Equipment Integrator for Manufacturing Data Collection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Integrating manufacturing equipment data into factory-wide manufacturing execution systems (MES) is challenging due to the lack of standardization across vendors, requiring custom coding for each type of equipment, which is costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
An equipment integrator (EI) with a user-configurable interface that allows for tool-independent data collection, mapping manufacturing tool data to MES without tool-specific interface coding, using a graphical user interface to configure data elements and filter data based on MES database keys.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If custom coding is implemented for each manufacturing tool interface to handle vendor-specific data formats, then data integration accuracy is improved, but development cost and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an equipment integrator as an intermediary component between manufacturing tools and the MES. This integrator includes a configuration database that stores vendor-specific data format definitions and a data collection module that automatically retrieves and translates data according to stored configurations, eliminating the need for custom coding for each tool interface while maintaining accurate data integration
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the approach from hard-coded interfaces to configurable parameters stored in a database. By storing vendor-specific data formats, data element identifiers, and mapping rules as configurable parameters, the system can adapt to different manufacturers and tool types without modifying the underlying code structure
2Quantity of substance
If vendor-specific interface customization is performed for each manufacturing tool, then data collection completeness is improved, but implementation cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The equipment integrator is designed as a universal platform that can interface with multiple vendors and tool types through a single standardized interface. The configuration database stores vendor-specific parameters, allowing the same integrator software to collect complete data from diverse manufacturing tools without requiring separate custom-developed interfaces for each vendor
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual configuration of data collection parameters is implemented, then system adaptability to different tools is improved, but setup time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary configuration by storing vendor-specific data formats, data element identifiers, and MES parameter mappings in a configuration database during system setup. This preliminary action allows the equipment integrator to automatically retrieve pre-defined configurations when new tools are added, significantly reducing setup time while maintaining high adaptability to different tool types
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for integrating manufacturing equipment with factory automation software. In one embodiment, an equipment integrator (EI) has a user interface to facilitate user input of configuration information to provide an adaptable interface between a manufacturing tool and a manufacturing execution system (MES) that is operable over a plurality of manufacturing tools. The user configurable interface of the EI is adaptable so that tool-independent MES data collection requests may be satisfied by tool-specific data publication through the EI. In a further embodiment, data collected by the EI from a particular manufacturing tool is mapped to the MES without tool-specific interface coding. During processing, the configurable EI may fill a request from the MES for manufacturing data by collecting a data from the manufacturing tool, identifying data based on the configuration information and returning data satisfying a data keying criterion defined in the MES.