Conveyance Task Prioritization Across Parallel Workstation Routes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing conveyance-task control systems fail to properly evaluate priorities of conveyance tasks when packages are conveyed in parallel through multiple routes, leading to inadequate control of conveyance tasks between workstations, especially in complex moving routes and fluctuating processing speeds.
Innovation Solution
A conveyance-task control device and method that calculates task priorities based on parameters indicating the amount of products in process along conveyance routes between workstations, determining the next conveyance task as the highest priority, considering use rates of buffers and moving costs to optimize route selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If packages are conveyed in parallel through multiple routes, then conveyance capacity is improved, but priority evaluation accuracy deteriorates due to lack of consideration for parallel package influence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the evaluation of multiple packages by introducing a shared resource consumption mechanism. When multiple packages are conveyed in parallel through different routes, the system calculates the cumulative impact on shared resources (workstations, buffers, conveyance routes) and uses this combined information to adjust priority evaluations, ensuring that parallel conveyance activities are properly coordinated.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the state of shared resources affected by parallel package conveyance. The priority evaluation is dynamically adjusted based on real-time information about resource utilization from multiple parallel routes, allowing the system to respond to the actual impact of parallel conveyance operations on overall system performance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If moving routes of conveying vehicles are complicated, then route flexibility is improved, but task priority evaluation deteriorates due to increased complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complicated conveyance routes into discrete, manageable components such as individual conveyance routes, workstations, and buffer zones. Each segment is evaluated independently for resource consumption and availability, allowing the system to handle complex routes by breaking them down into evaluable units that can be assessed systematically.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a new dimension to route evaluation by considering resource consumption across multiple dimensions (workstation capacity, buffer availability, route occupancy) rather than simply evaluating routes based on physical path complexity. This multi-dimensional approach allows flexible routing while maintaining evaluation accuracy through comprehensive resource state assessment.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a conveyance-task control device that is able to appropriately control conveyance tasks between workstations. A conveyance-task control device (10) includes a task-priority calculation unit (11) and a conveyance-task determination unit (12). The task-priority calculation unit (11) calculates respective priorities of conveyance tasks on the basis of first parameters respectively indicating a degree of how much amount of products in process a plurality of conveyance subjects are conveying in corresponding ones of areas respectively including conveyance routes between a plurality of workstations. The conveyance-task determination unit (12) determines a conveyance task with a highest one of the respective priorities as a candidate for a conveyance task to be performed next.