JPH07160325A - Article storing history information and its manufacture and maitenance method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To read proper information out at the time of maintenance and increasingly make parts common to other makers while effectively utilizing a CIM by providing a storage means which stores history information on respective constituted elements. CONSTITUTION:As for the article 30 storing the history information and a circuit device used for its manufacture and maintenance method, the PLC 25 of the CIM 31 stores the history information on the respective constituent components P1-Pn in a memory mounted on the article 30 and the read part 33 of a reader 32 used for maintenance inspection reads component list information and the history information on the respective constituent components P1-Pn constituting the article 30 out of the memory 29 mounted on the article 30 at need. The reader 32 is equipped with a display part 34, an operation part 35, and a control part 36 in addition to the read part 33, and the display part 34 visually display the contents of the memory 29 which are read out by the read part 33. In concrete, a CRT (Cathode-Ray tube), a printer, an LCD (Liquid Crystal display), etc., are used as the display-part 34.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to, for example, an article name, a model, an article name of each part or each constituent element (painting etc.)
The present invention relates to an article in which history information such as a manufacturing date, a manufacturing place, a part number, and a lot number is stored, and a manufacturing / maintenance method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, CIM (computer integrated ma
nufacturing), history information (for example, model, model, etc., of each component of the article (engine, brake, tire, bumper, paint, glass, etc. if the article is an automobile) in the process of manufacturing the article. Since the manufacturing date, manufacturing place, part number, lot number, etc.) are stored in the host computer and used for quality control of the product, it is specified as one item of the quality standard ISO-9000. Construction of such a system is rapidly progressing.

Here, the above-mentioned CIM connects all the information related to production by a network (circuit network), unifies the database, and centrally controls and manages the production information using a computer. Therefore, it is defined as a system intended to optimize production activities.

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional system, the information about each component of the article is stored in the host computer and is simply used for the product management of the entire manufacturing plant.
None of this information was used to maintain the goods.

For this reason, in the past, when a failure or the like occurred in an article, for example, the dealer side needs to perform maintenance such as replacement of parts based on the experience of a staff member in charge.
In recent years, when parts are being shared with other dealers, there is a problem that accurate maintenance cannot be performed only by the experience of the person in charge. Further, if inquiring about the component information from the host computer, there is a problem that a large amount of equipment, labor and time are required for accessing (calling, searching).

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention makes it possible to read out appropriate information at the time of maintenance while effectively utilizing the CIM, and to share parts with other manufacturers. The object is to provide an article in which history information that can be promoted is stored.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the history information of the constituent elements of the article is stored in the storage means on the article side during the manufacturing process, so that the CIM can be effectively used and appropriate information can be maintained. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing an article that stores history information that can be read at any time and that can promote the sharing of parts with other manufacturers.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the article is maintained, the history information of the appropriate article can be immediately read out and displayed from the storage means of the article, and access to the host computer is unnecessary, An object of the present invention is to provide a method of maintaining an article in which history information is stored, which can improve maintenance serviceability.

[0009]

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is an article comprising a plurality of elements, wherein the article has history information stored therein and has storage means for storing history information of each element. Is characterized in that.

The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is a manufacturing method for manufacturing an article composed of a plurality of elements,
A method of manufacturing an article is characterized in that the article is equipped with storage means, and history information of the constituent elements of the article is stored in the storage means during a manufacturing process.

The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is a maintenance method for maintaining an article comprising a plurality of elements,
The article is provided with storage means for storing history information of constituent elements, and after reading and displaying the information stored in the storage means, a maintenance method for the article storing history information for performing maintenance based on the display information. Is characterized in that.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned storage means stores the history information of each of a plurality of elements constituting the article.

According to the invention of claim 2 of the present invention,
The history of the above-mentioned constituent elements of the article through the network (circuit network) from the host computer of the CIM in which the history information of the article is centrally managed during the manufacturing process of manufacturing the article in the storage means attached to the article. Information is stored.

According to the invention of claim 3 of the present invention,
In the maintenance and inspection of the article, after the information is read out and displayed from the above-mentioned storage means that stores the history information of the constituent elements of the article, the maintenance is executed based on the display information.

[0015]

As described above, according to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, since the article is provided with the storage means in which the history information of each element is stored, the article is appropriately used while effectively utilizing the CIM. Information can be read from the product at the time of maintenance, access to the host computer that requires labor, time, and equipment can be omitted, and sharing of parts with other manufacturers can be promoted. There is a possible effect.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the history information of the constituent elements of the article is stored during the manufacturing process by using the CIM for the storage means mounted on the article, the CIM is stored. There is an effect that appropriate information can be read out at the time of maintenance while effectively utilizing the product, and the sharing of parts with other manufacturers can be promoted.

Further, according to the invention of claim 3 of the present invention, at the time of maintenance and inspection of the article, it is possible to immediately read out and display the history information of appropriate parts from the above-mentioned storage means of the article, so that it can be displayed. There is no need to access the host computer, and as a result, maintenance serviceability can be improved.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawing shows an article storing history information and a manufacturing / maintenance method thereof, and in FIG.
A host computer 23 including a communication unit 20, an input unit 21, and a storage unit 22, PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) 25 and 25 as subordinate computers in a processing line 24, an assembly robot 26 and a PLC 25 in an assembly line 27. (Lower computer)
And are connected via a network (circuit network) 28.

In the above-mentioned upper computer 23, the communication unit 20 has a communication function with respect to the PLC 25 as a lower computer, and the storage unit 22 stores a database (databa).
se, a collection of interrelated data) is stored. Further, history information (see FIG. 8) for each of a plurality of elements and parts P1 to Pn (see FIG. 7) forming the article 30 (see FIG. 2) is accumulated in the above-mentioned storage unit 22 via the input unit 21, and The quality measurement data and the like in each process of the processing line 24 and the assembly line 27 are also stored in the storage unit 22 described above.

Further, the PLC 25 on the side of the above-mentioned processing line 24
Is the lot information (lot infoma
history information of each of the components P1 to Pn such as an option) to the host computer 23 via the network 28.

Further, the PLC 2 on the side of the assembly line 27 described above.
Reference numeral 5 is a memory 2 for storing history information of constituent parts transmitted from the host computer 23 when parts are assembled by the assembly robot 26.
Store in 9.

Here, as the memory 29, the article 3 is used.
In addition to a removable IC card for 0, a RAM or ROM built in the article 30 is used, and when the article 30 is set in a car, the IC card as the memory 29 is a predetermined part (for example, Instrument panel, etc.) is detachably attached.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an article storing history information and a circuit device used in the manufacturing / maintenance method thereof.
The PLC 25 of the CIM 31 stores history information of each component in the memory 29 mounted on the article 30, and the reading unit 33 of the reading device 32 used for maintenance and inspection uses the memory 29 mounted on the article 30 as necessary. The parts list information and history information of each constituent part of the article 30 is read.

In addition to the reading unit 33, the above-mentioned reading device 32 includes a display unit 34, an operating unit 35, and a control unit 36, and the above-mentioned display unit 34 visually displays the contents of the memory 29 read by the reading unit 33. . As the display unit 34, specifically, CR
T (cathode-ray tube), printer, LCD
(Liquid crystal display, liquid crystal display) etc. are used.

The operation unit 35 described above executes the operation of the screen displayed on the display unit 34. As the operation unit 35, specifically, a keyboard device or the like is used. Further, the control unit 36 described above controls the reading unit 33, the display unit 34, and the operation unit 35 described above. A CPU or the like is specifically used as the control unit 36.

Next, a method of manufacturing an article in which history information is stored will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 shows the history information storage control in the processing line 24. In the first step S1, the PLC 25 controls the history information of parts (specifically, part name, maker, model, manufacturing date, manufacturing place, part number, lot). Number and various information such as remarks indicating alternative component names) via the network 28 to the host computer 23
It is stored in the storage unit 22 of.

In the next second step S2, the PLC 25 determines whether or not the storage of the history information of all the parts is completed, and if not completed, the PLC 25 returns to the above-mentioned first step S2.
Upon completion, a series of storage control in the processing line 24 is completed.

FIG. 4 shows the history information storage control in the assembly line 27. In the first step S11, the memory 29 is attached to a predetermined part of a predetermined part. For example, when manufacturing and assembling an automobile as the article 30, the memory 29 is attached to the instrument panel section.

Next, in the second step S12, the assembly robot 26 assembles the machined parts, and in the next third step S13, the PLC 25 controls the network from the host computer 23 of the CIM 31 in which the history information of the parts is centrally managed. The history information of the assembly part transmitted via 28 is stored in the memory 29.

Next, in a fourth step S14, the PLC 25 determines whether or not all the parts P1 to Pn of the article 30 have been assembled. If the assembly is not completed, the process returns to the second step S12 described above, while the assembly is completed. A series of storage control in the assembly line 27 is completed.

In the flow chart shown in FIG. 4, the history information for each part in each assembly line is configured to be stored in the memory 29 for the convenience of assembly, but this is the history information for all parts in the final assembly line. It may be configured to be stored in the memory 29 at once.

That is, FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the history information storage control unit in the assembly line, which is the first step S2.
1, the assembly robot 26 assembles the processed parts, and in the next second step S22, the PLC 25 sets the article 30
It is determined whether or not all the parts P1 to Pn have been assembled,
When not completed, the process returns to the above-mentioned first step S21, while when all the parts are assembled, the process proceeds to the next third step S23.

In the third step S23, the memory 29 is mounted on the predetermined part of the predetermined component, and then in the next fourth step S24, the PLC 25 operates the network from the host computer 23 of the CIM 31 in which the history information of the component is centrally managed. The history information of all the components P1 to Pn transmitted via 28 is stored in the memory 29 at once, and a series of storage control in the assembly line is completed.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6, a method of maintaining the article in which the history information is stored will be described.

In the first step S31, the component information is read out and input from the memory 29 of the article 30.

When the memory 29 is composed of an IC card, the reading section 33 is composed of a card reader,
The component information from the IC card is read by the card reader. When the memory 29 is constituted by a RAM or a ROM incorporated inside the article 30, a plug or the like is connected to these and the reading unit 33 reads the component information.

Next, in a second step S32, the reading device 32
The control unit 36 controls the display unit 34 in the device 32 to visually display the component information read in the first step S31 as shown in FIG. 7, for example.

Next, in the third step S33, when a maintenance part is selected by the operation unit 35, the next fourth step S34 is performed.
Then, the control unit 36 drives and controls the display unit 34 to display the history information of the selected component on the screen as shown in FIG. 8, for example.

Next, in a fifth step S35, for example, the dealer staff member performs maintenance based on the displayed information, and in the next sixth step S36, it is determined whether or not there is another maintenance part. If YES is determined, the process returns to the first step S31 described above, while if NO is determined, a series of maintenance control ends.

In summary, since the article 30 of this embodiment has the memory 29 in which the history information of each element is stored, the CIM 31 can be effectively used and appropriate information can be read from the article 30 at the time of maintenance. Therefore, it is possible to omit labor, time, and facility-related access to the host computer 23, and it is possible to promote the sharing of parts with other manufacturers.

In addition, the manufacturing method of this embodiment uses the article 30.
Since the CIM 31 is used to store the history information of the constituent elements of the article 30 in the memory 29 attached to the memory 29 during the manufacturing process, appropriate information can be read out during maintenance while effectively utilizing the CIM. In addition, it is possible to promote the sharing of parts with other manufacturers.

Furthermore, the maintenance method of this embodiment is based on the article 3
At the time of maintenance and inspection of 0, it is possible to immediately read and display the history information of appropriate parts from the above-mentioned memory 29 of the article 30, so that access to the host computer 23 is unnecessary, and as a result, maintenance serviceability is improved. There is an effect that can be achieved.

In the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment, the storage means of the present invention is the memory 29 of the embodiment.
Although it corresponds to an IC card, a RAM, a ROM, etc., the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

Further, in the above embodiment as an article composed of a plurality of elements, an engine, a brake, a tire,
We have illustrated automobiles consisting of bumpers, paints, glass, etc., which are IC chips, resistors, transistors,
It may be an electronic circuit board composed of a capacitor, a coil or the like, or another article.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a CIM used in a method of manufacturing an article storing history information according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a circuit device used in the manufacturing method and the maintenance method.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing storage control of history information on a processing line.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing storage control of history information on an assembly line.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of storage control of history information on an assembly line.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a maintenance method of an article storing history information.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a parts list display.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of history information display of a selected component.

[Explanation of symbols]

 29 ... Memory 30 ... Goods P1 to Pn ... Parts

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In an article composed of a plurality of elements,
An article storing history information having a storage unit that stores the history information of each element. 2. A manufacturing method for manufacturing an article comprising a plurality of elements, wherein storage means is attached to the article, and history information of constituent elements of the article is stored in the storage means during a manufacturing process. A method of manufacturing an article in which history information is stored. 3. A maintenance method for maintaining an article composed of a plurality of elements, wherein the article is provided with storage means for storing history information of the components, and the information stored in the storage means is read out and displayed. After that, the maintenance method of the article storing history information for performing maintenance based on the display information.