Production management system, production management method, and program

Abstract

A production management system according to the present disclosure executes a management process for managing production facilities, the production management system comprising at least one production management server installed in a supplier-side facility belonging to a supplier that supplies the production facility to a user, the production management server executing the management process on the basis of facility-side information acquired from the production-facility side via the Internet.

Description

Production management system, production management method and program

[0001] The invention disclosed in this specification relates to a production management system, a production management method, and a program.

[0002] One production management system proposed so far is one that includes a management controller installed in the facility of a user who has received production equipment and a server connected via the Internet (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this system, the server optimizes job data for the production equipment based on device information transmitted from the management controller.

[0003] International Publication No. 2018 / 173114

[0004] In the above-mentioned production management system, the entire production equipment is managed by a management controller installed in the user's facility, which requires the user to perform maintenance on the management controller and install air conditioning equipment to cool the management controller, which places a heavy burden on the user.

[0005] The production management system, production management method, and program disclosed herein primarily aim to reduce the burden on users in managing production facilities.

[0006] The production management system, production management method, and program of the present disclosure employ the following means to achieve the above-mentioned main object.

[0007] The production management system disclosed herein is a production management system that executes management processes for managing production equipment, and is equipped with a production management server that is installed in a supplier facility owned by a supplier that supplies the production equipment to a user, and that executes the management processes based on equipment information obtained from the production equipment via the Internet.

[0008] The production management system disclosed herein is installed at a supplier facility owned by a supplier that supplies production equipment to a user, and includes a production management server that executes management processes based on equipment information acquired from the production equipment via the Internet. This eliminates the need for users to perform maintenance on the server that executes management processes or to install air conditioning equipment to cool the server. As a result, the burden on users in managing production equipment can be reduced.

[0009] 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a production system 10. FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of an information processing device 50. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of performance correspondence information 55 and equipment side information Imf. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of production line management information 57. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a usage plan acceptance processing routine. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a usage plan presentation screen 70. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a production management routine. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a management processing display screen 80.

[0010] This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a production system 10. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an information processing device 50 of a production management system 20. The production system 10 is configured as a circuit board production system that executes a process of mounting components on a circuit board, and includes production lines 11A and 11B, management computers (PCs) 21A, 21B, 22, and 23, and a production management system 20. In the production system 10, the production lines 11A and 11B are installed in a production facility 15, and the production management system 20, which includes a production management server 40, is installed in a supplier facility 16. The production facility 15 includes a production area A1, an off-site setup area A2, a server room A3, and the like.

[0011] The production lines 11A and 11B are included in a production facility 15, such as a factory owned by a user, and are installed in a production area A1. The production lines 11A and 11B include a printing device 12, a mounting device 13, and a reflow device 14. The printing device 12 prints solder on a processing object such as a circuit board. Processing objects include not only circuit boards but also three-dimensional substrates. The mounting devices 13 are aligned along the circuit board transport direction and mount components supplied from a component supply device such as a feeder onto the solder on the circuit board. The reflow device 14 heats the circuit board on which components are arranged to melt the solder, and then cools it to electrically connect and fix each component to the circuit board. In addition to the printing device 12, the mounting devices 13, and the reflow device 14, the production lines 11A and 11B also include a printing inspection device, a mounting inspection device, a reflow inspection device, a circuit board transport device, a storage device, a mobile work device, and other devices (not shown). The storage device is a device that stores component supply devices that supply components in production lines 11A and 11B. The mobile work device is a device that automatically exchanges component supply devices between the storage device and mounting device 13, for example.

[0012] The management PCs 21A and 21B are installed in the production area A1 within the production facility 15. The management PCs 21A and 21B are configured as microprocessors centered around a CPU. The management PCs 21A and 21B exchange information with each device on the production lines 11A and 11B via a local area network (LAN) 30 within the production facility 15, and manage information related to the production lines 11A and 11B, such as information related to the mounting process on the production lines 11A and 11B, whether the production lines 11A and 11B are operating, and the number of devices that make up the production lines 11A and 11B. The management PCs 21A and 21B exchange information with the management PCs 22 and 23 via the LAN 30. The management PCs 21A and 21B exchange information with the production management system 20 via the LAN 30 within the production facility 15 and the Internet 31.

[0013] The management PC 22 is installed in the off-site setup area A2 within the production facility 15. The off-site setup area A2 is an area where off-site setup is performed, in which workers store components and assemble reels to be loaded onto the mounting device 13 into feeders. The off-site setup area A2 is equipped with a reel storage device for storing reels and other inventory components. The management PC 22 is configured as a device that manages the reels and inventory components stored in the off-site setup area A2. The management PC 22 is configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU (not shown). In addition to the CPU, the management PC 22 is equipped with a storage device and a communication device (not shown). The management PC 22 exchanges information with the management PCs 21A and 21B via the LAN 30 within the production facility 15. The management PC 22 exchanges information with the production management system 20 via the LAN 30 within the production facility 15 and the Internet 31.

[0014] The management PC 23 is installed in the server room A3 within the production facility 15. The management PC 23 is configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU 24. In addition to the CPU 24, the management PC 23 also includes a storage device 25 and a communication device 26. The storage device 25 is configured as a device for storing information. The storage device 25 stores restriction information Imf1, which is equipment information Imf related to production equipment such as the production lines 11A and 11B, and indicates whether the user wishes to restrict access from suppliers. If the production facility 15 produces a product for which confidential information is required, the restriction information Imf1 may include information related to the product. The communication device 26 exchanges information with the management PCs 21A, 21B, and 22 via the LAN 30. The management PC 23 exchanges information with the management PCs 21A, 21B, and 22 via the communication device 26. The communication device 26 exchanges information with the production management system 20 via the LAN 30 and the Internet 31. The management PC 23 restricts access from the production management system 20 to the restriction information Imf1 via the LAN 30 and the Internet 31. This makes it possible to restrict suppliers' access to the restriction information Imf1. For ease of explanation, the management PCs 21A, 21B, 22, and 23 will be collectively referred to as "management PCs."

[0015] The production management system 20 is configured as a system that provides a cloud service for management processing that manages the production equipment of the production facility 15. As shown in Figure 2, the production management system 20 includes an information processing device 50 that is installed in the supplier facility 16 owned by the supplier that supplies each device that makes up the production lines 11A and 11B of the production facility 15.

[0016] The information processing device 50 is made up of arithmetic processing devices 50A to 50D. For ease of explanation, the arithmetic processing devices 50A to 50D will be collectively referred to as arithmetic processing devices. The arithmetic processing devices are configured as microprocessors centered around a CPU (not shown). In addition to the CPU, the arithmetic processing devices also include a storage device and a communication device. The CPU of the arithmetic processing device constitutes the CPU 51 of the information processing device 50. The storage device of the arithmetic processing device constitutes the storage device 52 of the information processing device 50. The communication device of the arithmetic processing device exchanges information between the arithmetic processing devices via the LAN 54 and also constitutes the communication device 53 of the information processing device 50. The communication device 53 exchanges information with the management PCs 21A, 21B, 22, and 23 of the production facility 15 via the Internet 31 and the LAN 30.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , the storage device 52 stores a production management program 54, performance correspondence information 55, equipment side information Imf, and production line management information 57. The production management program 54 is a program that executes management processing for a production facility 15, such as a factory owned by a user. The information processing device 50 shares the execution of the production management program 54 using the number of processing units (processing capacity) and the number of storage units (storage capacity) that store management information, according to the content of a prior contract with the user. The performance correspondence information 55 is information that corresponds to each device the required processing capacity and required storage capacity of the production management server 40 required to manage various devices in the production system 10. This performance correspondence information 55 associates the minimum and maximum required processing capacity of the processing unit and the minimum and maximum required storage capacity with the device type, device model, and equipment unit that can be used by the device. These maximum and minimum values ​​can be, for example, empirically determined ranges. The equipment information Imf includes information about the equipment and devices of the production facility 15 that it manages, as well as information about the products. The equipment information Imf is information transmitted from the production facility 15. This equipment information Imf includes unrestricted information Imf2. The unrestricted information Imf2 is information about the equipment and products that suppliers are permitted to access from the equipment information Imf. This equipment information includes, for example, the equipment type, the equipment model, the type of mounting unit attached to the equipment, and the arrangement order of the equipment on the production line. Furthermore, product information includes, for example, the type and number of boards, the type and number of components used, the component placement positions, as well as the position and number of components that failed during mounting. The information processing device 50 can acquire information about the production lines 11A and 11B of the production facility 15 within the scope defined by the unrestricted information Imf2. The production line management information 57 includes information about the management details of the production facility 15 obtained by executing the production management program 54. In the production line management information 57, for example, information on the device types and mounting units included in the production line, and management processes and management information are associated with line IDs and device IDs.

[0018] The information processing device 50 functions as the production control server 40 by executing the production control program 54. The information processing device 50 selects one of the processing devices 50A to 50D to be used to execute the production control program 54, and adjusts the processing speed when executing the production control program 54 and the storage capacity of the storage device 52. The information processing device 50 sets the device to be used to execute the production control program 54 when the user signs a contract with a supplier for management processing of the production system 10 prior to the execution of the production control program 54.

[0019] Here, the operation of the information processing device 50 when a user contracts for management processing of the production system 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a usage plan acceptance processing routine executed by the CPU 51 of the information processing device 50. This routine is repeatedly executed by the CPU 51 after the information processing device 50 is started. For ease of explanation, the following mainly describes an example in which a usage plan for the production line 11A is accepted by the production management server 40 from the management PC 22 of the production facility 15. When this routine is executed, the CPU 51 of the information processing device 50 first determines whether a usage plan acceptance request has been received from the production facility 15 via the Internet 31 (S100). If a usage plan acceptance request has not been received, the CPU 51 simply ends this routine.

[0020] On the other hand, when a request for accepting a usage plan is received, the CPU 51 outputs a request to acquire equipment side information Imf to the management PC 22 of the production facility 15 (S110). The management PC 22, upon receiving this acquisition request, displays a screen indicating this on the display 22a. The worker sets non-restricted information Imf2 and transmits the equipment side information Imf, including the non-restricted information Imf2 such as accessible devices and products, to the production management server 40. Next, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the equipment side information Imf has been acquired (S120) and waits until the equipment side information Imf has been acquired. When the equipment side information Imf has been acquired, the CPU 51 sets one or more usage plans based on the equipment side information Imf (S130).

[0021] When setting the usage plan, the CPU 51 may set the usage plan based on the equipment-side information Imf so that the processing speed of the production management server 40 tends to be faster when the number of production lines and / or the number of devices included in the production lines is large compared to when the number is small. Specifically, the CPU 51 sets the usage plan using the performance correspondence information 55. For example, the CPU 51 may set one or more usage plans between an integrated value obtained by integrating lower limits of processing capacity corresponding to the types and numbers of devices included in the equipment-side information Imf and an integrated value obtained by integrating upper limits of processing capacity. The CPU 51 tends to set the processing speed of the production management server 40 so that the processing speed of the production management server 40 tends to be faster when the number of production lines or the number of devices included in the production lines is large compared to when the number of production lines or the number of devices included in the production lines is small. This is based on the assumption that the calculation load on the production management server 40 is greater when the number of production lines or the number of devices included in the production lines is large compared to when the number of production lines or the number of devices included in the production lines is small. Here, the term "tends to" refers to the possibility that there may be a region in which the processing speed does not increase even when the number of production lines increases. It is acceptable to assume that the overall trend is that the processing speed increases as the number of production lines increases.

[0022] Furthermore, the CPU 51 may set a usage plan based on the equipment-side information Imf so that the storage capacity of the storage device allocated to the execution of management processing tends to be larger when the number of production lines and / or the number of devices included in the production lines is large than when the number is small. Specifically, the CPU 51 sets the usage plan using the performance correspondence information 55. For example, the CPU 51 may set one or more usage plans between an integrated value obtained by integrating lower limit values ​​of storage capacity corresponding to the types and numbers of devices included in the equipment-side information Imf and an integrated value obtained by integrating upper limit values ​​of storage capacity. The CPU 51 tends to allocate larger storage capacity of the storage device 52 allocated to the execution of management processing of the production management server 40 when the number of production lines or the number of devices included in the production lines is large than when the number of production lines or the number of devices included in the production lines is small. This is based on the assumption that the amount of data in the equipment-side information Imf is larger when the number of production lines or the number of devices included in the production lines is large than when the number of production lines or the number of devices included in the production lines is small. Here, the term "tends to" refers to the possibility that there may be areas where the storage capacity does not increase even when the number of production lines increases, and it is acceptable to assume that the overall trend is that the storage capacity increases as the number of production lines increases. By setting the usage plan in this manner, a more appropriate usage plan can be presented to the user. Here, the CPU 51 sets two usage plans: one based on the integrated value of the lower limit, one based on the integrated value of the upper limit, and two plans between these. Furthermore, the CPU 51 sets the performance of the production control server 40 that manages the production line in accordance with the device configuration included in the performance correspondence information 55. However, the performance of the production control server 40 may also be set based on the equipment side information Imf, taking into account information about the products produced on the production line, such as the type of board, the type of components, and the number of components.

[0023] Next, the CPU 51 outputs a usage plan presentation screen 70, which allows the user to select one or more of the set usage plans, to the management PC 22 (S140). The CPU 51 displays the usage plan presentation screen 70, including the usage plans P1, P2, P3, and P4, on the display 22a of the management PC 22 at the production facility 15 via the Internet 31 and the LAN 30. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the usage plan presentation screen 70 displayed on the display 22a. The usage plan presentation screen 70 includes a cursor 71, a selection field 72, a usage plan presentation field 73, a processing speed presentation field 74, a storage capacity presentation field 75, a summary field 76, a charge presentation field 77, a back key 78, and a confirmation key 79. The cursor 71 is configured to be movable by a user's operation so that the user can select a desired usage plan. The selection field 72 is for the user to select a usage plan. The usage plan presentation field 73 presents each usage plan. The processing speed presentation field 74 presents the processing speed of the production management server 40 for each usage plan. The storage capacity presentation field 75 presents the storage capacity of the storage device 52 for each usage plan. The summary field 76 presents the optimal number of production lines to the user. The charge presentation field 77 presents the basic amount to be charged when using each usage plan. The back key 78 is a key for returning the display on the display 22a to the previous screen. The confirm key 79 is a key for confirming the selection of a usage plan.

[0024] Usage plan P1 is a plan suitable for a large number of production lines, and has the fastest processing speed and largest storage capacity of the four usage plans. Usage plan P1 executes the production management program 54 on all of the arithmetic processing devices 50A to 50D, and all of the arithmetic processing devices 50A to 50D function as the production management server 40. Usage plan P2 is a plan suitable for a smaller number of production lines than usage plan P1, and has the second fastest processing speed and largest storage capacity of the four usage plans. Usage plan P2 executes the production management program 54 on three of the arithmetic processing devices 50A to 50D, and all three arithmetic processing devices function as the production management server 40. Usage plan P3 is a plan suitable for a smaller number of production lines than usage plan P2, and has the third fastest processing speed and largest storage capacity of the four usage plans. In usage plan P3, the production management program 54 is executed on two of the processing devices 50A to 50D, and the two processing devices function as the production management server 40. Usage plan P4 is a plan suitable for a case where there are fewer production lines than in usage plan P3, and is the plan with the slowest processing speed and the smallest storage capacity of the four usage plans. In usage plan P4, the production management program 54 is executed on one of the processing devices 50A to 50D, and the one processing device functions as the production management server 40.

[0025] A user viewing the usage plan presentation screen 70 operates the cursor 71 to select the desired usage plan by clicking it in the selection field 72, and then confirms the desired usage plan by clicking the confirmation key 79. When the confirmation key 79 is clicked, the management PC 22 of the production facility 15 transmits the confirmed desired usage plan to the information processing device 50 of the supplier facility 16.

[0026] The CPU 51 determines whether or not a usage plan selection result has been received from the user (S150) and waits until the selection result has been received. On the other hand, when a usage plan selection result has been received from the user, the CPU 51 accepts the user's desired usage plan (S160), starts execution of the production management program 54 on the processing unit 50A-50D that corresponds to the user's desired usage plan (S170), and terminates this routine. This allows the processing unit 50A-50D that corresponds to the user's desired usage plan to function as the production management server 40. Therefore, the information processing device 50 can configure the production management server 40 with more appropriate specifications according to the number of production lines.

[0027] Next, the operation of the production control server 40 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a production control routine executed by the production control server 40. For ease of explanation, the following description will primarily focus on the case where the production control server 40 outputs control information for the production lines 11A and 11B to the management PC 22 of the production facility 15. This routine is repeatedly executed by the CPU 51 after the aforementioned usage plan acceptance processing routine is executed. When this routine is executed, the production control server 40 executes a process of displaying a control process for managing the production lines 11A and 11B on the display 22a of the management PC 22 of the production facility 15 via the Internet 31 and LAN 30 (S200). The control process includes a job editor process, an optimization process, a monitoring process, a quality control process, a line diagnosis process, a traceability data storage process, and the like. The job editor process edits job data, including information about the board, information about the multiple components to be mounted on the board, and the mounting order for the multiple components when mounting the board, and provides the edited job data to the management PC. The optimization process optimizes job data based on information from the management PC and provides the optimized job data to the management PC. Examples of job data optimization include setting job data to minimize the cycle time of the mounting process. The monitoring process monitors information about the production lines 11A and 11B based on information acquired from the management PCs 21A and 21B. The quality control process performs quality control of the production process in the production equipment based on inspection results from the print inspection device, mounting inspection device, and reflow inspection device acquired from the management PCs 21A and 21B. The line diagnosis process diagnoses the status of the production lines 11A and 11B based on information from the production lines 11A and 11B acquired from the management PCs 21A and 21B. The traceability storage process stores traceability information in the storage device 52, linking the produced boards to an operation log recording events on the production lines 11A and 11B acquired from the management PCs 21A and 21B via the LAN 31 and the Internet 31. The production management server 40 provides users with management processing services for the production line in a subscription format.

[0028] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a management process display screen 80 presented on the display 22a. The management process display screen 80 includes a cursor 81, a selection field 82, a process suggestion field 83, a summary field 84, a desired management period input field 85, a message display field 86, a back key 88, and a confirmation key 89. The cursor 81 is configured to be movable by a user's operation so that the user can select a desired management process that the user desires to have executed on the production management server 40 from among multiple processes included in the management process. The selection field 82 is used to select a desired management process. The process suggestion field 83 presents each process included in the management process. The summary field 84 presents the content of each process presented in the process suggestion field 83. The desired management period input field 85 accepts input of a desired management period for the desired process to be executed on the production management server 40. The message display field 86 displays a message prompting the user to input the desired process and desired management period. The back key 88 is a key for returning the display on the display 22a to the previous screen. The confirmation key 89 is a key for confirming the desired processing and desired management period.

[0029] A worker viewing the management process display screen 80 operates a cursor 81 to select a process that the worker wishes to have executed on the production control server 40 in a selection field 82 from among the multiple processes included in the management process, enters the desired control period in a desired control period input field 85, and clicks the confirm key 89 to confirm the desired process and desired control period. The user can freely select, for example, a management process that the user wishes to manage on the management PC 23, such as confidential information, and a management process that the user wishes to leave to the production control system 20. When the confirm key 89 is clicked, the management PC 22 of the production facility 15 transmits the confirmed desired process and desired control period to the production control server 40 of the supplier facility 16.

[0030] When the production control server 40 receives the user's desired control process and desired control period (S210), it executes the received desired control process (S220). The control process includes multiple processes, as described above. If the user's desired process is only a part of the control process, the remaining processes can be executed by the management PC 23 of the production facility 15. In this desired control process, the production control server 40 periodically or at a predetermined timing acquires the equipment information Imf from the management PC of the production facility 15 and executes one or more of the above-described control processes based on the equipment and product information contained in the equipment information Imf. In the job editor process, the production control server 40 uses the product information and equipment information acquired based on the equipment information Imf to edit job data, including the mounting order for components on a board, and provides the edited job data to the management PC. In the optimization process, the production control server 40 uses the product information and equipment information acquired based on the equipment information Imf to optimize the job data and provides the optimized job data to the management PC. In the monitoring process, the production control server 40 monitors the production lines 11A and 11B using information on the products and equipment acquired based on the facility-side information Imf. In the quality control process, the production control server 40 performs quality control of the production process in the production facility using information on the products and various inspection equipment acquired based on the facility-side information Imf. In the line diagnosis process, the production control server 40 diagnoses the status of the production lines 11A and 11B using information on the products and equipment acquired based on the facility-side information Imf. In the traceability storage process, the production control server 40 uses information on the products and equipment acquired based on the facility-side information Imf to store in the storage device 52 traceability information linking the produced boards to operation logs recording events on the production lines 11A and 11B acquired from the management PC via the network. The production management server 40 can use the equipment side information Imf obtained from the production facility 15 based on the non-restricted information Imf2, and can therefore provide users with services that are more suited to the current production facility 15 or more expanded services.

[0031] The production management server 40 then determines whether the desired management period has ended (S230). If the desired management period has not ended, the execution of the desired process continues (S220, S230). If the desired management period has ended, the execution of the desired process is stopped (S240), and this routine ends. The production management server 40 executes the process desired by the user for the period desired by the user. This improves user convenience. As described above, in the production management system 20 of this embodiment, at least a portion of the management process is executed by the production management server 40 installed in the supplier facility 16, thereby reducing the computational load on the management PC 23 in the server room A3. This reduces the frequency of maintenance of the management PC 23 and the load on the air conditioning system in the server room A3. This reduces the burden on the user in managing the production equipment included in the production lines 11A and 11B.

[0032] Here, to clarify the correspondence between the components of this embodiment and the components of the present disclosure, the production lines 11A and 11B of this embodiment correspond to an example of production equipment in the present disclosure, and the Internet 31 of this embodiment corresponds to an example of the Internet in the present disclosure. The production management program 54 of this embodiment corresponds to a program in the present disclosure. Note that in this embodiment, by explaining the operation of the production management system, an example of the production management method and program in the present disclosure is also clarified.

[0033] According to the production management system 20 of this embodiment described above, the production management server 40 is installed in the supplier's facility 16 owned by the supplier that supplies the user with production equipment having the production lines 11A and 11B, and executes management processing based on the equipment side information Imf obtained from the production equipment side via the Internet 31, thereby reducing the burden on the user in managing the production equipment.

[0034] In addition, the production management system 20 is installed in the supplier's facility 16 and is equipped with an information processing device 50 having arithmetic processing devices 50A to 50B, and the information processing device 50 functions as the production management server 40 and presents selectable usage plans for the production management server 40 based on the number of production lines as information on the production lines 11A, 11B that the production equipment has, thereby improving convenience when using the production management server 40.

[0035] Furthermore, the information processing device 50 sets a usage plan so that the processing speed is faster when the number of items on the production line is large compared to when the number of items is small, so that a more appropriate usage plan can be presented.

[0036] The production management system 20 is equipped with an information processing device 50 that is installed in the supplier's facility 16 and has at least one storage device for storing information, and the information processing device 50 functions as the production management server 40 and presents a selectable usage plan P for the storage device 52 based on the number of production lines as information on the production lines 11A, 11B that the production equipment has, thereby improving convenience when using the production management server 40.

[0037] In addition, the production management system 20 sets a usage plan so that when the number of production lines is large, the storage capacity of the storage device 52 allocated to the execution of management processing by the production management server 40 is larger than when the number of production lines is small, so that a more appropriate usage plan can be presented.

[0038] Furthermore, the management process includes multiple processes for managing production equipment, and the production management server 40 accepts input of the desired process that the user wishes to execute and the desired management period during which the user wishes to execute the management process, executes the desired management process until the accepted desired management period ends, and stops execution of the desired management process when the accepted desired management period ends, thereby improving user convenience.

[0039] Since the management processing includes job editor processing, optimization processing, monitoring processing, quality control processing, line diagnosis processing, and traceability data storage processing, the production management server 40 can execute any of job editor processing, optimization processing, quality control processing, and line diagnosis processing.

[0040] In addition, the production management system 20 is equipped with a storage device 52 that is installed in the supplier's facility 16 and stores information, and a storage device 25 that is installed in a facility owned by the user and stores information, and the facility side information includes restricted information Imf1 that restricts supplier access and unrestricted information Imf2 that allows supplier access, and since the storage device 52 stores the unrestricted information Imf2 and the storage device 25 stores the restricted information Imf1, supplier access to the restricted information Imf1 can be suppressed.

[0041] It goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0042] In the embodiment described above, the production management system 20 includes a management PC 23 in the server room A3. However, the production management system 20 does not have to include a management PC 23. In this case, the production management system 20 simply stores the unrestricted information Imf2 in the management PCs 21A, 21B, or 22. This eliminates the need for the user to set up a server room A3 in the production facility 15, eliminating the need for the user to perform maintenance on the servers that execute management processes or to install air conditioning equipment to cool the servers. This further reduces the burden on the user in managing production equipment.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, the information processing device 50 includes arithmetic processing devices 50A to 50D. However, the number of arithmetic processing devices included in the information processing device 50 is not limited to four, and may be at least one.

[0044] In the embodiment described above, the information processing device 50 presents the usage plan of the production management server 40 to the user. However, the information processing device 50 may present the usage plan to the information processing device 50 itself. In this case, the information processing device 50 may assign, to the production management server 40, a processing device corresponding to the usage plan among the processing devices 50A to 50D.

[0045] In the embodiment described above, the information processing device 50 presents four usage plans to the user. However, the information processing device 50 only needs to present at least one usage plan of the production management server 40, and may present, for example, fewer than four usage plans to the user, or may present five or more usage plans to the user.

[0046] In the above-described embodiment, the information processing device 50 sets a usage plan so that the processing speed tends to be faster when the number of production lines and / or the number of devices included in the production lines is large compared to when the number is small, and so that the storage capacity of the storage device 52 allocated to executing the management processing of the production management server 40 tends to be larger. However, the information processing device 50 may set a usage plan so that the processing speed tends to be faster when the number of production lines and / or the number of devices included in the production lines is large compared to when the number is small, regardless of the storage capacity of the storage device 35. Furthermore, the information processing device 50 may set a usage plan so that the storage capacity of the storage device 52 allocated to executing the management processing of the production management server 40 tends to be larger when the number of production lines and / or the number of devices included in the production lines is large compared to when the number is small, regardless of the processing speed.

[0047] In the above-described embodiment, the information processing device 50 sets and presents selectable usage plans for the production management server 40 based on the number of production lines and / or the number of devices included in the production lines. However, the information processing device 50 may set and present selectable usage plans for the production management server 40 based on the number of production lines, omitting the number of devices. Alternatively, the information processing device 50 may set and present selectable usage plans for the production management server 40 based on the number of devices, omitting the number of production lines. This production management server 40 can also present more appropriate usage plans.

[0048] In the above-described embodiment, steps S200 to S210 of the production management routine illustrated in Fig. 7 accept the user's desired processing to be performed by the production management server 40 and the desired management period. However, since the processing speed and storage capacity required for the production management server 40 may vary depending on the content of the processing desired by the user, steps S200 and S210 of the production management routine illustrated in Fig. 7 may be executed before step S100 of the usage plan acceptance processing routine illustrated in Fig. 5 is executed, and a usage plan may be presented in step S100 based on the user's desired processing and the number of production lines. This makes it possible to accommodate cases where the processing speed and storage capacity required for the production management server 40 vary depending on the content of the processing desired by the user.

[0049] In the above-described embodiment, the production management server 40 accepts input of the user's desired process and desired management period, executes the desired management process until the end of the accepted desired management period, and stops execution of the desired management process when the accepted desired management period ends. However, the production management server 40 may accept input of only one of the user's desired process and desired management period. When the production management server 40 accepts input of the desired process without accepting input of the desired management period, it simply executes the accepted desired process. Furthermore, when the production management server 40 accepts input of the desired management period without accepting input of the desired process, it simply executes at least one predetermined process of the management process until the end of the accepted desired management period, and stops execution of at least one predetermined process of the management process when the accepted desired management period ends. These processes can improve user convenience.

[0050] In the above-described embodiment, the management process includes job editor process, optimization process, monitoring process, quality control process, line diagnosis process, and traceability data storage process, but it is sufficient if it includes at least one of these multiple processes.

[0051] In the above-described embodiment, the production system 10 is configured as a circuit board production system that executes a process of mounting components on a circuit board. However, the production system 10 may be configured as a production system for a product other than circuit boards.

[0052] The production management method of the present disclosure may be configured as follows.

[0053] The production management method disclosed herein is a production management method for managing production equipment, and includes a step of executing a management process for managing the production equipment based on equipment-side information obtained from the production equipment side via the Internet, using at least one production management server installed in a supplier-side facility owned by a supplier that supplies the production equipment to a user.

[0054] In the production management method disclosed herein, at least one production management server installed in a supplier facility owned by a supplier that supplies production equipment to a user is used to execute management processes for managing the production equipment based on equipment information acquired from the production equipment via the Internet. This eliminates the need for users to perform maintenance on the server that executes the management processes or to install air conditioning equipment to cool the server. As a result, the burden on users in managing production equipment can be reduced.

[0055] The gist of the program disclosed herein is that it causes at least one computer to realize the steps of the above-mentioned production management method, i.e., basically, the steps of executing management processing for managing production equipment based on equipment information obtained from the production equipment via the Internet, using at least one production management server installed in a supplier facility owned by a supplier that supplies production equipment to users.

[0056] The program disclosed herein causes at least one computer to implement the steps of the above-described production management method, and therefore achieves the same effects as those achieved by the above-described production management method, i.e., the effect of reducing the burden on users in managing production equipment.

[0057] This specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the production management system according to claim 1 or 2" in claim 6 as originally filed to "the production management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5," the technical idea of ​​changing "the production management system according to claim 1 or 2" in claim 7 as originally filed to "the production management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6," the technical idea of ​​changing "the production management system according to claim 1 or 2" in claim 8 as originally filed to "the production management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7," the technical idea of ​​changing "the production management system according to claim 1 or 2" in claim 9 as "the production management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8," and the technical idea of ​​changing "the production management system according to claim 1 or 2" in claim 10 as originally filed to "the production management system according to any one of claims 1 to 9."

[0058] The present disclosure is applicable to production management systems and the program manufacturing industry.

[0059] 10 Production system, 11A, 11B Production line, 12 Printing device, 13 Mounting device, 14 Reflow device, 15 Production facility, 16 Supplier facility, 20 Production management system, 21A, 21B, 22, 23 Management computer (PC), 22a Display, 24, 51 CPU, 25, 35, 52 Storage device, 26, 53 Communication device, 31 Internet, 40 Production management server, 50 Information processing device, 50A to 50D Processing device, 54 Production management program, 55 Performance correspondence information, 57 Production line management information, 70 Usage plan presentation screen, 71, 81 Cursor, 72, 82 Selection field, 73 Usage plan presentation field, 74 Processing speed presentation field, 75 Storage capacity presentation field, 76, 84 Summary field, 77 Charge presentation field, 78, 88 Back button, 79, 89 Confirm button, 80 Management process display screen, 83 process suggestion field, 85 desired management period input field, 86 message display field, A1 production area, A2 off-site setup area, A3 server room, Imf equipment side information, Imf1 restricted information, Imf2 non-restricted information.

Claims

1. A production management system that executes management processes for managing production equipment, comprising: a production management server that is installed in a supplier facility owned by a supplier that supplies the production equipment to a user, and that executes the management processes based on equipment information obtained from the production equipment via the Internet.

2. A production management system as described in claim 1, comprising an information processing device installed in the supplier's facility and having at least one arithmetic processing device, said information processing device functions as the production management server and presents selectable utilization plans for said production management server based on information on the production line of the production equipment.

3. A production management system as described in claim 2, wherein the information processing device sets the utilization plan so that the processing speed of the production management server tends to be faster when the number of production lines and / or the number of devices included in the production lines is large compared to when the number is small.

4. A production management system as described in claim 1, comprising: an information processing device installed in the supplier's facility and having at least one storage device for storing information, said information processing device functions as the production management server and presents a selectable utilization plan for at least one of said storage devices based on information on the production line of the production equipment.

5. A production management system as described in claim 4, wherein the information processing device sets the utilization plan so that when the number of the production lines and / or the number of devices included in the production lines is large, the storage capacity of the storage device allocated to the execution of the management process tends to be larger than when the number of the production lines and / or the number of devices included in the production lines is small.

6. A production management system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the management process includes a plurality of processes for managing the production equipment, and the production management server accepts input of a desired process that the user wishes to execute from among the plurality of processes, and executes the accepted desired process.

7. A production management system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the management process includes a plurality of processes for managing the production equipment, and the production management server accepts input of a desired management period during which the user desires to execute the management process, executes the management process until the accepted desired management period ends, and stops execution of the management process when the accepted desired management period ends.

8. A production management system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the management process includes at least one of a job editor process for editing job data of the production equipment and providing the edited job data to the production equipment via the Internet, an optimization process for optimizing the job data based on the equipment side information and providing the optimized job data to the production equipment via the Internet, a monitoring process for monitoring the state of the production equipment based on the equipment side information, a quality control process for performing quality control of the production process in the production equipment based on the equipment side information, and a line diagnosis process for diagnosing the state of the production line of the production equipment based on the equipment side information.

9. A production management system as described in claim 1 or 2, comprising at least one storage device installed in the supplier's facility for storing information, and the management process includes a traceability data storage process for acquiring traceability information linking events at the production equipment with products at the production equipment as the equipment side information and storing the information in the storage device.

10. A production management system as described in claim 1 or 2, comprising: at least one supplier-side storage device installed in the supplier-side facility and storing information; and at least one user-side storage device installed in a facility owned by the user and storing information, wherein the facility-side information includes restricted information that restricts access by the supplier and non-restricted information that allows the access by the supplier, the supplier-side storage device stores the non-restricted information, and the user-side storage device stores the restricted information.

11. A production management method for managing production equipment, comprising a step of executing a management process for managing the production equipment based on equipment side information obtained from the production equipment side via the Internet, using a production management server installed in a supplier facility owned by a supplier that supplies the production equipment to a user.

12. A program for causing at least one computer to execute the steps of the production management method according to claim 11.

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