JP7391746B2 - Order support equipment, methods and programs - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an order acceptance support device, method, and program that support order acceptance operations for parts and the like at a parts manufacturer, for example.

For example, when manufacturing industrial products, product manufacturers generally have a design person create blueprints for the product and the parts used in the product using a design system using CAD (Computer Aided Design), etc. A manufacturing instruction sheet containing detailed specification information and manufacturing instruction contents necessary for manufacturing the parts is manually created as a separate document based on the drawings. Then, based on the above-mentioned design drawings and manufacturing instructions, the person in charge of procurement requests a quotation from a component supplier (for example, a processor) for each part, selects a processor that meets the conditions, and processes the parts. We are trying to place an order for manufacturing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-189758

For this reason, every time a product manufacturer requests a quote, a processing company must prepare an estimate based on the blueprints and specification information for the parts presented, and each time it receives an order, it must prepare a purchase order. The machining process must be designed based on the parts design drawings and manufacturing instructions described in . For this reason, the workload of processing companies regarding receiving orders was high.

This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and one aspect thereof is to provide a technique for reducing duplication of order-receiving operations and improving operational efficiency.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of an order support device and an order support method according to the present invention is capable of transmitting data via a network to a terminal device of a customer who manages the work of receiving an order for manufacturing an article. In this order support device, a plurality of pieces of past order information including design drawing information of the article and information indicating the contents of the order are stored. When a search request corresponding to a new quotation request is received from the terminal device, and when a search request corresponding to a new order request is received from the terminal device, the design of the article related to the received quotation request and the order request is performed. The shape of the article related to the quotation request and the shape of the article related to the order request are respectively recognized from the drawing information and the design drawing information of the article included in the plurality of stored ordered information , and the recognized quotation request By comparing the shape of the article related to the above order request and the shape of the article related to the above-mentioned order request with the recognized shape of the article related to the plurality of past ordered information, Search for ordered information corresponding to the requested item and similar items whose shape matches the ordered item within a predetermined range of conditions, and use the searched ordered information as a quotation reference for the quotation request. The information is sent to the terminal device as information , and in response to the order request, the retrieved order information is sent to the terminal device as reference information for design .

According to one aspect of the present invention, for example, a plurality of pieces of order information related to requests received by a parts processor in the past are stored in a storage medium, and in this state, a search request is made in response to a new quotation request or order request. is received, the shape of the article related to the received quotation request or order request is recognized from the blueprint information, and compared with the shape of the article related to multiple past order information, and products with similar shapes are identified. Ordered information related to is searched and presented to the parts processor. For this reason, for example , in response to a new quotation request, the processing company will be presented with the received order information as quotation reference information, and in response to the new order request, the completed order information will be presented as design reference information . It is now possible to create additional information as necessary for responding to estimates and processing parts for new orders, thereby reducing duplication of work related to responding to estimates and creating additional information and improving work efficiency. It becomes possible. Furthermore, past order information for similar parts is searched by comparing the shapes of parts. Therefore, even if the order information does not include information indicating the similarity of parts, it is possible to search for past order information for similar parts.

That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for reducing duplication of order receiving operations and improving operational efficiency.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a system including an order support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an order support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of an order support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure and contents of order support processing by the order support device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an overview of data input/output and processing related to the order acceptance support processing shown in FIG. 4.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[One embodiment]
(Configuration example)
(1) System FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a system including an order support device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In this example, the system includes a server computer (hereinafter referred to as server device) SV that operates as an order support device. The server device SV is capable of transmitting data via the network NW to a plurality of terminal devices MA1 to MAn used by respective component manufacturers (processors).

The network NW includes, for example, a wide area network having the Internet as its core, and an access network for accessing this wide area network. As the access network, for example, wired and wireless public networks, wired and wireless LAN (Local Area Network), and CATV (Cable Television) networks are used.

(2) Device (2-1) Terminal device MA1 to MAn
The terminal devices MA1 to MAn are configured by, for example, a general-purpose personal computer equipped with a mailer or a browser, and are used by the processing company to transmit data between the product manufacturer's ordering terminal device and the server device SV, respectively. Ru.

(2-2) Server device SV
2 and 3 are block diagrams showing the hardware configuration and software configuration of the server device (also referred to as platform) SV, respectively.
The server device SV includes a control unit 1 having a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), and a program storage unit 2 and a data storage unit 3 are connected to the control unit 1 via a bus 5. A storage unit and a communication interface (communication I/F) 4 are connected to each other.

The communication I/F4 performs data transmission with the terminal devices MA1 to MAn under the control of the control unit 1 using a communication protocol defined by the network NW, for example, by using a wired network interface. configured.

The program storage unit 2 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that can be written to and read from at any time as a storage medium, and a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory). In addition to middleware such as an OS (Operating System), the computer stores programs necessary for executing various control processes according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The data storage unit 3 is, for example, a combination of a nonvolatile memory such as an HDD or SSD that can be written to and read from at any time as a storage medium, and a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). The main storage units required to carry out the embodiment include an ordered information storage unit 31 and a parts learning model storage unit 32.

The ordered information storage unit 31 is used to store a plurality of pieces of past ordered information obtained from the terminal devices MA1 to MAn in association with the identification information of the processor.

The component learning model storage unit 32 stores a component learning model used to recognize the shape of a component from 3D CAD data (3D Computer Aided Design) of the component.

The control unit 1 includes, as processing functions according to an embodiment of the present invention, an ordered information acquisition unit 11, a part shape recognition processing unit 12, an estimate/order reference information search processing unit 13, and a new order information registration processing unit. It is equipped with 14. These processing units 11 to 14 are all realized by causing the hardware processor of the control unit 1 to execute programs stored in the program storage unit 2.

When the ordered information acquisition unit 11 receives a registration request for ordered information from the terminal devices MA1 to MAn, the ordered information acquisition unit 11 retrieves a plurality of pieces of past ordered information transmitted from the terminal devices MA1 to MAn via the communication I/F 4. A process is performed in which each piece of received order information is stored in the order information storage unit 31 in association with the processor ID indicating the sender.

The part shape recognition processing unit 12 extracts 3D CAD data of parts related to a new quotation request or order request, and 3D CAD data of each part included in a plurality of pieces of past ordered information stored in the ordered information storage unit 31. Each performs processing to recognize the shape of each part. The part learning model stored in the part learning model storage section 32 is used for this part shape recognition process. The component shape recognition processing unit 12 also performs processing for updating the component learning model in accordance with the above-described component shape recognition processing. Note that an example of a part shape recognition process using a part learning model will be described later.

When the quotation/order reference information search processing section 13 receives a search request for order information from the terminal devices MA1 to MAn, the quotation/order reference information search processing section 13 sends a new quotation request or A request is made to recognize the shape of the part related to the order request and to recognize the shape of the part related to a plurality of pieces of past ordered information stored in the ordered information storage section 31.

In addition, the quotation/order reference information search processing unit 13 converts the shape of the part related to the new quotation request or order request, recognized by the part shape recognition processing unit 12, to the part related to the plurality of past ordered information. and based on the comparison results, from among the multiple past ordered information, the difference in shape with the part related to the new quotation request or order request is within a preset range. Search for similar parts. Then, a process is performed to transmit past order information corresponding to the searched similar parts from the communication I/F 4 to the terminal devices MA1 to MAn that have made the search request, as reference information for responding to a quotation or creating order information. conduct.

When the new order information registration processing unit 14 receives order information created based on a new order request from the terminal devices MA1 to MAn together with the registration request, the new order information is registered with the processor ID of the sender. A process is performed in which the information is linked and additionally stored in the ordered information storage section 31.

(Operation example)
Next, an example of the operation of the server device SV configured as above will be explained.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing related to the order support operation by the server device SV, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an overview of data input/output and processing in the order support operation.
The explanation will be given assuming that the component learning model storage unit 32 already stores data of learned component learning models for a large number of components used in a product.

(1) Initial Registration of Order Information In order for a processor to use the order support service provided by the server device SV, it is necessary to register past order information stored by the processor itself in the server device SV. Therefore, the person in charge of order acceptance at the processing company uses, for example, his/her own terminal device MA1 to transmit the plurality of stored order information items together with a registration request to the server device SV.

As shown in FIG. 5, for example, each piece of order information includes 3D CAD data that is part blueprint information, specifications/supplementary information, and information representing an order history. Among these, the specifications/supplementary information includes, for example, the material of the part, hardness, manufacturing instruction comments (points to note), and geometric tolerances. Further, the information representing the order history includes, for example, the name of the product manufacturer from which the parts were ordered, information representing the order date and time, quantity, unit price, delivery date, and processing steps. Note that among the information representing the order history, only the information representing the processing process is created by the processing company, and the other information is information instructed by the product manufacturer as order information.

The control section 1 of the server device SV monitors the reception of the order information registration request in step S10 under the control of the order information acquisition section 11. In this state, when receiving the registration request from the terminal device MA1, for example, the ordered information acquisition unit 11 transmits a plurality of pieces of past ordered information transmitted from the terminal device MA1 together with the registration request to the communication I/F 4 in step S11. The plurality of received past ordered information is stored in the ordered information storage unit 31 in association with the sender's processor ID.

Note that a plurality of orders received information may be registered all at once, or may be registered separately. Further, the compression encoding method, multiplexing method, etc. of the order information upon transmission can be arbitrarily selected.

(2) Searching the order history (2-1) When a request for quotation is received When a new request for quotation is received from a product manufacturer, the person in charge of ordering at the processing company will download the 3D CAD data of the parts included in the received quotation request. is transmitted from its own terminal device MA1 to the server device SV.

In contrast, the control unit 1 of the server device SV monitors search requests related to quotation requests in step S12. When the search request is received in this state, the control unit 1 of the server device SV, under the control of the quotation/order reference information search processing unit 13, retrieves the 3D CAD data of the parts related to the quotation request received together with the search request. It is given to the component shape recognition processing section 12. Then, the part shape recognition processing unit 12 is instructed to perform part shape recognition processing.

When the component shape recognition processing section 12 receives the instruction for the recognition process, it first performs a process to recognize the shape of the component from the 3D CAD data of the component related to the estimate request. Next, a process is performed to recognize the shapes of the parts from the 3D CAD data of the parts included in the plural pieces of past ordered information stored in the ordered information storage unit 31. These component recognition processes are performed, for example, as follows.

That is, the component shape recognition processing unit 12 first creates 2D image data from 20 vertices of a regular dodecahedron based on the 3D CAD data of the given component. Subsequently, a plurality of feature vectors are calculated from the created 2D image data, and the calculated feature vectors are provided as explanatory variables to the learning model stored in the component learning model storage section 32. As a result, the part learning model outputs recognition results of part shapes clustered according to the feature vectors. Similarly, the part shape recognition processing section 12 performs a process of recognizing the shape of the part using the above-mentioned part learning model for each of the plural pieces of past ordered information stored in the ordered information storage section 31.

When the part shape recognition processing in the part shape recognition processing part 12 is completed, the quotation/order reference information search processing unit 13 converts the recognized shape of the part related to the quotation request into the past recognized shape in step S13. Compare the shapes of multiple ordered parts. Then, based on the comparison result, a similar part is searched from among the plurality of previously ordered parts within a preset range of difference in shape from the part related to the estimate request. Note that as the shape comparison method mentioned above, for example, a method that calculates the difference between feature vectors calculated when recognizing the shape, or a method that calculates the number of matching pixels between images of recognized parts is used. However, it is not limited to that.

The quotation/order reference information search processing unit 13 then reads out the past ordered information corresponding to the searched similar parts from the ordered information storage unit 31 in step S14, and uses the ordered information as the quotation reference information. The search request is sent from the communication I/F 4 to the terminal device MA1 that is the source of the search request.

The processor prepares a response to the quotation request by referring to the information representing the order history included in the past order information sent from the server device SV, that is, the information representing the quantity, unit price, delivery date, and processing process. Create. Then, the prepared estimate reply is sent back from the terminal device MA1 to the product manufacturer that made the request.

(2-2) When an order request is received After receiving the estimate above, when receiving an order request for new parts processing from a product manufacturer, the processing company transfers the 3D CAD data of the parts related to the order request from the terminal device MA1 to the server. Send to device SV.

On the other hand, the control unit 1 of the server device SV monitors a search request in response to a new order request in step S15. When the above search request is received in this state, the control unit 1 of the server device SV, under the control of the estimate/order reference information search processing unit 13, converts the 3D CAD data of the ordered part related to the above order request into the parts in step S16. It is given to the shape recognition processing section 12. Then, it instructs the component shape recognition processing section 12 to recognize the shapes of the ordered components and previously ordered components.

Upon receiving the instruction for the recognition process, the part shape recognition processing unit 12 performs a process of recognizing the shape of the part from the 3D CAD data of the part to be ordered, and a process of recognizing the shape of the part from the 3D CAD data of the part to be ordered, and a process of recognizing the shape of the part from the past orders stored in the ordered information storage unit 31. A process of recognizing the shape of each part from the 3D CAD data of the ordered part related to the ordered part is performed using a parts learning model. The recognition process for these parts is the same as that described above when requesting an estimate, so a repeated explanation will be omitted.

When the component shape recognition processing section 12 completes the component shape recognition processing, the quotation/order reference information search processing section 13 converts the recognized shape of the order target part into a plurality of past recognized parts in step S16. Compare each shape with the ordered parts. Then, based on the comparison result, a similar part is searched from among the plurality of previously ordered parts within a preset range of difference in shape from the ordered part.

Next, in step S17, the estimate/order reference information search processing unit 13 reads past ordered information corresponding to the searched similar parts from the ordered information storage unit 31, and uses the ordered information in processing steps, etc. The information is sent from the communication I/F 4 to the terminal device MA1 that is the source of the search request, as reference information when designing.

The processing company designs the processing process etc. of the currently ordered part by referring to the past order information sent from the server device SV. Then, new order information including information indicating the designed processing process is created as follows. In other words, the new order information includes the 3D CAD data, specifications, and supplementary information of the parts received from the product manufacturer along with the order request, as well as the name of the product manufacturer, order date and time, quantity, and unit price included in the order history. Information indicating the above processing process is added to the delivery date and delivery date, and this is included as the order history.

(3) Additional registration of new order information The processor transmits the created new order information together with a registration request from the terminal device MA1 to the server device SV.

On the other hand, the control unit 1 of the server device SV monitors the new order information registration request in step S18. In this state, upon receiving the registration request, the control unit 1 of the server device SV, under the control of the new order information registration processing unit 14, transfers the new order information transmitted from the terminal device MA1 to the communication interface in step S19. /F4, and the received new order information is additionally stored in the ordered information storage unit 31 in association with the processor ID of the registration request source.

(action/effect)
As described above, in the server device SV according to one embodiment, the following order support processing is performed. That is, the server device SV acquires the past orders information stored by the processing company from the terminal devices MA1 to MAn of the processing company and stores it in the ordered information storage unit 31. In this state, when the processing company receives a new quotation request or order request from the product manufacturer and sends the 3D CAD data of the part to be ordered related to the quotation request or order request, the 3D CAD data of the part to be ordered is In addition to recognizing the shape, the shape of each ordered part included in a plurality of pieces of past ordered information stored in the ordered information storage section 31 is also recognized. Then, by comparing the recognized shape of the above-mentioned order target part with the shape of the above-mentioned plurality of past ordered parts, parts similar to the shape of the above-mentioned orderable part are selected from among the plurality of past ordered parts. Search for. Then, the past order information corresponding to the searched similar parts is sent to the terminal devices MA1 to MAn used by the fabricator who requested the search.

Therefore, when a processing company receives a quotation request or an order request for a new order, for example, the processing company receives ordered information corresponding to previously ordered parts that are similar in shape to the part to be ordered, which is presented from the server device SV. It is possible to create the information necessary for responding to estimates and processing parts by reusing them. As a result, the duplication of work for creating information necessary for replying to estimates and processing parts is reduced, thereby making it possible to improve the efficiency of order-taking work.

Further, past similar parts are searched by comparing the shapes of parts. Therefore, even if the ordered information does not specifically include information indicating the similarity of parts, it is possible to search for similar parts.

Further, the newly created order information at the processing company is sent from the terminal devices MA1 to MAn to the server device SV and additionally stored in the order information storage section 31. Therefore, every time a processing company receives a new order for parts processing work, the new order information is reflected in the order information of the server device SV, and thereby the information stored in the order information storage unit 31 is further updated. It becomes possible to enrich it.

[Other embodiments]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, each time the server device SV receives a search request from the terminal device MA1 to MAn of a processing company, the server device SV performs a process of recognizing the shape of a new part to be ordered and stores it in the ordered information storage unit 31. The case where recognition processing is performed for the shape of an ordered part included in past ordered information has been described.

However, not limited to the above example, for ordered parts included in each past ordered information stored in the ordered information storage unit 31, shape recognition processing is performed in advance, and the shape representing the recognition result is The list information may be stored in the data storage unit 3.

In this way, each time the server device SV receives a search request from the terminal devices MA1 to MAn of the fabricator, it is no longer necessary to perform shape recognition processing for a plurality of parts ordered in the past, and the server device SV It becomes possible to reduce the processing load on the device SV and shorten the search response time.

(2) In the above embodiment, the server device SV transmits order information corresponding to similar parts searched from past order information to the fabricator as is. However, it is necessary to determine whether the type of search request from a processing company is associated with a quotation request or an order request, and in the case of a quotation request, the information necessary to respond to the quotation from among the order information corresponding to similar parts is determined. Only the elements may be selected and transmitted, and in the case of an order request, only the information elements necessary for designing the processing process may be selected and transmitted.

(3) In addition, the article is not limited to parts, but may also be modules or units, and the gist of the present invention also covers the configuration and installation location of the order support device, the procedure and content of order support processing, the method of recognizing the shape of parts, etc. Various modifications can be made without departing from the above.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is merely an illustration of the present invention in all respects. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. That is, in implementing the present invention, specific configurations depending on the embodiments may be adopted as appropriate.

In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, but can be implemented by modifying the constituent elements within the scope of the invention at the implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the plurality of components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

SV...Server device MA1-MAn...Terminal device of processor NW...Network 1...Control unit 2...Program storage unit 3...Data storage unit 4...Communication interface (communication I/F)
5... Bus 11... Order information acquisition section 12... Part shape recognition processing section 13... Estimate/order reference information search processing section 14... New order information registration processing section 31... Order information storage section 32... Part learning model storage section

Claims (5)

An order support device capable of transmitting data via a network to a terminal device of a customer who manages the work of receiving an order for the manufacture of goods,
a storage medium that stores a plurality of pieces of past order information including design drawing information for the article and information indicating order details;
When a search request corresponding to a new quotation request is received from the terminal device, the design drawing information of the article related to the received quotation request and the design diagram of the article included in the stored plurality of ordered information. From the information , the shape of the article related to the quotation request and the shape of the article included in the plurality of ordered information are recognized, and when a search request corresponding to a new order request is received from the terminal device, From the received blueprint information of the article related to the order request and the blueprint information of the article included in the stored plurality of ordered information, the shape of the article related to the order request and the plurality of ordered information are determined, respectively. a shape recognition unit that recognizes the shape of the article included in the article ;
By comparing the recognized shape of the article related to the quotation request and the recognized shape of the article related to the order request with the recognized shape of the article related to the plurality of past ordered information, Among the plurality of pieces of ordered information, search is made for ordered information corresponding to a similar article that matches the shape of the article related to the quotation request within a predetermined condition , and the ordered information corresponding to the article related to the quotation request and the predetermined condition. a search unit that searches for ordered information corresponding to similar articles with matching shapes within the range ;
In response to the quotation request, the searched order information is sent to the terminal device as quotation reference information , and in response to the order request, the searched order information is sent to the terminal device as design reference information. An order support device comprising: a transmitter for transmitting data to ; The shape recognition unit is
a feature amount calculation unit that calculates a plurality of feature amounts related to the shape of the article from blueprint information of the article;
The order support device according to claim 1, further comprising: a learning model that outputs information representing a recognition result of the shape of the article when the plurality of calculated feature quantities are given as explanatory variables. When receiving new order information including design drawing information of an article related to a new order and information indicating the contents of the order from the terminal device, the new order information is additionally stored in the storage medium. The order support device according to claim 1, further comprising an information addition section. An order support method executed by an information processing device capable of transmitting data via a network to a terminal device of a customer who manages operations for receiving orders for the manufacture of articles, the method comprising:
a step of storing a plurality of pieces of past order information including blueprint information of the article and information indicating order details in a storage medium;
When a search request corresponding to a new quotation request is received from the terminal device, the design drawing information of the article related to the received quotation request and the design diagram of the article included in the stored plurality of ordered information. From the information , the shape of the article related to the quotation request and the shape of the article included in the plurality of ordered information are recognized, and when a search request corresponding to a new order request is received from the terminal device, From the received blueprint information of the article related to the order request and the blueprint information of the article included in the stored plurality of ordered information, the shape of the article related to the order request and the plurality of ordered information are determined, respectively. a step of recognizing the shape of the article contained in the article ;
By comparing the recognized shape of the article related to the quotation request and the recognized shape of the article related to the order request with the recognized shape of the article related to the plurality of past ordered information, Among the plurality of pieces of ordered information, search is made for ordered information corresponding to a similar article that matches the shape of the article related to the quotation request within a predetermined condition , and the ordered information corresponding to the article related to the quotation request and the predetermined condition. a process of searching for ordered information corresponding to similar articles with matching shapes within the range of ;
In response to the quotation request, the searched order information is sent to the terminal device as quotation reference information , and in response to the order request, the searched order information is sent to the terminal device as design reference information. An order support method comprising: a process of sending to ; A program that causes a hardware processor included in the order support device to execute the processing of the shape recognition unit, the search unit, and the transmission unit included in the order support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .