JP2002169606A - Parts delivery indicating method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To convey parts from an upstream process to a downstream process with just-in-time timing and to improve the efficiency of materials handling. SOLUTION: When a vehicle passes through a reference point of an assembly line 10a in the downstream processes, a sensor 10b detects it and outputs a detection signal to a computer 14. The computer 14 calculates the time when a part is to be assembled with the vehicle, and, in consideration of the time required for the transportation from a parts production factory 12 in the upstream processes to the assembly line 10a, calculates the shipment final time. The computer 14 calculates the shipment final time for each part, then sequentially selects, in getting later order of its shipment final time, the part so that a delivery vehicle 16 can be fully loaded with the parts, and, in time with the earliest one among the shipment final times for the selected parts group, outputs a shipping instruction to an output device 12a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for instructing the delivery of parts, and more particularly to improving the efficiency of parts transportation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The schedule of the number of parts transport vehicles, transport routes, transport times, etc., which are transported from a post-process (vehicle assembly process) to a pre-process (component production process) is based on a simulation technology based on the planned production volume and the number of parts consumed per day. Optimized using Daily parts transportation is performed at a determined transportation time according to a determined transportation route with a determined number of transportation vehicles.

[0003] Due to production fluctuations and the like, the production amount in the post-process changes, and the required amount of parts to be assembled also changes. On the other hand, since the transport of parts of the transport vehicle is performed according to a predetermined schedule, at the time of departure of the transport vehicle (part shipping time), it is necessary to transport the parts prepared at the parts shipping site in the previous process at that time. Become.

[0004] Regarding the parts transportation schedule,
For example, it is described in JP-A-5-189449.

[0005]

Conventionally, the operation schedule is basically fixed, so that when the departure time arrives, the transport vehicle starts from the preceding process, and the production line in the subsequent process stops or the production line stops. If the speed is reduced, the truck will start without loading much components, and the loading rate will be reduced. Conversely, when the production amount temporarily increases in the post-process, the carrying capacity may not be in time, and parts may be missing in the post-process.

As described above, in the related art, since the progress of production of parts and the transportation schedule of parts are managed separately, there is no particular problem when parts are produced as originally planned. However, there has been a problem that the efficiency of parts transportation is reduced when an unexpected situation occurs, such as a change in a production plan or a stop of a production line.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has as its object to transport parts from a pre-process to a post-process (assembly process) at a necessary timing when necessary, and An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus which can cope with an unexpected situation in a process and can always maintain a high transport loading ratio at a high level.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for instructing the delivery of a part to be assembled on a work put into an assembly line, wherein the method comprises calculating an assembling time of the part. Based on the assembling time and the transportation time required for delivering the part stored in the storage device in advance, the final shipping time of the part can be calculated, and the parts transport vehicle can be fully loaded from the parts to be delivered. A plurality of parts are selected, and a shipping instruction is output at the earliest time of the final shipping time among the selected parts. By calculating the final shipping time based on the part assembling time (the time when the part is actually used), parts can be delivered at an appropriate timing (just-in-time) without excessive inventory, and transport Since the component group is selected and transported so that the vehicle is fully loaded, the transport efficiency can be improved, and the transport cost and production cost can be reduced. Note that a group of parts that can fully load the transport vehicle can be obtained by, for example, selecting the components from the earliest shipment final time to the maximum load capacity of the transport vehicle.

The present invention is also a method for instructing, via a relay point, the delivery of a part to be assembled to a work put into an assembly line, wherein the assembly time of the part is calculated, and the assembly time, Based on the required transportation time for transporting the component from the relay point stored in advance in a storage device, calculate the relay shipping final time of the component at the relay point of the component, the relay shipping final time, and store Based on a second transportation required time for transporting the part to the relay point stored in the apparatus in advance, a final shipping time of the part is calculated, and a part transport vehicle can be fully loaded from the parts to be delivered. A plurality of parts are selected, and a shipping instruction is output at the earliest time of the last shipping time among the selected parts. Even when parts are delivered via a relay point, the final shipping time at the relay point (relay shipping final time) is calculated first, and the second transportation time is calculated back from the relay shipping final time, so that each part is shipped. A final time can be calculated. By fully loading the transport vehicle in time for the final shipping time, parts can be delivered at an appropriate timing even when a relay point exists, and transport efficiency can be improved.

In the present invention, when selecting a plurality of parts that can be fully loaded, it is preferable to sequentially select the parts with the earliest shipment final time.

In the present invention, the assembling time is determined based on a timing at which the work put into the assembly line passes a reference point on the assembly line and the reference point stored in a storage device in advance. Can be calculated from the time required for assembling.

Here, the reference point may be a starting point of the assembly line.

The time required for assembling the component can be calculated from the reference points stored in the storage device in advance based on the number of steps for attaching the component and the tact time for each process.

In the present invention, the line tact time is added to the calculated shipping end time for each line tact time, and the line is calculated from the shipping end time calculated when the next work passes the reference point. It is preferable that the tact time is subtracted and the final shipping time is corrected according to the progress of the assembly line. The final shipping time is calculated based on the time when the actual assembly will be performed after passing the reference point, and the assembly time is calculated on the assumption that the assembly process flows normally. When the line stops, an error occurs between the line and the actual assembly time. Therefore, when the final shipment time is automatically delayed for a fixed period (tact time) at a fixed cycle (tact cycle), and it is confirmed that the assembly line is flowing normally, that is, the next work passes the reference point. By returning the delayed time when it is confirmed that the process is flowing, the final shipping time can be adjusted to the progress of the assembly process. This means that if the assembly process is not running at the normal speed,
It can also be expressed that the final shipping time is delayed according to the speed difference from the normal speed.

Also, in the present invention, the assembling time is required from the issuance timing of predetermined information indicating the necessity of parts delivery and the issuance timing stored in advance in the storage device until the actually delivered parts are assembled. It can be calculated from time. The predetermined information indicating the necessity of parts delivery is, for example, “Kanban”, which is information that informs a previous process that the part has been consumed and the delivery of the part becomes necessary. Since there is a fixed relationship between the timing of issuing the predetermined information and the assembling time of the actually delivered part (depending on how the issuance timing is determined), the assembling time of the part with high accuracy, and thus the part Can be calculated. In addition,
The relationship between the issue timing and the imposition time can be determined empirically (or statistically).

In the present invention, at least one of the steps for shipping the parts and the assembly line includes:
It may be composed of a plurality of steps separated from each other. When the process to which parts are to be shipped (pre-process) is composed of multiple processes, the final shipping time for each component depends on the time required for transportation between the previous process to which the component belongs and the assembly line (post-process). When the post-process is composed of a plurality of processes, the final shipping time of each component is determined according to the required transportation time between the previous process and the post-process to which the component belongs. .

Here, when there are a plurality of processes (pre-processes) for shipping the parts and a single assembly line (post-process), the inter-process between the processes previously stored in the storage device and each process Based on the required transport time between the assembly lines, it is possible to select and output a route having the shortest total required transport time from among possible transport routes to the assembly line via all of the processes to be shipped. It is suitable.

In the case where there is a single process (pre-process) for shipping the parts and a plurality of assembly lines (post-processes), the inter-assembly line pre-stored in the storage device and the process It is preferable to select and output a route having the shortest total transport time from among possible transport routes from the process to be shipped to all of the assembly lines based on the transport time required between the assembly lines. If the transport route is a fixed route, the required transportation time is uniquely determined along the route, but if the transport route is not a fixed route, such a possible route (full loading of the transport vehicle) Route that can transport all the parts selected for
By selecting the route with the shortest total travel time, the transportation efficiency can be further improved.

In the case where there are a plurality of steps (pre-process) and a plurality of assembly lines (post-process) for shipping the parts, if there are a plurality of assembly lines,
And the time required for transportation between each process and each assembly line,
It is preferable to select and output a route having the shortest total transport time from among transport routes that can reach all of the assembly lines via all of the processes to be shipped.

The present invention further provides an apparatus for instructing the delivery of a part to be assembled on a work put into an assembly line. The apparatus includes means for calculating the final shipping time of the part based on the assembling time of the part, and selecting a plurality of parts from the parts to be delivered to such an extent that the part transport vehicle can be fully loaded, and selecting Means for outputting a shipping instruction at the earliest time of the final shipping time among the parts.

Here, it is preferable that the final shipping time is calculated based on a time required for assembling the component from a reference point and a transportation time for delivering the component.

It is preferable that the final shipping time is calculated based on the issuance timing of the predetermined information indicating the necessity of delivery and the time required from the issuance timing until assembling the actually delivered parts.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, taking assembling of a vehicle as an example.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration diagram of the present embodiment. An assembling line 10a is provided in a vehicle assembly factory 10 corresponding to a post-process, and vehicles as workpieces are sequentially put in and necessary parts are sequentially assembled. For the type of parts to be mounted on the vehicle, for example, necessary parts are registered in advance for each vehicle type, and the assembly line 10a
The reading device reads the ID of the vehicle entered in the
What is necessary is just to search for the vehicle type and parts corresponding to D.

On the other hand, there is a parts production factory 12 corresponding to the previous process at a position separated from the assembly factory 10, prepares necessary parts, loads the parts 18 on the transport vehicle 16, and assembles from the parts production factory 12. Transport to factory 10.

When a part is transported from the preceding process to the subsequent process, as a component delivery method in consideration of the production progress, a so-called "ordering" instructing the delivery of the component from the subsequent process to the preceding process in a form directly connected to the operation of the assembly line. There are instructions. The forward order is
This is a method in which a part delivery instruction is sent to a previous process at a timing when the vehicle passes a reference point of the assembly line 12a, for example, a line entry start point. In the present embodiment, basically, the part delivery instruction is output to the preceding process using the “forwarding instruction”. However, the part is placed on the assembly line immediately before the timing of using the part, that is, just before the timing of assembling the part to the vehicle. The accuracy of just-in-time delivery is further improved, and the transport efficiency when transporting components from the component production factory 12 to the assembly factory 10 is also improved.

That is, a computer 14 for instructing parts delivery is provided, and a detection signal is input from a sensor 10b provided at a reference position of the assembly line 10a, in the drawing, at a starting point of insertion. The computer 14 can determine whether or not the vehicle has passed the reference point based on the detection signal, and predicts when the component will be mounted on the vehicle, that is, the mounting time of the component. Then, the computer 14 calculates the time required to transport the component from the component production factory 12 to the assembly factory 10 from the predicted component assembling time to determine when the component should leave the component production factory 12. That is, the final shipping time of the component is calculated and output to the component production factory 12. The delivery instruction information is output from the output device 12a in the parts production factory 12. This allows the parts production factory 12 to know which parts should be shipped and when, and by shipping at that timing, it is possible to deliver the parts just in time. In addition, the computer 14 further determines which parts of the parts to be delivered
Is to be loaded on the output device 12a and output to the output device 12a.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration diagram of the computer 14. The computer 14 includes a CPU 14a, an input unit 14b, and an output unit 14c, and further includes a database for storing various data. The database is a reference point (in the embodiment, the input start point)
Database 14d for storing the number of processes from the point to the component assembling point, and database 1 for storing the tact time
4e, a database 14 for storing the standard time required to transport parts from the parts production factory 12 to the assembly factory 10
f and a database 14g that stores data on transport vehicles (the number of transport vehicles and the maximum load capacity).

The detection signal from the sensor 10b is input to the input unit 14
b to the CPU 14a. CPU 14a
Searches for parts to be mounted on the vehicle by a known method. Then, the CPU 14a calculates the time at which the part will be used, that is, the assembling time, from the data stored in the process number database 14d up to the assembling point and the tact time database 14e.

[Equation 1] Component assembling time = passage time of reference point + (number of processes from reference point to assembly of the component) × tact time for each process (1)

After calculating the assembling time, the CP
U14a calculates the assembly time and the data stored in the parts transportation standard time database 14f,

[Equation 2] The final time of parts shipment = the time of parts assembling-the standard time of parts transportation. It should be noted that the standard part transport time may be a fixed time empirically determined (for example, 2 hours), or a time determined for each time zone in consideration of the traffic conditions of each time zone (for example, 2 hours in the morning, 3 hours in the afternoon). After calculating the assembling time and the final shipping time for all parts that need to be assembled according to the equations (1) and (2) for each part, the CPU 14a sends the output time from the output unit 14c to the output device 12a of the parts assembly factory 12. Send data.

FIG. 3 shows an example of data (delivery instruction information) transmitted from the CPU 14a to the parts production factory 12. In the figure, reference numeral 20 indicates the type of component to be delivered, and reference numeral 22 indicates the assembly time of each component. Reference numeral 24 indicates the final shipping time of each component. Therefore, for example, for the part B, the assembling time is 10:17, and the final shipping time is calculated as 8:17, two hours before that.

After calculating and outputting the parts to be delivered and the final shipping time thereof, the CPU 14a then starts from the parts with the earlier final shipping time based on the loading capacity data of the transport vehicles stored in the transport vehicle database 14g. The components to be loaded are selected in order until 16 is almost fully loaded. For example, in FIG. 3, A, B, A, and C are sequentially selected.
If the transport vehicle 16 is fully loaded at the time point when it is selected up to C, this (A, B, A, C) is selected as a component group to be loaded. The data of the selected component group is output to the output device 12a of the component production factory 12 again as delivery instruction information. Thereby, the parts production factory 12 can know which parts group should be loaded on the transport vehicle 16. Then, the CPU 14a compares the final shipping time of the component having the earliest final shipping time with the current time in the selected component group, and when the current time reaches the earliest final shipping time,
A shipping instruction is output to the parts production factory 12.

FIG. 4 shows a processing flowchart of this embodiment. First, it is determined whether or not the work vehicle has passed the reference point of the assembly line (S10).
1). The reference point does not necessarily need to be the input start point, and any point on the assembly line can be selected as the reference point. Then, when the vehicle passes the reference point, the time for using the component (assembly time) is calculated (S102), and the component shipping limit time (final shipping time) is calculated (S103). In addition, as the component shipment final time, a time obtained by further giving a predetermined margin to the time calculated based on the expression (2) may be calculated. For example, in consideration of the time from arrival at the assembly factory 10 to transport to the assembly point, a time a predetermined time α earlier than the final shipping time calculated by the equation (2) may be used as the final shipping time. Good. Then, the parts to be delivered are sequentially registered in the loading parts file provided in the memory of the computer 14 (S104). The order of registration may be in the order of the last shipping time as described above,
Parts may be registered in order of volume or weight, or may be registered randomly. A plurality of parts are sequentially registered in a file, and a comparison is made with the maximum loading capacity of the transport vehicle 16 to determine whether or not a full loading state has been reached (S105). When it becomes full, the loaded parts file is output to the parts production factory 12, and the one with the earliest shipment final time is extracted from the parts group registered in the file. The time is compared (S106). If the current time has not yet reached the final shipping time, the system is in a standby state. If the current time has reached, the shipping instruction is output to the parts production factory 12, which is the previous process (S107). In the parts production factory 12, the transportation vehicle 16 is departed based on the shipping instruction information transmitted from the computer 14, thereby improving the mounting efficiency of the transportation vehicle 16 and removing the parts immediately before the time when assembly is required. Can be delivered.

When it is determined in S105 whether or not the printer is full, it is not always necessary to load up to the maximum load capacity.
For example, it is also possible to load more than 80% of the maximum load capacity.

Further, as a result of the full loading, some parts may be delivered to the assembly factory 10 before the actual assembling time. For example, the time range of the parts to be loaded is limited to a certain range. This (for example, the time difference from the earliest shipment final time within one hour or the like) can surely prevent a situation where the stock increases.

In this embodiment, the computer 14
Specified the type of parts to be delivered in the factory, calculate the assembling time for each part and the final shipping time for each part, select the group of parts to be loaded on the transport vehicle, and issue the shipping timing instruction. A second computer is provided on the 12 side,
The second computer may select a component group to be loaded on the transport vehicle and issue a shipping timing instruction.

In the present embodiment, it is basically assumed that the final shipping time of the component registered in the loaded component file is still later than the current time. It is needless to say that when the final shipping time of a part registered in the file has been reached, it should be shipped before the full load is reached.

In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 16
The information of the parts actually transported can be stored in the memory of the computer 14 and used to confirm the transport results.

Further, in the present embodiment, the transport vehicle 1
If the standard cycle time is determined in advance, the parts production factory 12 which is the pre-process to the assembly factory 10 which is the post-process can be used.
It is possible to predict in advance that, when the number of components to be transported is extremely large, the transport cannot be completed by the component assembling time even in the next transport cycle. For example,
In the case as shown in FIG. 3, after the parts A, B, A, and C are collectively shipped and transported at 8:15, if the next transportation time is after 9 o'clock, the remaining parts are returned. A (shipping last time 8 minutes 30 minutes) cannot be shipped on-time. In such a case, for parts that cannot be shipped by the final shipping time, the computer 14 can output an alarm and allow the user to take measures such as emergency transportation.

<Second Embodiment> In the above-described first embodiment, as can be seen from the equation (1), it is assumed that the vehicle flows smoothly on the assembly line after passing the reference point, and the parts assembling time and the final shipping time are assumed. Time is determined.
However, actually, the assembly line may stop or the speed may decrease after the vehicle passes the reference point, and in this case, an error occurs in the calculated assembly time and the final shipping time.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the assembling time and the final shipping time are calculated so as to cope with a situation such as a stop of the assembly line or a reduction in speed.

That is, the computer 14 in the present embodiment first calculates the assembling time of parts and the final shipping time when the vehicle has passed the reference point based on the equations (1) and (2). Then, the computer 14
Adds the line tact time to the calculated assembling time at the cycle of the line tact time of the assembly line, that is, for each time from when a certain vehicle passes through the reference point to when the next vehicle passes through the reference point. . For example, assuming that the calculated assembly time is T and the line tact time is ΔT, ΔT is calculated from the timing t1 at which the assembly time was calculated.
When only the elapsed time elapses, Δ
Add T to obtain the assembly time of the part. In this case, the final shipping time calculated based on the assembly time is naturally delayed by ΔT from the initial final shipping time. When the next vehicle has actually passed the reference point, the tact time ΔT is subtracted from the assembly time at that timing. Of course, in this case, the final shipping time is also shortened by ΔT. In this way, the assembling time and the shipping final time matching the actual progress of the line can be obtained by making the assembling time and the shipping final time earlier or later by the tact time in the cycle of the tact time. For example, assume that the assembly line stops after a certain vehicle passes a reference point. In this case, since the tact time is added for each tact cycle, the assembling time and the final shipping time are sequentially delayed. As a result, if the assembly line is stopped, the final shipping time will be delayed accordingly, and parts will be delivered even if the assembly line is stopped, preventing the situation of overstocking. can do. During the normal operation of the assembly line, addition and subtraction are performed once each, so that the final shipping time is initially instructed to the parts production factory 12.

<Third Embodiment> In the first and second embodiments, the case where the post-process (assembly process) and the pre-process (parts production process) are both single has been described. The case where there are a plurality of pre-processes, that is, a case where there are a plurality of parts production factories is handled. In addition, in the first and second embodiments, the part assembling time and the shipping final time use a “forwarding instruction” which is calculated and instructed at a timing when the vehicle has passed the reference point. Instructions based on the so-called "Kanban system" are used. here,
Briefly describing the "kanban system", a delivery instruction card called a kanban is attached to the part to be transported, and in the subsequent process, when using this part, the kanban is separated from the part and the separated kanban is specified. Put it back in place. The returned kanban is used as a delivery instruction for the transport to the transport staff, and the parts used only in the subsequent process are transported and replenished. The returned kanbans are collectively collected at regular intervals, and the next kanban is issued based on the collected kanbans. Kanban can be issued as a card, but it is transmitted to the parts production factory 12 as delivery instruction data, and the output device 12 of the parts production factory 12
You can also print out with a. In the present embodiment, the part assembling time and the final shipping time are calculated using the issuance timing of the kanban (predetermined information indicating the necessity of delivery).

FIG. 5 shows a configuration diagram in the present embodiment. The difference from FIG. 1 is that there are a plurality of parts production factories and that kanban issuing information is supplied from the kanban issuing device 10c to the computer 14,
Then, the assembling time and the final shipping time are calculated based on the timing of the kanban issue information.

FIG. 6 shows the computer 14 shown in FIG.
Is shown. As a database, in addition to a database 14g for storing data of transport vehicles and a database 14f for storing a standard time for transporting parts, a database 14h for storing a standard time from issuance of kanbans to use of parts (part assembly) is provided. The time from issuance of the kanban to assembly of the parts may be empirically obtained and stored in the database 14h. The kanban issuance timing itself can be set arbitrarily, and may be set, for example, every hour, or after a lapse of a predetermined time after the kanban is returned.
The database 14h stores, with respect to the kanban issuance timing arbitrarily adopted, the time at which the parts delivered based on the kanban are actually assembled into the vehicle from the issuance time. Further, in the present embodiment, since there are a plurality of component production plants 11, 12,..., The standard component transport time is also stored for each component production plant. For example, when the transportation route of the transportation vehicle 16 is fixed, the standard transportation time from the parts production factory 11 is 3 hours, and the standard transportation time from the parts production factory 12 is 2 hours.

The CPU 14a includes a kanban issuing device 10c.
When the kanban issuance information is received from, the type of component to be delivered is determined from the information, and from which of a plurality of component production factories to deliver is determined based on the type of component.
Next, at the reception timing, the component assembling time is calculated based on the following equation.

[0047]

## EQU00003 ## Assembling time = kanban issuing time + standard time from kanban issuing to component assembling (3) After calculating the assembling time, the CPU 14a calculates the final shipping time of each component based on the following equation. I do.

[0048]

(Equation 4) Final shipping time = Assembling time−Standard time of parts transportation (4) The standard time of parts transportation in equation (4) is different from equation (2), and is the production of parts to be shipped. Take the value according to the factory. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, there are three pre-processes (component production processes) X, Y, and Z, and the route of the transport vehicle 16 is a post-process → pre-process X → pre-process Y → pre-process Z.
→ It is a post process, 40 minutes from the post process (assembly process) to the previous process X, 30 minutes from the previous process X to the previous process Y, 30 minutes from the previous process Y to the previous process Z, and 30 minutes from the previous process Z. Assuming that the time until the process is 40 minutes, the standard time for transporting parts to be shipped from the previous process X is 30 minutes + 30 minutes + 40 minutes = 100.
Minutes.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the assembling time and the final shipping time calculated as described above. There are A, B, C, and D as parts to be delivered, and a process name to be shipped, use time (assembly time), and parts shipment limit time (final shipment time) are determined for each part. Part A
Is X in the previous process and the part assembling time is 8
At 1:30, the final shipping time is 6:50, 100 minutes before that.

After the final shipping time is calculated as described above, the transport vehicle 1 is operated in the same manner as in the first or second embodiment.
6 is selected, and the selected component is output for each component production factory. Then, the CPU 14a compares the component group selected for each component production factory with the earliest shipment final time and the current time. Output shipping instructions. For example, in the example of FIG.
If the transport vehicle 16 becomes full in C and D, the pre-process X
, A shipping instruction is output at 6:50, a shipping instruction is output at 7:30 for the previous process Y, and a shipping instruction is output at 8:30 for the previous process Z. Output instructions. Of course, since the transport route is fixed,
After issuing the shipping instruction in step (1), the shipping instruction may not be output in the preceding processes Y and Z.

According to the present embodiment, the loading efficiency of the transport vehicle can be improved while maintaining just-in-time delivery, and as a result, the cost can be reduced.

<Fourth Embodiment> In the third embodiment, it is assumed that the transport route of the transport vehicle 16 is fixed. However, in the present embodiment, processing when the transport route is variable will be described.

First, as in the third embodiment, the CPU 14a calculates an assembly time for each component. Next, a part group is selected in order from the part with the shortest assembling time until the transport vehicle 16 is fully loaded. After selecting the parts, the CPU 14a
Selects the route that takes the shortest time to transport the part.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the component groups to be loaded are dispersed in three places of the preceding process X, Y and Z, the following process → the preceding process X → the preceding process Y → the preceding process Z → Post-process Post-process → Pre-process X → Pre-process Z → Pre-process Y → Post-process Post-process → Pre-process Y → Pre-process X → Pre-process Z → Post-process Post-process → Pre-process Y → Pre-process Z → Pre-process X → post-process post-process → pre-process Z → pre-process X → pre-process Y → post-process post-process → pre-process Z → pre-process Y → pre-process X → post-process Select a short route for. If the standard transport time between the processes is stored in the database 14f, it is easy to determine which route is the shortest. Then, after selecting the route that requires the shortest transportation time, the final shipping time of each component when traveling along the route is calculated according to the equation (4), and the final shipping time of each component is the earliest. Output shipping instructions according to.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to more efficiently deliver parts by optimizing the transportation route.

<Fifth Embodiment> In the third and fourth embodiments, the case where there are a plurality of pre-processes (component production processes) has been described. In the present embodiment, however, the pre-process is single, and the post-process ( The process when a plurality of (assembly steps) exist will be described.

First, the CPU 14a calculates a component assembling time at the kanban issuing timing, as in the third embodiment. After calculating the assembling time, the final shipping time is calculated for each component using the standard component transportation time stored in the database 14f in advance. Here, it should be noted that the standard part transport time changes according to the post-process. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, there are a post-process P, a post-process Q, and a post-process R as post-processes, and the transport route of the transport vehicle 16 is a pre-process → post-process R → post-process Q → post-process P. When fixed, the final shipping time of the component assembled in the post-process R is the assembling time− (time required from the previous process to the post-process R: for example, 40 minutes), and the final shipping time of the component assembled in the post-process Q is , Assembly time-{(transport time required from previous process to post process R) + (transport time required from post process R to post process Q: for example, 30 minutes)}.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the assembly time and the final shipping time calculated as described above.
The part A is assembled in the post-process R, and its use time (assembly time) is 8:30 and the shipping limit time (final shipping time) is 7:50. The part C is assembled in the post-process Q, the assembling time is 9 o'clock, and the final shipping time is 7 o'clock.
It is 50 minutes.

After the final shipping time of each part is determined, C
The PU 14a sequentially registers the components in the loading component file from the component having the earliest final shipping time, and determines whether or not the component is full by comparing with the maximum loading capacity. Then, select a component group that is full of loads, compare the current time with the earliest shipping final time in the selected component group, and when the current time reaches the earliest shipping final time, To output shipping instructions.

In this embodiment, the case where the transportation route is fixed has been described.
The transport route can be optimized similarly to the embodiment. That is, the assembling time is calculated for each component, and the maximum assembling amount is selected by selecting the assembling time in ascending order. And
Search for the shortest route through the process to which the component group with the largest load capacity belongs, calculate the final shipping time for each component when traveling along the obtained route, and reach the earliest shipping final time At this point, a shipping instruction may be output to the previous process.

<Sixth Embodiment> In the present embodiment, a description will be given of a process in the case where there are a plurality of both front steps (parts production steps) and rear steps (assembly steps).

First, the CPU 14a calculates a component assembling time at the kanban issuing timing. After calculating the assembling time, the final shipping time is calculated for each component using the standard component transportation time stored in the database 14f in advance. Here, it should be noted that the component transport standard time changes according to the post-process and the previous process to which the component belongs. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, a post-process P, a post-process Q, and a post-process R exist as post-processes, and a pre-process X, a pre-process Y, and a pre-process Z exist as pre-processes. The transportation route of the previous process X → previous process Y → previous process Z →
When the post-process R → the post-process Q → the post-process P is fixed, the final shipping time of the component of the pre-process Z assembled in the post-process R is assembling time− (time required from the pre-process Z to the post-process R: 40 minutes), and the final shipping time of the parts in the preceding process Y assembled in the subsequent process Q is assembling time−
{(Transport time required from previous process Y to previous process Z) + (transport time required from previous process Z to post process R) + (transport time required from post process R to post process Q)}.

FIG. 13 shows an example of the assembling time for each component and the final shipping time calculated in this way. The time required for transportation employs the time shown in FIG. For example, for the part A, from the pre-process X to the post-process R
The assembly time in the post-process R is 8:30, the final part shipment time in the pre-process X is 6:50, and the component B is delivered from the pre-process Y to the post-process P. The assembling time in the subsequent process P is 8:40, and the final shipping time in the preceding process Y is 6:30. Then, the CPU 14a sequentially registers the components in the loading component file in ascending order of the final shipping time, and selects a component group having the maximum loading capacity. Assuming that FIG.
Assuming that the component groups A, B, C, and D are full, the CPU 14a outputs a shipping instruction in accordance with the shipping of the component having the earliest final shipping time. More specifically, in FIG. 13, the shipment instruction is output at 6:00 with respect to the previous process X so that the shipment instruction can be output at 6:30 in the previous process Y since 6:30 is the earliest for the part B. (Because the transportation time of the pre-process X and the pre-process Y is 30 minutes, 6: 30-3
0 minute = 6 o'clock). At this time, in the pre-process X, the component A
And C are loaded.

In this embodiment, instead of fixing the transport route, the transport route can be made variable and a transport route that minimizes the transport time can be determined.

<Seventh Embodiment> In the present embodiment, a process in the case where a relay point exists between a pre-process (component production process) and a post-process (assembly process) will be described. For example, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that there is a single relay point (relay logistics base) and a plurality of pre-processes and post-processes exist.

In such a case, the CPU 14a first calculates a component assembling time at the kanban issuing timing. After calculating the assembly time, the database 1
The last shipping time at the relay distribution point (last relay shipping time) is calculated for each part using the standard part transport time stored in 4f. Here, the component transport standard time changes according to the post-process to which the component belongs. For example, if the transport route is fixed as the relay distribution point → post-process R → post-process Q → post-process P, the post-process R The required transportation time of the parts to be delivered is shorter than the required transportation time to be delivered to the post-process P. In particular,

[Equation 5] Final shipping time of relay = Assembly time-Standard transportation time from relay distribution point ... The standard time to each post-process and relay distribution point is stored in the database 14f in advance.

Next, the calculated relay shipping final time is the shipping time at the relay distribution point, in other words, it can be said that the component use time at the relay distribution point. Therefore,
The second shipping final time calculated based on the equation (5) is regarded as the component use time at the relay distribution point, and the CPU 14a further calculates the final shipping time in each preceding process. The final shipping time is

[Equation 6] Final shipping time = Second final shipping time−Transport standard time from the previous process to the relay distribution point (6) The standard time (second transportation required time) from each preceding process to the relay distribution point may be stored in the database 14f in advance. As a result, the final shipping time of each component in each preceding process is determined. afterwards,
As in the above-described embodiment, the CPU 14a sequentially registers the components in the loading component file in ascending order of the final shipping time, and selects a component group in which the transport vehicle 16 is fully loaded. After selecting the parts group, the part with the earliest shipping final time is compared with the current time, and a shipping instruction is output. If the part with the earliest final shipping time is the part in the previous process Y, the previous process Y
In step X, a shipping instruction is output at that time, and in the preceding step X, a shipping instruction is output in the preceding step X in consideration of the required transportation time between the preceding step X and the preceding step Y. Thus, parts can be reliably delivered to the relay distribution point, and parts can be delivered on-time from the relay distribution point to each post-process.

In this embodiment, it is also possible to make the transport route variable rather than fixed, and to select a route that optimizes the required transport time.

[0069]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Necessary parts can be delivered when needed, and transport efficiency at the time of delivery can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a computer according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a component assembling time and a final shipping time according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a processing flowchart of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a computer according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship between a pre-process and a post-process of the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a component assembling time and a final shipping time according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between a pre-process and a post-process of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a relationship between a pre-process and a post-process of the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a component assembling time and a final shipping time according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a relationship between a pre-process and a post-process of the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a component assembling time and a final shipping time according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a pre-process, a post-process, and a relay distribution base according to the seventh embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 assembly factory (post-process), 12 parts production factory (pre-process), 14 computers, 16 transport vehicles, 18 parts.

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A method for instructing a delivery of a part to be assembled to a work put into an assembly line, comprising: calculating an assembling time of the part; and determining the assembling time and the part stored in a storage device in advance. Calculate the final shipping time of the parts based on the required transportation time for delivery, select a plurality of parts from the parts to be delivered that are sufficient to load the parts transport vehicle, and select And outputting a shipping instruction at the earliest time of the final shipping time. 2. A method for instructing, via a relay point, the delivery of a part to be assembled to a work put into an assembly line, the method comprising: calculating an assembling time of the part; Based on the required transportation time for transporting the component from the relay point, the relay shipping final time of the component at the relay point of the component is calculated, and the relay shipping final time and stored in a storage device in advance. Based on a second transportation time required for transporting the part to the relay point, a final shipping time of the part is calculated, and a plurality of parts capable of fully loading a part transport vehicle from the parts to be delivered. And outputting a shipping instruction at the earliest time of the final shipping time among the selected parts. 3. The component delivery instruction method according to claim 1, wherein the selection is performed in order from the component having the earliest final shipping time. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the assembling time is determined based on a timing at which the workpiece input to the assembly line passes a reference point on the assembly line and a storage device. A component delivery instruction method, which is calculated from a time required for assembling the component from the reference point stored in advance. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the reference point is a starting point of the assembly line. 6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the time required to assemble the part is determined by the number of steps of attaching the part from the reference point stored in a storage device in advance and the number of steps for each step. A parts delivery instruction method characterized by being calculated based on tact time. 7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: adding the line tact time to the calculated final shipping time for each line tact time; A component delivery instruction method, wherein the line tact time is subtracted from the final shipping time calculated when the vehicle passes, and the final shipping time is corrected according to the progress of the assembly line. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the assembling time is determined based on an issuance timing of predetermined information indicating necessity of parts delivery and the issuance timing stored in a storage device in advance. A component delivery instruction method characterized by being calculated from the time required to assemble a component delivered to a customer. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the steps for shipping the parts and the assembly line includes a plurality of steps separated from each other. Parts delivery instruction method to be performed. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the part is to be shipped in a plurality of steps, the assembly line is a single step, and a step between steps previously stored in a storage device and each step and the assembly Based on the time required for transportation between lines, selecting and outputting a path having the shortest total transportation time required, from among possible transportation paths to the assembly line via all of the processes to be shipped. Parts delivery instruction method to be performed. 11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of shipping the part is a single step, the number of the assembly lines is plural, and between the assembly lines stored in the storage device in advance and the step and each assembly. Parts delivery, wherein a route having the shortest total transport time is selected and output from possible transport routes from the process to be shipped to all of the assembly lines based on the transport time required between the lines. Instruction method. 12. The method according to claim 9, wherein there are a plurality of steps for shipping the parts and the assembly line, and a plurality of assembly lines, between the steps, and each step and each assembly line stored in a storage device in advance. And selecting and outputting a route having the shortest total transport time from among possible transport routes to all of the assembly lines via all the processes to be shipped, based on the transport time required during the transportation. Parts delivery instruction method. 13. An apparatus for instructing delivery of a part to be assembled to a work put into an assembly line, comprising: means for calculating a final shipping time of the part based on an assembling time of the part; and a part to be delivered. Means for selecting a plurality of parts that can fully load the parts transporting vehicle from among the parts, and outputting a shipping instruction at the earliest time of the final shipping time among the selected parts, and Parts delivery instruction device. 14. The component according to claim 13, wherein the final shipping time is calculated based on a time required for assembling the component from a reference point and a transportation time for delivering the component. Delivery instruction device. 15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the final shipping time is calculated based on an issuance timing of predetermined information indicating a necessity of delivery and a time required for assembling the actually delivered parts from the issuance timing. A parts delivery instruction device characterized by the following.