JP7537330B2 - Process control system and process control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a process management system and a process management method, and in particular to a process management system and a process management method for managing a production line that includes multiple processes.

When additional work such as defect repair occurs on a production line, it is preferable to perform the additional work in-line in order to maintain high productivity. In relation to such technology, Patent Document 1 discloses a production line that includes multiple manual work areas, multiple machine work areas, and an image acquisition area that acquires an external image of the work, and that is capable of performing an inspection that determines whether the work content is correct based on the external image of the work. The production line according to Patent Document 1 further includes an imaging means that images the work brought into the image acquisition area, and a display means that displays the image captured by the imaging means. The display means is disposed in a takt surplus area, among the multiple manual work areas, that is the time required for inspection remaining when the time required for manual work is subtracted from the takt time.

JP 2013-210822 A

In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, an inspection process is provided for a process in a production line that has a surplus from the takt time. However, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that an inspection process cannot be provided unless there is a certain amount of surplus from the takt time. In other words, if there is no process that has a larger surplus than the time required for the inspection process, there is a risk that the inspection process cannot be provided appropriately. Therefore, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the productivity of the production line will not be optimized when additional work occurs.

The present invention provides a process management system and a process management method that can optimize the productivity of a production line even when additional work occurs.

The process management system according to the present invention is a process management system that manages a production line including multiple existing processes in which predetermined work is performed, and has an acquisition unit that acquires additional work time, which is the work time required for additional work performed in the production line, and element work time, which is the work time required for each of one or more element works in the process, and a calculation unit that calculates a combination of the additional work and multiple element works for the multiple processes based on the acquired additional work time and element work time, so that the maximum work time among the work times of each of the multiple processes is reduced when the additional work is added to at least one of the processes and the element works are rearranged between the processes.

The process management method according to the present invention is a process management method for managing a production line including a plurality of existing processes in which predetermined work is performed, and obtains additional work time, which is the work time required for additional work performed in the production line, and element work time, which is the work time required for each of one or more element work within the process, and calculates a combination of the additional work and the element work for the plurality of processes based on the obtained additional work time and element work time, so that the maximum work time among the work times of each of the plurality of processes is reduced when the additional work is added to at least one of the processes and the element work is rearranged between the processes.

With this configuration, the present invention makes it possible to smooth out the work time of each process in which element work and additional work have been rearranged. By smoothing out the work time of each process, the productivity of the production line can be improved. Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to optimize the productivity of the production line even when additional work occurs.

In a preferred embodiment, the system further comprises a determination section for determining a rearrangement process, which is a process in which the element work is rearranged, among the plurality of processes.
With this configuration, it becomes possible to appropriately rearrange the work elements.

Also, preferably, when the maximum operation time calculated by the calculation unit exceeds a predetermined time, the determination unit changes the rearrangement process, and the calculation unit calculates the combination for the rearrangement process that has been changed.
With this configuration, it is possible to calculate a combination of element tasks that limits the rearrangement process to which the element tasks are rearranged, while keeping the maximum operation time below a predetermined time. This makes it possible to suppress the impact on the production plan even when an additional task is added to the production line.

In a preferred embodiment, the acquisition unit further acquires worker information related to a worker performing work in the process, and the calculation unit calculates the combination based on the worker information.
With this configuration, a combination of elemental tasks is calculated according to the skills of the workers, so that the combination of elemental tasks can be calculated more appropriately.

In a preferred embodiment, the acquisition section further acquires restriction information indicating restrictions on the element operations, and the calculation section calculates the combination based on the restriction information.
With this configuration, a combination of element tasks is calculated according to the limitations of the element tasks, so that the combination of element tasks can be calculated more appropriately.

The present invention provides a process management system and a process management method that can optimize the productivity of a production line even when additional work occurs.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a process control system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a process control system according to a first embodiment. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of process information stored by a process information storage unit according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of standard work times for each element work according to the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 5, the element work time for each process is accumulated to show the work time for each process. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of worker information stored by a worker information storage unit according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a process of a process determination unit according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process management method executed by the process management system according to the first embodiment; 1 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the process control system according to the first embodiment performs a rearrangement process when an additional task occurs; FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the process control system according to the first embodiment performs a rearrangement process when an additional task occurs; FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the process control system according to the first embodiment performs a rearrangement process when an additional task occurs; FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the process control system according to the first embodiment performs a rearrangement process when an additional task occurs; FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the process control system according to the first embodiment performs a rearrangement process when an additional task occurs; FIG.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings are omitted and simplified as appropriate. In addition, in each drawing, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

＜Overview＞
Before describing the first embodiment, an overview of the embodiments will be described.
Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the present embodiment. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a production line 50 in a factory. The production line 50 includes a plurality of processes. In the example of Fig. 1, the production line 50 includes a process A, a process B, a process C, a process D, a process E, a process F, and a process G. In the production line 50, operations are usually carried out in the order of process A, process B, process C, process D, .... Therefore, in the example of Fig. 1, the flow of the production line 50 runs from process A to process G.

Line work is being carried out at each process in the production line 50. Here, at each of processes A to G, predetermined work is being carried out simultaneously for each process. In other words, work at processes B to G is not suspended until work at process A is completed, but rather, while work at process A is being carried out, the work defined for each of processes B to G is being carried out. Work plans are made for each of processes A to G so that work is carried out within a work time that does not exceed the takt time, which is a time predetermined by the production plan. The takt time can be determined according to the production plan.

Here, if additional work, such as dealing with a quality defect, suddenly arises on the production line 50, it is necessary to perform the additional work without stopping the operation of the factory. Here, if the additional work is performed outside the production line 50, it will be necessary to carry the work outside the production line 50 to perform the additional work, and then return the work to the production line 50 once the additional work is completed, which may reduce the factory operation rate. Therefore, it is desirable to perform the additional work inline. In other words, it is desirable to incorporate the additional work into the production line 50.

However, simply adding additional work to a certain process and performing the additional work in that process may result in the work time of that process being longer than the work time of other processes, causing the process to become a bottleneck. For example, if a malfunction occurs in process C in production line 50, it is efficient to perform the additional work in process C. However, simply adding additional work to process C may result in the work time of process C being significantly longer than the work time of the other processes. In that case, if the difference between the work time of process C and the work time of the other processes becomes too large, process C may become a bottleneck, causing the overall production efficiency of production line 50 to decrease. Furthermore, in this case, if the work time of process C exceeds the takt time, this may affect the production plan.

Here, each process has a plurality of elemental operations that are executed in that process. That is, each process is composed of a plurality of elemental operations. In this embodiment, as described below, an additional operation is added to the process, and the elemental operations in each process are rearranged (recombined) between processes. That is, in this embodiment, one or more elemental operations in each process are rearranged to another process. In this embodiment, the operation time of each process in which the elemental operations are rearranged is smoothed as much as possible. That is, in this embodiment, the elemental operations and the additional operations are rearranged so that the maximum operation time of the operation time of each process after the rearrangement is smaller. This makes it possible to optimize the productivity of the production line even when additional operations occur. That is, even when additional operations occur, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the productivity of the production line. Therefore, even if additional operations are incorporated into the production line, it is possible to reduce the impact on the operation of the factory.

<Process control system>
Next, the process control system according to the first embodiment will be described.
2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the process control system 1 according to the first embodiment. Here, the process control system 1 can be realized by one or more information processing devices such as computers. The process control system 1 can also be realized by, for example, a cloud system. The process control system 1 can also be realized by multiple devices (for example, servers). In this case, each of the multiple devices can have the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2.

The process control system 1 has, as its main hardware components, a CPU 12 (Central Processing Unit), a ROM 14 (Read Only Memory), a RAM 16 (Random Access Memory), and an interface unit 18 (IF; Interface). The CPU 12, ROM 14, RAM 16, and interface unit 18 are interconnected via a data bus or the like.

The CPU 12 functions as a calculation device (processing device or processor) that performs control processing and calculation processing. The ROM 14 functions as storage that stores control programs and calculation programs executed by the CPU 12. The ROM 14 may include a database. The RAM 16 functions as a memory that temporarily stores processing data, etc.

The interface unit 18 inputs and outputs signals from and to the outside via wired or wireless communication. Therefore, the interface unit 18 functions as a communication device. The interface unit 18 also accepts data input operations by the user and performs processing to display information to the user. The interface unit 18 may have an input device such as a keyboard and an output device such as a display. The interface unit 18 may also have a touch panel in which the input device and the output device are integrated. The interface unit 18 may also have a microphone and a speaker. For example, the interface unit 18 may display information indicating the rearranged element work. The interface unit 18 may also have an imaging device such as a camera. The interface unit 18 may also be realized as a device that is physically separate from the above-mentioned information processing device.

Figure 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the process management system 1 according to the first embodiment. The process management system 1 has, as components, an information storage unit 100, an acquisition unit 120, a process determination unit 130, a calculation unit 140, a judgment unit 150, and a display control unit 160. The information storage unit 100 has a process information storage unit 102, a worker information storage unit 104, and an additional work information storage unit 106. The acquisition unit 120 has an additional work information acquisition unit 122 and an existing work information acquisition unit 124.

Here, each component of the process control system 1 described above is not limited to being realized by one physical device, but may be realized by multiple devices, for example, by cloud computing. In other words, the process control system 1 may be physically composed of multiple devices. For example, the information storage unit 100 may be realized by a device separate from the other components.

These components can be realized, for example, by the CPU 12 executing a program stored in the ROM 14. Each component may be realized by recording the necessary program on any non-volatile recording medium and installing it as needed. Each component is not limited to being realized by software as described above, but may be realized by hardware such as some kind of circuit element. Each component may be realized by using an integrated circuit that can be programmed by the user, such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or a microcomputer. In this case, the integrated circuit may be used to realize a program composed of each of the above components. One or more of the above components may be realized by physically separate hardware.

The information storage unit 100 stores information about the production line. The information storage unit 100 may be realized as one database. Alternatively, the information storage unit 100 may be realized as multiple databases. In that case, each component of the information storage unit 100 may be realized as a separate database.

Furthermore, each component of the information storage unit 100 may be realized by a separate device. For example, the process information storage unit 102 may be realized by a database or a server managed by a production management department or the like. The worker information storage unit 104 may be realized by a database or a server managed by a human resources management department or the like. The additional work information storage unit 106 may be realized by a database or a server managed by a quality control department or the like.

The process information storage unit 102 and the worker information storage unit 104 may store existing work information, which is information about existing work, regardless of whether additional work has occurred. On the other hand, the additional work information storage unit 106 may store information about additional work when additional work has occurred.

The process information storage unit 102 stores process information, which is existing work information. The process information is information about each existing process. The process information includes information about the elemental work of each process. The process information may be stored in advance. The process information may be input in advance by an administrator using the interface unit 18.

Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating process information stored by the process information storage unit 102 according to the first embodiment. The process information indicates the takt time, process equipment information, task type information, standard work time, and pre- and post-task restriction information. The takt time is the time commonly required for each process. As described above, the takt time can be determined in advance according to the production plan. Note that, as described above, the work time for each process usually needs to be less than or equal to the takt time.

The process equipment information indicates the type of equipment that can be used in each process. The process equipment information may also indicate identification information for that equipment. Furthermore, if the equipment that can be used differs depending on the element work of each process, the process equipment information may indicate information on the equipment that can be used for each element work. Furthermore, since the process equipment information indicates the equipment that can perform the element work, it can be said to be restriction information that indicates restrictions on the element work.

The work type information indicates the work type for each element work. Work types include, for example, "tightening work," "assembly work," and "part replacement work." Note that the work types may be different for multiple element works in one process. In other words, one process may include multiple element works with different work types.

Standard work time indicates the standard work time for each element work. Here, the standard work time is the work time for an element work that is determined in advance according to the takt time. Here, the work time required for an element work is sometimes referred to as "element work time". The standard work time may be determined according to the work content (work type) of each element work. In other words, the standard work time may be determined according to the work content (work type) of each element work. Furthermore, the standard work time may be, for example, the work time when a certain worker performs the element work on behalf of the others. Alternatively, the standard work time may be determined by a manager, etc., based on the past performance of the element work.

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the standard work time of each element work according to the first embodiment. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the work time of each process by accumulating the element work time for each process in the example of Figure 5. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the standard work time (standard element work time) of each element work of processes A to D among the multiple processes illustrated in Figure 1. Here, Figures 5 and 6 show an example in which each process is composed of five element works. However, the number of element works in each process does not have to be five. Also, the number of element works in each process does not have to be the same. In the examples of Figures 5 and 6, the takt time is 32 seconds. Also, in Figure 6, the length of each element work in each process corresponds to the element work time (standard work time) of that element work.

The standard work time (element work time) of the first element work A1 in process A is 5 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the second element work A2 in process A is 7 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the third element work A3 in process A is 5 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the fourth element work A4 in process A is 8 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the fifth element work A5 in process A is 7 seconds. The sum of the standard work times of element work A1 to A5, that is, the work time of process A, is 32 seconds, which corresponds to the takt time.

The standard work time (element work time) of the first element work B1 in process B is 2 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the second element work B2 in process B is 10 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the third element work B3 in process B is 8 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the fourth element work B4 in process B is 6 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the fifth element work B5 in process B is 6 seconds. The sum of the standard work times of element work B1 to B5, that is, the work time of process B, is 32 seconds, which corresponds to the takt time.

The standard work time (element work time) of the first element work C1 in process C is 5 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the second element work C2 in process C is 8 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the third element work C3 in process C is 3 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the fourth element work C4 in process C is 11 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the fifth element work C5 in process C is 5 seconds. The sum of the standard work times of element work C1 to C5, that is, the work time of process C, is 32 seconds, which corresponds to the takt time.

The standard work time (element work time) of the first element work D1 in process D is 6 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the second element work D2 in process D is 6 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the third element work D3 in process D is 5 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the fourth element work D4 in process D is 5 seconds. The standard work time (element work time) of the fifth element work D5 in process D is 10 seconds. The sum of the standard work times of the element work D1 to D5, that is, the work time of process D, is 32 seconds, which corresponds to the takt time. Similarly, for the other processes, the sum of the standard work times (element work times) of the element works, that is, the work time of each process, is 32 seconds, which corresponds to the takt time.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 4, the pre- and post-task restriction information indicates restrictions on the order of work (pre- and post-task restrictions) for each of the multiple element work tasks in each process. For example, the pre- and post-task restriction may indicate the work (element work task or process) that must be performed before each of the multiple element work tasks in each process. Also, for example, the pre- and post-task restriction may indicate the work (element work task or process) that must be performed after each of the multiple element work tasks in each process. For example, in the examples of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the pre- and post-task restriction may indicate that element work task A1 must be performed before element work task C2. Note that the pre- and post-task restriction information indicates restrictions on the order in which element work tasks are performed, and thus can be said to be restriction information indicating restrictions on element work tasks.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 3, the worker information storage unit 104 stores worker information, which is existing work information. The worker information is information about the workers who perform the work in each process. The worker information includes information about the elemental work of each worker. The worker information may be stored in advance. In that case, the worker information may be input in advance by an administrator using the interface unit 18. Alternatively, the worker information may be obtained by photographing each worker actually performing the elemental work, as described below.

Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of worker information stored by the worker information storage unit 104 according to the first embodiment. Figure 7 illustrates examples of worker information relating to worker #1, worker #2, worker #3, and worker #4. The worker information includes data indicating, for each worker, the possible work processes, the process skill level, the actual work time, and the work type skill level.

The available processes indicate processes that the corresponding worker can work on. For example, in the examples of Figures 5 and 6, the available processes for worker #1 may indicate "Process A", "Process C", and "Process D" as processes that worker #1 can work on. Furthermore, the available processes for worker #2 may indicate "Process B", "Process C", and "Process D" as processes that worker #2 can work on. Furthermore, the available processes for worker #3 may indicate "Process A", "Process B", and "Process C" as processes that worker #3 can work on. Furthermore, the available processes for worker #4 may indicate "Process A", "Process C", and "Process D" as processes that worker #4 can work on.

The process skill level indicates the skill level of the corresponding worker to perform the work of each process. The process skill level may also indicate the skill level for the process at which the corresponding worker can perform the work. The process skill level may be indicated, for example, by a numerical value on a 10-point scale, or may be indicated by three levels, such as "high level," "medium level," and "low level."

For example, in the above example, the process skill levels for worker #1 may indicate "Process A: High", "Process C: Low", and "Process D: Medium". The process skill levels for worker #2 may indicate "Process B: High", "Process C: Low", and "Process D: Medium". The process skill levels for worker #3 may indicate "Process A: High", "Process B: High", and "Process C: Low". The process skill levels for worker #4 may indicate "Process A: High", "Process C: Medium", and "Process D: Medium".

The actual work time is the work time actually required for the corresponding worker to perform the element work of each process. Therefore, the actual work time is the work time of the element work, and therefore the element work time. On the other hand, while the above-mentioned standard work time is the work time determined from the takt time, the actual work time can be determined according to the skill level of the worker. Therefore, for example, the actual work time of each element work of process A for each worker can be shorter if the corresponding worker's process skill level for process A is high, and longer if the corresponding worker's process skill level for process A is low. In addition, the actual work time can be less than the standard work time. And, for a certain worker, if the process skill level of a certain process is "low", the actual work time of the element work of that process may be approximately the same as the standard work time of the corresponding element work. Note that the actual work time may indicate the work time of the element work of the process that the corresponding worker can perform.

The task type skill level indicates the skill level of the corresponding worker for each task type. The task type skill level may be indicated, for example, by a 10-level numerical scale, or by three levels such as "high level," "medium level," and "low level." For example, the task type skill levels for worker #1 may indicate "fastening work: high," "assembly work: medium," and "part replacement work: medium." The same applies to the other workers.

The worker information may be generated, for example, by capturing the movements of a worker performing an elemental task using motion capture. At that time, the information indicating the captured movements may be used as input to obtain the available work processes, the process skill level, the actual work time, and the work type skill level using a machine learning algorithm such as a neural network. For example, as described above, the worker information may be generated by photographing the worker actually performing the elemental task. For example, skeletal information of the worker actually performing each elemental task may be obtained using a camera installed at the work location of each process. Then, the available work processes, the process skill level, the actual work time, and the work type skill level for each worker may be obtained from the work time, work posture, and work flow for each elemental task obtained by analyzing the skeletal information.

The additional work information storage unit 106 stores additional work information related to additional work. The additional work information indicates the additional work time and the work type. The additional work time is the work time required for the additional work. Here, the additional work time indicated for the additional work stored in the additional work information storage unit 106 may be a standard work time, that is, a standard work time. The work type indicates the type of work (element work) corresponding to the additional work. The work types of the additional work include, for example, "tightening work," "assembly work," and "part replacement work." Note that in the additional work information, multiple work types may be associated with a certain additional work. In other words, the additional work may include multiple element works.

The additional work information may be generated when additional work occurs. For example, the additional work information may be generated when additional work occurs by having a certain worker perform the additional work on behalf of the other workers. Specifically, the additional work time may be obtained by having a representative worker actually perform the additional work and measuring the time required for the additional work. Here, if the additional work time is a standard work time, the standard work time for the additional work may be obtained by correcting the measured time according to the skill level of the representative worker. For example, the standard work time for the additional work may be obtained by increasing the measured time as the skill level of the representative worker increases. In addition, the work type of the additional work may be obtained by the administrator determining the work type and inputting it through the interface unit 18.

Alternatively, the additional work information may be generated in the same manner as the worker information. That is, the additional work information may be obtained, for example, by capturing the movements of the representative worker performing the additional work using motion capture. At that time, the additional work time and work type may be obtained using information indicating the captured movements as input, for example, using a machine learning algorithm such as a neural network. Also, for example, the additional work information may be obtained by photographing the representative worker actually performing the additional work. For example, skeletal information of the representative worker actually performing the additional work may be obtained using a camera. Then, the work time and work type of the additional work may be obtained by analyzing the skeletal information.

The acquisition unit 120 acquires information stored in the information storage unit 100. The additional work information acquisition unit 122 acquires the additional work information. Thus, the acquisition unit 120 having the additional work information acquisition unit 122 acquires the additional work time. Specifically, the additional work information acquisition unit 122 acquires the additional work information generated by the above-mentioned method by the interface unit 18. The additional work information acquisition unit 122 also stores the acquired additional work information in the additional work information storage unit 106. Then, when processing is performed by the calculation unit 140 described later, the additional work information acquisition unit 122 extracts (acquires) the additional work information stored in the additional work information storage unit 106. Note that the additional work information acquisition unit 122 may generate the additional work information by executing the above-mentioned motion capture and machine learning algorithms, etc.

The existing work information acquisition unit 124 acquires existing work information. That is, the existing work information acquisition unit 124 acquires process information and worker information, which are existing work information. Therefore, the acquisition unit 120 having the existing work information acquisition unit 124 acquires element work time. In addition, the acquisition unit 120 having the existing work information acquisition unit 124 acquires worker information and restriction information.

Specifically, the existing work information acquisition unit 124 acquires the process information and worker information generated by the above-mentioned method through the interface unit 18. The existing work information acquisition unit 124 also stores the acquired process information and worker information in the process information storage unit 102 and the worker information storage unit 104, respectively. Then, when processing is performed by the process determination unit 130 and the calculation unit 140 described below, the existing work information acquisition unit 124 extracts (acquires) the process information and worker information stored in the process information storage unit 102 and the worker information storage unit 104, respectively. Note that the existing work information acquisition unit 124 may generate worker information by executing the above-mentioned motion capture and machine learning algorithms, etc.

The process determination unit 130 determines a rearrangement process, which is a process among the multiple processes to which element work is rearranged. The calculation unit 140 adds the additional work to at least one of the multiple processes based on the additional work time and the element work time, and rearranges the element work between the processes to calculate a combination of the additional work and the multiple element work. In this case, the calculation unit 140 calculates the combination of the additional work and the multiple element work so that the maximum work time among the work times of each of the multiple processes is smallest. Preferably, the calculation unit 140 calculates the combination of the additional work and the multiple element work so that the maximum work time is smallest.

The determination unit 150 determines whether the calculated combination is appropriate. Specifically, the determination unit 150 determines whether the maximum work time in the combination calculated by the calculation unit 140 is equal to or less than the takt time. Then, if the maximum work time is equal to or less than the takt time, the determination unit 150 determines that the combination is appropriate. On the other hand, if the maximum work time exceeds the takt time, the determination unit 150 determines that the combination is inappropriate. In that case, the process determination unit 130 changes the rearrangement process. Then, the calculation unit 140 calculates a combination of additional work and multiple elemental work for the changed rearrangement process, as described above. This will be described in detail later.

The display control unit 160 controls the display so that the calculated element work for each process is displayed. Specifically, the display control unit 160 controls the interface unit 18 to present the calculated combination of element work for each process. This causes the element work for each process to be displayed (output) on the interface unit 18, which is an output device.

Here, the process determination unit 130 and the calculation unit 140 will be specifically described.
The process determination unit 130 determines, among the multiple processes, a rearrangement process, which is a process to which element work is rearranged. In other words, the process determination unit 130 determines the range of processes to be rearranged. Here, multiple processes can become rearrangement processes. The rearrangement processes become processes that are the targets of processing by the calculation unit 140, which will be described later. In other words, element work is rearranged between multiple processes. This will be described in detail later.

The process determination unit 130 first determines a reference process. The reference process corresponds to a process in which additional work is assigned. The reference process may correspond to, for example, a process in which a defect occurs. That is, for example, in the example of FIG. 1, if a defect occurs in process C and additional work becomes necessary, the process determination unit 130 may determine process C as the reference process.

The process determination unit 130 then determines rearrangement processes including the reference process. Specifically, the process determination unit 130 determines two or more consecutive processes (defined as N) including the reference process as rearrangement processes. For example, if the initial value of the number of processes N is 3, then in the example shown in FIG. 1 etc., when process C is the reference process, the process determination unit 130 may determine processes B, C, and D as rearrangement processes, or may determine processes A, B, and C as rearrangement processes. Note that the initial value of N may be 2, or 4 or more.

Then, for the determined rearrangement process, the calculation unit 140, which will be described later, rearranges the element work and calculates a combination of additional work and multiple element work. Then, if the judgment unit 150 determines that the calculated combination is not appropriate, the process determination unit 130 changes the rearrangement process. In this case, the process determination unit 130 first changes the rearrangement process including the reference process without changing the number of processes (N) in the rearrangement process determined in the previous determination process. For example, in the above example, the process determination unit 130 may determine processes C, D, and E as the rearrangement processes.

Then, assume that the combinations calculated by the calculation unit 140 for all possible patterns of rearrangement processes consisting of N consecutive processes including the reference process are determined by the determination unit 150 to be inappropriate. In this case, the process determination unit 130 increments the number of processes N of the rearrangement processes by one. In other words, the process determination unit 130 determines the N+1 consecutive processes including the reference process as the rearrangement processes. For example, in the above example, the process determination unit 130 may determine the four processes A, B, C, and D as the rearrangement processes. Thereafter, each time the determination unit 150 determines that the combination is inappropriate, the process determination unit 130 changes the rearrangement processes by repeating the same process.

Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the process determination unit 130 according to the first embodiment. In the example of Figure 8, the process determination unit 130 determines process C as the reference process. The initial value of the number of processes N of the rearrangement process is set to 3. In this case, the process determination unit 130 first determines N = 3 processes A, B, and C, including the reference process C and the two processes preceding it, as the rearrangement processes of pattern #1-1.

And then, suppose that it is determined that the combination of element tasks calculated for the rearrangement process of this pattern #1-1 is inappropriate. In this case, the process determination unit 130 determines N=3 processes B, C, and D, including the reference process C, one process before it, and one process after process C, as the rearrangement processes of pattern #1-2. In other words, the process determination unit 130 determines the three processes B, C, and D, which are shifted one process range from the rearrangement process of pattern #1-1 to the subsequent process, as the rearrangement processes of pattern #1-2.

And then, suppose that it is determined that the combination of element tasks calculated for the rearrangement process of pattern #1-2 is inappropriate. In this case, the process determination unit 130 determines N=3 processes C, D, and E, including the reference process C and the two processes following it, as the rearrangement processes of pattern #1-3. In other words, the process determination unit 130 determines the three processes C, D, and E, which are shifted one process range from the rearrangement process of pattern #1-2 to the subsequent process, as the rearrangement processes of pattern #1-3.

Then, suppose that it is determined that the combination of element tasks calculated for the rearrangement process of this pattern #1-3 is inappropriate. In this case, the process determination unit 130 determines that the combination of element tasks is not appropriate for the rearrangement processes of all possible patterns with the number of processes N=3. In this case, the process determination unit 130 increments the number of processes N by one to make the number of processes N=4. The process determination unit 130 then determines N=4 processes A, B, C, and D, including the reference process C, the two processes before it, and the one process after process C, as the rearrangement processes of pattern #2-1.

And then, suppose that it is determined that the combination of element tasks calculated for the rearrangement process of this pattern #2-1 is inappropriate. In this case, the process determination unit 130 determines N=4 processes B, C, D, and E, including the reference process C, the one process before it, and the two processes after process C, as the rearrangement processes of pattern #2-2. In other words, the process determination unit 130 determines the four processes B, C, D, and E, which are obtained by shifting the process range from the rearrangement process of pattern #2-1 by one to the subsequent process, as the rearrangement processes of pattern #2-2. Note that since process A is the first process, it is not possible to shift the process range from pattern #2-1 to the previous process.

And then, suppose that it is determined that the combination of element tasks calculated for the rearrangement process of pattern #2-2 is inappropriate. In this case, the process determination unit 130 determines N=4 processes C, D, E, and F, including the reference process C and the three processes following it, as the rearrangement processes of pattern #2-3. In other words, the process determination unit 130 determines the four processes C, D, E, and F, which are shifted one process range from the rearrangement process of pattern #2-2 to the subsequent process, as the rearrangement processes of pattern #2-3.

Then, suppose that the combination of element tasks calculated for the rearrangement process of this pattern #2-3 is determined to be inappropriate. In this case, the process determination unit 130 determines that the combination of element tasks is not appropriate for the rearrangement processes of all possible patterns with the number of processes N=4. In this case, the process determination unit 130 increments the number of processes N by one to make the number of processes N=5. The process determination unit 130 then determines N=5 processes A, B, C, D, and E, including the reference process C, the two processes before it, and the two processes after process C, as the rearrangement processes of pattern #3-1. Thereafter, the process determination unit 130 similarly changes the rearrangement processes each time the determination unit 150 determines that the combination is inappropriate.

The order in which the process determination unit 130 determines the rearrangement process patterns is not limited to the example in FIG. 8. For example, if the rearrangement process patterns have the same number of processes, the order of these patterns may be arbitrary. In addition, in the example in FIG. 8, the process determination unit 130 shifts the process range of the rearrangement process one by one to the later process, but the process range of the rearrangement process may also be shifted one by one to the earlier process.

As described above, the calculation unit 140 (FIG. 3) rearranges the element tasks between processes in the rearrangement process in which the additional task is added to the reference process, and calculates a combination of element tasks that reduces the maximum task time of each process. In other words, the calculation unit 140 rearranges the element tasks between processes in the rearrangement process, and calculates a combination of element tasks that smooths the task time of each process. Below, a specific method is described in which the calculation unit 140 calculates a combination of element tasks that minimizes the maximum task time of the task time of each process.

The calculation unit 140 calculates the work time of each process in the rearrangement process from the actual work time (element work time) of each element work of the corresponding process by the worker assigned to each process in the rearrangement process. Specifically, the calculation unit 140 calculates the work time of each process by summing up the actual work time of each element work of the corresponding process for the assigned worker. For example, if the rearrangement process is process A to process C, and worker #1 is assigned to process A, the calculation unit 140 calculates the work time of process A by summing up the actual work time of worker #1 for each element work A1 to A5 of process A. Note that the calculation unit 140 may calculate the work time of each process by changing the standard work time of each element work of each process to match the skill of the worker assigned to each process.

Then, the calculation unit 140 calculates the work time of the reference process in which the additional work has been assigned. Specifically, the calculation unit 140 calculates the work time of the reference process in which the additional work has been assigned by adding the additional work time to the work time of the reference process before the additional work has been assigned, which is calculated by the above method. For example, when process C is the reference process, the calculation unit 140 calculates the work time of process C in which the additional work has been assigned by adding the additional work time to the work time of process C.

Note that if the operation time of the reference process in which the additional work is placed is equal to or less than the takt time, the calculation unit 140 does not need to perform the rearrangement process. In other words, since the operation time of each process in which no additional work is placed is equal to or less than the takt time, if the operation time of the reference process in which the additional work is placed is equal to or less than the takt time, the operation time of each process will all be equal to or less than the takt time. Therefore, in this case, the calculation unit 140 may simply place the additional work in the reference process and terminate the process, determining that the combination of element operations is appropriate. In this case, before the calculation unit 140 performs the rearrangement process, the determination unit 150 may determine whether the operation time of the reference process in which the additional work is placed is equal to or less than the takt time.

On the other hand, if the working time of each process is much shorter than the takt time, that is, if there is a margin between the working time and the takt time, idle time will occur in that process. Therefore, productivity often improves when there is little difference between the actual working time in a process and the takt time. For this reason, existing production lines are often not planned so that certain processes have margins. Therefore, when additional work is placed in a reference process, the working time of the reference process is likely to exceed the takt time, unless the additional work time is too small.

The calculation unit 140 then rearranges the element tasks between processes in the rearrangement process to calculate a combination of element tasks. At this time, the calculation unit 140 performs a rearrangement process (calculation of combinations) of the element tasks of the rearrangement process under the constraint conditions (restrictions) described below. At this time, the calculation unit 140 may perform a rearrangement process of the element tasks of the rearrangement process for all combinations that are possible under the constraint conditions. The rearrangement process includes, for example, a process of swapping (exchanging) two or more element tasks between processes and a process of moving (transferring) an element task of one process to another process.

Here, the calculation unit 140 avoids rearrangement that violates the constraints indicated in the restriction information. In other words, the calculation unit 140 calculates the combination of element tasks based on the restriction information (process equipment information and pre- and post-task restriction information) as follows:

The calculation unit 140 uses the process equipment information to determine the equipment capable of performing each element work. Then, in the rearrangement process (combination calculation), the calculation unit 140 prevents an element work from being rearranged (transferred) to a process where equipment capable of performing that element work is not being used. For example, in the examples of Figures 5 and 6, if element work C5 cannot be performed by the equipment used in process B, the calculation unit 140 prevents element work C5 from being transferred to process B and prevents element work C5 from being exchanged with an element work of process B.

The calculation unit 140 also uses the pre- and post-task restriction information to determine whether or not a pre- and post-task restriction is set for each element task. In the rearrangement process (combination calculation), the calculation unit 140 does not rearrange an element task for which a pre- and post-task restriction is set, so that the element task is arranged in a manner that violates the pre- and post-task restriction. For example, when an element task or process (previous task) that must be performed before a certain element task is set, the calculation unit 140 does not rearrange (move) the element task before the previous task. For example, in the examples of Figures 5 and 6, when element task A4 must be performed before element task C4, the calculation unit 140 does not rearrange element task C4 before the previous task, element task A4.

For example, when an element task or process (post-task) is set for a certain element task that must be executed after the element task, the calculation unit 140 does not rearrange (move) the element task after the post-task. For example, in the examples of Figures 5 and 6, when element task C2 must be executed after element task B3, the calculation unit 140 does not rearrange element task B3 after element task C2. Note that the calculation unit 140 may not treat element tasks for which pre- or post-task restrictions are set as targets for rearrangement. In other words, in the above example, the calculation unit 140 may not treat element tasks C4 and A4, as well as element tasks B3 and C2 as targets for rearrangement, i.e., may not relocate them.

In addition, a limit may be set on the number of element tasks to be rearranged as a constraint. In other words, the calculation unit 140 may not rearrange a number of element tasks greater than a set number. For example, if the limit on the number of element tasks to be rearranged is "6", the calculation unit 140 may not rearrange (transfer) seven or more element tasks. With this configuration, it becomes possible to calculate an appropriate combination without rearranging element tasks as much as possible. Here, if there are a large number of element tasks to be rearranged, there is a risk that the worker will be confused when performing the element tasks. Therefore, by avoiding rearranging element tasks as much as possible, it becomes possible to reduce worker confusion.

When one combination is calculated, the calculation unit 140 calculates the maximum work time of each process in which the element work has been rearranged for that combination. Specifically, the calculation unit 140 calculates the work time of each process in which the element work has been rearranged by calculating the sum of the actual work times (element work times) of the element work (and additional work) included in that process.

When calculating the work time of each process, the calculation unit 140 may change the element work time (actual work time) of the rearranged element work in accordance with the skill of the worker performing the work of the process to which the element work has been rearranged. In other words, when calculating the work time of a process to which an element work has been rearranged, the calculation unit 140 may add the actual work time of the rearranged element work of the worker performing the work of the process. For example, in the examples of Figures 5 and 6, if element work A5 and element work C5 are exchanged, the calculation unit 140 may use the actual work time of element work C5 of the worker assigned to process A when calculating the work time of process A. Similarly, the calculation unit 140 may use the actual work time of element work A5 of the worker assigned to process C when calculating the work time of process C.

Then, the calculation unit 140 calculates the next combination in the same manner as described above, and calculates the maximum work time for that combination. Then, when all possible combinations have been calculated, the calculation unit 140 determines the combination that has the smallest maximum work time from among all the calculated combinations. In this way, the calculation unit 140 calculates a combination of element tasks that will minimize the maximum work time among the work times of each process.

In the above-described method, the calculation unit 140 calculates a combination of element tasks that minimizes the maximum task time of each process, but this is not limited to the above configuration. The calculation unit 140 may end the combination calculation process (rearrangement process) when the maximum task time for a certain combination is equal to or less than the takt time. The calculation unit 140 may then determine that the combination whose maximum task time is equal to or less than the takt time is the combination of element tasks to be displayed by the display control unit 160. In this case, the determination unit 150 does not need to perform any processing.

The calculation unit 140 may also terminate the combination calculation process (relocation process) when the difference between the maximum work time in a certain combination and the average work time of each process is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. The calculation unit 140 may then determine that the combination in which the difference between the maximum work time and the average is equal to or less than the threshold is the combination to be judged by the judgment unit 150. In this case, the threshold may be, for example, a few seconds (1 to 2 seconds, etc.).

As described above, in order to calculate a combination of element tasks that minimizes the maximum work time, it is necessary to calculate all combinations that are calculable under the constraints. In that case, it may take a lot of time and a large processing load to calculate all the combinations. In contrast, it is possible to reduce the processing load by terminating the process when a combination is calculated in which the maximum work time is equal to or less than the takt time, or a combination in which the difference between the maximum work time and the average work time is equal to or less than a threshold value. In other words, it is possible to calculate an appropriate combination with as few rearrangements as possible. On the other hand, an optimal combination can be calculated by calculating a combination of element tasks that minimizes the maximum work time. In other words, a combination in which the work time of each process is more smoothed can be calculated.

When calculating the combination of elemental tasks, the calculation unit 140 may use artificial intelligence (AI) capable of achieving combinatorial optimization. For example, the calculation unit 140 may use a reinforcement learning algorithm to calculate the combination of elemental tasks. The calculation unit 140 may also use an algorithm such as a genetic algorithm or a greedy algorithm to calculate the combination of elemental tasks.

Note that if the total working time of each process in the rearrangement process exceeds the value obtained by multiplying the takt time by the number of processes N in the rearrangement process (takt time x N), the maximum working time will never be less than the takt time, regardless of the combination of element tasks. Therefore, in this case, the calculation unit 140 may not perform the rearrangement process, and the process determination unit 130 may change the process.

Figure 9 is a flowchart showing a process management method executed by the process management system 1 according to the first embodiment. The acquisition unit 120 acquires additional work information and existing work information. That is, the additional work information acquisition unit 122 acquires the work time and work type of the additional work (step S102). In addition, the existing work information acquisition unit 124 acquires process information and worker information (step S104).

The process determination unit 130 determines the rearrangement process as described above (step S106). The calculation unit 140 calculates a combination of the additional work and multiple element work based on the additional work time and the element work time as described above (step S108). In doing so, as described above, the calculation unit 140 calculates a combination of element work so that the maximum work time among the work times of each process is minimized. In other words, the calculation unit 140 repeatedly calculates the combination of element work so that the maximum work time among the work times of each process is minimized.

As described above, the determination unit 150 determines whether the maximum work time for the calculated combination is equal to or less than the takt time (step S110). If the maximum work time is equal to or less than the takt time (YES in S110), the display control unit 160 controls the display of the element work of each process related to the combination calculated in S108 (step S112). On the other hand, if the maximum work time is not equal to or less than the takt time, that is, if the maximum work time exceeds the takt time (NO in S110), the process flow returns to S106. Then, the process determination unit 130 changes the rearrangement process, that is, determines another rearrangement process (S106), as described above. Then, the calculation unit 140 calculates a combination of additional work and multiple element works for the changed rearrangement process (S108). Then, the determination unit 150 again determines whether the maximum work time for the calculated combination is equal to or less than the takt time (S110). The same process is repeated thereafter.

<Specific examples>
Next, the processing of the process control system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described using a specific example.
10 to 14 are diagrams for explaining a method in which the process control system 1 according to the first embodiment performs a rearrangement process when additional work occurs. Figures 10 to 14 show an example in which additional work occurs in process C in the production line in the examples of Figures 5 and 6. In this case, the process determination unit 130 determines process C as the reference process.

Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the actual work time of each element work when a worker is assigned to each process. Also, Figure 11 is a diagram showing the work time of each process in the example of Figure 10 by accumulating the element work time for each process. Note that, as with the examples of Figures 5 and 6, the takt time is 32 seconds. Also, as with the case of Figure 6, in Figure 11, the length of each element work of each process corresponds to the element work time (actual work time) of that element work.

As shown in FIG. 11, worker #1, whose process skill level for process A is "high," is assigned to process A. Worker #2, whose process skill level for process B is "high," is assigned to process B. Worker #3, whose process skill level for process C is "low," is assigned to process C. Worker #4, whose process skill level for process D is "medium," is assigned to process D.

As shown in FIG. 10, the actual work time (element work time) of element work A1 of process A, to which worker #1 is assigned, is 5 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work A2 of process A is 6 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work A3 of process A is 5 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work A4 of process A is 6 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work A5 of process A is 7 seconds. The total of the actual work times of element work A1 to A5, that is, the work time of process A, is 29 seconds. In other words, the work time of process A is 3 seconds shorter than the takt time (32 seconds). Since worker #1, whose process skill level for process A is "high", is assigned to process A, the work time of process A is shorter than the takt time.

The actual work time (element work time) of element work B1 of process B, to which worker #2 is assigned, is 2 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work B2 of process B is 8 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work B3 of process B is 8 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work B4 of process B is 5 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work B5 of process B is 6 seconds. The total actual work time of element work B1 to B5, that is, the work time of process B, is 29 seconds. In other words, the work time of process B is 3 seconds shorter than the takt time (32 seconds). Since worker #2, whose process skill level for process B is "high," is assigned to process B, the work time of process B is shorter than the takt time.

The actual work time (element work time) of element work C1 in process C, to which worker #3 is assigned, is 5 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work C2 in process C is 8 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work C3 in process C is 3 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work C4 in process C is 11 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work C5 in process C is 5 seconds. An additional work with an additional work time of 5 seconds has been placed in process C.

Note that this additional work time may be the actual work time. In this case, the additional work time may be determined according to the standard work time of the additional work, the work type of the additional work, and the work type skill level of the worker performing the additional work. For example, if the work type skill level corresponding to the work type of the additional work of the worker performing the additional work is "low", the additional work time (actual work time) may be the same as the standard work time of the additional work. Also, if the work type skill level corresponding to the work type of the additional work of the worker performing the additional work is "medium", the additional work time (actual work time) may be slightly shorter (for example, 1 second) than the standard work time of the additional work. Also, if the work type skill level corresponding to the work type of the additional work of the worker performing the additional work is "high", the additional work time (actual work time) may be even shorter (for example, 3 seconds) than the standard work time of the additional work.

The total of the actual work time and additional work time of element tasks C1 to C5, that is, the work time of process C, is 37 seconds. In other words, the work time of process C is 5 seconds longer than the takt time (32 seconds). Because worker #3, whose process skill level for process C is "low," was assigned to process C, the work time of process C excluding the additional work time is the same as the takt time. And because additional tasks have been assigned to process C, the work time of process C exceeds the takt time.

The actual work time (element work time) of element work D1 of process D, to which worker #4 is assigned, is 5 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work D2 of process D is 6 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work D3 of process D is 5 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work D4 of process D is 5 seconds. The actual work time (element work time) of element work D5 of process D is 10 seconds. The total of the actual work times of element work D1 to D5, that is, the work time of process D, is 31 seconds. In other words, the work time of process D is 1 second shorter than the takt time (32 seconds). Since worker #4, whose process skill level for process D is "medium," is assigned to process D, the work time of process D is slightly shorter than the takt time.

In this example, the number of steps in the rearrangement process, including the reference process (process C), is N = 2. In this case, if the rearrangement processes are processes B and C, the total work time for each process in the rearrangement process is 29 + 37 = 66, which exceeds the value obtained by multiplying the takt time by the number of processes N in the rearrangement process (32 x 2 = 64). Furthermore, if the rearrangement processes are processes C and D, the total work time for each process in the rearrangement process is 37 + 31 = 68, which exceeds the value obtained by multiplying the takt time by the number of processes N in the rearrangement process (32 x 2 = 64). Therefore, when the number of steps in the rearrangement process is N = 2, the maximum work time will never be less than the takt time for any combination of element tasks, and therefore no appropriate combination can be calculated.

Therefore, the process determination unit 130 sets the number of processes in the rearrangement process to N = 3. Then, the process determination unit 130 determines that processes A, B, and C corresponding to pattern #1-1 illustrated in FIG. 8 are the rearrangement processes (S106). In this case, the total working time of each process in the rearrangement process is 29 + 29 + 37 = 95, which is less than the takt time multiplied by the number of processes N in the rearrangement process (32 x 3 = 96). Therefore, in this case, depending on the combination of element tasks, the maximum working time of the rearrangement process may be less than the takt time.

Figures 12 to 14 are diagrams illustrating the rearrangement of element tasks in the examples of Figures 10 and 11. As illustrated in Figure 12, in the rearrangement process, the calculation unit 140 exchanges element task C1 with element task B1 between process C and process B, which are rearrangement processes. In addition, in the rearrangement process, the calculation unit 140 moves element task C3 to the beginning of process A between process C and process A, which are rearrangement processes. As a result, as illustrated in Figure 13, element task C1 is rearranged to process B, element task C3 is rearranged to process A, and element task B1 is rearranged to process C. In this way, the calculation unit 140 rearranges element tasks between process A, process B, and process C, which are rearrangement processes. Note that in process A, element task C3 may be performed at any timing as long as the preceding and following task restrictions are satisfied. In other words, element task C3 may be performed at the beginning of process A, in the middle of process A (e.g., after element task A2), or at the end of process A.

As shown in FIG. 14, after the rearrangement, an element task C3 with an actual work time of 3 seconds has been added as an additional task to the process A. Therefore, the work time of the process A after the rearrangement increases by 3 seconds from before the rearrangement to 32 seconds. Note that the process skill level of the process C of the worker #1 assigned to the process A is "low", the same as the process skill level of the process C of the worker #3 assigned to the process C. Therefore, the actual work time of the element task C3 is not changed. On the other hand, if the process skill level of the worker #1 for the process C is "high" or "medium", the actual work time of the element task C3 rearranged to the process A may be shortened from 3 seconds.

Furthermore, for process B after the rearrangement, element work B1, whose actual work time is 2 seconds, has been replaced with element work C1, whose actual work time is 5 seconds. Therefore, the work time of process B after the rearrangement increases by 3 seconds from before the rearrangement to 32 seconds. Note that the process skill level of worker #2 assigned to process B for process C is "low", the same as the process skill level of worker #3 assigned to process C for process C. Therefore, the actual work time of element work C1 does not change. On the other hand, if worker #2's process skill level for process C is "high" or "medium", the actual work time of element work C1 rearranged to process B may be shortened from 3 seconds.

In addition, for process C after the rearrangement, element work C1, whose actual work time is 5 seconds, has been replaced with element work B1, whose actual work time is 2 seconds. Furthermore, element work C3, whose actual work time is 3 seconds, has disappeared from process C. Therefore, the work time of process C after the rearrangement is reduced by 6 seconds from before the rearrangement to 31 seconds. Note that the process skill level of worker #3 assigned to process C for process B is "high", the same as the process skill level of worker #2 assigned to process B for process C. Therefore, the actual work time of element work B1 is not changed. On the other hand, if the process skill level of worker #3 for process B is "low" or "medium", the actual work time of element work B1 rearranged to process C may be increased from 2 seconds.

The calculation unit 140 determines that the maximum work time of each process for the combination of element tasks in the example of Figures 12 to 14 is 32 seconds. The calculation unit 140 then compares the maximum work time in this example with the maximum work time in other combinations and determines that the maximum work time (32 seconds) is the smallest. Therefore, the calculation unit 140 calculates a combination of element tasks such as those illustrated in Figures 12 to 14 that will minimize the maximum work time (S108).

Then, the determination unit 150 determines whether the maximum work time is equal to or less than the takt time (S110). Here, since the maximum work time is 32 seconds, the determination unit 150 determines that the maximum work time is equal to or less than the takt time (YES in S110). Therefore, the display control unit 160 causes the interface unit 18 to display the element work of each process, as shown in FIG. 13 (S112).

As described above, the process control system 1 according to the first embodiment is configured to add additional work to at least one of the processes and rearrange the element work between the processes based on the additional work time and the element work time. The process control system 1 according to the first embodiment is configured to calculate a combination of additional work and element work for a plurality of processes so that the maximum work time among the work times of each of the plurality of processes is reduced. With this configuration, the work time of each process in which the element work and additional work have been rearranged is smoothed out. The smoothing of the work time of each process can improve the productivity of the production line. Therefore, the process control system 1 according to the first embodiment makes it possible to optimize the productivity of the production line even when additional work occurs.

The process management system 1 according to the first embodiment is configured to determine a relocation process to which the element work is relocated. With this configuration, the process to which the element work is relocated can be limited. If the process to which the element work is relocated is not limited, a certain element work may be relocated to a process with poor work efficiency. For example, if a certain element work is relocated to a process away from the process in which it was originally located, the movement of the work by the element work may become complicated. In contrast, by limiting the process to which the element work is relocated, it is possible to prevent the element work from being relocated to a process with poor work efficiency. For example, as in the first embodiment described above, by setting two or more consecutive processes including the reference process as the relocation process, it is possible to prevent a certain element work from being relocated to a process away from the process in which it was originally located. Therefore, the process management system 1 according to the first embodiment can appropriately relocate the element work.

The process management system 1 according to the first embodiment is configured to change the rearrangement process and calculate a combination of element tasks for the changed rearrangement process when the maximum operation time exceeds a predetermined time (such as a takt time). This configuration makes it possible to calculate a combination of element tasks such that the maximum operation time is equal to or less than a predetermined time while limiting the rearrangement process to which the element tasks are rearranged. This makes it possible to prevent the production plan from being affected even when additional tasks are added to the production line.

The process control system 1 according to the first embodiment is configured to calculate the combination based on the worker information. With this configuration, the combination of element tasks is calculated according to the skills of the worker, so that the combination of element tasks can be calculated more appropriately.

The process control system 1 according to the first embodiment is configured to calculate combinations based on restriction information (pre- and post-task restriction information, etc.). With this configuration, a combination of element tasks is calculated according to the restrictions of the element tasks, making it possible to more appropriately calculate the combination of element tasks.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the order of the steps in the above-mentioned flowchart can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, one or more steps in the flowchart can be omitted. For example, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, the order of the process of S102 and the process of S104 can be reversed. Furthermore, the process of S112 can be omitted.

In addition, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, the processes of S106 and S110 may be omitted. In other words, the process management system 1 according to this embodiment may calculate a combination of element tasks so as to reduce the maximum work time when the rearrangement process has not been determined. On the other hand, by performing the processes of S106 and S110, it becomes possible to appropriately rearrange the element tasks as described above, and to suppress any impact on the production plan.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the additional work time and the work type of the additional work are obtained by the representative worker performing the additional work, but this is not limited to the configuration. The additional work time and the work type of the additional work may also be estimated. For example, the additional work time and the work type of the additional work may be estimated using information about existing elemental work that is similar to the additional work.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, there is one reference process in which the additional work is placed, but this is not limited to the configuration. Depending on the content of the additional work, the additional work may be added to multiple processes. In other words, there may be multiple reference processes. In other words, there may be at least one reference process.

In the above example, the program can be stored and supplied to the computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. The non-transitory computer readable media includes various types of tangible storage media. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-R/Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs). The program may also be supplied to the computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of the transitory computer readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable media can supply the program to the computer via wired communication paths such as electric wires and optical fibers, or wireless communication paths.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Process management system 50 Production line 100 Information storage unit 102 Process information storage unit 104 Worker information storage unit 106 Additional work information storage unit 120 Acquisition unit 122 Additional work information acquisition unit 124 Existing work information acquisition unit 130 Process determination unit 140 Calculation unit 150 Determination unit 160 Display control unit

Claims (6)

A process management system for managing a production line including a plurality of existing processes in which predetermined operations are performed,
an acquisition unit that acquires additional operation time, which is operation time required for an additional operation to be additionally performed in the production line, and element operation time, which is operation time required for each of one or more element operations in the process;
a calculation unit that calculates a combination of the additional work and the element work for the plurality of processes based on the acquired additional work time and the element work times so that a maximum work time among work times of each of the plurality of processes is shortened when the additional work is added to at least one of the processes and the element work is rearranged between the processes; and
A process control system having the following features: a determination unit that determines a relocation process, among the plurality of processes, in which the element work is to be relocated;
The process control system of claim 1 further comprising: When the maximum operation time calculated by the calculation unit exceeds a predetermined time,
The determination unit changes the rearrangement process,
The calculation unit calculates the combination for the changed rearrangement process.
The process control system according to claim 2. The acquisition unit further acquires worker information related to a worker performing work in the process,
The calculation unit calculates the combination based on the worker information.
The process control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The acquisition unit further acquires restriction information indicating restrictions on the element work,
The calculation unit calculates the combination based on the restriction information.
The process control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A process management method for managing a production line including a plurality of existing processes in which predetermined operations are performed, comprising the steps of:
Acquire additional operation time, which is operation time required for additional operation to be performed in the production line, and element operation time, which is operation time required for each of one or more element operations in the process;
calculating a combination of the additional work and the element work for the plurality of processes based on the acquired additional work time and the element work times such that a maximum work time among the work times of each of the plurality of processes is shortened when the additional work is added to at least one of the processes and the element work is rearranged between the processes;
Process control methods.

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