 22. Note that if some of the product coils have already been manufactured, the control unit 10 may use the value obtained by subtracting the total weight of the product coils that have already been manufactured from the total weight of the product coils input as an order as the total product weight.

[0050] The planning device 1 is connected to the output device 2 via wired or wireless communication so that information can be communicated. The output device 2 outputs information input from the planning device 1 based on the control of the control unit 10. Examples of the output device 2 include a monitor (display), a printing device, or a projection device.

[0051] Note that the units included in the planning device 1 do not necessarily need to be incorporated into a single device. For example, one or more units may be included in separate devices and connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other, or one or more units may be located on the cloud and connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other. For example, a first control unit 10 functioning as the first calculation unit 13, the second calculation unit 14, and the third calculation unit 15, and a second control unit 10 functioning as the fourth calculation unit 16 and the fifth calculation unit 17 may be configured to be provided in separate planning devices.

[0052] (Overall processing flow) Next, a description will be given of the overall flow of the processing executed by the planning device 1. Fig. 3 is an example of a flowchart showing the overall flow of the processing.

[0053] In S11 (step S11), the first acquisition unit 11 performs a first acquisition process to acquire original coil information from the storage unit 21. S11 corresponds to the first acquisition step. As described above, the original coil information is information including the width, length, weight, and location of defective parts of each original coil. Furthermore, in steps S11 and after, the control unit 10 stores the acquired or calculated information in the storage unit 21.

[0054] In S12, the second acquisition unit 12 performs a second acquisition process to acquire product coil information from the storage unit 21. S12 corresponds to the second acquisition step. As described above, the product coil information includes the width of the product coil to be cut out from the original coil, the product unit weight, the total product weight, the number of times welding can be performed, etc.

[0055] In S13, the first calculation unit 13 performs a first calculation process. S13 corresponds to a first calculation step.

[0056] The first calculation process of S13 will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is an example of a flowchart showing the flow of the first calculation process. The first calculation unit 13 may refer to the original coil information and the product coil information as necessary in each process included in the first calculation process. The same applies to the second to fifth calculation processes described below.

[0057] In S1301, the first calculation unit 13 calculates the normal portion width at each position on the original coil, starting from the starting point at an arbitrary position in the length direction of the target original coil, by referring to information indicating the position of the defective portion. FIG. 5 shows an example of the position of the defective portion, as well as the normal portion width and normal portion length. As shown in the original coil 51 in FIG. 5, for example, the position of the defective portion 41 is expressed by the coordinates of a rectangle including the defective portion 41. The coordinates may be multiple numerical values ​​corresponding to the positions of each corner of the rectangle on the original coil. Furthermore, if the position of the defective portion acquired by the first acquisition unit 11 is not expressed by the coordinates of a rectangle, the first calculation unit 13 may be configured to set the coordinates of a rectangle including each defective portion. Here, the first calculation unit 13 may calculate the normal portion width at regular intervals in the length direction of the original coil, or may calculate the normal portion width at each position where the presence or absence of each rectangle of the defective portion changes.

[0058] Furthermore, for example, the first calculation unit 13 may divide the original coil into grid-like regions of a certain size, and if each region contains a defective part, associate the region with the numerical value 1, and if not, associate the region with the numerical value 0. In this way, even if the defective parts are arranged in a complex manner, the first calculation unit 13 can calculate the width of the continuous regions associated with the numerical value 0 in the width direction of the original coil as the normal part width. Note that the above-mentioned certain distance and certain size may be set arbitrarily with the required accuracy, and for example, the finer they are, the closer they can be to the shape of the actual defective part.

[0059] In S1302, the first calculation unit 13 determines whether the first normal portion width calculated for a certain position on the original coil has changed from the second normal portion width calculated immediately before. If the first calculation unit 13 determines that the normal portion width has changed (S1302: YES), in S1303, the first calculation unit 13 calculates a normal portion length corresponding to the second normal portion width and stores it in the storage unit 21.

[0060] Furthermore, part or all of the processing from S1301 to S1303 is executed by the normal portion length calculation unit 131 and storage processing unit 132 included in the first calculation unit 13. In other words, the processing from S1301 to S1303 is performed by the normal portion length calculation unit 131, which calculates the normal portion width at predetermined intervals from the starting end at an arbitrary position along the length direction of each of one or more original coils, and adds the calculated normal portion widths together when they are substantially the same to calculate the normal portion length. Furthermore, the storage processing unit 132 included in the first calculation unit 13 stores the normal portion length in the storage unit 21 in association with the normal portion width before the change every time the normal portion width changes.

[0061] Furthermore, the normal portion length indicates the length of a region having substantially the same continuous normal portion width. When the first calculation unit 13 determines that the normal portion width has not changed (S1302: NO), it performs the process of S1301 at the next position in the length direction of the original coil.

[0062] Note that the first calculation unit 13 determines "NO" in the determination of S1302 when the normal portion width is not present because the normal portion width is calculated for the first time at the start end of the target original coil. Also, the first calculation unit 13 determines "YES" in the determination of S1302 when the end end of the target original coil is reached and the normal portion width to be calculated next does not exist.

[0063] In S1304, the first calculation unit 13 determines whether or not the end of the original coil has been reached in the calculation of the normal portion length, in other words, whether or not the first calculation unit 13 has finished calculating the normal portion length at each position on the target original coil. If the first calculation unit 13 determines that the end of the original coil has been reached (S1304: YES), it subsequently executes the process of S1305, and if it determines that the end of the original coil has not been reached (S1304: NO), it executes the process of S1301 at the next position in the length direction of the original coil.

[0064] The first calculation unit 13 repeats the processes of S1301 to S1304, whereby the normal portion length is stored in the storage unit 21 every time the normal portion width changes in the length direction of the original coil.

[0065] 5 shows the normal portion width at each position of the original coil 53, and Table 55 shows an example of the normal portion length corresponding to each normal portion width. For example, Table 55 shows that the region of the original coil 53 where the normal portion width is 750 mm has a normal portion length of 1000 m.

[0066] In S1305, the first calculation unit 13 determines whether or not there are still any original coils remaining among the one or more original coils for which the normal portion length has not been calculated. If the first calculation unit 13 determines that there are still any original coils remaining for which the normal portion length has not been calculated (S1305: YES), the first calculation unit 13 performs the processing from S1301 on the original coil. On the other hand, if the first calculation unit 13 determines that there are no original coils remaining for which the normal portion length has not been calculated (S1305: NO), that is, if it determines that the normal portion length has been calculated for all of the one or more original coils, the first calculation unit 13 performs the processing of S1306.

[0067] In S1306, the summing unit 133 included in the first calculating unit 13 sums up the normal portion lengths calculated for each normal portion width of each original coil for all of one or more original coils that have substantially the same normal portion width. Table 61 in Fig. 6 shows an example of the normal portion lengths calculated for each normal portion width of each original coil, and Table 63 shows an example of the normal portion lengths summed up for each normal portion width for all of one or more original coils. In Table 63, only a single row corresponds to each value of the normal portion width.

[0068] In this way, the first calculation unit 13 stores the calculated normal portion length in the memory unit 21 each time the normal portion width changes in the length direction of each of one or more original coils, and adds up the stored normal portion lengths for each of the one or more original coils with approximately the same normal portion width.

[0069] In S1307, the first calculation unit 13 calculates the collectable length, which is the sum of the normal portion lengths in regions having normal portion widths equal to or greater than the normal portion width, based on the result of adding up the normal portion lengths as exemplified in Tables 61 and 63 of FIG. 6 and Table 71 of FIG. 7. Table 71 of FIG. 7 shows an example of the collectable length corresponding to each normal portion width, and is a table in which rows of the calculation results of the collectable length are added to Table 63 of FIG. 6. For example, the collectable length of 3300 m in the row where the normal portion width is 800 mm indicates that the sum of the normal portion lengths in regions where the normal portion width is 800 mm or greater (in the example of Table 71, the normal portion widths are 800 m, 900 m, and 1000 m) is 3300 m. In other words, in the example of Table 71, the normal portion lengths for normal portion widths of 800 m, 900 m, and 1000 m are 800 m, 2000 m, and 500 m, respectively, and the value of 3300 m corresponds to the sum of these normal portion lengths. k The set of k that matches one of the normal part widths in Table 63 is called K, W k’ ≧W k Let K' be the set of k's such that the normal part length is L k Then, the harvestable length OL k is expressed by the following formula:

[0070]

number

[0071] After the first calculation unit 13 performs the process of S1307, the process of S14 in Fig. 3 is subsequently performed. S14 corresponds to a second calculation step.

[0072] Returning to FIG. 3 , in S14, the second calculation unit 14 performs a second calculation process in which the harvestable weight corresponding to each normal portion width is calculated based on the harvestable length, etc. In one embodiment, the second calculation unit 14 calculates the harvestable weight corresponding to the normal portion width by multiplying the normal portion width, the harvestable length corresponding to the normal portion width, the thickness of the original coil, and the density. Here, the product of the thickness and density of the original coil corresponds to the weight per unit area of ​​the original coil. This value may be calculated by the second calculation unit 14 based on the width, length, and weight of the original coil. For example, the second calculation unit 14 may calculate the weight of the original coil per unit area based on the width, length, and weight of the original coil, or may calculate it based on the thickness and density of the original coil.

[0073] Table 83 in Figure 8 shows an example of the harvestable weight calculated based on the normal portion width and harvestable length in Table 81. In many cases, the longer the harvestable length, the greater the harvestable weight, even if the normal portion width is short. On the other hand, in the example of Table 83, the harvestable weight value of 2,812 kg corresponding to a normal portion width of 900 mm exceeds the harvestable weight value of 2,500 kg corresponding to a normal portion width of 800 mm. This is partly because, when the normal portion width is set to 800 mm, even in areas where the normal portion width exceeds 800 mm, the product coil width is assumed to be 800 mm when cutting out the product coil, and partly because the harvestable length corresponding to a normal portion width of 900 mm is relatively long.

[0074] In S15, the third calculation unit 15 calculates the range of product coil widths corresponding to harvestable weights equal to or greater than a predetermined reference weight as a third calculation process. S15 corresponds to the third calculation step. Here, the reference weight means an arbitrary weight that is acceptable from the viewpoint of cutting out a product coil with minimal loss from the coil.

[0075] FIG. 9 shows an example of the range of the product coil width. In the graph of FIG. 9, the horizontal axis shows the product coil width corresponding to the normal portion width, and the vertical axis shows the total harvestable weight of one or more original coils. In other words, FIG. 9 is an example of a graph plotting data corresponding to Table 83. In FIG. 9, when the product coil width is set to be greater than or equal to a and less than or equal to b, the harvestable weight is greater than or equal to the reference weight. In other words, when the product coil width is set to be greater than or equal to a and less than or equal to b, the yield, which is the ratio of the harvestable weight to the weight of the original coil, increases.

[0076] As described above, by determining the product coil width for which the harvestable weight is equal to or greater than the reference weight, product coils that can be harvested from one or more available raw coils can be extracted from the order in advance based on the determined product coil width in the upcoming strip cutting plan. In other words, it is possible to exclude product coils that are impossible to produce in the first place due to their product coil width or harvest weight from the strip cutting plan. In other words, it is possible to narrow down the product coils that are the subject of the strip cutting plan to those that can be manufactured from one or more raw coils that are the subject of the plan. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of product coils that are the subject of the strip cutting plan, thereby reducing the processing load and processing time when creating the strip cutting plan.

[0077] Alternatively, in another aspect, when a value or range of either the product coil width or the harvestable weight is input via the input unit 22, the third calculation unit 15 may calculate the range of the other, and the range may be output by the output device 2. Furthermore, when values ​​or ranges of both the product coil width and the harvestable weight are input via the input unit 22, the third calculation unit 15 may determine whether or not both requirements can be met, and the determination result may be output by the output device 2.

[0078] Furthermore, for example, the third calculation unit 15 may use as the reference weight a value obtained by multiplying the total weight of one or more original coils by a predetermined value less than 1. Furthermore, the third calculation unit 15 may use as the reference weight a value obtained by multiplying the maximum harvestable weight among the harvestable weights for each normal portion width calculated by the second calculation unit 14 by a predetermined value less than or equal to 1. Furthermore, the third calculation unit 15 may use as the reference weight a value according to a user input received by the input unit 22.

[0079] Next, an example of the process of creating a strip cutting plan will be described.

[0080] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the process flow for cutting off defective parts that cannot be used in product coils from the original coil.

[0081] The original coil 101 in Figure 10 shows the location of a defective portion 41 contained in a single original coil. As shown in the original coil 101, the defective portion 41 may be located only at the end 33 in the width direction of the original coil, or may spread throughout the central portion. The original coil 102 shows an example of the predetermined interval at which the cutting blade passes and the cut-off portion 42. Here, the predetermined interval is the width of the product coil. The passing position of the cutting blade 30 is variable in the width direction of the original coil. Therefore, both ends in the width direction of the original coil are not necessarily cut off, and only one end 33 may be cut off. As an exception, if the width of the original coil is equal to the width of the product coil, neither end 33 is cut off.

[0082] If the defective portion 41 is located at the end 33 of the original coil, the defective portion 41 will be cut off when the end 33 is cut off. However, if the defective portion 41 extends across the center of the original coil (see FIG. 10 ), for example, and the width of the normal portion in the width direction of the original coil is less than the width of any of the product coils, it is necessary to cut off the entire width direction, including the defective portion 41, as a cut-off portion 42. Therefore, excessively increasing the product coil width increases the number of cut-off portions 42, which reduces yield. Note that the cut-off portions 42 of the original coil may be cut off in advance by changing the orientation of the cutting blade 30 that cuts off the end 33, or may be cut off by a cutting blade other than the cutting blade 30 that cuts off the end 33. In one embodiment, the passing position of the cutting blade 30 in the length direction of the original coil is set in S16, which will be described later.

[0083] Furthermore, in S15, the third calculation unit 15 may calculate a product coil width range within the range defined by the upper and lower limits of the product coil width set as product specifications, within which the harvestable weight is equal to or greater than the reference weight. That is, in the example of FIG. 9, the third calculation unit 15 calculates a product coil width that is equal to or greater than the lower limit and equal to or less than the upper limit, and equal to or greater than a and equal to or less than b. Note that both the upper and lower limits of the product coil width do not necessarily need to be set as product specifications; only one of them may be set. Furthermore, if an upper limit is not set as product specifications, the third calculation unit 15 may set the largest value among the widths of one or more original coils as the upper limit. Furthermore, if a lower limit is not set as product specifications, the third calculation unit 15 may set the smallest value among the normal portion widths of one or more original coils as the lower limit.

[0084] In S16, as a fourth calculation process, the fourth calculation unit 16 calculates information for selecting an original coil for cutting for each of one or more original coils. In other words, the fourth calculation unit 16 calculates information for selecting one or more product coils that satisfy the product specifications. In one embodiment, the fourth calculation unit 16 calculates the passing position of the cutting blade 30, the harvestable weight, and the yield. Note that the third calculation unit 15 may calculate the harvestable weight and yield for each original coil corresponding to each product coil width.

[0085] As described above, the original coil 102 in FIG. 10 shows an example of the passing position of the cutting blade 30. In a portion of the original coil where the width of the normal portion exceeds the width of the product coil, the passing position of the cutting blade is variable in the width direction of the original coil within a range that does not include defective portions. However, as shown in the original coil 102, it is desirable for the fourth calculation unit 16 to set the passing position of the cutting blade 30 so that it forms a straight line. In addition, the fourth calculation unit 16 sets the predetermined interval of the cutting blade within the range of the product coil width calculated by the third calculation unit 15.

[0086] In one embodiment, the third calculation unit 15 may perform an extraction process to exclude candidates having product coil widths outside the range calculated in S15 from the group of product coil candidates to be targeted for the line cutting plan. For example, this extraction process extracts only product coil information for product coils having product coil widths within the range from the product coil information for one or more product coils input as targets for the line cutting plan planning process, and uses the extracted product coil information as targets for the fourth calculation process and subsequent processes. The fourth calculation unit 16 performs the fourth calculation process using the extracted product coil widths as candidates. This means that the product coil width candidates input to the fourth calculation unit 16 are pre-narrowed to the product coil width range calculated by the third calculation unit 15, and that the raw coils to be used in the line cutting operation can be pre-narrowed. Furthermore, pre-narrowing the product coil widths to the range means that the product coil candidates to be targeted for the line cutting plan planning process are pre-narrowed to those having product coil widths within the range.

[0087] For example, in a configuration in which the first planning device 1 that performs the first to third calculation processes and the second planning device 1 that performs the fourth and fifth calculation processes are realized as separate devices, the control unit 10 of the first planning device 1 may transmit the candidate product coil widths that have been extracted by the third calculation unit 15 to the second planning device 1.

[0088] The fourth calculation unit 16 may set the predetermined interval between the cutting blades to a value that maximizes the extractable weight of one or more original coils.

[0089] Alternatively, the control unit 10 may present the range of product coil widths calculated by the third calculation unit 15 via the output device 2, and the user may select a product coil width within that range or a range of product coil widths within that range via the input unit 22, which is then used by the fourth calculation unit 16.

[0090] In addition, the fourth calculation unit 16 or the third calculation unit 15, etc. may be configured to not use raw coils whose yield does not meet a predetermined value in subsequent processing, and not calculate the passing position of the cutting blade 30, etc.

[0091] As shown in the example of original coil 103, the divided portions that cross the cut-off portions 42 are joined by welding. In addition, if the passing position of cutting blade 30 is not in a straight line within a single original coil, the positions of product portions 43 will shift in the width direction of the original coil even if cut-off portions 42 are not created, and therefore the original coil will be cut in the width direction and each product portion 43 will be joined by welding. From another perspective, the fourth calculation unit 16 can reduce the number of times that the passing position of cutting blade 30 changes in the width direction of the original coil, thereby reducing the number of times that welding is performed.

[0092] Furthermore, original coil 103 indicates that product coils are harvested from the area of ​​the original coil excluding end portion 33 and defective portion 41. The weight of the original coil in the state shown in original coil 103 is the harvestable weight of the original coil. In addition, the ratio of the harvestable weight to the weight of the original original coil shown in original coil 101 is the yield of original coil 101.

[0093] Welding is also performed when the length of the product coil exceeds the length of the original coil, or when a product coil is manufactured by connecting the ends of original coils, etc. From another perspective, a single product coil may be manufactured from discontinuous portions of the original coil that sandwich the cut-off portion 42, or may be manufactured from multiple original coils.

[0094] Welding requires a certain amount of time and energy, which can reduce production efficiency, and the outer or inner quality of the welded part may be slightly altered according to specifications. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the number of welding operations.

[0095] In addition, if the dividing points and the cut points in the width direction of the original coil are ultimately located at the ends of the product coil in the length direction, the product parts 43 including each dividing point, etc. will correspond to separate product coils, so welding will not be performed.

[0096] Furthermore, the processing order for manufacturing the original coil 103 is not necessarily limited, but may be, for example, performed in the order of cutting off the cut-off portion 42, welding, and cutting the end portion 33.

[0097] The fourth calculation unit 16 moves the passing position of the cutting blade 30 at regular intervals in the width direction of the original coil, compares the number of welds corresponding to each passing position, and calculates the passing position of the cutting blade 30 that minimizes the number of welds. Moving the passing position of the cutting blade 30 can also be said to be moving the position of the product coil that is cut out from the original coil.

[0098] In addition, the fourth calculation unit 16 may calculate the cutting blade passing position, harvestable weight, and yield corresponding to multiple product coil widths changed in constant increments within the range of product coil widths calculated by the third calculation unit 15, for one or multiple raw coils.

[0099] In S17, as the fifth calculation process, the fifth calculation unit 17 calculates a combination of raw coils for cutting that includes part or all of one or more raw coils, and the combination in which the total harvestable weight reaches the total product weight, and the arrangement order of the raw coils in that combination.

[0100] The fifth calculation process of S17 will be described below with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is an example of a flowchart showing the flow of the fifth calculation process.

[0101] In S1701, the fifth calculation unit 17 determines whether or not there remains any combination of original coils that are candidates for the original coils to be cut out, among one or more original coils, that reaches the total product weight. The processing from S1701 to S1703 is processing for extracting combinations of original coils that can become the original coils to be cut out. In the processing up to S1703, consideration is given to which original coils to use as the original coils to be cut out, but the arrangement order within the combination of original coils is not taken into consideration.

[0102] When the fifth calculation unit 17 determines that the combination of original coils remains (S1701: YES), in S1702, it calculates an evaluation index including at least the yield for the entire combination, and stores the evaluation index in association with the combination of original coils in the storage unit 21. Here, the yield for the entire combination may be, for example, the average value of the yields of the original coils included in the combination, or the ratio of the total harvestable weight to the total weight of the original coils included in the combination. Furthermore, the fifth calculation unit 17 may calculate the harvestable weight for the entire combination as part of the evaluation index, and store the calculated value in the storage unit 21.

[0103] Furthermore, if the fifth calculation unit 17 determines in S1701 that there are no remaining combinations of raw coils that reach the total product weight (S1701: NO), then in S1703, it rearranges the combinations of raw coils stored in the memory unit 21 in order of yield among all combinations.

[0104] In S1704, the fifth calculation unit 17 sets, for the combination of original coils to be processed, an arrangement order of the original coils included in the combination such that the number of welding times is equal to or less than the possible number of welding times. Furthermore, if the fifth calculation unit 17 determines that the condition regarding the number of welding times is not satisfied no matter how the arrangement order of the original coils included in the combination is rearranged, the fifth calculation unit 17 sets the combination with the next highest yield among all combinations to be processed. Note that the product specifications may not include the possible number of welding times, and no condition regarding welding may be imposed.

[0105] In S1705, the fifth calculation unit 17 determines and outputs the combination and arrangement order of the set original coils as the result of the fifth calculation process. After the fifth calculation unit 17 performs the process of S1705, the process of S18 in FIG. 3 is subsequently performed.

[0106] In S18, the control unit 10 outputs the processing results of the fifth calculation process to the output device 2. The user can check the processing results output to the output device 2 and confirm the conditions for cutting the product coil in accordance with the product specifications.

[0107] The control unit 10 may be configured to output the processing result of the fifth calculation process to a strip cutting device associated with the planning device 1, and the strip cutting device may then perform strip cutting based on the processing result. The planning device 1 and the strip cutting device may be configured to be included in a single strip cutting system.

[0108] In addition, if the cut-off portion 42 is large and weighs more than a predetermined amount, the control unit 10 may be configured not to include the cut-off portion 42 in the yield calculation, assuming that the cut-off portion 42 can be used for purposes other than the product coil.

[0109] According to the fifth calculation process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, the combination of original coils that maximizes the yield and the arrangement order that satisfies the conditions regarding the number of welding times are calculated.

[0110] An example of a planning method for planning strip cutting work, which includes an acquisition step, a first calculation step, a second calculation step, a third calculation step, and the like, has been described above.

[0111] The method described above from the acquisition step to the third calculation step allows candidate product coil widths to be extracted in advance when performing the strip cutting work, thereby reducing the processing load or processing time when planning the strip cutting work of cutting product coils from raw coils that may contain defects.

[0112] The manner in which the fourth calculation unit 16 and the fifth calculation unit 17 calculate the combination and arrangement order of the original coils based on the product coil width range, etc. calculated by the third calculation unit 15 is not limited to the manner described above. In other words, the line cutting plan creation process is not limited to a process using a specific method, and any process that can create a line cutting plan, such as a process corresponding to an existing line cutting plan creation method, may be used. Furthermore, the information calculated by the fourth calculation unit 16 and the fifth calculation unit 17 is not limited to specific information. From another perspective, the product coil width range, etc. calculated by the first to third calculation processes may be used for any purpose to plan the line cutting work.

[0113] [Software implementation example] The functions of the planning device 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "device") can be realized by a program for causing a computer to function as the device, and a program for causing a computer to function as each control block of the device (particularly the first acquisition unit 11, the second acquisition unit 12, the first calculation unit 13, the second calculation unit 14, the third calculation unit 15, the fourth calculation unit 16 and the fifth calculation unit 17).

[0114] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The control device and storage device execute the program, thereby realizing the functions described in each of the above embodiments.

[0115] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0116] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the control blocks can be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of the control blocks can also be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0117] Furthermore, each process described in each of the above embodiments may be executed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may run on the control device or on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0118] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 1 Planning Device 2 Output Devices 10 Control Unit 11 First acquisition part 12 Second acquisition part 13 First calculation section 131 Normal part length calculation part 132 Memory Processing Unit 133 Addition Section 14 Second calculation unit 15 Third Calculation Section 16 Fourth Calculation Section 17 5th Calculation Section 21 Memory section 22 Input section 3-line cutting device 30 cutting blade 31, 51, 53, 73, 101, 102, 103 Original coil 32 product coils 33 End 41 Defective part 42 Cut-off part 43 Product part

Claims

1. A planning device for planning a strip cutting operation for cutting out product coils from raw coils, an acquisition unit that acquires original coil information including a width, a length, a weight, and a location of a defective portion for each of one or more original coils; a first calculation unit that adds up the normal portion lengths calculated for each normal portion width of each original coil for each normal portion width in the one or more original coils, the normal portion lengths being the lengths of regions having substantially the same normal portion width in relation to the normal portion width, which is the maximum width of a portion in the width direction of each original coil that does not include a defective portion; A second calculation unit calculates, for each of the normal portion widths, a harvestable weight, which is the total weight of product coils that can be cut out from the one or more original coils and have product coil widths that correspond to the normal portion widths, based on the combined normal portion lengths; A third calculation unit that calculates a range of candidate product coil widths corresponding to a harvestable weight equal to or greater than a predetermined reference weight; A planning device comprising:

2. The acquisition unit Further, at least one of an upper limit value and a lower limit value of a product coil width set as a product specification of the product coil cut out from the one or more original coils is acquired; The third calculation unit A range of product coil widths corresponding to collectable weights equal to or greater than the predetermined reference weight is calculated within a range defined by at least one of the upper limit value and the lower limit value.

2. The planning device according to claim 1.

3. The first calculation unit For each of the calculated normal portion widths, calculate the harvestable length, which is the sum of the normal portion lengths in the region having a normal portion width equal to or greater than the normal portion width; The second calculation unit calculates the harvestable weight based on the harvestable length.

3. The planning device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The third calculation unit uses a value obtained by multiplying the total weight of the one or more original coils by a predetermined value less than 1 as the reference weight.

4. The planning device according to claim 1, wherein the planning device is a device for generating a plan for a project.

5. The third calculation unit The value obtained by multiplying the maximum collectable weight of the collectable weights for each normal portion width calculated by the second calculation unit by a predetermined value equal to or less than 1 is used as the reference weight.

4. The planning device according to claim 1, wherein the planning device is a device for generating a plan for a project.

6. further comprising an input unit that accepts input of a user operation, The third calculation unit A value according to the input received by the input unit is used as the reference weight.

4. The planning device according to claim 1, wherein the planning device is a device for generating a plan for a project.

7. The first calculation unit a normal portion length calculation unit that calculates the normal portion width at a predetermined interval from a starting end at an arbitrary position along the length direction of each of the one or more original coils, and adds the calculated normal portion widths together when the calculated normal portion widths are substantially the same to calculate the normal portion length; a storage processing unit that stores the normal portion length in association with the normal portion width before the change in a storage unit every time the normal portion width changes; and an adding unit that adds up the stored normal portion lengths for each of the one or more original coils for each of the substantially same normal portion widths.

7. The planning device according to claim 1, wherein the planning device is a device for generating a plan for a project.

8. The third calculation unit An extraction process is performed to exclude candidates having product coil widths outside the range of the calculated product coil widths from the group of product coil candidates that are the subject of the plan.

8. The planning device according to claim 1, wherein the planning device is a device for generating a plan for a project.

9. A planning method for planning a strip cutting operation for cutting out product coils from raw coils, comprising the steps of: acquiring original coil information including width, length, weight, and location of defects for each of one or more original coils; a first calculation step of adding up normal portion lengths, which are lengths of regions having substantially the same normal portion width in succession, calculated for each normal portion width of each original coil, for each normal portion width in the one or more original coils, with respect to normal portion widths, which are the maximum widths of portions in the width direction of each original coil that do not include defective portions; A second calculation step of calculating, for each of the normal portion widths, a harvestable weight, which is the total weight of product coils having product coil widths corresponding to the normal portion widths that can be cut out from the one or more original coils, based on the combined normal portion lengths; A third calculation step of calculating a range of candidate product coil widths corresponding to a harvestable weight equal to or greater than a predetermined reference weight; A planning method comprising:

10. A control program for causing a computer to function as the planning device according to claim 1, the control program causing a computer to function as the acquisition unit, the first calculation unit, the second calculation unit, and the third calculation unit.

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