JP7600060B2 - Cold rolling planning system and cold rolling planning method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cold rolling planning system and a cold rolling planning method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cold rolling planning system and a cold rolling planning method that plan the order in which steel sheets are fed into a continuous cold rolling process in which the steel sheets produced by hot rolling are further processed to be thinner.

PL-TCM (Pickling Line - Tandem Cold Mill) is used in the steel industry. The PL-TCM sequentially performs welding, pickling, trimming and rolling processes on strip steel (steel plate) discharged from multiple coils.

In the welding process, the preceding coil material and the following coil material, which are processed in different orders, are joined by welding each time the preceding coil material is unloaded. Therefore, the PL-TCM can operate continuously 24 hours a day, efficiently producing rolled products of various steel types from each of the multiple coil materials.

However, with the PL-TCM, if the combination of the width, thickness, etc. of the preceding coil material and the width, thickness, etc. of the succeeding coil material is inappropriate, the strip steel may break within the PL-TCM due to rolling, etc. In this case, the production line will stop until the broken material is removed from the PL-TCM and the PL-TCM is ready to operate, which may result in reduced production efficiency.

Therefore, it is preferable to plan the rolling order of multiple coil materials (i.e., the order of input into the PL-TCM) so as to satisfy the constraints based on the user's experience. Known examples of constraints based on the user's experience include the example disclosed in Patent Document 1. Known technologies capable of formulating production plans include the example disclosed in Patent Document 2 (also referred to as "MLCP"). The example disclosed in Patent Document 2 can reproduce the production plan of an expert taking into account multiple constraints.

Patent No. 3248476 International Publication No. 2018/220885

In continuous cold rolling using the PL-TCM, production plans are drawn up daily to determine when (and in what order) which products will be produced, taking into account the characteristics of the production equipment mentioned above. However, as the planning process requires various considerations, final adjustments are made on-site where the PL-TCM is operated, resulting in cumbersome operations. Furthermore, cumbersome operations can result in inadequately considered production sequences, resulting in unnecessary trimmer adjustments, roll changes, and the use of transfer materials, or in handling emergency additional orders on-site, which can lead to unreasonable welding and plate breakage problems. For this reason, judgment based on the experience of an experienced worker is required to make corrections in a short time without compromising the quality of the plan.

Incidentally, when systematizing planning tasks, including the example disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to clarify the constraints and organize them as system requirements. However, if the requirements (conditions necessary for systematizing planning tasks (plan formulation)) are incorporated into the system as constraints from scratch each time a system is constructed, it will take a long time to introduce the system. Furthermore, when requirements are heard from experts, the know-how is often not clearly written down, which tends to take even more time. Furthermore, since the know-how differs for each user, the constraints cannot be determined uniformly, and in order to incorporate the constraints necessary for plan formulation into the system, each user must be interviewed, which is very time-consuming.

The present invention has been made to address the above-mentioned problems. That is, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a cold rolling planning system and a cold rolling planning method that can easily and quickly set the constraint conditions required for cold rolling planning.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the cold rolling planning system of the present invention is a cold rolling planning system including an information processing device that acquires steel plate specification data including a plurality of pieces of information indicating the specifications of a steel plate product manufactured from a coil material by a continuous cold rolling process, and based on the steel plate specification data, determines an order in which the plurality of coil materials corresponding to the specifications of the plurality of steel plate products included in the steel plate specification data are processed by the continuous cold rolling process. The information processing device includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of constraint condition templates into which specific information for generating constraint conditions is input, and is configured to generate a plurality of the constraint conditions based on the plurality of constraint condition templates into which the specific information is input, include the plurality of the constraint conditions in calculation conditions, and perform optimization calculations under the calculation conditions, thereby determining an order in which the plurality of the coil materials corresponding to the specifications of the plurality of steel plate products included in the steel plate specification data are processed by the continuous cold rolling process.

The cold rolling planning method of the present invention is a cold rolling planning method using an information processing device that acquires steel plate specification data including a plurality of pieces of information indicating the specifications of a steel plate product manufactured from coil material by a continuous cold rolling process, and, based on the steel plate specification data, determines an order in which the plurality of coil materials corresponding to the specifications of the plurality of steel plate products included in the steel plate specification data are processed by the continuous cold rolling process. The information processing device includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of constraint condition templates into which specific information for generating constraint conditions is input, and the information processing device generates a plurality of the constraint conditions based on the plurality of constraint condition templates into which the specific information is input, includes the plurality of the constraint conditions in calculation conditions, and performs optimization calculations under the calculation conditions, thereby determining an order in which the plurality of coil materials corresponding to the specifications of the plurality of steel plate products included in the steel plate specification data are processed by the continuous cold rolling process.

According to the present invention, the constraints required for formulating a cold rolling plan can be set easily and quickly.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a cold rolling process targeted by a cold rolling planning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a cold rolling planning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the cold rolling planning system. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure of the process of formulating a continuous cold rolling plan in the cold rolling plan formulating system. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining steel plate specification data. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the constraint condition setting screen. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a steel type combination setting screen. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of data created using the constraint condition template. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of data created using the constraint condition template. FIG. 10A is a diagram showing the arrangement of the widths, thicknesses and steel types of a plurality of target coil materials corresponding to the loading sequence of the plurality of target coil materials before the loading sequence is determined. FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the plate widths, plate thicknesses and steel types of the target coil materials corresponding to the loading sequence of the target coil materials when the loading sequence of the target coil materials is manually determined. FIG. 10C shows the plate widths, plate thicknesses and steel types of the target coil materials corresponding to the input sequence of the target coil materials when the input sequence of the target coil materials is determined by the plan optimization calculation unit 204. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of the calculation result data represented in a table. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of the calculation result data displayed as an image.

A cold rolling planning system 200 (see FIG. 2) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the cold rolling planning system 200 will be referred to as the "planning system 200." In the following description, various pieces of information may be described using expressions such as "tables" and "records," but the various pieces of information may be expressed using data structures other than these.

<Continuous cold rolling process>
First, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, a brief description will be given of a continuous cold rolling process (more precisely, a continuous pickling cold rolling process) targeted by the planning system 200. Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining a continuous cold rolling process targeted by the planning system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The continuous cold rolling process can continuously roll multiple coil materials by welding together the preceding coil material and the following coil material, which are processed in the opposite order, each time the preceding coil material is unloaded. Therefore, the continuous cold rolling process can continuously produce steel plate products of various steel types. The continuous cold rolling process can operate continuously for 24 hours, which improves the productivity of steel plate products. The continuous cold rolling process is well known, so it will be briefly described below.

In the continuous cold rolling process, first, the coil material (strip steel wound into a coil) is discharged by an uncoiler (not shown) and fed into a PL-TCM (continuous pickling tandem cold rolling mill) 100. In the PL-TCM 100, the welding process 101, pickling process 102, trimming process 103 and rolling process 104 described below are carried out in that order.

In the welding process 101, each time the unwinding of the leading coil material is completed, a welding machine (not shown) is used to weld the winding start end of the trailing coil material to the winding end of the leading coil material to join them.

In the pickling process 102, the strip steel (steel plate) discharged from the coil material is pickled in pickling equipment (not shown) to remove the oxide film and rust from the surface of the strip steel. In the trimming process 103, the strip steel is trimmed by a trimmer (not shown) to adjust the shape of the strip steel. In the rolling process 104, the strip steel is rolled to the target thickness by a tandem rolling mill (not shown). The strip steel rolled to the target thickness is then wound by a winding machine (not shown). In this way, various types of steel plate products are continuously produced from multiple coil materials rolled to various target thicknesses.

<Configuration>
2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the planning system 200. The planning system 200 is a system for formulating a cold rolling plan. The cold rolling plan is a production plan that determines when (and in what order) which products are to be produced for a plurality of steel plate products (rolled products). In other words, the cold rolling plan is a plan for formulating the order in which a plurality of coil materials, which are the material for the steel plate products, are input into the PL-TCM. The planning system 200 automatically formulates a plan for the order in which a plurality of coil materials, which are the material for the steel plate products, are input into the PL-TCM 100.

The planning system 200 includes a target input unit 201, a constraint condition storage unit 202, a constraint condition setting input unit 203, a plan optimization calculation unit 204, and a plan output unit 205.

The target input unit 201 acquires steel plate specification data representing the specifications of the steel plate product that is the target of the planning and inputs the acquired steel plate specification data to the plan optimization calculation unit 204. For example, the target input unit 201 acquires the steel plate specification data by importing a CSV format file that corresponds to the specifications of the steel plate product. The target input unit 201 may also acquire the steel plate specification data by importing the steel plate specification data from another system, such as an MES (Manufacturing Execution System), using an interface other than a file format. The steel plate specification data will be described in detail later.

The constraint condition storage unit 202 holds (stores, memorizes) multiple constraint condition templates. For convenience, the constraint condition storage unit 202 is also referred to as the "storage unit." The constraint condition templates are used to generate constraint conditions to be used in optimization calculations when formulating a cold rolling plan.

Furthermore, the constraint condition storage unit 202 holds (stores, stores) one or more combinations of a plurality of predetermined constraint condition templates that are recommended from among the plurality of constraint condition templates as recommended constraint condition combination templates.

The constraint condition template is configured to allow information to be input (added, changed, deleted, etc.). The constraint condition template includes identification information (e.g., name) for identifying the corresponding constraint condition. Note that the identification information may be identification information other than the name (e.g., identification number). The constraint condition template is configured to allow specific parameters of the corresponding constraint condition to be input. The constraint condition template is configured to allow information indicating whether or not the corresponding constraint condition is to be included in the calculation conditions when the optimization calculation is performed to be input. The constraint condition template is configured to allow a priority for observing the corresponding constraint condition during the optimization calculation to be input.

The constraint condition setting input unit 203 inputs (adds, changes, etc.) information to the constraint condition template. For example, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 adds information corresponding to the unique parameters of the constraint condition template to the constraint condition template. For example, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 inputs (sets) information (for example, a setting flag) indicating whether or not the corresponding constraint condition is to be included in the calculation conditions when performing the optimization calculation to the constraint condition template.

When the setting flag has a value of "1", it indicates that the constraint condition corresponding to the constraint template is to be included in the calculation conditions when the optimization calculation is performed. When the setting flag has a value of "0", it indicates that the constraint condition corresponding to the constraint template is not to be included in the calculation conditions when the optimization calculation is performed. Note that, hereinafter, including the constraint condition corresponding to the constraint template in the calculation conditions when the optimization calculation is performed is also referred to as "the constraint condition (setting flag) is ON (is set)." Note that not including the constraint condition corresponding to the constraint template in the calculation conditions when the optimization calculation is performed is also referred to as "the constraint condition (setting flag) is OFF (is set)."

For example, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 inputs (sets) information indicating the priority with which the corresponding constraint condition is observed during optimization calculation (for example, a numerical value that increases as the priority increases (for example, any numerical value between 0 and 1)) into the constraint condition template).

The planning optimization calculation unit 204 generates calculation conditions including constraint conditions based on the constraint condition template into which information has been input, and determines the input order of multiple coil materials into the PL-TCM.

For example, the plan optimization calculation unit 204 generates constraint conditions based on a constraint condition template into which unique parameters have been input, and includes in the calculation conditions constraint conditions whose setting flags are ON and the priorities corresponding to those constraint conditions. Furthermore, the plan optimization calculation unit 204 sets the calculation conditions by including in the calculation conditions information such as evaluation indexes required for optimization calculation. The plan optimization calculation unit 204 performs optimization calculations under the set calculation conditions, thereby calculating the input order of multiple coil materials into the PL-TCM corresponding to the specifications of multiple steel plates included in the steel plate specification data.

The plan optimization calculation unit 204 has the programs necessary to execute the processes for performing these calculations. By executing the programs, the plan optimization calculation unit 204 calculates the order in which the target multiple coil materials are fed into the PL-TCM by solving an optimization problem that optimizes the processing order of the target multiple coil materials under calculation conditions set based on information such as steel plate specification data and a constraint condition template with information input therein.

The plan output unit 205 outputs the results calculated by the plan optimization calculation unit 204.

The planning system 200 can be configured, for example, by a computer (information processing device). Note that the planning system 200 does not necessarily have to be configured by one piece of hardware, and may be configured by multiple pieces of hardware. In this case, for example, each of the multiple pieces of hardware may be capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from each other via a network. For example, each of the multiple pieces of hardware may be capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from each other via a network by exchanging files between the multiple pieces of hardware. A fifth generation mobile communication system (5G (5th Generation)) may be used for transmitting and receiving (communicating) data between the multiple pieces of hardware.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the planning system 200. As shown in Figure 3, the planning system 200 includes a server device 210 and a terminal 220. The server device 210 and the terminal 220 are connected via a network NW1.

The server device 210 includes a CPU 211, a ROM 212, a RAM 213, a non-volatile storage device (HDD) 214 capable of reading and writing data, a network interface 215, and an input/output interface 216. These are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a bus 217. For convenience, the server device 210 is also referred to as an "information processing device."

The CPU 211 loads various programs (not shown) stored in the ROM 212 and/or HDD 214 into the RAM 213 and executes the programs loaded into the RAM 213 to realize various functions. As described above, various programs executed by the CPU 211 are loaded into the RAM 213, and data used when the CPU 211 executes the various programs is temporarily stored. The ROM 212 and/or HDD 214 are non-volatile storage media, and various programs are stored in the ROM 212 and/or HDD 214. The network interface 215 is an interface for connecting the planning system 200 to the network NW1. The input/output interface 216 is an interface for connecting to a keyboard, a display, etc.

The terminal 220 includes a CPU 221, a ROM 222, a RAM 223, a non-volatile storage device (HDD) 224 capable of reading and writing data, a network interface 225, and an input/output interface 226. These are connected to each other via a bus 227 so as to be able to communicate with each other. Furthermore, a display device 230 and an input device 240 are connected to the terminal 220. The terminal 220 may also include the display device 230 and the input device 240.

The CPU 221 loads various programs (not shown) stored in the ROM 222 and/or the HDD 224 into the RAM 223 and executes the programs loaded into the RAM 223 to realize various functions. As described above, various programs executed by the CPU 221 are loaded into the RAM 223, and data used when the CPU 221 executes the various programs is temporarily stored. The ROM 222 and/or the HDD 224 are non-volatile storage media, and various programs are stored in the ROM 222 and/or the HDD 224. The network interface 225 is an interface for connecting the planning system 200 to the network NW1. The input/output interface 226 is an interface for connecting to the display device 230, the input device 240, etc.

The target input unit 201 is composed of various programs stored in the ROM 212 and/or HDD 214 executed by the CPU 211 of the server device 210, and the input/output interface 216 and/or network interface 215. The constraint condition storage unit 202 is composed of the HDD 214 of the server device 210.

For example, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 is composed of various programs stored in the ROM 222 and/or HDD 224 executed by the CPU 221 of the terminal 220, as well as an input/output interface 226 and/or a network interface 225, a display device 230 and an input device 240 connected to the input/output interface 226.

For example, the plan optimization calculation unit 204 is composed of various programs stored in the ROM 212 and/or the HDD 214 and executed by the CPU 211 of the server device 210.

For example, the plan output unit 205 is composed of various programs stored in the ROM 212 and/or HDD 214 that are executed by the CPU 211 of the terminal, as well as an input/output interface 216 and/or a network interface 215, and a display device 230 connected to the input/output interface 216.

＜Overview＞
When systematizing planning operations, it is necessary to clarify the constraints and organize them as system requirements. However, if the requirements are incorporated into the system as constraints from scratch every time a system is built, it will take a long time to introduce the system. When hearing requirements from experts, the know-how is often not clearly written down, and this tends to take more time.

In particular, when building a system that automatically creates continuous cold rolling plans, the following points must be considered for each process, and setting constraints can be time-consuming and costly.

That is, cold rolling is characterized by the fact that it differs from hot rolling in that it processes input steel sheets (i.e., strip steel (steel sheets) discharged from coil material) that have been welded together. Therefore, in the input order of steel sheets to the rolling process 104, which is also common to hot rolling, not only must the width and thickness of the steel sheets be taken into consideration, but in cold rolling, the welding process 101 must also be taken into consideration.

In the welding process 101, the steel plates input in succession are welded, but the thickness, width, and steel type of the steel plates input are not necessarily the same. Since the strength of the welded portion is lower than that of other portions, if the difference in at least one of the thickness and width of the two steel plates to be welded exceeds a certain value, the possibility of breakage increases. Therefore, in order to weld properly, it is necessary to consider the difference in thickness, width, and steel type of the consecutive steel plates. Furthermore, regarding the steel type, the combination of steel types that can be welded without problems is determined depending on the equipment. Furthermore, the input order of the steel plates to the cold rolling process must be planned taking into consideration not only the constraints of the rolling process but also the constraints of the welding process described above. Even if the same parameters (e.g., plate thickness difference, etc.) are used, the constraints of the welding process may be stricter than those of the rolling process, and in that case, optimization calculations must be performed based on the constraints of the welding process. Not only in the welding process 101, but also in the pickling process 102 and trimming process 103, there may be cases where it is necessary to set different constraints.

As described above, when building a system that automatically creates a continuous cold rolling plan, it is necessary to take into account many factors and set the constraints, so it is not easy to set appropriate constraints. Furthermore, when building a system that automatically creates a continuous cold rolling plan, it takes a lot of time and cost to set appropriate constraints.

In response to this, the planning system 200 performs optimization calculations with constraint conditions based on the steel plate specification data acquired by the target input unit 201 and the constraint conditions, thereby automatically formulating the input sequence (rolling sequence) of multiple coil materials corresponding to the multiple steel plate specifications included in the steel plate specification data into the cold rolling process. In order to generate the constraint conditions at this time simply and quickly, the planning system 200 holds (stores, saves) multiple constraint condition templates.

For example, the planning system 200 provides a constraint template to the terminal 220 used by the user. The user can easily generate appropriate constraints by inputting information into the constraint template via the terminal 220. Furthermore, the user can set via the terminal 220 whether or not to use the constraints generated using the constraint template in the optimization calculation. Furthermore, the user can set via the terminal 220 the priority of observing the constraints generated using the constraint template. This allows the planning system 200 to easily set (generate) appropriate constraints in a short time. Therefore, the planning system 200 can reduce the possibility that it will take a lot of time and cost to set appropriate constraints (calculation conditions including appropriate constraints).

<Specific operation>
Hereinafter, a specific operation of the planning system 200 will be described. Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a procedure of a cold rolling planning process of the planning system 200. As shown in Fig. 4, the planning system 200 executes the cold rolling planning process by sequentially performing the following processes from S301 to S310.

S301: The target input unit 201 acquires steel plate specification data, for example, by importing a CSV format file corresponding to the steel plate specification data shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the steel plate specification data is represented in table TB1.

Table TB1 includes columns for storing information (values), such as No. 501, input steel plate length 502, input steel plate width 503, input steel plate thickness 504, output target steel plate width 505, output target steel plate thickness 506, steel type 507, and delivery date 508.

In table TB1, information corresponding to each column of the specifications of one steel plate product is stored as information (record) in one row unit in correspondence with each other. No. 501 is an identification number assigned to the specifications of each steel plate product, and the numbers are assigned in order starting from "1". The input steel plate length 502 stores the plate length of the coil material (input steel plate) used to manufacture the steel plate product. The input steel plate width 503 stores the plate width (width) of the coil material used to manufacture the steel plate product. The input steel plate thickness 504 stores the plate thickness (thickness) of the coil material used to manufacture the steel plate product. The output target steel plate width 505 stores the plate width of the steel plate product (target value of the plate width of the steel plate product after rolling). The output target steel plate thickness 506 stores the plate thickness of the steel plate product (target value of the plate thickness of the steel plate product after rolling). The steel type 507 stores steel type identification information indicating the steel type of the coil material. The delivery date 508 stores the delivery date of the steel plate product.

S302: The target input unit 201 transmits the steel plate specification data to the plan optimization calculation unit 204.

S303: The planning optimization calculation unit 204 receives the steel plate specification data. In order to set calculation conditions including the constraint conditions to be used in the optimization calculation, the planning optimization calculation unit 204 requests the constraint condition template with information input (constraint condition template with information input) from the constraint condition setting input unit 203.

S304: The constraint condition setting input unit 203 requests a recommended constraint condition combination template corresponding to the steel plate specification data from the constraint condition storage unit 202. The constraint condition setting input unit 203 may select multiple constraint condition templates based on a user operation and request the selected multiple constraint condition templates.

S305: The constraint condition storage unit 202 identifies a recommended constraint condition combination template that corresponds to the steel plate specification data, and transmits information including the identified recommended constraint condition combination template to the constraint condition setting input unit 203. When multiple constraint condition templates selected based on user operation are requested, the constraint condition storage unit 202 identifies the requested multiple constraint condition templates, and transmits information including the requested multiple constraint condition templates and necessary for displaying the constraint condition setting screen 600 described below to the constraint condition setting input unit 203.

S306: The constraint condition setting input unit 203 displays a constraint condition setting screen 600 as a GUI screen constituting a GUI (Graphical User Interface) on, for example, the display device 230 based on information including the recommended constraint condition combination template. Figure 6 shows an example of the constraint condition setting screen 600.

As shown in FIG. 6, the constraint condition setting screen 600 includes a first column 601 displaying the name of the constraint condition, a second column 602 displaying a first check box CB1 for setting each constraint condition to either ON or OFF, a third column 603 displaying a first input box IB1 for specifying the priority by a numerical value in the range of 0 to 1, a second input box IB11 for setting unique parameters corresponding to each constraint condition (constraint condition template), a fourth column 604 displaying a steel type combination setting screen button Bt1, a save template button 605, and a call template button 606.

The user operates the GUI (inputs information into the GUI) via an input device 240 such as a mouse or keyboard that constitutes the constraint condition setting input unit 203. The constraint condition setting input unit 203 inputs information into the constraint condition template based on the information input into the GUI.

The first check box CB1 displayed in the second column 602 is operated by the user to set the constraint condition generated based on the corresponding constraint condition template to either ON or OFF. In other words, when the user operates the first check box CB1 while a check mark (check mark) is not displayed in the first check box CB1, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 sets the value of the setting flag of the constraint condition template corresponding to that first check box CB1 to "1" and displays a check mark (check mark) on the first check box CB1.

When a check mark (ticker) is displayed on the first check box CB1 and the user operates the first check box CB1, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 sets the value of the setting flag of the constraint condition template corresponding to that first check box CB1 to "0.") and also makes the check mark (ticker) displayed on the first check box CB1 invisible.

The first input box IB1 displayed in the third column 603 is operated by the user to set the priority in the optimization calculation of the corresponding constraint template. That is, when the user inputs any numerical value in the range of 0 to 1 into the first input box IB1, the constraint setting input unit 203 sets the priority in the optimization calculation of the constraint generated from the constraint template corresponding to the first input box IB1 to the value input into the first input box IB1.

The second input box IB11 displayed in the second row of the fourth column 604 is operated by the user to set the limit value of the plate width difference between the leading plate (leading coil material) and the trailing plate (trailing coil material), which is an inherent parameter of the corresponding constraint condition template. In other words, when the user inputs a numerical value into the second input box IB11, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 sets the limit value of the plate width difference between the leading plate and the trailing plate, which is an inherent parameter of the constraint condition template corresponding to the second input box IB11, to the value input into the second input box IB11.

The second input box IB11 displayed in the third row of the fourth column 604 is operated by the user to set the limit value of the thickness difference between the leading and trailing plates, which is an inherent parameter of the corresponding constraint template. That is, when the user inputs a numerical value into the second input box IB11, the constraint setting input unit 203 sets the limit value of the thickness difference between the leading and trailing plates, which is an inherent parameter of the constraint template corresponding to the second input box IB11, to the value input into the second input box IB11.

The steel type combination setting screen button Bt1 displayed on the fourth row of the fourth column 604 is operated by the user to display another GUI screen, the steel type combination setting screen 700 (see FIG. 7 described below) (to move from the constraint condition setting screen to the steel type combination setting screen 700 shown in FIG. 7). In other words, when the user operates the steel type combination setting screen button Bt1, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 displays the steel type combination setting screen 700 instead of the constraint condition setting screen 600.

The template save button 605 is operated by the user to save the content input to the constraint condition template via the constraint condition setting screen 600. When the template save button 605 is operated by the user, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 saves the recommended constraint condition combination template with the unique parameters, priority, and setting flags input in the constraint condition saving unit 202. The template call button 606 is operated by the user to redisplay the recommended constraint condition combination template including the saved content. When the template call button 606 is operated by the user, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 calls the recommended constraint condition combination template including the saved content from the constraint condition saving unit 202 and displays the constraint condition setting screen 600.

Figure 7 shows an example of a steel type combination setting screen. As shown in Figure 7, the steel type combination setting screen 700 includes a first column 701 displaying a third input box IB21 for inputting a steel type identification name, a second column 702 displaying the steel type identification number of the leading plate, a third column 703 displaying a fourth input box IB31 for inputting the recommendation level of the combination of the trailing plate of the steel type with steel type identification number 1 and the leading plate of the steel type with each steel type identification number, and a fourth input box IB41 for inputting the recommendation level of the combination of the trailing plate of the steel type with steel type identification number 2 and the leading plate of the steel type with each steel type identification number. It includes a fourth column 704 displaying a fifth input box IB41 for inputting the recommendation level, a fifth column 705 displaying a sixth input box IB51 for inputting the recommendation level of a combination of a trailing plate of a steel type with steel type identification number 3 and a leading plate of a steel type with each steel type identification number, a sixth column 706 displaying a seventh input box IB61 for inputting the recommendation level of a combination of a trailing plate of a steel type with steel type identification number 4 and a leading plate of a steel type with each steel type identification number, and a back button 707.

Each of the third input boxes IB21 displayed in the first column 701 is operated by the user to input the identification name (steel type identification name) of the steel type for which the recommendation level of the steel type combination is to be set. Each of the fourth input boxes IB31 displayed in the third column 703 is operated by the user to input the recommendation level of the combination of the trailing plate of the steel type with identification number 1 and the leading plate of the steel type with each identification number. Each of the fifth input boxes IB41 displayed in the fourth column 704 is operated by the user to input the recommendation level of the combination of the trailing plate of the steel type with identification number 2 and the leading plate of the steel type with each identification number. Each of the four sixth input boxes IB51 displayed in the fifth column 705 is operated by the user to input the recommendation level of the combination of the trailing plate of the steel type with identification number 3 and the leading plate of the steel type with each identification number. Each of the four seventh input boxes IB61 displayed in the sixth column 706 is operated by the user to input the degree of recommendation for the combination of the trailing plate of the steel type with identification number 4 and the preceding plate of the steel type with each identification number. The back button 707 is operated by the user to return from the steel type combination setting screen 700 to the constraint condition setting screen 600.

When the user inputs a numerical value (recommendation level) for each of the third to seventh input boxes IB21 to IB61, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 sets the recommendation level for the combination of the steel type of the leading plate and the steel type of the trailing plate, which is the constraint condition, to the value input for each of the third to seventh input boxes IB21 to IB61. As a result, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 generates a recommendation level for the combination of the steel type of the leading plate and the steel type of the trailing plate as an inherent parameter of the constraint condition template. The constraint condition setting input unit 203 inputs (sets) the recommendation level for the combination of the steel type of the leading plate and the steel type of the trailing plate generated in the constraint condition setting template.

As described above, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 sets (inputs) information into the constraint condition template based on the information input into the GUI screen. Figures 8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining an example of a constraint condition template represented in table TB2 into which information has been input. Note that the information (unique parameters) corresponding to "3" in constraint condition No. 801 is represented by table TB3 in Figure 9, which is associated with table TB2 in Figure 9.

As shown in FIG. 8, table TB2 includes columns for storing information (values), such as constraint number 801, setting flag 802, priority 803, first unique parameter 804, and second unique parameter 805.

In table TB2, information corresponding to each column related to one constraint condition is associated with each other and stored as one row of information (record).

In the constraint condition No. 801, an identification number of the constraint condition is stored. In the setting flag (ON/OFF flag) 802, a value of the setting flag indicating the setting state of the constraint condition is stored. In the priority 803, a priority of the constraint condition is stored. In the first unique parameter 804, a unique parameter corresponding to each constraint condition is stored. In the second unique parameter 805, when a unique parameter corresponding to each constraint condition different from the unique parameter stored in the first unique parameter 804 exists, the unique parameter is stored. Note that FIG. 8 shows an example in which there is no parameter corresponding to the second unique parameter 805.

As shown in FIG. 9, table TB3 includes columns for storing information (values): steel type No. 901, steel type identification name 902, steel type identification number "1" 903, steel type identification number "2" 904, steel type identification number "3", and steel type identification number "4".

In table TB3, information corresponding to each column for one steel type identification number as a preceding plate is associated with each other and stored as information (record) in one row unit.

In the steel type No. 901, the steel type identification number is stored. In the steel type identification name 902, the steel type identification name is stored. In the steel type identification number "1" 903, the recommendation level of the combination of the steel type of the steel type identification name as the leading plate and the steel type corresponding to the steel type identification number "1" as the trailing plate is stored. In the steel type identification number "2" 904, the recommendation level of the combination of the steel type of the steel type identification name as the leading plate and the steel type corresponding to the steel type identification number "2" as the trailing plate is stored. In the steel type identification number "3" 905, the recommendation level of the combination of the steel type of the steel type identification name as the leading plate and the steel type corresponding to the steel type identification number "3" as the trailing plate is stored. In the steel type identification number "4" 906, the recommendation level of the combination of the steel type of the steel type identification name as the leading plate and the steel type corresponding to the steel type identification number "3" as the trailing plate is stored.

S307: The constraint condition setting input unit 203 sends the constraint condition template with the input information to the planning optimization calculation unit 204.

S308: The planning optimization calculation unit 204 sets calculation conditions including the constraint conditions used for calculation based on the steel plate specification data received in S302 and the constraint condition template into which information has been input, and performs optimization calculation (planning optimization calculation) to optimize the coil material input order based on the evaluation index appropriately set for performing optimization calculation under the set calculation conditions. As a result, the planning optimization calculation unit 204 formulates the input order of the target (multiple target coil materials) to the PL-TCM 100 based on the set constraint conditions. The planning optimization calculation unit 204 generates calculation result data representing the formulation result. Here, an example of the result of the planning optimization calculation and the calculation result data will be described with reference to Figures 10A to 10C. Figure 10A shows the arrangement of the plate widths, plate thicknesses and steel types of the target coil materials corresponding to the input order of the target coil materials before the input order is formulated. Figure 10B shows the plate widths, plate thicknesses and steel types of the target coil materials corresponding to the input order of the target coil materials when the input order of the target coil materials is formulated manually. FIG. 10C shows the plate widths, plate thicknesses, and steel types of the target coil materials corresponding to the input order of the target coil materials when the input order of the target coil materials is determined by the planning optimization calculation unit 204.

In this example, three parameters related to the constraints of the rolling process and the welding process are shown. In FIG. 10B, although the plate width and plate thickness have been organized, the steel types are not arranged in an order suitable for the welding process. Furthermore, since the input order is formulated manually, it takes time. FIG. 10C shows the order of plate width, plate thickness, and steel type corresponding to the input order of the multiple coil materials targeted as the result of the optimization calculation of this example. In the example of FIG. 10C, since the constraint priority is assigned especially to the steel type for optimization in the welding process, a plan of the input order that reflects this is formulated. In FIG. 10C, the plate width and plate thickness are organized, and the steel types are also arranged in an appropriate order. Furthermore, since the input order is formulated by the plan optimization calculation unit 204, the input order can be formulated in a short time.

Figure 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of the calculation result data represented in table TB4. As shown in Figure 11, table TB4 includes input sequence 1001, No. 501, input steel plate length 502, input steel plate width 503, input steel plate thickness 504, output target steel plate width 505, output target steel plate thickness 506, steel type 507, and delivery date 508 as columns for storing information (values).

In table TB4, the input order and the information corresponding to each column regarding the steel plate specifications corresponding to the input order are associated with each other and stored as information (records) in a single row.

Input sequence 1001 stores a number indicating the order in which the steel plate is to be input into the cold rolling process. The information stored in No. 501, input steel plate length 502, input steel plate width 503, input steel plate thickness 504, output target steel plate width 505, output target steel plate thickness 506, steel type 507, and delivery date 508 is the same as the steel plate specification data described above.

S309: The plan optimization calculation unit 204 transmits the calculation result data to the plan output unit 205.

S310: The plan output unit 205 outputs the calculation result data (planning result).

For example, the plan output unit 205 outputs the calculation result data represented in table TB4 shown in FIG. 11 in a CSV file format, for example, to the terminal 220 of the cold rolling planning system 200.

The plan output unit 205 may output the four first bar graphs Gr1 to 4th bar graphs Gr4 shown in FIG. 12, which are created based on the calculation result data, to the screen GM1. The screen GM1 includes the first bar graph Gr1, the second bar graph Gr2, the third bar graph Gr3, and the fourth bar graph Gr4. The first bar graph Gr1 represents the transition of the output target steel plate width of the coil material according to the input order of the target coil materials, with the horizontal axis representing the input order of the target coil materials and the vertical axis representing the output target steel plate width of the coil material. The second bar graph Gr2 represents the transition of the output target steel plate thickness of the coil material according to the input order of the target coil materials, with the horizontal axis representing the input order of the target coil materials and the vertical axis representing the output target steel plate thickness of the coil material. The third bar graph Gr3 represents the transition of the output target steel plate width according to the input order of the target coil materials, with the horizontal axis representing the input order of the target coil materials and the vertical axis representing the output target steel plate width of the coil material. The fourth bar graph Gr4 shows the transition of the input steel sheet thickness of the coil material according to the input order of the multiple target coil materials, with the horizontal axis representing the input order of the multiple target coil materials and the vertical axis representing the output target steel sheet thickness of the coil material. For example, a user such as an expert can visually confirm the validity of the formulated plan by looking at the first to fourth bar graphs output on one screen.

＜Effects＞
As described above, the cold rolling planning system according to the embodiment of the present invention can easily and quickly set constraint conditions necessary for planning a cold rolling plan. That is, the cold rolling planning system according to the embodiment of the present invention can easily and quickly generate constraint conditions for a complex cold rolling planning system by using a constraint condition template. Furthermore, according to the cold rolling planning system according to the embodiment of the present invention, even if a person is not an expert, the constraint conditions can be easily and quickly generated. Therefore, the cold rolling planning system according to the embodiment of the present invention can eliminate the dependency on the individual in setting the constraint conditions, and can solve the labor shortage (shortage of experts), which is a social issue.

<<Modifications>>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the target input unit 201 may acquire steel plate specification data from another system such as a manufacturing execution system (MES).

For example, in the above embodiment, the constraint condition setting input unit 203 may be provided in another system such as a manufacturing execution system (MES). In this case, a display unit that displays a graphical user interface similar to the setting screens shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 may be provided on the other system such as the MES.

In the above embodiment, the recommendation level for the steel type combination is set by inputting a numerical value into the steel type combination setting screen, but it is also possible to import data showing the planning results of past users (e.g., experts), analyze the steel type combinations of the preceding coil material and the succeeding coil material used in the plan, and automatically set the optimal recommendation level based on the analysis results.

In the above embodiment, check boxes may be displayed instead of the input boxes on the steel type combination setting screen. In this case, whether or not a combination of steel types of the preceding and succeeding plates is possible may be set based on the user's operation on the check boxes. In the above embodiment, the coil material dispensing device may be controlled so that it automatically dispenses the coil material in sequence according to the determined coil material input sequence.

In the above embodiment, instead of check boxes, ON/OFF setting tools such as radio buttons and pull-down menus may be displayed, and the constraint conditions may be set to ON or OFF based on the user's operation of the radio buttons, pull-down menus, etc.

In the above embodiment, instead of the input box, a numerical input tool such as a pull-down menu or slider may be displayed, and a numerical value may be input based on the user's operation of the pull-down menu or slider. In the above embodiment, instead of the setting flag, the constraint condition may be set to either ON or OFF based on the priority (by setting the priority to either "0" or "a number greater than 0").

100...PL-TCM, 200...Cold rolling planning system, 201...Target input section, 202...Constraint condition storage section, 203...Constraint condition setting input section, 204...Plan optimization calculation section, 205...Plan output section

Claims (7)

A cold rolling planning system including an information processing device that acquires steel plate specification data including a plurality of pieces of information indicating specifications of a steel plate product to be manufactured from a coil material by a continuous cold rolling process, and determines an order of processing a plurality of the coil materials corresponding to the specifications of the plurality of steel plate products included in the steel plate specification data by a continuous cold rolling process based on the steel plate specification data, and a terminal to which a display device and an input device are connected,
The information processing device includes:
a storage unit that stores a plurality of constraint condition templates configured to be able to input specific information for generating a constraint condition , the constraint condition templates being configured to be able to input specific information, the specific information being a unique parameter that is a unique parameter of the constraint condition generated based on the constraint condition template ;
the storage unit stores a predetermined combination of the plurality of constraint condition templates as a recommended constraint condition combination template;
the constraint template is configured to further allow input of flag information indicating whether or not the constraint condition generated based on the constraint template is to be included in a calculation condition;
the constraint template corresponds to the constraint generated based on the constraint template, and a priority of observing the constraint can be further input;
the information processing device provides the recommended constraint condition combination template to the terminal;
the terminal displays a constraint condition setting screen on the display device for inputting information into the recommended constraint condition combination template, and inputs the specific information, the flag information, and the priority into the constraint condition template based on an operation of the constraint condition setting screen via the input device;
The information processing device generates a plurality of constraint conditions based on a plurality of constraint condition templates to which the specific information has been input, includes the plurality of constraint conditions in calculation conditions, and executes an optimization calculation under the calculation conditions, thereby formulating an order in which the plurality of coil materials corresponding to the specifications of the plurality of steel plate products included in the steel plate specification data are processed in the continuous cold rolling process;
based on the constraint template into which the flag information has been input, set whether or not the constraint condition generated based on the constraint template is to be included in the calculation conditions;
based on the constraint condition template into which the priority has been input, the priority corresponding to each of the plurality of constraint conditions is included in the calculation conditions;
It was configured as follows:
Cold rolling planning system. In the cold rolling planning system according to claim 1 ,
The plurality of constraint conditions include a welding process constraint condition which is a constraint condition related to a welding process of the continuous cold rolling process.
Cold rolling planning system. In the cold rolling planning system according to claim 2 ,
The welding process constraint condition includes a thickness constraint condition that is a constraint condition regarding a difference in thickness between the preceding coil material and the following coil material,
The constraint template corresponding to the thickness constraint is configured to input a parameter corresponding to the difference in thickness between the preceding coil material and the following coil material as the inherent parameter.
Cold rolling planning system. In the cold rolling planning system according to claim 2 ,
The welding process constraint condition includes a width constraint condition which is a constraint condition regarding a difference in width between the preceding coil material and the following coil material,
The constraint condition template corresponding to the width constraint condition is configured to input a parameter corresponding to the difference in width between the preceding coil material and the following coil material as the inherent parameter.
Cold rolling planning system. In the cold rolling planning system according to claim 2 ,
The welding process constraint condition is a recommendation degree constraint condition which is a constraint condition regarding a recommendation degree of a combination of a steel type of the preceding coil material and a steel type of the following coil material,
The constraint condition template corresponding to the recommendation degree constraint condition is configured to input the recommendation degree of a combination of a steel type of the preceding coil material and a steel type of the following coil material as the inherent parameter.
Cold rolling planning system. In the cold rolling planning system according to claim 1,
The information processing device includes:
acquiring production management information from a manufacturing execution system, and acquiring the steel sheet specification data from the production management information;
It was configured as follows:
Cold rolling planning system. A cold rolling schedule formulation method using an information processing device and a terminal connected to a display device and an input device, the method comprising: acquiring steel plate specification data including a plurality of pieces of information indicating specifications of a steel plate product to be manufactured from a coil material by a continuous cold rolling process; and formulating an order of processing a plurality of the coil materials corresponding to the specifications of the plurality of steel plate products included in the steel plate specification data by a continuous cold rolling process based on the steel plate specification data,
The information processing device includes:
a storage unit that stores a plurality of constraint condition templates configured to be able to input specific information for generating a constraint condition, the constraint condition templates being configured to allow input of specific information, the specific information being a unique parameter that is a unique parameter of the constraint condition generated based on the constraint condition template ;
the storage unit stores a predetermined combination of the plurality of constraint condition templates as a recommended constraint condition combination template;
the constraint template is configured to further allow input of flag information indicating whether or not the constraint condition generated based on the constraint template is to be included in a calculation condition;
the constraint template corresponds to the constraint generated based on the constraint template, and a priority of observing the constraint can be further input;
providing the recommended constraint condition combination template to the terminal by the information processing device;
displaying, on the display device, a constraint condition setting screen for inputting information into the recommended constraint condition combination template by the terminal, and inputting the specific information, the flag information, and the priority into the constraint condition template based on an operation of the constraint condition setting screen via the input device;
By the information processing device,
generating a plurality of constraint conditions based on the plurality of constraint condition templates into which the specific information has been input, including the plurality of constraint conditions in calculation conditions, and executing an optimization calculation under the calculation conditions, thereby formulating an order in which the plurality of coil materials corresponding to the specifications of the plurality of steel plate products included in the steel plate specification data are processed in the continuous cold rolling process;
based on the constraint template into which the flag information has been input, set whether or not the constraint condition generated based on the constraint template is to be included in the calculation conditions;
based on the constraint condition template into which the priority has been input, the priority corresponding to each of the plurality of constraint conditions is included in the calculation conditions;
How to plan cold rolling.

Images