Component Refill Scheduling for Collective Reel Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing component refill management systems require frequent and inefficient operator movement between mounting machines due to individually set refill timings for each component supply device, leading to a high burden on operators and potential shutdowns from component shortages.
Innovation Solution
A component refill management system that specifies collective refill timings for multiple component supply devices based on refillable time intervals, prioritizing the earliest available time for refilling, and managing refilling operations through a data-communicable network to reduce operator movement and increase production efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If refill timings are individually set for each component supply device, then component supply reliability is maintained, but operator burden increases due to frequent movement between mounting machines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the refilling operations of multiple component supply devices by determining a common refilling time point that satisfies all devices simultaneously. Instead of treating each device independently, the system combines their refill requirements into a unified operation, allowing the operator to refill multiple devices in a single visit rather than moving between them separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calculation of refilling time intervals for each component supply device based on their respective consumption rates and current component levels. By determining these intervals in advance and finding their intersection, the system identifies optimal refilling moments before component depletion occurs, ensuring reliability while coordinating operations.
2Productivity
If refill operations are performed frequently to prevent component shortage, then production continuity is maintained, but operator time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple refilling operations that would otherwise occur at different times into a single coordinated operation. By calculating the intersection of refilling time intervals for multiple component supply devices, the system identifies time points where all devices can be refilled simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate refilling trips and reducing total operator time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors component consumption levels and dynamically adjusts refilling recommendations based on actual usage patterns. This feedback mechanism allows the system to optimize refilling intervals and coordinate them across multiple devices, ensuring production continuity while minimizing unnecessary refilling operations and associated time losses.
3Reliability
If multiple component supply devices are refilled separately according to their individual timings, then each device maintains optimal component levels, but the refilling process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the management of multiple component supply devices by calculating a unified refilling strategy based on their collective requirements. Instead of managing each device separately with independent refill schedules, the system determines common refilling time points that satisfy all devices, simplifying the overall refilling process while maintaining optimal component levels in each device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a universal refilling approach that can be applied to multiple different component supply devices simultaneously. By developing a methodology that calculates refilling intervals and identifies common refilling moments applicable to any number of devices, the system provides a multi-functional solution that maintains component levels across diverse devices without requiring device-specific complex procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
In a component refill management system, a refill specifying unit specifies a component supply device which is to be refilled with a new reel. The refill specifying unit includes a first specifying unit, a second specifying unit, and a third specifying unit. The first specifying unit specifies refillable time intervals of new reels with the time intervals being associated with each of the component supply devices. The second specifying unit recognizes, in each of the refillable time intervals, a first refillable time interval having an earliest second time at which a sum of residual components reaches a predetermined value, and specifies a component supply device, which is associated with the first refillable time interval, as a first component supply device. The third specifying unit specifies a component supply device, which can be refilled with a reel within the first refillable time interval, as a second component supply device.