JP2003316419A - Progress control unit and progress control method for production line - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce an operation loss of a production line caused by a halt of a production line, to prevent a quality problem of a product due to selection error of a halt process, and furthermore, to cut down worker hours accompanied by the management of the halt process of a lot in progress. <P>SOLUTION: A progress control unit 10 has a first computer 1 to control the progress of a process of the lot being in progress on the production line; a second computer 2 to select a halt process of the lot; a data storage means 20 including a first storage unit 3 for storing the lot data; a second storage unit 4 for storing first work time data and a third storage unit for storing operation calendar data, a work report terminal 6 connected to the first computer 1; an input-output terminal 7 connected to the second computer 2; and a means 8 for data communication between the computers. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a progress control method and a progress control device for controlling the progress of an in-process lot using a computer in a production line for manufacturing products in lot units like semiconductor devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a semiconductor device is manufactured through a number of process steps such as a semiconductor device, there are cases in which it is necessary to temporarily stop the progress of the process during the manufacture due to various factors. In the past, various progress control methods have been proposed for alleviating the decrease in production efficiency as much as possible.

As an example thereof, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-285948
Japanese Patent Publication (hereinafter referred to as "Publication 1") discloses a scheduling system for minimizing the influence on a work-in-process lot group when the manufacturing line is temporarily stopped while the manufacturing line is systematically stopped. Is disclosed.

Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-175316 (hereinafter referred to as a known example 2), when the progress of a lot is temporarily stopped due to a reason such as an experiment or development, it is possible to automatically reserve a stopping process in advance. Discloses an FA system having a function of temporarily stopping the progress of a lot.

[0005]

However, in any of the above publications, when the entire production line is stopped, a process that can be most progressed before the production line is stopped is selected from processes in which each lot in process can be stopped. There is no progress control function to
There was also no function of providing information for the operator to judge the process that can be stopped.

During the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, if the product is stored for a long time of several days or more after a long holiday, and the product is not stored in the next process, the surface of the product may chemically change. There is a process that causes quality deterioration such as. Specifically, it is a case where impurities in the air adhere in the process where the silicon is exposed. In addition, once the chemical change occurs, there is also a step in which the product must be discarded because it cannot be recovered by rework. Therefore, in the semiconductor device manufacturing line, it is necessary to manage the storage time even when storing for a long time in addition to the management of the storage allowable time for a short period.

However, in the above-mentioned publicly known examples 1 and 2, no consideration is given to a method of stopping each lot at an optimum in-process step when all manufacturing apparatuses or in-process lots are stopped due to long holidays or the like. In addition, in the case of a lot waiting for work, in the situation where the time passes moment by moment, it was not considered to review the stopping process when the progress to the previously determined stopping process becomes impossible.

Further, conventionally, an operator must judge the selection of the in-process lot stopping process when the manufacturing line is completely stopped due to long holidays or the like. However, according to the judgment of the person, in order to surely stop the manufacturing equipment and the lot before the entire stop time of the manufacturing line, it is often stopped early, which easily causes the operation loss of the manufacturing line and The man-hours required for management were also enormous.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and reduces the production line operation loss due to the stop of the production line, and prevents the product quality problem due to the selection error of the stop process.
Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide a progress control device and a progress control method capable of reducing the number of man-hours required for managing the in-process lot stopping process.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a progress control device for a production line, which manages a process progress of a lot in a production line for producing a predetermined product on a lot basis.
Control means, a manufacturing flow in which processing conditions of a plurality of unit processes and a processing sequence of each unit process are determined in advance corresponding to the product, and each of the manufacturing flows after the unit process in which the product is currently in process Manufacturing device used in the unit process, a first storage unit that stores manufacturing conditions and lot data including stop availability information in each unit process, first working time data required for processing for each manufacturing condition of each manufacturing device And a data storage unit including at least a third storage unit for storing working calendar data including non-working date and time information for stopping the manufacturing line, and each of the data storage units connected to the first control unit. First input / output means arranged for each unit process and for inputting progress data before and after processing the lot, and the lot data stored in the data storage means. And, based on the information including the operating calendar data, stop process information generation processing in which the unit process that can progress to the latest non-operation date and time for each lot of the product currently in process is the stop process of each lot is performed. Second control means for performing, and second input / output means connected to the second control means and displaying at least one of the lot data, the operation calendar data, and the stopping step information in response to an external request. And are included.

Further, in the production line progress control method of the present invention, in the production line for producing a predetermined product in lot units, the progress data of an in-process step in which a lot under production is currently in process is inputted. The process that can be stopped for a long time based on the estimated work time of each process after the work-in-process and the information on whether the process can be stopped in the process corresponding to the lot, and the operating calendar data of the manufacturing line From among the above, there is a step of selecting, as a stop step, a step which can be most advanced by the latest non-working date and time.

When there is a regular processing step for checking the progress status of all the in-process lots being produced on the production line at a predetermined time, the regular processing step is included in the production flow corresponding to each of the in-process lots. Based on the estimated work time of each process and information on whether it can be stopped, and the process that can be stopped for a long time, stop the process that can make the most progress by the latest non-working date and time based on the operating calendar data of the manufacturing line You may make it include the step selected as a process.

In addition, a step of designating a search lot to be searched for lot data, and at the time of designating the search lot, the process of each process after the work in process included in the manufacturing flow corresponding to the search lot is performed. It is also possible to further include a step of displaying the estimated working time required and information on whether or not the process can be stopped together with the operation calendar data of the manufacturing line on a predetermined display means.

In addition, according to a request from the outside, there is a step of displaying a work-in-progress state of the lot, which can be progressed up to the latest non-working date and time, for each manufacturing apparatus based on the information of the stopping process of each lot. Or, in accordance with a request from the outside, a manufacturing flow corresponding to each lot, information on whether or not each process included in the manufacturing flow can be stopped, manufacturing conditions, estimated work time, estimated work-in-progress date and time, stop reservation, etc. There may be a step of displaying lot data including presence / absence of processes up to a process in which the lot can progress by the latest non-working date and time.

The method for controlling the progress of a manufacturing line according to the present invention is based on a manufacturing flow in which a predetermined product is preliminarily set with a plurality of unit process conditions and a processing sequence of each unit process corresponding to the product. In the manufacturing line for manufacturing in lot units, when the manufacturing flow is determined to sequentially perform the processes from the first unit process to the kth unit process (k is an integer of 2 or more), A first setting step of inputting first work time data required for the processing of the unit process and stop possibility information including the maximum allowable storage time after the processing of the unit process until the processing start of the next unit process; A second setting step of inputting non-working date / time information based on the operating calendar data of step 1, and a stop information generating step of generating stop step information, wherein the stop information generating step is Working time for calculating the estimated working time of each unit process after the j-th unit process (where j is an integer of 1 ≦ j <k) currently in process for any lot of the product based on the first working time data A calculation step, a prediction step of predicting an in-process estimated date and time of each of the unit processes based on the estimated work time, and a first non-operation date and time when the estimated in-process date and time is the latest based on the stop availability information and the in-process estimated date and time. The sth unit step (where s is an integer of j <s <k) that is previous and closest to the first non-operation date and time and can be stopped is selected as the stop step of the lot for the first non-operation date and time. And a selecting step.

Further, when there is a scheduled processing step for checking the progress status of all work-in-process lots being manufactured on the manufacturing line at a predetermined time, the scheduled processing step may include the stop information generating step.

Further, when a lot designating step for designating a search lot to be searched for the lot data and a process in process of the search lot at the designated time point is the jth unit process, the lot data is searched and the search lot is searched. A first display step of extracting the expected in-process date and time and the stop availability information of each unit process for each of the unit processes after the j-th unit process and displaying them on a predetermined display means together with the operation calendar data. You can also

Alternatively, in response to a request from the outside, all lots to be processed by the manufacturing apparatus by the latest non-operation date and time for each manufacturing apparatus based on the stop process information of each lot. Second display of the work in progress at the time of the request
A display step may be further included.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a progress control device for a production line according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a progress control device 10 of the present exemplary embodiment includes a first computer 1 that operates according to a program that is first control means, a second computer 2 that operates according to a program that is second control means, and a first computer 1. A data storage unit 20 including the storage unit 3, the second storage unit 4, and the third storage unit 5, a work report terminal 6 as a first input / output unit, and a data input / output terminal 7 as a second input / output unit. , And data communication means 8 between computers. The production line whose progress is controlled by the progress control device 10 of the present embodiment manufactures each product in lot units like a semiconductor device manufacturing line, and a plurality of unit processes corresponding to each product in a predetermined order. It is assumed that the manufacturing flow for processing under the predetermined processing conditions is predetermined.

The data storage means 20 can be constituted by, for example, a hard disk device or the like, and includes at least a first storage unit 3, a second storage unit 4, and a third storage unit 5. The first storage unit 3 is included in a predetermined manufacturing flow corresponding to each product manufactured in the manufacturing line, in-process information of each product lot, and a corresponding manufacturing flow after the unit process currently being processed for each lot. The lot data including the manufacturing apparatus used in each unit process, manufacturing conditions, information on whether or not suspension is possible, and suspension reservation information is stored. The second storage unit 4 stores the first work time data, which is the time required for processing for each manufacturing condition of each manufacturing apparatus, and the third storage unit 5 stores the operating date and non-operating date / time designation information of the manufacturing line. Store the working calendar data including. The first work time data includes at least a fixed work time that does not depend on the number of products in the lot to be processed and a variable work time that depends on the number of products.

The information on whether or not each unit process can be stopped indicates whether the product can be stored for a long time before or after the processing of each unit process when the entire production line is stopped due to long holidays or the like. Normally, the technician on the production line makes a judgment based on the quality assurance conditions of the product and registers it in the manufacturing flow of each product by designating the process. Here, it is assumed that, for each lot, information on whether or not it can be stopped for each unit process is transferred to the lot data and stored in the first storage unit 3 from the manufacturing flow corresponding to the start of manufacturing. The method of acquiring the information on whether or not each unit process can be stopped is as follows.
You may make it search the corresponding manufacturing flow and transfer the latest information to lot data.

The first computer 1 is a computer that manages the progress of the lot. When the progress data of the lot is input from the work report terminal 6, the first computer 1 displays the in-process information of the lot data stored in the first storage unit 3. The lot is updated and the lot is advanced to the next work step, and the progress update information of the lot data is transmitted to the second computer 2 by the data communication means 8. Also, at the time of inputting the progress data of the lot, it is confirmed whether the lot is in the progressable state, and if the lot is not in the progressable state, the progress of the lot is not performed. The case where the lot is not in a progressable state is the case where the lot for which progress data has been input from the work report terminal 6 is in the process of a unit process for which the second computer 2 has made a stop reservation.

The second computer 2 is a computer that selects a process that can stop a work-in-process lot, and receives the progress update information of the lot data from the first computer 1 or performs a scheduled process to determine the most process that can stop the lot. A unit process that can progress is selected, a stop reservation is made for the unit process so that the lot is stopped in the selected unit process, and the lot data is updated. When the second computer 2 receives the progress update information of the lot data, only the lot concerned is processed, and in the case of the regular processing, all work-in-process lots are targeted.

The method of selecting the unit process that can be most progressed among the lot stoppable processes by the second computer 2 is based on the manufacturing process currently processing the lot based on the manufacturing flow included in the lot data of the target lot. The first manufacturing unit, the manufacturing condition, and the stoppability information for each unit process after the unit process are acquired and stored in the second storage unit 4.
The estimated work time of each unit process after the work-in-process unit process is calculated based on the work time data to predict the work-in-process estimated date and time of each unit process of the lot, and based on the operating calendar data stored in the third storage unit 5. Before the latest non-working date and time and at the estimated in-process date and time that is closest to this day-and-working date and time, a unit process that can be further stopped is selected as the stopping process of the lot.

When predicting the in-process estimated date and time, it may be difficult to work immediately after the in-process because there may be other in-process lots in the same process. Either the work waiting time obtained by multiplying the work time by the coefficient or the work waiting time for each lot in consideration of the work priority order of the lots and the number of work-in-progress lots is added when the expected work-in-progress date and time is obtained. Here, although not particularly limited, an example of adding the work waiting time obtained by multiplying the work time by a constant coefficient will be described.

Further, the estimated work time of each unit process is not determined only by the manufacturing conditions, but some manufacturing apparatuses need to be variable according to the number of products in the lot. The fixed work time that is fixed regardless of the number of products and the fluctuating work time that varies depending on the number of products in the lot are held, and the estimated work time of each process is calculated by the following formula. Estimated work time = (Fixed work time + (Variable work time x number of products in lot)) x constant coefficient The input / output terminal 7 uses the lot data stored in the first storage unit 3 via the second computer 2 It is expected that the process will be completed by the progress of the process-ready lots and lots up to the process that can be stopped and the process that can be stopped for each manufacturing device Display information about work in process lots. When the operator selects and inputs a unit process for stopping the lot from the stoppable processes displayed on the input / output terminal 7, the stop reservation information set by the second computer 2 is discarded and the unit process selected by the operator is discarded. The lot data stored in the first storage unit 3 via the second computer 2 is updated to make a stop reservation.

Next, an embodiment of the method for controlling the progress of the production line of the present invention will be described. This progress control method is
The method is suitable for implementation using the progress control device 10. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the progress control method of this embodiment. Further, FIG. 10 is an example of a flowchart showing details of the stop information generating step S7 of FIG.
With reference to FIGS. 1, 9 and 10, the progress control method of the present embodiment uses a manufacturing flow in which a predetermined product is preliminarily set with processing conditions for a plurality of unit processes and a processing sequence of each unit process corresponding to the product. In the manufacturing line for manufacturing in lot units based on the above, when the manufacturing flow corresponding to the product is determined to sequentially perform the processing from the first unit process to the kth unit process (k is an integer of 2 or more) , A first setting step for setting, for each unit process, first work time data required for processing the unit process and stop permission information including the maximum allowable storage time from the processing of the unit process to the start of processing of the next unit process S1 and a second setting step S2 for inputting non-working date / time information based on the working calendar data of the manufacturing line,
And a stop information generating step for generating stop process information. The stop information generating step is performed after the j-th unit process (where j is an integer of 1 ≦ j <k) currently in process for an arbitrary product lot. A work time calculation step for calculating the estimated work time of each unit process based on the first work time data, a prediction step for predicting the in-process estimated date and time of each unit process based on this estimated work time, and a stop of each unit process Based on the availability information and the in-process estimated date and time, the in-process estimated date and time is before the latest first non-operation date and time, is closest to this first non-operation date and time, and can be stopped in the s unit step (where s is j <s < k integer)
And a storage step of adding stop information to the information of the sth unit process of the lot data and storing it in the first storage unit 3. .

Next, the operation of the progress control method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with the operation of the above-mentioned progress control apparatus 10 by using a specific example assuming a wafer processing line for manufacturing a semiconductor device as a manufacturing line. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of work-in-progress information of lot data stored in the first storage unit 3. Hereinafter, the in-process information of the lot data of the lot P in FIG. 2 will be described as a specific example. It is assumed that the first work time data and the operating calendar data are set as in the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively.

The manufacturing flow corresponding to the lot P, the in-process information of the lot P, the manufacturing apparatus used in each unit process included in the corresponding manufacturing flow after the unit process currently being processed for the lot P, the manufacturing conditions, and the stoppage. Lot data including permission / prohibition information and stop reservation information is stored in the first storage unit 3 (S1). More specifically, for example, the input / output terminal 7
May be input from the first storage unit 3 via the second computer 2 or may be transferred from another storage device (not shown) via a communication line (not shown) to the first storage unit 3.
First through the computer 1 or the second computer 2
It can also be stored in the storage unit 3. Further, the first working time data, which is the time required for the processing for each manufacturing condition of each manufacturing apparatus, is stored in the second storage unit 4. The first
The working time data includes at least a fixed working time that does not depend on the number of products in a lot to be processed and a variable working time that depends on the number of products.

Further, the operating calendar data including the operating date and non-operating date / time designation information of the manufacturing line is also stored in advance in the third storage unit 5 (S2).

Next, at 20 o'clock on August 10, it is assumed that the production of a lot P with 10 wafers as one lot is started as a product, and the lot input information for starting the production is used as progress data via the work report terminal 6 through the work report terminal 6. 1 Input to computer 1. Based on the input information of lot P, the first computer 1
Creates lot data so that process A01A01, which is the input process, becomes the leading data as shown in FIG. This process A0
No data is set in the in-process forecast date / time column and stop reservation column of 1A01.

Next, the first computer 1 transmits the progress of the lot P to the second computer 2 by using the inter-computer data communication means 8. The second computer 2, which has received the progress of the lot P, searches for the latest non-working date and time after the current time based on the working calendar data in FIG.

Next, the lot data of lot P is searched,
Clear all in-process forecast dates and times for unit processes after the current in-process unit process. This is because the lot P is immediately after being input,
Although the data is not originally set at the estimated in-process date and time, the second computer 2 does not determine whether or not the lot is immediately after the introduction, and always clears the estimated in-process date and time as an initial process.

Next, the second computer 2 searches the lot data of the lot P of FIG. 2 stored in the first storage unit 3 and extracts the information of the leading process. Since the manufacturing apparatus of the first process A01A01 of the lot P is X01 and the manufacturing condition is B01, the first working time data (FIG. 4) stored in the second storage unit 2 which matches the manufacturing apparatus is searched, and the manufacturing apparatus X0 is searched.
1. Obtain fixed work time data and variable work time data for manufacturing condition B01.

Next, the unit process next to the process A01A01 of the lot P is searched, and the estimated in-process date and time of the searched process A01A02 is calculated as the process.
It is calculated by adding a value obtained by multiplying the work time of the manufacturing apparatus X01 and the manufacturing condition B01 by a constant coefficient for adding the work waiting time at 20 o'clock on August 10, 20th of A01A01. Here, the value of the constant coefficient is 3. Expected in-process date and time of process A01A02 = in-process date and time of process A01A01 + estimated working time of manufacturing condition B01 x constant coefficient = in-process date and time of process A01A01 + (fixed working time of manufacturing condition B01 + (variable working time of manufacturing condition B01 x lot P) No. of products)) x constant coefficient = 8 o'clock on August 10 + (10 minutes + (2 minutes x 10 sheets)) x 3 = 21:30 on August 10 21:00 on August 10 30 minutes value,
After comparing with the latest non-working start date and time at 00:00 on August 12 obtained from the working calendar data in FIG. 5, it is determined that the date and time is earlier than the non-working start date and time, and then the process of lot P in FIG. It is stored in the first storage unit 3 as the in-process estimated date and time of A01A02, and the lot data is updated.

Further, the lot data of the lot P is searched to obtain the stop availability information of the process A01A02, and the "pre-work stop possible" is obtained. Therefore, the process A01A02 is set as the stop reservation candidate process of the lot P and the second computer is used. Hold within 2. Next, the unit process next to the process A01A02 of the lot P is searched, and the in-process estimated date and time of the searched process A01A03 is obtained. Estimated in-process date and time of process A01A03 = Estimated in-process date and time of process A01A02 + Estimated work time of manufacturing condition B02 x constant coefficient = Estimated in-process date and time of process A01A02 + (Fixed work time of manufacturing condition B02 + (Variable work time of manufacturing condition B02 x Number of products in lot P)) x constant coefficient = 21:30 on August 10 + (1 hour + (0 minutes x 10 sheets)) x 3 = 0:30 on August 11 The estimated work in process date for process A01A03 is It is determined that it is earlier than the non-operation start date and time, and it is stored in the first storage unit 3 as the in-process estimated date and time of the process A01A03 of the lot P, and the lot data is updated. Next, the in-process estimated date and time of the next step A01A04 of the step A01A03 is calculated by the same method, and compared with the non-operation start date and time,
If it is earlier than the non-operation start date and time, it is stored in the first storage unit 3 as the in-process estimated date and time of the relevant unit process of the lot P, the lot data is updated, and the stop possibility information of the relevant unit process is “pre-work stop possible”. In this case, the unit process is held in the second computer 2 as the stop reservation candidate process of the lot P when the unit process retrieved next is "possible to stop after work".

When "Stop after work is possible" is set for a plurality of continuous unit processes, the unit process next to the last continuous "Can stop after work" unit process is set as the second stop reservation candidate process. It is held in the computer 2. When “pre-work stoppage possible” is set for a plurality of continuous unit processes, the last continuous “pre-work stoppable” unit process is held in the second computer 2 as a stop reservation candidate process. At this time, if you already have a stop reservation process, overwrite it,
There is only one stop reservation process for one lot P. If this is continued in the order of steps according to the manufacturing flow (not shown) corresponding to the lot P, the estimated date and time of work in process A01A10 will be 1:00 on August 12, and the estimated date and time of work in progress will be later than the date and time of non-operation start. At this point, the search process of the next process is finished,
The process A01A09 of the lot data of the lot P held as the candidate for the stop reservation of the lot P is selected as the stop process, and "automatic setting" is stored in the stop reservation column of the process A01A09 and stored in the first storage unit 3. (S7). Finally, the stop reservation candidate process data of the lot P held in the second computer 2 is cleared.

The first computer 1 of the progress control device 10 for carrying out the progress control method of this embodiment is the work report terminal 6
When the progress data at the start of work to check the work conditions etc. to start the work of each unit process is entered, an error response will be returned if the stop reservation column of the lot data of the relevant lot / unit process is not "none". Then, the progress of the unit process is stopped. Therefore, when the lot P progresses and the process A01A09 is started, and the progress data at the time of starting the work for checking the work conditions and the like for starting the work of the unit process is input from the work report terminal 6, the first computer 1 displays Process of lot 2 of 2
Referring to the lot data of A01A09, since the stop reservation is other than "none", an error response is given to the input of the progress data and the progress of the lot P is stopped.

As described above, according to the method of controlling the progress of the manufacturing line of the present embodiment, in the manufacturing line in which the unit process for stopping the lot in process is restricted, the entire manufacturing line concerned is subject to long holidays. Even when the process is stopped, the production of each in-process lot can be progressed as much as possible, and the production efficiency can be improved by automatically stopping the process in an optimum unit process that does not cause quality problems.

Next, as a second specific example, a routine processing step S3 of regularly checking the manufacturing progress status of all lots in process on the manufacturing line at a predetermined time (for example, a certain fixed time of the day). An example in which the stop information generating step S7 is performed at that time will be described. FIG. 3 is an example of work-in-progress information of the lot data of the lot Q which is the second specific example.
The manufacturing flow corresponding to the lot Q is the same as that of the lot P, and the first working time data and the operating calendar data are the same as those of the lot P, and the data of FIGS. 4 and 5 are applied, respectively. And FIG. 3 shows, for example, lot Q
Is processed at the same time as lot P, then process A01A
This is an example of the progress information stored in the lot data when the scheduled processing step S3 by the second computer 2 is started without moving the work in process from 01 and the stop information generation step S7 is executed at that time.

The regular processing step S3 is executed, for example, according to the flowchart of FIG. At the time of starting the scheduled processing, the expected work date and time and stop reservation information similar to those of the lot P are set for the lot Q. When the scheduled processing step S3 is started, first, the progress status of all lots in process on the manufacturing line at that time is confirmed. Next, confirm whether there is a request to output the stop process information, and check "Yes"
In case of (normally “present”), stop information generation step S7
Is executed.

Specifically, for example, it is assumed that the regular processing step S3 for confirming the progress by the second computer 2 is started at 6 o'clock on August 11, and the second computer 2 performs the same operation as in the case of the lot P and performs the lot Q. When the estimated in-process date and time is updated, the in-process estimated date and time of the process A01A06 becomes 2:30 on August 12, and it is found that the in-process estimated date and time is later than the non-operation start date and time. Therefore, the stop reservation candidate process of the lot Q held by the second computer 2 becomes the process A01A05, and the stop reservation for the process A01A09 of the lot Q which has already been set is updated to “none”, and the stop reservation item of the process A01A05 is set. On the other hand, "automatic setting" is stored and stored in the first storage unit 3. After this, lot Q progresses and process A01A
When the progress data at the start of work for checking work conditions and the like in order to start work of this unit process is entered in 05, the first computer 1 updates the lot data of the lot Q shown in FIG. Therefore, an error response is made to the input of the progress data, and the progress of the lot Q is stopped.

As described above, by executing the stop information generating step S7 during the scheduled processing step S3, it is possible to update the stop information of all the in-process lots, for example, at a predetermined time every day regardless of the progress data input. become.

Next, an example of a method of displaying lot data created and updated by the progress control method of this embodiment will be described.

First, a display example in the first display step for designating and displaying a specific lot will be described. FIG. 6 is an example of a display when the lot P is designated as a specific lot. Hereinafter, description will be given with reference to FIGS.

For example, when the lot P is designated from the input / output terminal 7 and transmitted to the second computer 2 immediately after the production of the lot P is started, the second computer 2 causes the lot P at that point in time.
2 which is the lot data of FIG. 2 is searched and the information is responded to the input / output terminal 7, and the input / output terminal 7 displays the received data. The display content indicates that the second computer 2 has made a stop reservation for the process A01A09 for which a stop reservation has been made, and the process to be progressed by the process A01A09, the estimated date and time of work in progress, and the stop specified in each process. Information on the availability is displayed, and a process that can be stopped before the work is started is clearly indicated by shading, for example.

When the operator wants to change the stopping process by some judgment, the second computer 2 stores it in the first storage unit 3 by selecting from the unit processes that can be stopped displayed on the input / output terminal 7. The stop reservation column of the process A01A09 of the lot P of the present lot data is set to "none", and "person designation" is stored in the stop reservation column of the unit process selected by the operator. When a process other than the process that can be stopped is selected, an alarm is issued to prevent the stop reservation from being reserved for the stop prohibited process.

Further, in the stop information generating step S7 executed in the regular processing step S3 in which the second computer 2 confirms the progress of all the lots in process at a predetermined time, the "person designation" is entered in the stop reservation column of the lot. By adding a condition that automatic setting is not performed when stored as “”, in the scheduled processing step S3 by the second computer 2, only the in-process estimated date and time is obtained for the relevant lot, and the stop reservation information is not updated. You can also do so.
As a result, it is possible to surely stop the unit process intended for technical studies, for example.

Next, in response to a request from the outside, all lots to be processed by the manufacturing apparatus by the latest non-operation date and time for each manufacturing apparatus based on the stop process information of each lot. The display function in the second display step for displaying the in-process state at the time of request will be described. FIG. 7 is an example of data displayed in the second display step.

When the input / output terminal 7 requests the second computer 2 to output work-in-process lot information for each manufacturing apparatus,
The second computer 2 counts the work in process of the lot P as the work in process of the manufacturing apparatus X01 of the process A01A01 of the lot P because the work in process of the lot P is A01A01. Further, since the manufacturing apparatus of the next step A01A02 of the in-process step A01A01 of the lot P is X02, if one step progresses, the manufacturing apparatus X02 is set. Therefore, manufacturing equipment X02
It is counted as the work in process before. This process is repeated up to the process A01A08 which is the process immediately preceding the process A01A09 which is the stop reservation process, and is counted up on each matrix, and the same process is performed for other work-in-process lots, and the aggregated data is returned to the input / output terminal 7. To do. The input / output terminal 7 displays the data of FIG. 7 as the received data. Note that FIG. 7 is an example in the case where the in-process lot is only the lot P.

In the second display step, by further designating a specific process, it is possible to provide a function of displaying details of the in-process lot in that process. Specifically, for example, by selecting an arbitrary column on the list matrix of FIG. 7 from the input / output terminal 7, the second computer 2
Responds to the input / output terminal 7 with detailed information on the counted number of lots displayed therein, and the input / output terminal 7 displays the data. FIG. 8 is an example in which, when the manufacturing apparatus X03 and the column before the second step are designated on the list matrix of FIG. 7 as the specific step, the details of the in-process lot in that step are displayed.

From the information as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, it is possible to grasp the lots that need to be processed before the production line is stopped for each manufacturing apparatus, and to predict the timing at which those lots will be processed in each manufacturing apparatus. Therefore, work such as work setup can be easily performed, and production efficiency can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the description of the above embodiment, and various changes can be made within the scope of the gist thereof.

[0054]

As described above, according to the progress control device and the progress control method for a production line of the present invention, when the entire production line is stopped such as long holidays, the operating loss of the production line is reduced and the stop process It is possible to obtain the effects of preventing the occurrence of product quality problems due to selection mistakes, and also reducing the man-hours involved in managing the in-process lot stopping process.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a form of an embodiment of a progress control device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an example of in-process information of lot data stored in a first storage unit.

FIG. 3 is an example of in-process information of other lot data stored in a first storage unit.

FIG. 4 is an example of first work time data.

FIG. 5 is an example of operating calendar data.

FIG. 6 is a display example in a first display step for designating and displaying a specific lot.

FIG. 7 is an example of data displayed in a second display step.

FIG. 8 is an example in which details of an in-process lot in a specific process are displayed in the second display step.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling the progress of the manufacturing line of the present invention.

10 is an exemplary flowchart showing details of the stop information generation step of FIG.

11 is a flowchart of an example of the scheduled processing steps of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1st computer 2 second computer 3 First memory unit 4 Second memory unit 5 Third storage unit 6 work report terminal 7 I / O terminal 8 Data communication means 10 Progress control device 20 data storage means

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A first method for managing the process progress of the lot set on a production line for producing a predetermined product in lot units.
Control means, a manufacturing flow in which processing conditions of a plurality of unit processes and a processing sequence of each unit process are determined in advance corresponding to the product, and each of the manufacturing flows after the unit process in which the product is currently in process Manufacturing device used in the unit process, a first storage unit that stores manufacturing conditions and lot data including stop availability information in each unit process, first working time data required for processing for each manufacturing condition of each manufacturing device And a data storage unit including at least a third storage unit for storing working calendar data including non-working date and time information for stopping the manufacturing line, and each of the data storage units connected to the first control unit. First input / output means arranged for each unit process and for inputting progress data before and after processing the lot, and the lot data stored in the data storage means. And, based on the information including the operating calendar data, stop process information generation processing in which the unit process that can progress to the latest non-operation date and time for each lot of the product currently in process is the stop process of each lot is performed. Second control means for performing, and second input / output means connected to the second control means and displaying at least one of the lot data, the operation calendar data, and the stopping step information in response to an external request. And a progress control device for a production line. 2. The production line included in the production flow corresponding to the lot at the time when the progress data of the in-process process in which the lot being produced is currently in process is input in the production line for producing a predetermined product in lot units. Based on the estimated work time of each process after the process, information on whether to stop in the process, and the operating calendar data of the manufacturing line, from the process that can be stopped for a long time, to the most recent non-working date and time A progress control method for a manufacturing line, comprising a step of selecting a process that can progress most as a stop process. 3. A regular processing step for checking the progress status of all the in-process lots being manufactured on the production line at a predetermined time, and the regular processing step is included in the manufacturing flow corresponding to each of the in-process lots. Based on the estimated work time of each process, information on whether it can be stopped, and the operating calendar data of the manufacturing line, from the processes that can be stopped for a long time, stop the process that can be most advanced by the latest non-working date and time 3. The method of controlling the progress of a production line according to claim 2, including the step of selecting as. 4. A step of designating a search lot to be a lot data search target, and at the time of designating the search lot, the process of each step after the in-process step included in the manufacturing flow corresponding to the search lot. 4. The progress control method for a production line according to claim 2, further comprising a step of displaying the estimated work time required and information on whether or not the process can be stopped together with the operation calendar data of the production line on a predetermined display means. 5. A step of displaying, in accordance with an external request, the in-process state of a lot that can be progressed up to the latest non-working date and time for each manufacturing apparatus based on the information on the stopping process of each lot. Item 4. A method for controlling the progress of a production line according to Item 2 or 3. 6. A manufacturing flow corresponding to each lot in accordance with a request from the outside, information on whether or not each process included in the manufacturing flow can be stopped, manufacturing conditions, estimated work time, expected work date and time, stop reservation. 4. The progress control method for a manufacturing line according to claim 2, further comprising a step of displaying lot data including presence / absence of a process up to a process in which the lot can progress by the latest non-operation date and time. 7. A manufacturing line for manufacturing a predetermined product on a lot-by-lot basis based on a manufacturing flow in which a plurality of unit process processing conditions and a processing sequence of each unit process are determined in advance corresponding to the product. The flow is from the first unit process to the k-th process
When it is determined that the processes up to the unit process (k is an integer of 2 or more) are sequentially performed, the first working time data required for the process of the unit process and the process after the process of the unit process are performed for each of the unit processes. A first setting step of inputting stoppability information including the maximum allowable storage time until the start of processing of the next unit process; a second setting step of inputting non-working date and time information based on the operating calendar data of the manufacturing line; A stop information generating step of generating process information, wherein the stop information generating step is the j-th unit step (where j is an integer of 1 ≦ j <k) after which an arbitrary lot of the product is currently in process. A work time calculating step of calculating an estimated work time of each unit process based on the first work time data,
A predicting step of predicting an in-process expected date and time of each of the unit processes based on the estimated work time, based on the stop availability information and the in-process estimated date and time, the in-process estimated date and time before the latest first non-working date and time, and The sth unit step that is closest to the first non-operation date and time and can be stopped (however, s is j <s <
a step of selecting (the integer of k) as a stopping step of the lot for the first non-operation date and time, the progress control method of the manufacturing line. 8. The manufacturing according to claim 7, further comprising a scheduled processing step for checking the progress status of all in-process lots being manufactured on the manufacturing line at a predetermined time, and the scheduled processing step includes the stop information generating step. Line progress control method. 9. A lot designation step for designating a search lot to be searched for lot data, and when the process in process of the search lot at the designated time point is the j-th unit process, the lot data is searched and the search lot is searched. The j th
For each unit process after the unit process, the expected work date and time and the stop availability information of the unit process are extracted and displayed on a predetermined display unit together with the operation calendar data.
The progress control method for a production line according to claim 7, further comprising a display step. 10. In accordance with a request from the outside, all lots to be processed by the manufacturing apparatus by the latest non-operation date and time for each manufacturing apparatus based on the stop process information of each lot. 9. The progress control method for a production line according to claim 7, further comprising a second display step of displaying a work-in-progress state at the time of the request.