Manufacturing Traceability Using Surface Patterns and Worker Operations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current manufacturing management methods cannot specify the factors contributing to product quality in detail, particularly when product quality is affected by human operation, as they only capture rough manufacturing information and do not link product surface patterns with worker operations.
Innovation Solution
A method that acquires unique product information from captured images and operation data of workers during manufacturing, storing them in association to enable detailed quality factor specification by correlating product surface patterns with worker operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manufacturing history is accumulated using traditional identification methods (manufacturing numbers, bar codes, RFID tags), then individual product identification is achieved, but production cost increases and product appearance may be impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses optical copying to capture the natural surface pattern of the product as a unique identifier. Instead of attaching physical tags or codes, the system creates a digital copy of the product's inherent surface characteristics, eliminating the need for additional identification components and reducing production costs while maintaining identification accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The product's own surface pattern serves as its identification feature. The natural variations in surface texture, color, or morphology that exist on every product are utilized directly for identification purposes, allowing the product to identify itself without requiring external tags, codes, or additional manufacturing steps
2Device complexity
If only rough manufacturing information is captured, then data collection is simple, but product quality factors cannot be specified in detail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the manufacturing process into distinct steps and captures both product identification information and worker operation information at each segment. This segmentation allows detailed tracking of specific operations (such as tightening torque, heating temperature, cooling time) performed by individual workers on specific products, enabling precise quality factor analysis without overwhelming system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges product identification data with worker operation data into a unified database. By combining the surface pattern identification with detailed operation records (including worker ID, operation type, parameters, and timing), the system maintains comprehensive quality information while managing data collection through an integrated approach rather than separate systems
3Ease of operation
If worker operations are monitored without linking to specific products, then worker performance can be assessed, but product quality factors related to specific operations cannot be identified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the product's surface pattern as an intermediary that links worker operations to specific products. The surface pattern serves as a unique identifier that connects the worker's actions (recorded through cameras and sensors) with the final product quality, enabling traceability without requiring direct tagging of the product while maintaining the correlation between operations and quality outcomes
Data Source
AI summary
A manufacturing management device 100 includes an acquisition unit 121 that acquires unique information of a product from a captured image of the product captured in a manufacturing step included in a manufacturing process of the product, and acquires operation information representing an operation of a person who performs a manufacturing work on the product in the manufacturing step, and an association unit 122 that sores the acquired unique information of the product and the acquired operation information in association with each other.