Work Management Device for Accurate Time Tracking Amid Interruptions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional work management systems fail to accurately analyze work processes due to interruptions, leading to inaccurate statistics and incomplete work time recording, as they derive work flow lines from worker position and time data without distinguishing between normal and interrupted work.
Innovation Solution
A work management device and method that acquire data on the time periods when a workpiece is ready for substantial work and when a worker is present, allowing for the identification of work types and calculation of total work time, even during interruptions, by distinguishing between automated, semi-automated, and manual processes based on the relationship between these time periods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If work flow line is derived from worker position and time data, then work process monitoring is enabled, but work time statistics become inaccurate due to interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the work time data by creating separate time period information for each work process, distinguishing between time when the workpiece is present and time when the worker is present. This segmentation allows accurate tracking of normal work time versus interrupted work time, resolving the contradiction between monitoring capability and statistical accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary data structure called 'time period information' that mediates between raw position/time data and final work statistics. This intermediary layer processes and correlates worker presence with workpiece presence, enabling accurate differentiation between normal and interrupted work periods.
2Adaptability or versatility
If worker leaves work area during work for other tasks, then worker flexibility is improved, but work time recording becomes divided and inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by recording and correlating the time periods when workpieces are present with the time periods when workers are present, before final statistics are generated. This preliminary correlation establishes the baseline for identifying normal versus interrupted work, ensuring accurate time recording even when workers move between tasks.
3Loss of information
If work time is divided and recorded for interrupted work, then detailed tracking is achieved, but statistical processing becomes inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies feedback by using the correlated time period information to identify and classify work interruptions, then using this classification to adjust and correct the statistical processing. The system feeds back the identified interruption patterns to refine the work time statistics, transforming detailed but inaccurate divided time data into accurate statistical information.
Data Source
AI summary
Data indicating a first time period during which a workpiece as a work object in each of a plurality of work processes stays in a state in which substantial work is possible, a second time period during which a worker stays in a worker area, and a work cycle are acquired. A work type identifier is provided that identifies a work type of each time range included in the second time period based on a relationship between the first time period and the second time period. A time calculator is provided that, with respect to at least one work process, calculates a sum total of time ranges corresponding to at least one work type included in one work cycle.