JP7580546B2 - Information processing device, work time adjustment method, and work time adjustment program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, etc.

In order to ensure that CEs (Customer Engineers) perform maintenance work safely and at optimal work times, information generated at the work site is fed back to the support department, etc. For example, CEs create reports summarizing things they notice while working and requests for improvements, and post the reports after getting approval from their superiors.

The support department reviews the submitted reports and revises the estimated time for maintenance work, etc. For example, there are cases where the actual work time required for a certain task is longer than the estimated time set. In such cases, the estimated time is set longer than the original estimate and the maintenance work schedule is updated, reducing the burden on the CE and preventing mistakes.

JP 2014-235674 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-232339 JP 2003-233687 A Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-016354

However, the above-mentioned conventional technology has the problem that it is not possible to accurately estimate the time required for maintenance work.

Currently, there is no time limit for feedback of information generated at the work site, and because CEs are busy with their daily work, they may put off creating reports, which means that information generated at the work site cannot be fed back efficiently. Also, in order to obtain approval from superiors, the contents of the reports are merely perfunctory, and the CE's true intentions are not captured, which means that they are not reflected in the scheduling of maintenance work.

In one aspect, the present invention aims to provide a device that can accurately estimate the time required for maintenance work.

In the first proposal, the information processing device has a receiving unit and a correction unit. The receiving unit receives report information for each worker, the report information including the work time required from when the worker starts to finish a specified task including multiple work items, and text information of what the worker said from when the worker started to finish the specified task. The correction unit identifies the number of occurrences of a specified keyword included in the text information, calculates the unit excess time generated each time the specified keyword is uttered based on the difference time between a standard work time preset for the specified task and the work time and the number of occurrences, and corrects the standard work time based on the calculated unit excess time.

The time required for maintenance work can be accurately estimated.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of the operator terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of the work manual information. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of work report information according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of the server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of the worker DB according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a maintenance DB according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of the maintenance work information in the maintenance DB according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the process of the correction unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the operator terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process performed by the server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of the operator terminal according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of work report information according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of text data. FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a server according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a maintenance DB according to the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of the maintenance work information of the maintenance DB according to the second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a keyword table according to the second embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the process of the correction unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the operator terminal according to the second embodiment. FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a process performed by the server according to the second embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the same functions as the server according to the present embodiment.

Below, examples of the invention disclosed in this application are described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the invention is not limited to these examples.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, this system has a worker terminal 100 and a server 200. The worker terminal 100 and the server 200 are connected to each other via a network 50. The worker terminal 100 is a mobile terminal that can be carried by a worker (CE) 10 who performs maintenance work.

When the worker 10 arrives at the maintenance work site where the maintenance target equipment 15 is located, he operates the worker terminal 100 to input various information at the start of the maintenance work. The worker terminal 100 receives and displays work manual information from the server 200 by transmitting work target information based on the information input by the worker 10 to the server 200. The worker 10 performs maintenance of the maintenance target equipment 15 while referring to the work manual information. The work manual information includes information on the order of work items and the standard work time required for each work item.

During maintenance, the worker 10 selects a work item indicated in the work manual information, and each time work for a work item is completed, repeatedly executes the process of inputting the completion of the work into the worker terminal 100. When the worker terminal 100 receives that the maintenance by the worker 10 has been completed, it generates work report information including the work time for each work item and transmits it to the server 200.

When the server 200 receives work object information from the worker terminal 100, it transmits work manual information corresponding to the work object information to the worker terminal 100. In addition, when the server 200 receives work report information from the worker terminal 100, it updates the standard work time preset for each work item based on the work report information.

Although not shown in the figure, users other than the worker 10 also carry the worker terminal 100 or other worker terminals not shown to the maintenance work site and perform the above work.

Next, the configuration of the worker terminal 100 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the worker terminal according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the worker terminal 100 has a communication unit 101, an input unit 102, a display unit 103, a timer 104, a memory unit 140, and a control unit 150.

The communication unit 101 is a processing unit that executes data communication with the server 200 via the network 50. The communication unit 101 is an example of a communication device. The control unit 150, which will be described later, exchanges data with the server 200 via the communication unit 101. The communication unit 101 may be connected to the network 50 by wireless communication.

The input unit 102 is an input device for inputting various information to the worker terminal 100. The input unit 102 corresponds to a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.

The display unit 103 is a display device that displays various information output from the control unit 150. The display unit 103 corresponds to a liquid crystal display, a touch panel, or the like. For example, the display unit 103 displays work manual information, etc.

The timer 104 is a device that generates current date and time information. The timer 104 outputs the date and time information to the control unit 150.

The memory unit 140 has work target information 140a, work manual information 140b, and work report information 140c. The memory unit 140 corresponds to semiconductor memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and flash memory, and storage devices such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

The work target information 140a includes a worker ID (Identification) that uniquely identifies the worker who actually performs the maintenance work, and a maintenance target ID that uniquely identifies the part of the maintenance target equipment that is the subject of the maintenance work.

The work manual information 140b includes information on the maintenance work procedures for the parts of the equipment to be maintained. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the work manual information. As shown in FIG. 3, the work manual information associates a work order, a work item, and a standard work time. The work order indicates the order of the work. The work item indicates the item of the work. The standard work time indicates the time required for a general worker to perform the corresponding work item. The total standard work time is the sum of each standard work time.

For example, the work manual information shown in Figure 3 indicates that the work should be performed in the following order: work items "remove parts," "measure parts," "replace parts," "install parts," and "check operation." The standard work times for each work item are "3," "4," "8," "5," and "10." The total standard work time is "30."

Work report information 140c includes information on the work time actually performed by a worker for each work item. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of work report information. As shown in Figure 4, this work report information 140c includes a table that associates work orders, work items, and work times. The work orders and work items correspond to the work orders and work items included in the work manual information 140b. Work times indicate the time required for a worker to actually perform work on a work item.

The work report information also includes a worker ID, a maintenance target ID, a start date and time, and an end date and time. The worker ID is information that uniquely identifies the worker. The maintenance target ID is information that uniquely identifies the part of the maintenance target equipment that is the subject of the maintenance work. The start date and time indicates the start date and time of the maintenance work. The end date and time indicates the end date and time of the maintenance work.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 2, the control unit 150 has a work target information generating unit 150a, a request unit 150b, a work report information generating unit 150c, and a transmission unit 150d. The control unit 150 can be realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), etc. The control unit 150 can also be realized by hardwired logic such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

The work target information generating unit 150a is a processing unit that generates work target information 140a based on various information at the start of work that is input by the worker 10 operating the input unit 102. The various information at the start of work includes a user ID and a maintenance target ID. The work target information generating unit 150a generates the user ID and the maintenance target ID as work target information 140a and registers them in the storage unit 140.

When the work target information generating unit 150a receives input of various information at the start of work, it identifies the date and time output from the timer 104 as the start date and time. The work target information generating unit 150a registers the start date and time information in the work report information 140c. The work target information generating unit 150a also registers the worker ID and maintenance target ID in the work report information 140c.

The request unit 150b is a processing unit that requests the work manual information 140b by sending the work target information 140a to the server 200. The request unit 150b receives the work manual information 140b from the server 200 and registers the received work manual information 140b in the storage unit 140.

The work report information generating unit 150c outputs the work manual information 140b to the display unit 103 for display. The work report information generating unit 150c accepts the work time for each work item input by the worker 10 operating the input unit 102, and registers it in the work report information 140c.

When the work report information generating unit 150c receives information from the input unit 102 that the work has been completed, it identifies the date and time output from the timer 104 as the end date and time. The work report information generating unit 150c registers the information on the end date and time in the work report information 140c.

The transmitting unit 150d is a processing unit that transmits the work report information 140c to the server 200.

Next, the configuration of the server 200 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the server according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the server 200 has a communication unit 210, an input unit 220, a display unit 230, a storage unit 240, and a control unit 250.

The communication unit 210 is a processing unit that executes data communication with the worker terminal 100 via the network 50. The communication unit 210 is an example of a communication device. The control unit 250, which will be described later, exchanges data with the worker terminal 100 via the communication unit 210.

The input unit 220 is an input device for inputting various information to the server 200. The input unit 220 corresponds to a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.

The display unit 230 is a display device that displays various information output from the control unit 250. The display unit 230 corresponds to a liquid crystal display, a touch panel, etc.

The memory unit 240 has a worker DB (Data Base) 240a, a maintenance DB 240b, and a work report information table 240c. The memory unit 240 corresponds to semiconductor memory elements such as RAM, ROM, and flash memory, and storage devices such as HDDs.

The worker DB 240a is a database that stores attribute information about each worker. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the worker DB according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the worker DB 240a associates a worker ID, a worker name, a possessed skill, years of experience, and a correction value.

The worker ID is information that uniquely identifies a worker. The worker name is the name of the worker. The held skills are information about the skills (qualifications) that the worker possesses. The years of experience are the years of experience the worker has in maintenance work. The correction value is a correction value used when correcting the work time of the worker. For example, the correction value increases the more years of experience the worker has or the higher the rank of the held skill. For example, if the held skills are arranged in order of rank, they will be "Skill A, Skill B, Skill C, Skill D", with Skill A being the highest ranked.

Maintenance DB 240b is a database that stores various information related to maintenance work. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the maintenance DB according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, maintenance DB 240b associates a maintenance target ID, maintenance work information, and work manual information.

In FIG. 7, the maintenance target ID is information that uniquely identifies the part of the maintenance target equipment that is the subject of the maintenance work. The maintenance work information has various information that is used when calculating the standard work time for each work item in the work manual information. The work manual information is work manual information that is referenced when performing maintenance on the part of the maintenance target equipment identified by the maintenance target ID, and corresponds to, for example, that described in FIG. 3.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of maintenance work information in the maintenance DB according to this embodiment 1. In Figure 8, maintenance work information corresponding to the maintenance target ID "D1001" is shown. As shown in Figure 8, the maintenance work time has a work order, work items, standard work time, corrected work time, individual work time, total standard work time, and corrected total work time. In Figure 8, the explanations regarding the work order, work items, standard work time, and total standard work time are the same as those explained in Figure 3.

The individual task time indicates the actual task time required when a worker performs the corresponding task item, corrected by a correction value determined by the worker's attributes. In the following explanation, the time corrected by the correction value is referred to as "corrected time." The correction time of each worker is registered as the individual task time corresponding to one task item.

The corrected work time is the average of multiple corrected times included in the individual work times.

The adjusted total work time is the sum of the adjusted work times for each work item.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 5, the work report information table 240c is a table that holds each piece of work report information received from each worker's worker terminal 100 (or another worker terminal not shown). Although not shown, the work report information table 240c holds information that associates the maintenance target ID with the work report information.

The control unit 250 has a response unit 250a, a receiving unit 250b, a correction unit 250c, and an update unit 250d. The control unit 250 can be realized by a CPU, an MPU, or the like. The control unit 250 can also be realized by hardwired logic such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

The response unit 250a is a processing unit that performs the following response when it receives the work target information 140a from the worker terminal 100. The response unit 250a extracts the work manual information corresponding to the maintenance target ID of the work target information 140a from the maintenance DB 240b. The response unit 250a transmits the extracted work manual information to the worker terminal 100.

The receiving unit 250b is a processing unit that receives the work report information 140c from the worker terminal 100. The receiving unit 250b registers the received work report information 140c in the work report information table 240c.

The correction unit 250c is a processing unit that corrects the information in the maintenance DB 240b based on the work report information registered in the work report information table 240c.

The correction unit 250c acquires the work report information registered in the work report information table 240c, compares the worker ID included in the work report information with the worker DB 240a, and identifies a correction value corresponding to the attributes of the worker ID. Explaining with reference to FIG. 6, when the worker ID is "U101", the attributes are the held skill "Skill A" and the years of experience "30", and the correction value is "1.2".

The correction unit 250c corrects the work time by dividing the work time of each work item included in the work report information by a correction value (calculates the corrected time). Figure 9 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the correction unit in this embodiment 1. For example, the work times of each work item included in the work report information are "3", "3", "10", "5", and "10", and the correction value is C. Then, each corrected time becomes "3/C", "3/C", "10/C", "5/C", and "10/C".

Veteran workers have high technical skills, so their work hours tend to be shorter. For this reason, by dividing the work hours by a relatively large correction value for veteran workers, a correction is made to bring the work hours of veteran workers closer to the work hours of average workers. In contrast, new workers have low technical skills, so their work hours tend to be longer. For this reason, by dividing the work hours by a relatively small correction value for new workers, a correction is made to bring the work hours of new workers closer to the work hours of average workers.

The correction unit 250c adds each calculated correction time to each individual task time. For example, assume that the maintenance target ID included in the task report information is "D1001" and each corrected task time is the corrected task time described in FIG. 9. In this case, the correction unit 250c adds the correction times "3/C", "3/C", "10/C", "5/C", and "10/C" to each individual task time of the task items "Part extraction", "Part measurement", "Part replacement", "Part installation", and "Operation check" in FIG. 8, respectively.

The correction unit 250c repeatedly executes the above process for each piece of work report information registered in the work report information table 240c, thereby registering the correction time in each piece of individual time information in the maintenance DB 240b.

The correction unit 250c then calculates the corrected work time by averaging the individual work times described in FIG. 8. For example, the correction unit 250c calculates the corrected work time corresponding to the work item "extracting parts" by averaging each value of the individual work time corresponding to the work item "extracting parts" and registers this in the maintenance DB 240b. The correction unit 250c similarly registers the corrected work times for other work items by averaging the individual work times. The correction unit 250c calculates the corrected combined work time by adding up each corrected work time and registers this in the maintenance DB 240b.

The update unit 250d is a processing unit that updates the standard work time in the work manual information when the corrected work time is calculated by the correction unit 250c. For example, when each corrected work time corresponding to the maintenance target ID "D1001" is calculated by the correction unit 250c, the update unit 250d updates each standard work time in the work manual information corresponding to the maintenance target ID "D1001" with each corrected work time corresponding to the maintenance target ID "D1001". The update unit 250d also updates the standard work total time in the work manual information with the corrected work total time.

Next, an example of the processing procedure of the worker terminal 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the worker terminal according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the work target information generating unit 150a of the worker terminal 100 receives input of information on the worker ID and the maintenance target ID from the input unit 102, and generates work target information 140a (step S101).

The work object information generating unit 150a records the start date and time of the maintenance work in the work report information 140c (step S102). The requesting unit 150b of the worker terminal 100 transmits the work object information 140a to the server 200 (step S103). The requesting unit 150b receives the work manual information 140b corresponding to the work object information 140a from the server 200 and registers it in the storage unit 140 (step S104).

The work report information generating unit 150c outputs the work manual information 140b to the display unit 103 for display (step S105). The work report information generating unit 150c accepts the selection of a work item (step S106) and records the current time (step S107).

When the work report information generating unit 150c receives the completion of a work item, it registers the work time in the work report information 140c (step S108). When all work items have not been completed (step S109, No), the work report information generating unit 150c proceeds to step S106.

On the other hand, if all work items have been completed (step S109, Yes), the work report information generating unit 150c records the end date and time of the maintenance work in the work report information 140c (step S110). The transmitting unit 150d transmits the work report information 140c to the server 200 (step S111).

Next, an example of the processing procedure of the server 200 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the server according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the receiving unit 250b of the server 200 receives the work report information 140c from the worker terminal 100 (step S201) and registers the work report information 140c in the work report information table 240c (step S202).

The correction unit 250c of the server 200 identifies a correction value based on the worker ID in the work report information and the worker DB 240a (step S203). The correction unit 250c calculates a correction time based on the work time and the correction value for each work item in the work report information (step S204).

The correction unit 250c registers each correction time in the individual work time of the maintenance DB 240b (step S205). The correction unit 250c calculates the average of each correction time registered in the individual work time as the corrected work time (step S206). The update unit 250d of the server 200 updates the work time of each work item in the work manual information with the corrected work time (step S207).

Next, the effects of the system according to the first embodiment will be described. The worker terminal 100 displays the work manual information received from the server 200, and the worker 10 performs maintenance of the equipment 15 to be maintained while referring to the work manual information. During maintenance, the worker 10 selects a work item indicated in the work manual information, and each time work on a work item is completed, repeatedly executes a process of inputting the completion of the work into the worker terminal 100. When the worker terminal 100 accepts that the maintenance by the worker 10 has been completed, it generates work report information including the work time for each work item and transmits it to the server 200.

Based on the worker report information, server 200 identifies a correction value corresponding to the worker's attributes and corrects the work time required by the worker for each work item using the correction value. Server 200 executes a process to update the standard work time set for each work item based on the corrected correction time for each work item. This makes it possible to accurately estimate the time required for maintenance work.

For example, veteran workers have high technical skills and therefore tend to work shorter hours. For this reason, by dividing the work time by a relatively large correction value for veteran workers (a correction value of 1 or more), a correction is made to bring the work time of veteran workers closer to that of general workers. In contrast, new workers have low technical skills and therefore tend to work longer hours. For this reason, by dividing the work time by a relatively small correction value for new workers (a correction value less than 1), a correction is made to bring the work time of new workers closer to that of general workers. This makes it possible to accurately identify the work time performed by general workers.

In this embodiment 1, as an example, the correction unit 250c of the server 200 compares the worker ID included in the work report information with the worker DB 240a to identify a correction value corresponding to the attributes of the worker ID, but this is not limited to this. For example, the worker terminal 100 may set a correction value corresponding to the worker's attributes in the work report information and transmit it to the server 200. In this case, the receiving unit 250b receives the work report information including the correction value corresponding to the worker's attributes, and outputs the correction value corresponding to the worker's attributes to the correction unit 250c.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 12, this system has a worker terminal 300 and a server 400. The worker terminal 300 and the server 400 are connected to each other via a network 50. The worker terminal 300 is a mobile terminal that can be carried by a worker 10 who performs maintenance work.

When the worker 10 arrives at the maintenance work site where the maintenance target device 15 is located, he operates the worker terminal 300 to input various information at the start of the maintenance work. The worker 10 is also equipped with a microphone 10a and connects the microphone 10a to the worker terminal 300.

The worker terminal 300 receives and displays work manual information from the server 400 by transmitting work target information based on information input by the worker 10 to the server 400. The worker 10 performs maintenance of the equipment 15 to be maintained while referring to the work manual information. During maintenance, the worker terminal 300 converts voice data input from the microphone 10a into text data. When converting the voice data into text data, the worker terminal 300 records a timestamp indicating the elapsed time from the start date and time of the maintenance work.

When the worker terminal 300 receives that the maintenance by the worker 10 has been completed, it generates work report information and transmits it to the server 400. The work report information includes the total actual work time and text data with a time stamp.

When the server 400 receives work target information from the worker terminal 300, it transmits manual information corresponding to the work target information to the worker terminal 300. In addition, when the server 400 receives work report information from the worker terminal 300, it updates the standard work time preset for each work item based on the work report information.

For example, server 400 calculates the "total standard work time" by adding up the standard work times for each work item, and calculates the "overtime" by subtracting the total standard work time from the total actual work time. Server 400 scans the text data with timestamps and counts the number of times negative keywords appear in the text data. A negative keyword is a predetermined character string with a negative meaning. Server 400 calculates the overtime per negative keyword by dividing the overtime by the number of times the negative keyword appears. In the following explanation, the overtime per negative keyword is referred to as the "unit overtime".

Based on the timestamp added to the text data, server 400 identifies how many times a negative keyword was uttered by the worker while working on which work item, and associates the work item with the number of times the negative keyword appeared. Server 400 calculates "additional time" by multiplying the number of times the negative keyword appeared by the unit excess time. Server 400 updates the standard working time by adding the additional time to the standard working time for the work item.

Next, the configuration of the worker terminal 300 shown in FIG. 12 will be described. FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the worker terminal according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the worker terminal 300 is connected to a microphone 10a. The worker terminal 300 also has a communication unit 301, an input unit 302, a display unit 303, a timer 304, a memory unit 340, and a control unit 350.

The communication unit 301 is a processing unit that executes data communication with the server 400 via the network 50. The communication unit 301 is an example of a communication device. The control unit 350, which will be described later, exchanges data with the server 400 via the communication unit 301. The communication unit 301 may be connected to the network 50 by wireless communication.

The input unit 302 is an input device for inputting various information to the worker terminal 300. The input unit 302 corresponds to a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc.

The display unit 303 is a display device that displays various information output from the control unit 350. The display unit 303 corresponds to a liquid crystal display, a touch panel, or the like. For example, the display unit 303 displays work manual information, etc.

The timer 304 is a device that generates current date and time information. The timer 304 outputs the date and time information to the control unit 350.

The memory unit 340 has work target information 340a, work manual information 340b, and work report information 340c. The memory unit 340 corresponds to a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM, ROM, or flash memory, or a storage device such as a HDD.

The work target information 340a includes a worker ID that uniquely identifies the worker who actually performs the maintenance work, and a maintenance target ID that uniquely identifies the part of the maintenance target equipment that is the subject of the maintenance work.

The work manual information 340b includes information on the maintenance work procedures for the parts of the equipment to be maintained. The explanation of the work manual information 340b is the same as the explanation of the work manual information 140b described in Example 1.

The work report information 340c includes the work time and text data of the work actually performed by the worker. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the work report information according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 14, the work report information 340c has a worker ID, a maintenance target ID, a start date and time, an end date and time, and text data. The worker ID is information that uniquely identifies the worker. The maintenance target ID is information that uniquely identifies a part of the equipment that is the target of maintenance. The start date and time indicates the start date and time of the maintenance work. The end date and time indicates the end date and time of the maintenance work.

Text data is data obtained by converting the voice data of a worker into text, and is associated with a timestamp. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of text data. As shown in FIG. 15, timestamps and text are associated with each other. In other words, the text data is divided into texts for each predetermined time period (for example, every minute) by the timestamp.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 13, the work target information generating unit 350a is a processing unit that generates work target information 340a based on various information at the start of work that is input by the worker 10 operating the input unit 302. The various information at the start of work includes a user ID and a maintenance target ID. The work target information generating unit 350a generates the user ID and the maintenance target ID as work target information 340a and registers them in the storage unit 340.

When the work target information generating unit 350a receives input of various information at the start of work, it identifies the date and time output from the timer 304 as the start date and time. The work target information generating unit 350a registers the start date and time information in the work report information 340c. The work target information generating unit 350a also registers the worker ID and maintenance target ID in the work report information 340c.

The request unit 350b is a processing unit that requests the work manual information 340b by sending the work target information 340a to the server 400. The request unit 350b receives the work manual information 340b from the server 400 and registers the received work manual information 340b in the storage unit 340.

The work report information generating unit 350c outputs the work manual information 340b to the display unit 303 for display. The work report information generating unit 150c converts the voice data input from the microphone 10a equipped on the worker 10 into text data and registers the text data in the work report information 340c. When registering the text data in the work report information 340c, the work report information generating unit 350c adds a one-minute time stamp to the text data based on the date and time information output from the timer 304.

Explaining this with reference to FIG. 15, if the worker 10 utters "Okay, let's get started..." within one minute of the start date and time, the work report information generating unit 350c associates the timestamp "1" with the text "Okay, let's get started..." and registers them in the work report information 340c. If the worker 10 utters "It's hard..." within two to three minutes from the start date and time, the work report information generating unit 350c associates the timestamp "3" with the text "It's hard..." and registers them in the work report information 340c.

The work report information generating unit 350c repeatedly executes the process of registering timestamps in association with text until it receives information from the input unit 302 that the work has been completed. When it receives information from the input unit 302 that the work has been completed, the work report information generating unit 350c identifies the date and time output from the timer 304 as the end date and time. The work report information generating unit 350c registers the information on the end date and time in the work report information 340c.

The transmission unit 350d is a processing unit that transmits the work report information 340c to the server 400.

Next, the configuration of the server 400 shown in FIG. 12 will be described. FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the server according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 16, the server 400 has a communication unit 410, an input unit 420, a display unit 430, a storage unit 440, and a control unit 450.

The communication unit 410 is a processing unit that executes data communication with the worker terminal 300 via the network 50. The communication unit 410 is an example of a communication device. The control unit 450, which will be described later, exchanges data with the worker terminal 300 via the communication unit 410.

The input unit 420 is an input device for inputting various information to the server 400. The input unit 420 corresponds to a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.

The display unit 430 is a display device that displays various information output from the control unit 450. The display unit 430 corresponds to a liquid crystal display, a touch panel, etc.

The memory unit 440 has a maintenance DB 440a, a work report information table 440b, and a keyword table 440c. The memory unit 240 corresponds to semiconductor memory elements such as RAM, ROM, and flash memory, and storage devices such as HDDs.

The maintenance DB 440a is a database that stores various information related to maintenance work. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the maintenance DB according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, the maintenance DB 440a associates a maintenance target ID, maintenance work information, and work manual information.

In FIG. 17, the maintenance target ID is information that uniquely identifies the part of the maintenance target equipment that is the subject of the maintenance work. The maintenance work information has various information that is used when calculating the standard work time for each work item in the work manual information. The work manual information is work manual information that is referenced when performing maintenance on the part of the maintenance target equipment identified by the maintenance target ID, and corresponds to, for example, that described in FIG. 3.

Figure 18 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of maintenance work information in the maintenance DB according to the second embodiment. In Figure 18, maintenance work information corresponding to the maintenance target ID "D1001" is shown. As shown in Figure 18, the maintenance work time has a work order, work items, standard work time, work time ratio, and standard work total time. In Figure 18, the explanations regarding the work order, work items, standard work time, and standard work total time are the same as those explained in Figure 3.

The task time ratio indicates the ratio of the "standard task time" for the corresponding task item to the "total standard task time." For example, the task time ratio for the task item "remove part" is "10." The task time ratio for the task item "measure part" is "13." The task time ratio for the task item "replace part" is "27." The task time ratio for the task item "install part" is "17." The task time ratio for the task item "check operation" is "33."

Keyword table 440c is a table that holds information that defines negative keywords. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a keyword table according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 19, this keyword table 440c defines a number of negative keywords that are associated with the number.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 16, the control unit 450 has a response unit 450a, a receiving unit 450b, a correction unit 450c, and an update unit 450d. The control unit 450 can be realized by a CPU, an MPU, or the like. The control unit 450 can also be realized by hardwired logic such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

The response unit 450a is a processing unit that performs the following response when it receives the work target information 340a from the worker terminal 300. The response unit 450a extracts the work manual information corresponding to the maintenance target ID of the work target information 340a from the maintenance DB 440a. The response unit 450a transmits the extracted work manual information to the worker terminal 300.

The receiving unit 450b is a processing unit that receives the work report information 340c from the worker terminal 300. The receiving unit 450b registers the received work report information 340c in the work report information table 440c.

The correction unit 450c is a processing unit that corrects the information in the maintenance DB 440a based on the work report information registered in the work report information table 440b.

The correction unit 450c acquires the work report information registered in the work report information table 440b, and calculates the "total actual work time" from the start date and time to the end date and time of the work report information. The correction unit 450c also identifies the "total standard work time" from the work manual information of the maintenance target ID included in the work report information. If the total actual work time is not greater than the total standard work time, the correction unit 450c skips the correction process. On the other hand, if the total actual work time is greater than the total standard work time, the correction unit 450c executes the subsequent correction process.

The correction unit 450c extracts text data included in the work report information. The correction unit 450c compares the extracted text data (text for each timestamp) with the keyword table 440c to identify the number of times negative keywords appear from the text for each timestamp. The total number of times the negative keywords appear is referred to as the "total number of appearances."

The correction unit 450c calculates the "overtime" by subtracting the standard work total time from the actual work total time. The correction unit 450c also calculates the "unit overtime" per negative keyword by dividing the "overtime" by the "total number of occurrences."

The correction unit 450c associates a timestamp with the number of occurrences of a negative keyword detected from the text corresponding to the timestamp. The correction unit 450c also classifies each timestamp from the start timestamp to the end timestamp according to the task time ratio.

20 is a diagram for explaining the process of the correction unit according to the second embodiment. The correction unit 450c assumes that the time span from the start "1" of the timestamp to the end "N _end " is the entire timestamp "100%, " and classifies the timestamp according to the task time ratio and assigns it to each task item.

For example, the time span of timestamps "1 to N ₁ " is "10%" of all timestamps. The time span of timestamps "N ₁ +1 to N ₂ " is "13%" of all timestamps. The time span of timestamps "N ₂ +1 to N ₃ " is "27%" of all timestamps. The time span of timestamps "N ₃ +1 to N ₄ " is "17%" of all timestamps. The time span of timestamps "N ₄ +1 to N _end " is "33%" of all timestamps.

The correction unit 450c associates timestamps "1 to N ₁ " with the work item "remove part". The correction unit 450c associates timestamps "N ₁ +1 to N ₂ " with the work item "measure part". The correction unit 450c associates timestamps "N ₂ +1 to N ₃ " with the work item "replace part". The correction unit 450c associates timestamps "N ₃ +1 to N ₄ " with the work item "install part". The correction unit 450c associates timestamps "N ₄ +1 to N _end " with the work item "check operation".

Next, an example of the process in which the correction unit 450c corrects the standard operation time corresponding to the work item "take out parts" will be described. The correction unit 450c identifies the number of occurrences of negative keywords detected from text corresponding to timestamps "1 to N ₁ ". The correction unit 450c calculates the additional time by multiplying the identified number of occurrences by the unit excess time. The correction unit 450c corrects the standard operation time by adding the additional time to the standard operation time corresponding to the work item "take out parts".

For example, the standard operation time corresponding to the work item "removing parts" is "3". The number of occurrences of a negative keyword detected from text corresponding to timestamps "1 to N ₁ " is "1". Furthermore, the unit excess time is "1.7". In this case, the additional time is "1 x 1.7 = 1.7", and the corrected standard operation time is "3 + 1.7 = 4.7". Correction unit 450c repeats the above process for other work items to correct each standard operation time.

The update unit 450d is a processing unit that updates the standard operation times in the work manual information when the standard operation times are corrected by the correction unit 450c. For example, when each standard operation time corresponding to the maintenance target ID "D1001" is corrected by the correction unit 450c, each standard operation time in the work manual information corresponding to the maintenance target ID "D1001" is updated.

Next, an example of the processing procedure of the worker terminal 300 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the worker terminal according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 21, the work target information generating unit 350a of the worker terminal 300 receives input of information on the worker ID and the maintenance target ID from the input unit 302, and generates work target information 340a (step S301).

The work object information generating unit 350a records the start date and time of the maintenance work in the work report information 340c (step S302). The requesting unit 350b of the worker terminal 300 transmits the work object information 340a to the server 400 (step S303). The requesting unit 350b receives the work manual information 340b corresponding to the work object information 340a from the server 400 and registers it in the memory unit 340 (step S304).

The work report information generating unit 350c outputs the work manual information 140b to the display unit 303 for display (step S305). The work report information generating unit 350c starts a process of acquiring voice data during work and converting it into text data (step S306). The work report information generating unit 350c starts a process of recording a timestamp in the text data (step S307).

If the work has not been completed (step S308, No), the work report information generating unit 350c proceeds to step S306. If the work has been completed (step S308, Yes), the work report information generating unit 350c records the end date and time of the maintenance work in the work report information 340c (step S309).

The work report information generating unit 350c ends the process of converting the data into text data and recording the time stamp (step S310). The sending unit 350d sends the work report information 340c to the server 400 (step S311).

Next, an example of the processing procedure of the server 400 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the server according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 22, the receiving unit 450b of the server 400 receives the work report information 340c from the worker terminal 300 (step S401) and registers the work report information 340c in the work report information table 440b (step S402).

If the actual work total information is not greater than the standard work total time (step S403, No), the correction unit 450c of the server 400 ends the process. If the actual work total information is greater than the standard work total time (step S403, Yes), the correction unit 450c of the server 400 identifies the work time ratio for each work item (step S404).

The correction unit 450c calculates the excess time (step S405). The correction unit 450c detects the number of occurrences of each negative keyword included in the text for the timestamp (step S406). The correction unit 450c calculates the unit excess time per negative keyword (step S407).

The correction unit 450c associates the number of occurrences of negative keywords with each work item based on the work time ratio of each work item (step S408). The correction unit 450c calculates the additional time for each work item and corrects the standard work time (step S409). The update unit 450d of the server 400 updates the standard work time for each work item in the work manual information (step S410).

Next, the effects of the system according to the second embodiment will be described. The worker terminal 300 displays the work manual information received from the server 400, and the worker 10 performs maintenance of the equipment 15 to be maintained while referring to the work manual information and inputs voice. The worker terminal 300 converts the voice of the worker 10 into text data, generates work report information including information associating a timestamp with the text data, and transmits it to the server 400.

The server 400 identifies the number of times negative keywords appear for each work item based on the text data of the worker report information, and corrects the standard work time for the work item based on the number of times they appear. This makes it possible to accurately estimate the time required for maintenance work based on the tweets of the worker 10 while working.

It is also possible to build a server that combines the functions of the server 200 of the first embodiment and the server 400 of the second embodiment. For example, this server has the control unit 250 shown in FIG. 5 and the control unit 450 shown in FIG. 16, and performs a process of correcting the work time using a correction value according to the attributes of the worker, and correcting the work time based on the number of times negative keywords appear.

Next, an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the same functions as the server 200 (400) shown in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the same functions as the server according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 23, computer 500 has a CPU 501 that executes various arithmetic processes, an input device 502 that accepts data input from the user, and a display 503. Computer 500 also has a reading device 504 that reads programs and the like from a storage medium, and an interface device 505 that transmits and receives data to and from external devices and the like via a wired or wireless network. Computer 500 has a RAM 506 that temporarily stores various information, and a hard disk device 507. Each of devices 501 to 507 is connected to a bus 508.

The hard disk drive 507 has a response program 507a, a reception program 507b, a correction program 507c, and an update program 507d. The CPU 501 reads out the response program 507a, the reception program 507b, the correction program 507c, and the update program 507d and loads them into the RAM 506.

The response program 507a functions as a response process 506a. The reception program 507b functions as a reception process 506b. The correction program 507c functions as a correction process 506c. The update program 507d functions as an update process 506d.

The processing of the response process 506a corresponds to the processing of the response units 250a and 450a. The processing of the reception process 506b corresponds to the processing of the reception units 250b and 450b. The processing of the correction process 506c corresponds to the processing of the correction units 250c and 450c. The processing of the update process 506d corresponds to the processing of the update units 250d and 450d.

Note that each of the programs 507a to 507d does not necessarily have to be stored in the hard disk drive 507 from the beginning. For example, each program may be stored in a "portable physical medium" such as a flexible disk (FD), CD-ROM, DVD disk, magneto-optical disk, or IC card that is inserted into the computer 500. Then, the computer 500 may read and execute each of the programs 507a to 507d.

10 Worker 10a Microphone 15 Equipment to be maintained 50 Network 100 Worker terminal 101, 210, 301, 410 Communication unit 102, 220, 302, 420 Input unit 103, 230, 303, 430 Display unit 104, 304 Timer 140, 240, 340, 440 Storage unit 140a, 340a Work object information 140b, 340b Work manual information 140c, 340c Work report information 150, 250, 350, 450 Control unit 150a, 350a Work object information generation unit 150b, 350b Request unit 150c, 350c Work report information generation unit 150d, 350d Transmission unit 240a Worker DB
240b, 440a Maintenance DB
240c, 440b Work report information table 250a, 450a Response unit 250b, 450b Reception unit 250c, 450c Correction unit 250d, 450d Update unit 440c Keyword table

Claims (3)

a receiving unit that receives, for each worker, report information including a task time required for the worker to perform a predetermined task from start to finish and text information of speech uttered by the worker from start to finish of the predetermined task;
a correction unit that identifies the number of occurrences of a predetermined keyword having a negative meaning included in the text information, calculates a unit excess time generated each time the predetermined keyword is uttered by dividing a difference time between a standard work time preset for the predetermined work and the work time by the number of occurrences, and corrects the standard work time based on the calculated unit excess time. The computer
receiving report information for each worker, the report information including a task time required for the worker to perform a predetermined task from start to finish and text information of speech uttered by the worker from start to finish of the predetermined task;
a process of calculating an excess time per unit time generated each time the specified keyword is uttered by one utterance of the specified keyword by dividing a difference time between a standard work time preset for the specified work and the specified work time by the number of occurrences of the specified keyword, and correcting the standard work time based on the calculated excess time per unit time. On the computer,
receiving report information for each worker, the report information including a task time required for the worker to perform a predetermined task from start to finish and text information of speech uttered by the worker from start to finish of the predetermined task;
a process of calculating an excess time per unit time generated each time the specified keyword is uttered by one utterance of the specified keyword by dividing a difference time between a standard work time preset for the specified work and the specified work time by the number of occurrences of the specified keyword, and correcting the standard work time based on the calculated excess time per unit time.

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