JP3214232B2 - Production system design support apparatus and method - 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 system design support apparatus and method for supporting creation of a production system design drawing and confirmation of its contents.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art CAD is well known as a system for creating various drawings by a computer. This type of system includes at least an input device, a display device, a storage device, and a processing device. In creating a drawing, a user operates an input device while looking at a screen of a display device. The processing device reads the basic form of the drawing and various figures or symbols constituting the drawing from the storage device in accordance with the operation of the input device, and arranges and displays them on the screen of the display device. The user checks whether the drawing obtained as a result of such operation and processing, that is, the drawing displayed on the screen of the display device is correct. This work is performed while looking at the screen of the display device. Since CAD generally has a function of printing out a drawing, confirmation can be performed using the printed output. Such techniques can be widely used in designing a production system.

[0003]

However, such a system has a problem that a user's work load is heavy. For example, a great deal of attention and time is required to check whether the created production system design drawings have correct contents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and information for supporting a confirmation operation when a production system design drawing is created using a support device such as a CAD. It is an object of the present invention to reduce the work load on a user and to make a drawing more quickly and cheaply by automatically creating the drawing by a support device.

[0005]

In order to achieve such an object, a production system design support method according to the present invention is arranged such that registration symbols are arranged on a basic form, and connection symbols for connecting the registration symbols are arranged. Production system design drawings
And creating by the computer, arranged a step of automatically applying an identification code by the computer to the registration mark, the registration mark mutual connection relationship on the base form and <br/> analyzed by a computer based on the arranged connection mark Based on the result and using the assigned identification code, confirmation information indicating the connection relationship between the arranged registration symbols and having a human-readable form is transmitted by the computer.
And creating the data.

Further, the production system design support apparatus of the present invention comprises a means for storing, as information, a basic form of a production system design drawing and a registration symbol which can be laid out on the basic form; A means for creating a production system design drawing in which registration symbols are arranged on a basic form and further connecting symbols for connecting the registration symbols based on a request; and means for automatically assigning an identification code to the arranged registration symbols. Analyzing the connection relationship between the registered symbols on the basic form based on the arranged connection symbols, and showing the connection relationship between the arranged registration symbols based on the result and using the assigned identification code; A means for creating confirmation information having a readable form, and a means for outputting at least a production system design drawing and confirmation information. And wherein the Rukoto.

According to the present invention, the basic form includes a diagram showing a basic structure of process management, a diagram showing a process flow, a diagram showing a process control method, and a diagram showing functions of a computer used for process control. , Each having a layer structure including individual layers.

[0008]

In the present invention, first, a production system design drawing to be confirmed is prepared. Here, the production system design drawing is a drawing composed of a basic form, a registration symbol, and a connection symbol. The basic form refers to a basic form or format of a production system design drawing, and the registration symbols refer to various symbols or figures that can be arranged on the basic form. Further, a plurality of the same registered symbols may be arranged on the same basic form. The connection symbol refers to a symbol or figure such as an arrow or a line segment connecting the registration symbols. When the production system design drawing is created, an identification code is automatically added to the arranged registration symbols. The identification code is a code for identifying the registered symbols. After the identification code is assigned, the connection relationship between the registered symbols on the basic form is analyzed based on the arranged connection symbols. Further, based on the result and using the assigned identification code, confirmation information indicating a connection relationship between the arranged registration symbols and having a human-readable form is created. Therefore,
In the present invention, since the confirmation information in a human-readable form, that is, a human-readable form, is automatically created based on the created production system design drawings, the workload for confirming the contents of the production system design drawings is reduced. Is done.

[0009] In addition, the present invention is, we realized with the aid of a support device such as CAD. Also not a, upon the creation of the production system design drawings, the basic form and registration symbols stored in advance is read out based on a request or the like from the user, is disposed registered symbols on the basic form based on this. further,
Connection symbols are arranged on the basic form based on a request from a user or the like. The created production system design drawing and the confirmation information created based on this drawing are output in a format such as display or printing. Therefore, in the present invention,
Since the creation of the production system design drawing and the confirmation of the contents are realized by using only one support device, no additional cost is generated.

The structure of the basic form includes, for example, a diagram showing the basic structure of the process management, a diagram showing the flow of the process, a diagram showing the method of controlling the process, and the functions of the computer used for controlling the process. The structure is made up of four types of layers shown in FIG. This structure is not a physical structure of a factory or the like but a design field (process design, control, computer, etc.) in mind, so that the relationship between the design fields can be expressed. Further, since the structure is based on the process, a person who looks at the drawing can obtain an image close to the actual process, and a person who does not have specialized knowledge can grasp the design outline.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system shown in FIG. 1 includes an input unit 10, a basic form storage unit 12, a registered symbol storage unit 14, a processing unit 16, and a display unit 18.
It has a function to create a production system design drawing and check its contents.

The production system design drawing created in this embodiment is a drawing called a total link system diagram. The total link system diagram is a drawing used at the planning and reviewing stage of the production system. The total link system diagram enables comprehensive examination of the configuration of the production system and allows unskilled or unspecified persons (for example, production system users and managers). 2) is a drawing developed for the purpose of making the configuration of the production system easily understandable.

FIG. 4 shows a total link system diagram.
Has a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, it has a layer structure composed of a basic structure diagram of process management, a process diagram, a process control diagram, and a computer function diagram. The basic structure diagram of the process management arranged at the uppermost stage shows the purpose of the system, the names of the processes, the order of the processes, the flow of the raw material / work between the processes, the unit of the flowing raw material / work, and the like. The process diagram arranged in the lower stage is for inputting information about the status of the process to the computer for process layout, production management and control in the factory, and information and commands related to production management and control to the equipment of each process. It shows the arrangement of input / output devices for output, the contents of treatment work performed by a human at the time of normal operation or at the time of abnormality, and the like. Further, the process control diagram in the lower stage shows the flow of processing and determination of input / output devices and the like. The computer function diagram arranged at the bottom represents processing and data contents of the production management / control computer.

As described above, in the total link system diagram, the system is not divided by a physical structure such as a factory or an area therein, but is divided by a design field (process, process control, computer, etc.) to have a layer structure. Since the structure focuses on the similarities in system engineering, it is possible to easily read how each design field is related. Furthermore, since the configuration of each drawing, such as a process drawing, is based on the process, a person who looks at the drawing can easily obtain an image close to the actual production system, without detailed technical knowledge. Understand the system design contents without any psychological resistance. Therefore, by creating and using the total link system diagram, related persons including the manager and the final user can discuss and optimize the specifications of the entire system.

In order to create and describe the total link system diagram, it is necessary to unify and standardize the symbols used. For example, human work, materials and works,
Standardization in which information, devices, etc. (hereinafter, referred to as system components) are described using predetermined symbols or graphics, and connection relationships between the described system components are described using symbols or graphics such as line segments or arrows. is necessary. By such standardization, the consistency of expressions between different drawings is obtained, and the contents are easily understood.

A basic form storage unit 12 of the components shown in FIG. 1 is a means for storing a basic form of a total link system diagram, that is, a basic form or format. The figure is also stored. The registration symbol storage unit 14 stores symbols or graphics used when describing system components. Hereinafter, the symbols or graphics stored in the registered symbol storage unit 14 will be referred to as registered symbols. The input unit 10 is a command from a user,
The processing unit 16 uses information stored in the basic form storage unit 12 and the registered symbol storage unit 14 based on commands, data, and the like input via the input unit 10. Then, a total link system diagram is created, and the connection relation of the system components is automatically analyzed. The display unit 18 displays, on a screen, a total link system diagram that is being created or created, and an analysis result of a connection relationship between system components. Note that a print output unit may be used instead of or in addition to the display unit 18.

FIG. 2 shows a procedure for creating and confirming a total link system diagram in this embodiment.

In preparing the total link system diagram, first, the user operates the input unit 10 to give a command to the processing unit 16 to read out the required basic form from the basic form storage unit 12 (100). Processing unit 16
Selectively reads out the basic form from the basic form storage unit 12 in response to this command and displays it on the screen of the display unit 18.

Subsequently, the user inputs commands, data, etc. relating to the description of the basic structure diagram of the process management to the processing unit 16 by operating the input unit 10 (102). Processing unit 16
Selectively reads out the registered symbol from the registered symbol storage unit 14 in accordance with the input, and arranges it at a specified position on the screen of the display unit 18. At the end of this work, only the top row of FIG. 3, that is, the basic structure diagram of the process management, is displayed on the screen of the display unit 18 in addition to the basic form.

After describing the basic structure diagram of the process management,
The user proceeds to the process of writing the process diagram, process control diagram, and computer function diagram (104). Also in this case, the user inputs commands, data, and the like relating to the figure to be described to the processing unit 16 by operating the input unit 10. The processing unit 16 selectively reads the registered symbols from the registered symbol storage unit 14 according to the input, and arranges the registered symbols at a designated position on the screen of the display unit 18. The processing contents, data names, and the like are input and displayed in text.
At the end of this work, as shown in FIG.
Portions of the total link system diagram excluding connection relationships between system components are displayed. Subsequently, the user inputs from the input unit 10 to the processing unit 16 to describe the connection relationship between the system components using line segments, arrows, and the like. The processing unit 16 displays the connection relationship on the screen of the display unit 18 according to the input. At this stage, a total link system diagram as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed.

At this time, the processing unit 16 automatically assigns an identification number to the displayed system component (10).
6). That is, for the process diagram, the process control diagram, and the computer function diagram in the total link system diagram, a figure or a symbol that matches any of the registered symbols stored in the registered symbol storage unit 14 is written from the upper left to the lower right of the diagram. Search towards. When a figure or symbol that matches any of the registered symbols stored in the registered symbol storage unit 14 is found by this search, an identification code is assigned to this figure or symbol. The processing unit 16 displays a total link system diagram with an identification code on the screen of the display unit 18 as shown in FIG. In this figure, identification codes (for example, “M2”, “?
1)) is composed of one character such as an alphabet (“M”, “?”) Indicating the type of registered symbol, and a serial number (“2”, “1”) for each type of registered symbol.

The processing unit 16 further analyzes and recognizes the relationship by following figures or symbols indicating connection relationships between the system components, such as line segments, arrows, and double lines (108). The processing unit 16 converts the analyzed and recognized connection relationship into a format using the identification code assigned to each system component, and displays the result on the screen of the display unit 18. As a result, the screen of the display unit 18 becomes a display screen as shown in FIG. In this screen, the connection relation between the system components is represented by symbols such as “→”, “←”, “=” connecting the identification codes. In addition, the name of the element and the processing content are represented by being linked to the identification code by “:”.

The user confirms whether or not the created total link system diagram has the desired contents by looking at the confirmation display, and transmits the result from the input unit 10 to the processing unit 16.
(110). The processing unit 16 returns to step 104 when there is an input “NG”, that is, when the input is not the desired content. If "OK", that is, an input indicating that the content is the desired content, the process ends. At the end of the processing, the total link system diagram and the confirmation display may be printed out.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the basic form is composed of the four types of layers, namely, the basic structure diagram of the process management, the process diagram, the process control diagram, and the computer function diagram. It is possible to obtain a total link system diagram that is effective for discussions and examinations including those who are not equipped. In addition, since the contents have already been confirmed at the time of creation, efficient and accurate examination becomes possible.
In addition, since the confirmation work is performed with the support of automatically creating and displaying the confirmation display, a large workload is not generated. This leads to cost reduction and design time reduction. In addition, since the present embodiment can be realized by partially improving the CAD function, no significant improvement cost is required for implementation.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The identification code is automatically assigned to the created registration symbol on the production system design drawing, the connection relationship between the registered symbols is analyzed based on the connection symbol connecting between the registered symbols, and the result and the assigned identification code are used while analyzing the result. , The confirmation information having a human-readable form that indicates the connection relationship between the registered symbols arranged is created, so that the work load for confirming the contents of the production system design drawing can be reduced, and the cost and design time can be reduced. realizable. Furthermore, the resulting production system design drawings are more accurate.

Further, according to the present invention, the above-mentioned function is provided by CA
Since the present invention is realized by using a support device such as D, the above-described effect can be obtained without generating additional cost. According to the present invention, there are four types of layers: a diagram showing a basic structure of process management, a diagram showing a process flow, a diagram showing a process control method, and a diagram showing functions of a computer used for controlling a process. Since the basic form is composed, the relationship between design fields can be expressed by the created drawing, the person who looks at the drawing can get an image close to the actual process, and the person who does not have specialized knowledge can also design summary Can understand.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure for creating and confirming a total link system diagram in this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a work in progress display at the stage of creating a total link system diagram.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a total link system diagram.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a total link system diagram after an identification code is added.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a confirmation display of a connection relationship between system components in a total link system diagram.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Input part 12 Basic form storage part 14 Registration symbol storage part 16 Processing part 18 Display part

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-6-131411 (JP, A) Proceedings of the 71st Ordinary General Meeting of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (IV) March 25, 1994 336- Page 338 Takao Miyatani et al. “Production System Planning and Design Tool“ Total Link System Diagram ”” (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 17/50 636

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A means for storing, as information, a basic form of a production system design drawing and a registration symbol that can be laid out on the basic form, and a registration symbol on the basic form based on the stored information and a request from a user. means der for automatically applying means for creating a but disposed further production system design drawing connection symbol is arranged to connect the registration symbols each other, the identification code arranged registration mark
In the figure or symbol placed on the basic form
One of the registered symbols stored as information
Search for matching figures or symbols, and as a result
If a solstice symbol is found, an identification code for that figure or symbol
Means for automatically assigning the registered symbols to each other, analyzing the connection relationship between the registered symbols on the basic form based on the arranged connection symbols, and based on the result and using the assigned identification code, A production system design support device, comprising: means for generating confirmation information having a connection relationship and having a human-readable form; and means for outputting at least a production system design drawing and confirmation information. 2. The production system design support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the basic form is used for a diagram showing a basic structure of process management, a diagram showing a process flow, a diagram showing a process control method, and a process control. A production system design support apparatus having a layer structure including, as individual layers, diagrams showing the functions of the computers to be provided.