Production management method and production management device

Abstract

A production management method for managing product production that uses a production line in which a plurality of substrate-oriented work machines for performing work on a substrate are arranged in series includes: an information acquisition step for acquiring substrate type information indicating the type of a substrate carried into the production line; an ID setting step for setting a setup switching ID on the basis of at least the substrate type information for each work order serving as an instruction unit for the product production; a production control step for causing the production line to execute the product production corresponding to each work order in accordance with the designated order of work orders; and a setup switching control step for, when the setup switching ID corresponding to a first work order which is one work order is different from the setup switching ID corresponding to a second work order which is a work order following the first work order, causing the substrate-oriented work machines to execute setup switching for the second work order after the work corresponding to the first work order is completed. In the ID setting step, a common setup switching ID can be set for a plurality of work orders.

Description

Production management method and production management device

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a production management method and a production management device for managing product production on a production line.

[0002] Products using substrates are produced on a production line consisting of multiple substrate-related operating machines arranged side by side. Such product production is carried out according to a unit of instruction for product production called a work order. Furthermore, when a different product is to be produced on the production line, for example, due to a change in the type of substrate being used, each substrate-related operating machine performs the necessary setup change.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2023-52269 discloses a board production method used on a board production line. According to this disclosure, a board generator on the board production line recognizes a board type information file created in a shared memory unit in response to the upstream board generator unloading a board. Then, if the board type identified based on the board type information file differs from the type of board used in the previous production operation, the board generator performs a setup change.

[0004] In a production line, a changeover is performed when identification information called a changeover ID is changed. A system including a production line reads information about a board from a code or the like that is pre-attached or printed on the board, and generates a changeover ID based on the read information. In conventional production management methods, changeover IDs are set in a one-to-one correspondence with work orders, which places a heavy burden on workers. For example, even if a changeover is not required for the same type of board, a different code must be pre-attached or printed on the board, which places a heavy burden on workers.

[0005] This specification discloses a production management method for managing product production on a production line configured with a plurality of substrate-related operating machines arranged side by side to perform operations on substrates. The production management method includes an information acquisition process for acquiring board type information indicating the type of the boards to be carried into the production line, an ID setting process for setting a setup ID for each work order, which is an instruction unit for the product production, based at least on the board type information, a production control process for causing the production line to produce products corresponding to the work orders in accordance with the order specified by the work orders, and a setup control process for causing the substrate-related operating machine to perform a setup for the second work order after completing the work corresponding to the first work order, if the setup ID corresponding to a first work order differs from the setup ID corresponding to a second work order subsequent to the first work order. In the ID setting process, a common setup ID can be set for multiple work orders.

[0006] According to the above-described configuration, the production management method allows a common setup change ID to be set for multiple work orders, thereby reducing the burden on workers as described above compared to conventional methods.

[0007] A diagram schematically showing a system according to an embodiment. A block diagram simply showing the configuration of a production management device. A diagram simply showing the relationship between steps executed by the production management device. A diagram showing an example of a production plan table. A diagram showing an example of a production plan table. A diagram showing an example of a production plan table.

[0008] The main features of the embodiments described below are listed below. Note that the technical elements described below are independent technical elements that exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing.

[0009] According to the production management method disclosed in this specification, the ID setting step may set a common setup change ID for multiple work orders that use the same type of board to produce the same product. This configuration makes it possible to set a common setup change ID for multiple work orders that do not require setup change between them. This reduces the burden on workers compared to conventional methods.

[0010] According to the production management method disclosed in the present specification, the production control step may include a determination step of determining whether the production of the product of the work order has been completed based on the plan and progress of the product production of the work order. According to the configuration, it is possible to perform a changeover or switch to the execution of the next work order without performing a changeover based on the determination result of whether the production of the product of the work order has been completed and the changeover ID.

[0011] According to the production management method disclosed in the present specification, the method may further include a determination change step of, when the determination step determines that product production has been completed for one of the work orders, changing the determination results for work orders that are older than the work order and for which product production has been determined to be incomplete to a determination result that product production has been completed. With this configuration, by referring to the change made by the determination change step, after product production for one work order is completed, a smooth transition to another work order that is next in order to the work order in question can be made, and the order of each work order can be maintained.

[0012] The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to production management methods. For example, this specification may include a production management device capable of executing the method, a system including a production management device and a production line, and the like. For example, this specification discloses a production management device that manages product production on a production line configured with a plurality of substrate-related operating machines arranged side by side to perform operations on substrates. The production management device includes an information acquisition unit that acquires board type information indicating the type of boards being carried into the production line; an ID setting unit that sets a setup ID for each work order, which is an instruction unit for the product production, based at least on the board type information; a production control unit that causes the production line to produce products corresponding to the work orders in accordance with the order specified by the work orders; and a setup change control unit that, if the setup change ID corresponding to a first work order is different from the setup change ID corresponding to a second work order, causes the substrate-related operating machine to perform a setup change for the second work order after completing the operation corresponding to the first work order. The ID setting unit sets the common setup change ID for a plurality of the work orders.

[0013] The embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Each drawing is merely an example, and the present embodiment is not limited to the contents shown in the drawings. Also, since each drawing is an example, some parts may be omitted.

[0014] 1 is a schematic diagram of a product production system 1 according to this embodiment. The product production system 1 includes at least one production line 10 and a production management device 20. One production line 10 is configured with a plurality of substrate-related operation machines 11 arranged side by side, each of which performs operations on a substrate. The substrate-related operation machines 11 include various types of operation machines, such as a solder printing machine, a print inspection machine, a component mounting machine, and a substrate inspection machine.

[0015] A board 12 is carried into a substrate-related operation machine 11 located at the most upstream position of the production line 10. The board 12 is transported from upstream to downstream of the production line 10. The multiple substrate-related operation machines 11 that make up the production line 10 each perform predetermined operations on the transported board 12, such as solder printing, inspection of the printing state, component mounting, and inspection of the component mounting state. As a result, products are produced using the boards 12 on the production line 10. A production management device 20 manages product production on one or more production lines 10. The production management device 20 corresponds to an example of an entity that executes a production management method.

[0016] The production management device 20 is a computer capable of managing and controlling each substrate-related performing machine 11. The production management device 20 may be configured mainly with one computer, or may be configured to include multiple computers connected to each other for communication. This specification describes the functions of the production management device 20 that are necessary for this embodiment among the various functions of the production management device 20. The computer assumed in this embodiment may be a computer of any type, such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, or tablet computer, or may be a smartphone or other mobile computer. Furthermore, at least some of the functions included in the production management device 20 may be realized by resources of the substrate-related performing machine 11.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram illustrating the configuration of the production management device 20. The production management device 20 includes, for example, a control unit 21, a memory unit 22, a communication IF 23, a display unit 24, and an operation reception unit 25. IF stands for interface. The control unit 21 has a processor such as a CPU and memory. The processor executes arithmetic processing in accordance with a program 26 stored in the memory or the like, thereby functioning as an information acquisition unit 26a, an ID setting unit 26b, a production control unit 26c, a setup control unit 26d, and the like. The memory unit 22 is composed of a storage medium. The memory unit 22 stores various data and programs required by the control unit 21. The memory unit 22 stores, for example, a production plan table 30, as described below. At least a portion of the memory of the control unit 21 may be considered to be the memory unit 22.

[0018] The communication IF 23 is a general term for an IF that allows the production management device 20 to communicate with the substrate-related operating machine 11 and external communication devices or networks (not shown) via wired and / or wireless connections. In this embodiment, the standard or protocol used for communication is not particularly important. The display unit 24 is a means for displaying visual information. The operation reception unit 25 is a means for receiving operations by the worker, such as a keyboard, mouse, or switches. If the display unit 24 also functions as a touch panel, the display unit 24 is also an example of the operation reception unit 25.

[0019] 3 shows a simplified diagram of the relationships among the steps executed by the production management device 20. The information acquisition unit 26a of the control unit 21 acquires board type information indicating the type of board 12 being carried into the production line 10 (step S100). According to FIG. 1, the most upstream substrate-related operation machine 11 of the production line 10 is equipped with a reading device 13. The reading device 13 is, for example, a camera. The reading device 13 captures an image of a code attached to the board 12 being carried into the most upstream substrate-related operation machine 11 and transmits image data of the code to the production management device 20. The code referred to here is, for example, a barcode or a two-dimensional code. The code is affixed to or printed on the board 12.

[0020] The information written in the code includes board type information that indicates the type of board 12. The code may also include identification information, such as a serial number or a timestamp, that is unique to each individual board 12. The information acquisition unit 26a can acquire the information written in the code, including the board type information, by analyzing the data transmitted from the reading device 13. Step S100 corresponds to an example of an "information acquisition process." The reading device 13 may be, other than a camera, a scanner capable of reading information written in the code from the code. The information acquisition unit 26a may also acquire board type information of boards 12 being carried into the production line 10 at any time through a reading means or input means other than the reading device 13 provided in the most upstream board-related operation machine 11.

[0021] The ID setting unit 26b sets a setup change ID for each work order, which is an instruction unit for product production, based on at least the board type information (step S110). The ID setting unit 26b is configured to be able to set a common setup change ID for multiple work orders. Step S110 corresponds to an example of an "ID setting process."

[0022] 4 shows an example of a production plan table 30. The production plan table 30 is a list of work orders arranged in chronological order. One work order is, for example, a product production instruction in response to an order from a particular customer. One work order is set along with information such as the job, line, model, setup, scheduled production start time, scheduled production completion time, and scheduled production quantity.

[0023] A job includes, for example, CAD data, which is the design data for a product, a parts list, and a program for producing a specific product based on these. A production line is information that specifies one of the production lines 10 in the product production system 1 for product production. A model is information that specifies the specifications of the product to be produced according to the job, for example, specifications for each destination. Therefore, even if the job is the same, if the model is different, the specifications of the produced product will differ in part. A setup is information that specifies the combination of various devices to be mounted on the substrate-related operation machine 11. For example, for a component mounter, if the setup changes, at least some of the devices used for component mounting, such as the nozzle, head, and feeder cart, will change.

[0024] A work order accompanied by such information as job, production line, model, setup, scheduled production start time, scheduled production completion time, and scheduled production quantity is set by, for example, a worker in the production plan table 30. The ID setting unit 26b sets a setup change ID for each work order in the production plan table 30. When board type information corresponding to a certain work order is acquired in step S100, the ID setting unit 26b sets a setup change ID for the work order, for example, by setting at least a part of the board type information as a setup change ID or by processing the board type information to generate an ID.

[0025] In this case, the ID setting unit 26b sets a common setup change ID for work orders that share not only the same board type but also the same job, production line, model, and setup. In the example of FIG. 4, work orders "WO_01" and "WO_02" share the same board type, job, production line, model, and setup, so the ID setting unit 26b sets a common setup change ID of "AA01" for the work orders "WO_01" and "WO_02." Work orders that share the same board type, job, production line, model, and setup correspond to multiple work orders that produce the same product using the same type of board. On the other hand, the ID setting unit 26b sets different setup change IDs for work orders that share the same board type but differ in at least some of the job, production line, model, and setup. Furthermore, different board types naturally require different setup change IDs. The ID setting unit 26b may set a setup change ID for a work order at any time prior to the scheduled production start time of the work order. The control unit 21 can repeatedly execute steps S100 and S110.

[0026] The production control unit 26c causes the production line 10 to produce products corresponding to the work orders in accordance with the production plan table 30 (step S120). That is, the production control unit 26c instructs the production line 10 to produce products corresponding to the work orders in accordance with the sequence of the work orders specified in the production plan table 30, and controls each substrate-related performing machine 11 on the production line 10 to realize product production. Step S120 corresponds to an example of a "production control process."

[0027] The control unit 21 determines whether the production of a work order is complete based on the production plan and progress status of the work order (step S130). Step S130 is an example of a "determination process." The determination process may be considered a part of the production control process. The product production plan is, for example, a plan based on the planned production start time, planned production completion time, and planned production quantity set in the production plan table 30. The control unit 21 monitors the number of products completed by the production line 10, i.e., the progress status, for the work order whose current time falls between the planned production start time and the planned production completion time, i.e., the current target work order, via communication with the production line 10. Then, when the number of products completed for the target work order during the period from the planned production start time to the planned production completion time reaches the planned production quantity, the control unit 21 determines that the production of the target work order is complete ("Yes" in step S130) and proceeds to step S140.

[0028] The control unit 21 records the status of each work order in the production plan table 30. In the example of FIG. 4, the control unit 21 records the status as "production completed" for a work order for which product production has been completed. The control unit 21 records the status as "not yet produced" for a work order for which product production has not been completed. Of course, the terms "production completed" and "not yet produced" are merely examples of expressions indicating whether or not product production has been completed. The control unit 21 may also record the above-mentioned progress status as a status.

[0029] In step S140, the control unit 21 references the production plan table 30 and determines whether to execute a setup change depending on whether the setup change ID corresponding to the first work order differs from the setup change ID corresponding to the second work order, which is the work order following the first work order. Here, the work order for which product production is determined to be completed in step S130, i.e., the target work order, corresponds to the first work order, and the work order following the first work order in the production plan table 30 corresponds to the second work order. If the setup change ID corresponding to the first work order differs from the setup change ID corresponding to the second work order, the control unit 21 determines that a setup change should be executed and proceeds from "Yes" in step S140 to step S150. On the other hand, if the setup change ID corresponding to the first work order and the setup change ID corresponding to the second work order are the same, the control unit 21 determines that setup change is not necessary and proceeds from "No" in step S140 to step S160.

[0030] The control unit 21 may determine, before the completion of the production of the product corresponding to the first work order, whether the setup change IDs of the first and second work orders, which are two consecutive work orders in the production plan table 30, are different. In other words, the control unit 21 may perform the necessary comparisons and determinations in advance so that, after determining "Yes" in step S130, the control unit 21 can execute the branch of whether to execute step S150 in step S140.

[0031] In step S150, the setup change control unit 26d refers to the production plan table 30 and instructs each substrate-related performing operation machine 11 on the production line 10 to perform a setup change necessary to execute the next work order, causing the production line 10 to execute the setup change. Examples of setup changes include adjusting the width of the transport path for the substrate 12 and replacing the setup as described above. Setup changes may include operations automatically performed by the substrate-related performing operation machine 11 as well as operations performed by an operator. The setup change control unit 26d may instruct the operator to perform the setup change, for example, by displaying the display unit 24 or a monitor (not shown) provided on the substrate-related performing operation machine 11. Step S150 described above corresponds to an example of a "setup change control process" in which the substrate-related performing operation machine 11 executes a setup change for a second work order after completing the operation corresponding to the first work order.

[0032] In step S160 after step S140 or step S150, the control unit 21 can refer to the production plan table 30, switch the target work order to the next work order, and proceed to step S120. In other words, by repeating steps S120 to S160, the control unit 21 causes the production line 10 to produce products corresponding to each work order in accordance with the order of the work orders in the production plan table 30.

[0033] When the control unit 21 determines in the determination step, i.e., step S130, that product production has been completed for one work order, it may change the determination results for work orders that are older than the work order and for which product production has been determined not to be completed to determination results that product production has been completed. Such processing corresponds to an example of a "determination change step."

[0034] 5 and 6 show examples of the production plan table 30, similar to FIG. 4 . The determination change process performed by the control unit 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 . Here, assume that the target work order is, for example, "WO_03." Furthermore, assume that for some reason, a worker instructs the production management device 20 to suspend production of work order "WO_02," which is older than work order "WO_03," and that the control unit 21 suspends product production corresponding to work order "WO_02" in response to the instruction. For the work orders for which product production has been suspended, the control unit 21 records "production suspended" as the status in the production plan table 30 (see FIG. 5 ).

[0035] For work orders that have been set to "Suspended Production" in response to an instruction from a worker, the control unit 21 proceeds to step S140 and subsequent steps, leaving the determination of "No" in step S130 for the sake of convenience. In this way, even if a work order is set to "Suspended Production," the control unit 21 can switch the target work order to the next work order, that is, from "WO_02" to "WO_03" in the example of FIG. 5.

[0036] As described above, in a situation where the target work order is "WO_03," the control unit 21 repeatedly executes the determination in step S130 and eventually determines "Yes." At this time, the control unit 21 changes the status in the production plan table 30 to "production completed" for a work order that is older than the work order "WO_03" and for which product production has not been completed, i.e., work order "WO_02" that is determined to be "production suspended" in the example of FIG. 5. Naturally, the control unit 21 also changes the status of the work order "WO_03" to "production completed."

[0037] As a result, as shown in FIG. 6 , the status of work order "WO_03" and all work orders older than work order "WO_03" in the production plan table 30 becomes "production complete." Therefore, in step S140, the control unit 21 references the production plan table 30, compares the setup ID of work order "WO_03" with the setup ID of the next work order "WO_04," and performs the necessary setup for work order "WO_04" (step S150), thereby switching the work order to "WO_04" (step S160). In other words, by changing the status of work order "WO_02" to "production complete," the control unit 21 can avoid mistaking work order "WO_02" for the next work order to be executed, and can proceed with setup and product production according to the schedule in the production plan table 30. Even if the status of the work order "WO_02" that was set to "production suspended" is changed to "production completed," the production of the product specified in the work order "WO_02" can be reset in the production plan table 30 as a new work order (for example, the latest work order "WO_06"), thereby enabling the production of the required product.

[0038] As described above, according to this embodiment, the production management method includes an information acquisition process, an ID setting process, a production control process, and a setup control process. In the ID setting process, the ID setting unit 26b can set a common setup ID for multiple work orders. This configuration eliminates the need to set different setup IDs for each work order in a one-to-one correspondence. This reduces the workload on workers, which was previously required to set different setup IDs for each work order. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control unit 21 determines whether product production for a work order is complete based on the production plan and progress status of the work order. As a result, even if consecutive work orders with a common setup ID, such as work orders "WO_01" and "WO_02," appear in the production plan table 30 (see FIG. 4, etc.), the control unit 21 can accurately identify the work order and appropriately identify the target work order and the next work order.

[0039] Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. Furthermore, the technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technology exemplified in this specification or drawings simultaneously achieves multiple objectives, and achieving one of those objectives itself has technical utility.

[0040] 1: Product production system 10: Production line 11: Substrate-related operating machine 12: Substrate 13: Reading device 20: Production management device 21: Control unit 22: Storage unit 23: Communication IF 24: Display unit 25: Operation reception unit 26: Program 26a: Information acquisition unit 26b: ID setting unit 26c: Production control unit 26d: Changeover control unit 30: Production plan table

Claims

1. A production management method for managing product production on a production line configured with a plurality of substrate-related operating machines arranged side by side to perform operations on substrates, comprising: an information acquisition process for acquiring substrate type information indicating the type of substrate to be carried into the production line; an ID setting process for setting a setup change ID for each work order, which is an instruction unit for product production, based at least on the substrate type information; a production control process for causing the production line to produce products corresponding to the work orders in the order specified by the work orders; and a setup change control process for causing the substrate-related operating machine to perform a setup change for the second work order after completing the operation corresponding to the first work order, when the setup change ID corresponding to a first work order differs from the setup change ID corresponding to a second work order, which is the work order subsequent to the first work order, wherein the ID setting process is capable of setting a common setup change ID for a plurality of work orders.

2. The production management method according to claim 1, wherein in said ID setting step, a common setup change ID is set for a plurality of said work orders which produce the same product using the same type of said board.

3. The production management method according to claim 1, wherein the production control step includes a determination step of determining whether or not the production of the product of the work order has been completed based on the plan and progress of the production of the product of the work order.

4. The production management method according to claim 3, further comprising a judgment change step of, when the judgment step determines that product production has been completed for one of the work orders, changing the judgment result for work orders that are older in the order than the work order and for which product production has been determined not to be completed to a judgment result that product production has been completed.

5. A production management device for managing product production on a production line configured with a plurality of substrate-related operating machines arranged side by side to perform operations on substrates, comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires board type information indicating the type of the board carried into the production line; an ID setting unit that sets a setup change ID for each work order, which is an instruction unit for product production, based at least on the board type information; a production control unit that causes the production line to produce products corresponding to the work orders in the order specified by the work orders; and a setup change control unit that, when the setup change ID corresponding to a first work order, which is the work order, is different from the setup change ID corresponding to a second work order, which is the work order following the first work order, causes the substrate-related operating machine to perform a setup change for the second work order after completing the operation corresponding to the first work order, wherein the ID setting unit sets the setup change ID common to a plurality of the work orders.

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