Factory Alarm Management for PDCA Abnormality Tracking

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing operation control systems in manufacturing industries face inefficiencies in the PDCA (Plan Do Check Action) cycle, including delayed abnormality detection, inadequate follow-up on countermeasures, limited visualization of overall factory conditions, and inability to provide tailored information to users based on their work categories or positions.

Innovation Solution

The PDCA control system implements a real-time data collection framework that determines abnormalities, displays their occurrence and resolution status, and encourages prompt countermeasure actions. It includes a configuration that allows for customizable alarm displays and information switching based on user roles and departments, ensuring that relevant information is promptly available to users.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If real-time data collection and abnormality detection are implemented, then abnormality detection speed is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveabnormality detection timeVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the factory into multiple departments and further into work categories, with each segment having customized alarm displays showing only relevant abnormalities. This modular approach enables rapid targeted detection without requiring a monolithic complex system to process all data centrally.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Alarm information M serves as an intermediary between the complex data collection system and users. It translates and presents only essential abnormality information in a simplified format, enabling quick detection without exposing system complexity to end users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If customized alarm displays for different user roles are provided, then information relevance is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation relevanceVSAvoiddisplay configuration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Each alarm display is customized with local quality appropriate to its user's role and department. Departmental alarm displays show abnormalities relevant to that department, while work category alarm displays show abnormalities relevant to specific work categories. This ensures information relevance without requiring a single complex universal interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The alarm display system dynamically adapts to different users based on their department and work category. The displayed information changes according to user identity, providing relevant information automatically without manual configuration complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Loss of information

If comprehensive factory operation visualization is implemented, then overall condition awareness is improved, but information processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoverall condition awarenessVSAvoidinformation processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Comprehensive factory visualization is achieved through segmentation into departmental views and work category views. Each segment provides a simplified view of relevant operations, and together they compose complete factory awareness without requiring a single overwhelming display.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple segmented views (departmental alarms, work category alarms, priority-based alarms) are merged to provide comprehensive factory operation visualization. The system combines these different perspectives to give complete awareness while keeping each individual view simple and manageable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4053778B1Business management system, and business management method
Publication Date: 2025.04.09 HITACHI INDUSTRY & CONTROL SOLUTIONS LTD
  • EP4053778B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4053778B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4053778B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

An operation control system includes: a storing processing part (111) configured to store collected information on abnormality in countermeasure progress information storage parts (121 to 126) in which information on an abnormality or countermeasure information on a countermeasure to the abnormality is stored; an equipment abnormality monitor part (112) configured to, when a length of a time period during which the abnormality continues exceeds a prescribed time period, update a state of the abnormality; a countermeasure monitor part (113) configured to monitor a state of the countermeasure, and, when the state of the countermeasure changes, update the state of the countermeasure; and an output processing part (211) configured to change how to output alarm information in accordance with the length of the time period during which the abnormality continues and the state of the countermeasure.