JP2908076B2 - Scheduling system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a production scheduling system for a plant, and more particularly to an automatic cleaning time insertion function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been a scheduling system for automatically and manually drafting a production plan by using a computer. For example, Japanese Patent Application No. 3-55061 filed by the present applicant “General-purpose production planning system”
This is a production planning system of this kind. Such a scheduling system generally includes editing of production requirements for designating product names, production requirements, delivery dates, comments, etc., strategy for automatic planning, strategy editing for inputting constraints, and automatic planning and manual correction. It has functions to create a plan to be performed, display a production plan for selecting and displaying a job for which a plan is to be generated, a tool for editing a target plant, a tool for specifying a product creation path, and a product creation prescription. In order for the production process designer to perform plant configuration, product production line and recipe (prescription) configuration and maintenance on such a scheduling system, the system has a user interface that is easy for the production process designer to handle. It is necessary to prepare, and easy-to-use tools for plant editing, line editing, and recipe editing are provided.

[0003]

By the way, in the case of a plant, it is necessary to handle the cleaning time. However, the conventional system uses a method in which the time is directly described in a recipe. Therefore, the same cleaning time is always taken for products manufactured using the recipe.
However, there is actually the necessity of cleaning depending on the manufacturing order of the products, and the time and the time of the cleaning may be different for the equipment used. Further, it has been found that it is desirable not to wash as much as possible in consideration of cost. For this reason, there is a demand for a function capable of appropriately inserting a cleaning time as needed. Even if the washing time can be automatically inserted, it is necessary to consider the washing time for the part before and after the job in the case of time assignment of the job.

[0004] The object of the present invention has been made in view of such a point. When considering the cleaning time, the presence or absence of cleaning and the cleaning time differ depending on the quality of the product to be handled or the equipment used. On the other hand, it is an object of the present invention to provide a scheduling system that can automatically insert a cleaning time as needed based on a cleaning time setting table. Another object of the present invention is to automatically set the cleaning time as needed based on the cleaning time setting table in consideration of the relationship between the preceding and following parts when a job interruption occurs when considering the cleaning time. It is to provide a scheduling system that can be inserted.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for assisting in planning a production process by using a computer. A user interface unit having a tool having a function of displaying and editing, and a planning unit having a function of planning and correcting a plan in response to a request from the user interface unit including an automatic planning mechanism and a manual correction mechanism. An information management unit that manages line information that specifies a process as a recipe for creating plant information and products, recipe information that specifies the correspondence between raw materials and products, processing time, and the like, and job information that is the target of planning. , A display unit for displaying a target plan or the like given via the user interface unit, and a product generated in various processes In the scheduling system capable of drafting a production plan corresponding to the following, the user interface unit includes, for each part recipe, a next product name, a used device name, and a cleaning time for writing a cleaning time in a table format. Including the setting function, the automatic planning mechanism, when allocating the time of each part, for the previous part already allocated to the same use equipment,
It is characterized by including a cleaning time insertion function for adding a cleaning time if necessary.

In the second invention, in addition to the cleaning time insertion function of the user interface unit in the first invention,
If necessary, the cleaning time is added to the insertion part itself for the next part. If interruption of the job becomes impossible due to the additional cleaning time, the insertion part is moved backward. And a function of checking the insertion of the cleaning time again.

[0007]

By using the cleaning time setting function provided in the user interface unit and the cleaning time insertion function provided in the automatic planning mechanism, the cleaning time can be easily specified and the cleaning time is required. Can be inserted automatically. Further, in the second invention, the cleaning time insertion function is extended, and the automatic insertion of the cleaning time is possible even when a job interruption occurs.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a main part showing an embodiment of a scheduling system having such a part moving function. In the figure, 1
0 is a planning unit, 20 is an information management unit, 30 is a user interface unit, 40 is a display unit, and 50 is an online file. The plan drafting unit 10 has a function of drafting and correcting a plan in response to a request from the user interface unit 30. The initial planning is generated by the automatic planning mechanism 11 and is displayed on the display unit 40 through the user interface 30 as a target plan. The correction is performed by the manual correction mechanism 12 on the target plan based on a command from the user interface unit 30. The planning unit 10 can make plans by alternately using the automatic planning function and the manual correction function. However, by preparing such a framework, basic restrictions are included in the automatic planning function and generalization is performed. In addition, the user can specify restrictions that can be applied by the automatic planning mechanism. Inapplicable constraints will be dealt with manually.

The manual correction mechanism 12 has, for example, the following manual correction function. Alternative equipment transfer function Prohibited area setting Job fixing function

[0010] These functions will be described below. (1) The alternative equipment transfer function is to move to the alternative equipment while maintaining the relationship between the parts if the part has alternative equipment. Scheduling is performed with the equipment changed by the rescheduling function. The equipment to be used in the part is selected based on a predetermined strategy, but depending on the overall situation at that time, processing with another equipment may result in a more satisfactory schedule. In such a case, the facility is moved to a facility that can be replaced by the substitute facility moving function. However, it is necessary to register in advance as usable equipment when specifying the unit series. In addition, those facilities must be physically connected (even if they are registered, they cannot be moved if they are not physically connected).

(2) The prohibited area setting function is a function for setting a time zone (prohibited area) during which equipment cannot be used. The prohibited area is outside the scheduling target time. In an actual plant, there are time periods during which the equipment cannot be used due to periodic inspection of the equipment. Further, in a step (process) in which a person intervenes, there is a case where a schedule proposal that cannot be actually executed due to the number of people becomes a bottleneck. This is because, for example, scheduling is performed even outside working hours (lunch break, holidays, nights, etc.). In particular, it is often impossible to switch varieties during this time. In such a case, it is necessary to set a prohibited area (referred to as a type switching prohibited area) in advance.

(3) The job fixing function is a function for designating a certain job when it is desired to be excluded from the scheduling target, and for keeping the temporal position of the job unchanged even if rescheduling is performed. This function is used when the production start time of a certain product has been determined and it is desired to reschedule the remaining jobs.

In the present invention, in addition to the above functions,
The user interface unit 30 has a cleaning time setting function, and the automatic planning mechanism 11 has a cleaning time insertion function. The cleaning time setting function is used for each part recipe.
This function is used to enter the name of the next product, the name of the used device, and the cleaning time in a table format. Further, the cleaning time insertion function is a function of adding a cleaning time, if necessary, to the immediately preceding part already allocated to the same used facility when allocating time to each part. Hereinafter, each function will be described in more detail. First, the cleaning time setting function will be described. The setting of the cleaning time is performed by registering in the card. FIG. 2 shows a part recipe editing card. When the mark "cleaning time setting" on this card is clicked with a mouse, the cleaning time setting card shown in FIG. 2B is opened. In the cleaning time setting card, enter the name of the product that needs to be cleaned next to the product processed in the part in the “Next product” column and the name of the device used at that time in the “Usage device” column. Enter all for all devices available in In addition, the cleaning time is entered in the “time” column.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a card for managing all the cleaning time setting data collectively. The card can be directly edited with this card without going through a part recipe. In addition, the file input / output function enables writing of created data to a file and reading of cleaning data from a file. The operation when the cleaning time is inserted during the actual scheduling of the data described by the cleaning time setting function will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the washing time automatic insertion algorithm. (1) If the cleaning time is set, the equipment occupancy information of the equipment assigned to the part is extracted. If the cleaning time is not set, nothing is performed (the cleaning time is not inserted). (2) If there is equipment occupancy information, the occupancy time is sorted in ascending order, and if there is a part allocated immediately before the part, that part is extracted (if there is no part, the process is terminated). Then, whether or not cleaning is necessary for the combination with the extracted part is checked from the setting table. This is to determine whether the part to be allocated and the product to be processed in the allocated part are a combination requiring cleaning. If cleaning is not required, the process is terminated. If necessary, the cleaning time is extracted. (3) Next, the extracted washing time is stored. This is an addition of cleaning time to the already assigned parts.
After storing, display the cleaning time on the screen. (4) Finally, a process for avoiding overlapping of parts due to the addition of the cleaning time is performed. As described above, the cleaning time can be easily specified by the cleaning time setting function, and the cleaning time is automatically inserted as needed. Thereby, insertion of useless cleaning time can be prevented. FIG. 5 is an example of a Gantt chart display when the cleaning time is inserted in this manner.

In addition, in the insertion of the cleaning time, the cleaning time can be added to the next part if necessary. In this case, if the overlap with the rear part occurs due to the additional cleaning time (when interruption is not possible), the user moves backward and checks the insertion of the cleaning time again. You can also

Hereinafter, a case having such a function will be described. First, the concept of checking the insertion of cleaning time is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. This is the case when a part of job J3 interrupts between job J1 and job J2 ((a) in the figure).
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing how a cleaning time is inserted in the second embodiment. FIG. 13B shows a case where cleaning is necessary in relation to the jobs J1 and J3. However, the cleaning time added to J1 causes an overlap between J3 and J2. At this time, the job J3 is not forcibly interrupted, but the job J3 is moved backward as shown in the right side figure, and the cleaning time insertion check is performed between the jobs J2 and J3. FIG. 13C shows a case where the overlap does not occur in the relationship between the jobs J1 and J3, but does occur in the relationship between the jobs J3 and J2.
Similarly, the job J3 is moved backward. FIG. 11D shows a case where cleaning is not required in the relationship between the jobs J1 and J3. If the cleaning time has been inserted due to the relationship between job J1 and job J2, take it. If an overlap occurs in the case where cleaning is necessary due to the relationship between job J3 and job J2, the job J3 is moved backward,
Return the washing time to the original state.

Next, another algorithm for actually inserting a cleaning time during scheduling based on data described by the cleaning time setting function will be described. Here, an algorithm for automatically inserting the cleaning time when the earliest time strategy (advance strategy) is used is shown. FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of the washing time automatic insertion algorithm. Hereinafter, the insertion operation will be described with reference to this flowchart. (1) If the cleaning time is set, the equipment occupancy information of the equipment assigned to the part is extracted. If the cleaning time is not set, nothing is done (the cleaning time is not inserted). (2) If there is equipment occupancy information, the occupancy time is sorted in ascending order, and if there is a part allocated immediately before the part, that part is extracted (if there is no part, the process is terminated). (3) If there is a part, check if the extraction part requires cleaning from the setting table. This is to determine whether the part to be allocated and the product to be processed in the allocated part are a combination requiring cleaning. If cleaning is not required, the process is terminated. If necessary, the cleaning time is extracted. (4) Next, the cleaning time is added to the already allocated part, or the cleaning time is added to the part itself. (5) Next, a determination process is performed to determine whether or not overlapping occurs due to the addition of the cleaning time. If an overlap occurs, the washing time insertion check is performed at a new position to avoid the overlap. (6) When the overlap is avoided in the above (5), the part allocated after the part is extracted, and the same processing as in the above (3), (4), and (5) is performed, and the processing ends. As described above, according to the processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning time can be inserted even when a job interruption occurs.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the earliest time strategy is used has been described. However, the cleaning time can be inserted using a just-in-time strategy (later strategy). FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the concept of the washing time automatic insertion algorithm in the case of later. Basically, it is the same as in the earliest time strategy.

[0019]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the cleaning time can be easily designated by the cleaning time setting function, and the cleaning time is automatically inserted as needed. Thereby, insertion of useless cleaning time can be prevented. According to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, there is an effect that a cleaning time can be inserted even when a job interruption occurs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing one embodiment of a scheduling system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example of a card.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a cleaning time management card.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a cleaning time automatic insertion algorithm.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a Gantt chart.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the concept of a cleaning time automatic insertion algorithm (beforehand).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of another algorithm for automatically inserting a cleaning time.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the concept of an automatic cleaning time insertion algorithm (later).

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Planning part 11 Automatic planning mechanism 12 Manual correction mechanism 20 Information management part 30 User interface part 40 Display part 50 Online file

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-4-290162 (JP, A) JP-A-1-161572 (JP, A) JP-A-1-121155 (JP, A) JP-A-63- 15357 (JP, A) JP-A-59-214964 (JP, A) Journal of Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence Vol. 5, No. 2 (1990-3) pp. 184-193 Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol. 17, No. 4 (1991-7-10) pp. 740-749 Proceedings of the 17th System Symposium (1991-10) pp. 357-364 Yokogawa Technical Report Vol. 37, No. 1 (1993-1-20) pp. 19-22 (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G06F 17/60 B23Q 41/08 JICST file (JOIS)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A system for supporting a planning process of a production process using a computer, comprising: a user interface unit having a tool having a function of displaying and editing a production plan; an automatic planning mechanism; A planning unit including a correction mechanism and having a function of planning and correcting a plan in response to a request from the user interface unit; line information designating a process as a prescription for creating plant information and products; raw materials and products An information management unit that manages the recipe information specifying the correspondence and the processing time and the job information that is the target of planning, and a display unit that displays the target plan given through the user interface unit, Scheduling system that enables production plans corresponding to products generated in various processes In the system, the user interface unit includes, for each part recipe, a cleaning time setting function for writing a next product name, a used device name, and a cleaning time in a table format, and the automatic planning mechanism is configured for each part. A scheduling system including a cleaning time insertion function for adding a cleaning time, if necessary, to a previous part already allocated to the same use facility at the time of time allocation. 2. A system for assisting in planning a production process by using a computer, comprising: a user interface unit having a tool having a function of displaying and editing a production plan; an automatic planning mechanism; A planning unit including a correction mechanism and having a function of planning and correcting a plan in response to a request from the user interface unit; line information designating a process as a prescription for creating plant information and products; raw materials and products An information management unit that manages the recipe information specifying the correspondence and the processing time and the job information that is the target of planning, and a display unit that displays the target plan given through the user interface unit, Scheduling system that enables production plans corresponding to products generated in various processes In the system, the user interface unit includes, for each part recipe, a cleaning time setting function for writing a next product name, a used device name, and a cleaning time in a table format, and the automatic planning mechanism is configured for each part. At the time allocation, additional cleaning time is added if necessary for the previous part already allocated to the
If necessary, add the cleaning time to the inserted part for the next part, and if the added cleaning time makes interrupting between jobs impossible, move the inserted part backward, A scheduling system including a cleaning time insertion function for checking the cleaning time insertion again.