Automatic Splicing Unit Scheduling for Shorter Mounter Routes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing management devices for board processing machines do not adequately improve work efficiency by determining work sequences based solely on the position of warnings, neglecting the labor required for operators to pick up and deliver special work units, such as automatic splicing units, leading to suboptimal operation routes and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A management device that acquires work information, including targets and required times, and the current position of work units and operators, to determine optimized work sequences that prioritize tasks based on proximity, reducing the distance operators need to travel and improving route efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If work sequence is determined based solely on position of warning, then work response time is reduced, but work efficiency is insufficient due to neglecting labor required for picking up and delivering work units
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters used for work sequence determination from only warning position to a combination of warning position, work unit current position, and work target position. This multi-parameter approach optimizes the balance between rapid response and operational efficiency by considering the labor required to transport work units.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts work sequence based on real-time positions of work units and work targets. The management device continuously updates the optimal work sequence as work units are picked up, delivered, and as new warnings occur, making the system adaptive rather than static.
2Speed
If priority is given to warnings closer to previously handled warnings, then response to clustered warnings is improved, but overall work route efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces new parameters for priority determination: the current position of the work unit and the position of the work target. This replaces the old parameter-based system that only considered warning positions, enabling more efficient route planning that accounts for physical movement requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The management device acts as an intermediary that coordinates between multiple warnings and the operator's current state. It mediates the conflict between responding to clustered warnings and optimizing overall travel distance by calculating the optimal sequence that minimizes total movement while still addressing urgent warnings.
3Productivity
If work sequence optimization considers work unit position and work target position, then work efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The management device performs multiple functions: it monitors warnings, tracks work unit positions, calculates optimal sequences, and provides instructions to operators. By consolidating these functions into a single system, the patent achieves work efficiency improvement without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously receives feedback on work unit positions and warning statuses, then recalculates and updates work sequences in real-time. This feedback loop enables dynamic optimization without requiring complex manual intervention, as the system automatically adjusts to changing conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic splicing unit (ASU) is arranged in a production line configured to include multiple mounters. When an operator performs splicing work of each mounter by using the ASU, each time a component shortage is predicted, a priority is determined so as to perform the splicing work giving priority to those for which a distance to the ASU is shorter from multiple work target mounters having a mounted feeder which has not completed the splicing work yet (S106 to S116). In this manner, it is possible to minimize the movement of the ASU when splicing work is performed for all of the work target mounters, and it is possible to quickly and efficiently perform splicing work.