JPH05123947A - Production line control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a production line control system enabling workers to move among work areas rationally in a balanced state so as to hardly generate the disengaged state of each worker, thereby improving production efficiency. CONSTITUTION:Plural work areas 0001-0009 are set along the production line of a manufacturing plant, and a terminal 3 is disposed at each area and connected to a host computer 5. The RAM 11 of the host computer 5 is stored with production order information, organizing process information, organizing information, process skill information, workers' skill information and work area information. When a certain worker presses the termination button of the terminal 3 upon the termination of work, the host computer 5 detects the work area for the worker to move on to work on the basis of the stored content of the RAM 11, and in case there is a senior worker in this work area, retrieves the work area for this worker to move on to work and displays the work areas on the respective terminals.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention controls a destination of a worker between work areas in a production line in which a worker moves between a plurality of work areas to carry out work. Regarding production line control system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In some recent production lines, the number of workers is smaller than the number of work areas in order to improve production efficiency. In such a production line, each worker is assigned to a different work area, and when a given work is completed in each work area, the workers who have completed the work move to the work areas that are vacant and work there. I am supposed to do it.

[0003]

In the above conventional production line, each worker is assigned with one of the vacant work areas as the work area to be moved next when the work is completed in each work area. However, the work contents (skills) that each worker can perform vary depending on their experience and ability, etc., and general workers cannot work in the entire work area of the production line. There will be more or less work area. For this reason, it may happen that some workers who have finished the work cannot perform any work in the vacant work area.In such a case, a new work area is allocated. However, since the worker cannot actually work, he / she becomes available, and he has to rest until the work area where he can work next becomes available. There was a drawback that the efficiency decreased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and therefore an object thereof is to reasonably balance the movement of workers between work areas so that almost no free workers are generated. An object of the present invention is to provide a production line control system that can be performed and can improve production efficiency.

[0005]

A production line control system of the present invention is a production line in which an operator moves between a plurality of work areas so as to proceed with work. A system for controlling the destination, a storage means for storing information on work contents that can be processed in each work area and work contents that each worker can perform, and an input means for inputting the progress status of the work for each work area And a means for detecting a worker who has become available or a worker whose work amount has decreased based on the input information of the input means as a "worker requiring movement", and the detected worker requiring movement needs to work. One or two or more work areas are selected based on the storage information of the storage means, the work area to be moved by the required worker is determined from the selected work area, and the work to be moved to is selected. If there is a preceding worker in the area, that person is also considered as a "worker requiring movement" and the work area to be moved within the range in which the person can work is determined based on the stored information in the storage means. By repeating the above process, the destination determination means for determining the destination of the worker so that as many workers as possible can engage in the work, and the destination determined by this destination determination means are the workers of each work area. And a moving destination instructing means for instructing to.

[0006]

[Operation] When a worker finishes work in the work area,
Or, when the amount of work in the work area is getting smaller and the work is approaching, if you input that fact using the input means, the worker who becomes available or the worker who has less work will Detected as "moving worker". In response to this, the movement destination determining means selects one or more work areas in which the detected movement-requiring worker can work, based on the stored information in the storage means, and the movement-requiring worker selects from among them. In addition to determining the work area to be moved, if there is a previous worker in the work area of the move destination, that person is also considered as a "worker requiring movement" and moves within the range in which the person can work. The process of determining the work area to be performed based on the storage information of the storage means is repeated to determine the destination of the worker so that as many workers as possible can engage in the work. In this way, the determined movement destination is instructed to the worker in each work area by the movement destination instruction means,
If the workers move in accordance with this instruction, almost no workers will be left in an available state.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the overall schematic configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The production line 1 of this embodiment is, for example, a production line for sewing processing of clothes, and a plurality of (for example, 9) work areas 2 are provided on a hanger conveyor. It is provided along with 12. The number of workers smaller than the number of work areas 2 is assigned to different work areas 2 as will be described later, and each worker advances the sewing work while moving between the work areas 2. .. For convenience, each work area 2 is identified by a number from “0001” to “0009”, and each work area 2 is provided with one or more work machines (not shown) and a terminal 3, respectively.

The terminal 3 in each work area 2 is connected to the host computer 5 via the communication line 4, and each terminal 3
Is also connected via a signal line 7 to a drive mechanism (not shown) of a stopper 6 located in each work area 2. Although not shown in detail, the stopper 6 is moved by the drive mechanism between a lock position (on position) and an open position (off position) in response to a pressing operation of an end button 10 described later, and the lock position Then, the hanger 8 on which a work (not shown) is suspended is locked and stopped in the work area 2, and in the open position, the hanger 8 is unlocked and the hanger 8 is released.
Is conveyed to the next work area 2 by the hanger conveyor 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 3 in each of the work areas 2 described above is provided with a display section 9 which is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The display unit 9 functions as a moving destination instructing means for instructing the moving destination to the worker by displaying the number of the work area 2 to which the worker should move after the work is completed. Further, on the side of the display unit 9 of each terminal 3, there is provided an end button 10 which is an input means for inputting a work end signal for each hanger unit, and by the operation input of the end button 10, the host computer 5 performs each work. While monitoring the progress of work in each area 2, each time the end button 10 is pressed, the stopper 6 of the work area 2 is temporarily opened so that only one hanger 8 is sent to the next work area 2. It has become.

The host computer 5 is provided with a RAM 11 as a storage means for storing information about work contents that can be processed in each work area 2 and work contents that each worker can perform. In this embodiment, the production order information (see FIG. 3) is stored in the RAM 11 in order to determine the destination of the worker so that the production efficiency is maximized in consideration of the skill level (skill level) of the worker. Knitting process information (see FIG. 4), knitting information (see FIG. 5), process skill information (see FIG. 6), worker skill information (see FIG. 7) and work area information (see FIG. 8) are stored, The concrete contents of each information are as follows.

(1) The production order information (see FIG. 3) is made up of three attributes of a production number, a design code and a production order, and is data showing the design code and the production order for each production number.

(2) The knitting process information (see FIG. 4) is made up of three attributes of a production number, a knitting code, and a process code, and shows the knitting content (process code included in each knitting code) for each production number. Is.

(3) The organization information (see FIG. 5) is data consisting of five attributes of production number, serial number, organization code, planned work area number and work flag. in this case,
There are as many "serial numbers" as there are production numbers. Further, the "planned work area number" indicates the production number and the number of the work area 2 in which the work of the organization code is performed. Further, if the "work flag" is "1", it means that all the work of the knitting code (the same production number and the same serial number) smaller than the knitting code of the record has been completed.

(4) The process skill information (see FIG. 6) consists of three attributes of design code, process code, and skill code, and the skill (skill) required to perform the work of each process code of each design code. Is data indicating.

(5) The worker skill information (see FIG. 7) is data consisting of three attributes of worker number, skill code, and skill level. In this case, "skill code"
Indicates the work content that each worker can perform, "skill level" indicates the skill level for the skill code, and the smaller the skill level number, the higher the skill level of the worker. ..

(6) The work area information (see FIG. 8) is 3 of work area number, worker number and next worker number.
This data consists of three attributes. In this case, the "worker number" indicates the number of the worker currently in each work area 2, and the "next worker number" indicates the number of the worker who is scheduled to enter the work area 2 next. Shows. This "next worker number" is as follows,
It is determined by the host computer 5.

In other words, the host computer 5 is detected as a means for detecting a worker who has become available or whose worker has reduced the amount of work as a "worker requiring movement" based on the operation input of the end button 10. One or two or more work areas 2 in which the required moving worker can work are selected based on the stored information in the RAM 11, and the working area 2 to which the required moving operator should move is selected from among them. If there is a senior worker in the work area 2 of the moving destination, that person is also regarded as a “worker requiring movement”, and the work area 2 to be moved within the range in which the person can work is stored in the RAM 11. It functions as a destination determination unit that determines the destination of the worker so that as many workers as possible can engage in the work by repeating the process of determining based on the above.

The determination of the moving destination in this embodiment is performed according to the control program shown in the flow charts of FIGS. 9 and 10, and not only the work content (skill code) that each worker can work but also the worker's Taking into consideration the skill level (skill level), the destination of the worker is determined so that the production efficiency is the highest.

The method of determining the moving destination of the worker will be specifically described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10.
Currently, as shown in the work area information of FIG.
Work area number “0001”,
"0002", "0003", "0005", "000
It is assumed that the work is performed in the work area 2 of "7". After that, each time each worker finishes the work in units of hangers, he pushes and operates the end button 10 of the terminal 3 installed in each work area 2. Each time the end button 10 is pressed, the stopper 6 of the work area 2 is temporarily opened, only one hanger 8 is sent to the next work area 2, and a work end signal is input to the host computer 5. ..

By inputting this work end signal, the control programs of FIGS. 9 and 10 are started, and the work flag of the finished record is set to "0" in the knitting information (see FIG. 5) (step). S1). Here, the finished record means that the planned work area number matches the work area number pressed by the end button 10 and the production flag is the highest among the records having the work flag “1” (the production order It is the record with the smallest number) and the smallest serial number. The production order compared here is obtained from the production order information (see FIG. 3) based on the production number.

Thereafter, in step S2, the work flag of the knitting record next to the record that has ended in the knitting information is set to "1". Here, the "next knitting record" is a record of the next knitting code having the same production number and the same serial number. If it does not exist, nothing is done and the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, whether or not the worker who presses the end button 10 has the work area 2 to be moved, that is, in the work area information (see FIG. 8), the end button 10 is pressed. It is determined whether or not the worker number of the record of the work area number is registered as the next worker number of another record. Here, "YES"
If it is determined, that is, if the operator who pressed the end button 10 has the work area 2 to be moved, the work area number of the record is set as the "destination work area number" and the process of step S4 is performed. Proceed to.

In step S4, whether or not there is no senior worker in the work area 2 of the moving destination, that is, the worker of the record of the work area number of the moving destination in the work area information (see FIG. 8) It is determined whether or not the number is in the clear state (unregistered state). Here, "YES"
If it is determined, that is, if there is no senior worker in the work area 2 of the moving destination, the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, a message relating to the destination work area number, for example, a message such as "Move to work area No. ○" is displayed on the display unit 9 of the terminal 3 where the end button 10 is pressed. , Instruct the worker to move to the work area 2 with the displayed number.

After this, the process proceeds to step S6, and in the work area information (see FIG. 8), after clearing the worker number of the record of the work area 2 where the end button 10 is pressed, the cleared work Set the person number on the record of the work area number of the destination.

On the other hand, in step S4 described above, "NO".
In the case of, that is, when there is a senior worker in the work area 2 of the moving destination, the process proceeds to step S7. This step S
7, the display unit 9 of the terminal 3 in which the end button 10 is pressed
, A message such as "no need to move the work area" is displayed to instruct the worker not to move the work area 2.

In step S3 described above, "NO"
In the case of, that is, when the worker who pressed the end button 10 does not have the work area 2 to be moved, the process proceeds to step S8 of FIG. In this step S8, the limit work in process number which is a parameter value is read from the RAM 11.
The limit number of work in progress is set in advance by an administrator in consideration of line balance (equalization of work amount of each worker), and the remaining work in progress in the work area 2 where the end button 10 is pressed. It is determined that the line balance is broken when the number of reels becomes less than the limit number of products in process.

After reading the limit number of work in process, the process proceeds to step S9, and based on the organization information (see FIG. 5),
The number of work in process in each work area 2 is calculated and stored in the RAM 11. Here, the “number of work in progress” is the number of records in which the work flag is “1” for each planned work area number in the organization information.

After that, the process proceeds to step S10, and the number of work in progress in the work area 2 in which the end button 10 is pressed becomes equal to or less than the limit number of work in progress, or the worker who presses the end button 10 next It is determined whether or not there is a skill for performing the work. The presence or absence of this skill is determined as follows.

First, a record of the work to be performed next is obtained from the knitting information, and the skill code determined by the production number and knitting code of the record is used as production order information (see FIG. 3).
It is determined by referring to the knitting process information (see FIG. 4) and the process skill information (see FIG. 6). If the skill code thus obtained exists in the record of the corresponding worker number in the worker skill information (see FIG. 7), it is determined that the worker has the skill, and if it does not exist, there is no skill. Is determined.

In step S10 described above, in the case of "YES", that is, when the number of work in progress in the work area 2 in which the end button 10 is pressed becomes less than or equal to the limit number of work in progress, or the end button 10 is pressed. If the worker does not have the skill (skill) for the next work, the worker is regarded as a "moving required worker" and the process proceeds to step S11. This step S
At 11, the work area 2 is selected and stored in the RAM 11 in the order of the number of work in progress.

After this, the process proceeds to step S12, the next work in each work area 2 selected in step S11 is searched from the knitting information (see FIG. 5), and the skills required to perform those works are obtained. The code is obtained and stored in the RAM 11 in association with the work area number. Here, the next work is searched as follows.

First, a record in which the planned work area number of the organization information (see FIG. 5) is set to the work area number to be processed and the work flag is set to "1" is the order of production order (production order). If they are equal, the serial numbers are arranged in ascending order). When the worker number of the record of the work area number to be processed in the work area information (see FIG. 8) is in the clear state (unregistered state), or the work area number to be processed is If the work area number pressed by the end button 10 matches, the first record of the above-mentioned records arranged in the order of production order, otherwise the second record is next to the work area number. Will be the work record of. The production order to be compared here is obtained from the production order information (see FIG. 3) based on the production number, as in step S1.

In step S12 described above,
The method of obtaining the skill code is based on the production number and the knitting code of the next work record obtained from the knitting information (see FIG. 5), based on the production order information (see FIG. 3), the knitting process information (see FIG. 4), The skill code is obtained by referring to the process skill information (see FIG. 6).

After obtaining the skill code in this way, the process proceeds to step S13, and a combination for assigning each worker to each work area 2 selected in step S11 is calculated. This combination is, for example, 5! (5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120 types) exist. Then, the allocation that minimizes the total skill level, that is, the allocation that maximizes the production efficiency is calculated from this combination. For example, if the worker number is "00
When assigning the worker of "1" to the work area 2 of the work area number "0001", the work area 2 of "0001"
The skill codes required for the next work performed in S01 and S0
Assuming 2, S03, and S04, the total skill level of the worker of "001" is 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 4 from the worker skill information (see FIG. 7).

By repeating the above calculation, the allocation that minimizes the total skill level is selected, and then the process proceeds to step S14, where the next worker number in the work area information (see FIG. 8) is set to step S13. The operator number as calculated is set, and the process returns to step S4.

On the other hand, in step S10 described above,
In the case of "NO", that is, the number of work in progress in the work area 2 in which the end button 10 is pressed is not less than or equal to the limit number of work in progress, and the skill (skill) ), This worker may continue to work in the work area 2 as it is, and is not regarded as a “worker who needs to be moved”. Therefore, the process returns to step S7 and the message indicating no movement is displayed on the display unit 9 of the terminal 3. Will be displayed.

According to the production line control system described above, the host computer 5 causes the end button 10
By monitoring the progress of the work by inputting the operation, the worker who has become available or the worker who has reduced the amount of work is detected as the "worker who needs to move", and the worker who needs to move can work 1. Alternatively, two or more work areas 2 are selected based on the information stored in the RAM 11, the work area 2 to be moved by the worker requiring movement is determined from the selected work area 2, and the worker who is the predecessor to the work area 2 of the movement destination is selected. If there is a person, that person is also regarded as a “worker requiring movement” and the process of deciding the work area 2 to be moved within the range in which the person can work based on the stored information of the RAM 11 is repeated, and as much as possible. Since the worker's moving destination is determined so that many workers can engage in the work and the worker is instructed to do so, most of the moving workers are not available in the work area 2. Reasonable not to occur To be able to carry out a well-balanced, it is possible to improve the production efficiency.

Further, according to the above-described embodiment, not only the work content (skill code) that each worker can work but also the skill level (skill level) of the worker is taken into consideration to determine the destination. Therefore, there is also an advantage that each worker can perform his or her own work as much as possible and always maximize the production efficiency.

However, in the present invention, the destination may be determined only by the skill code without considering the skill level of the worker, and even in this case, the intended purpose can be sufficiently achieved.

Further, in the above embodiment, the work area number of the destination is displayed on the display section 9 of the terminal 3 installed in each work area 2 so that the operator can be informed of the destination. This may be instructed by voice through a speaker or the like.

In addition, the production line control system of the present invention is not limited to the clothes sewing line as in the above embodiment, but can be applied to various other production lines and the like.
Various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0043]

As described above, according to the production line control system of the present invention, a worker who becomes available or who has a small amount of work can be identified as "moving required work" based on the input information from the input means. "Working person" and selects one or more work areas in which the worker requiring movement can work based on the stored information in the storage means, and determines the work area to which the worker requiring movement is to be moved from among them. In addition, if there is a senior worker in the work area of the move destination, that person is also regarded as a "worker requiring movement" and the work area to be moved within the workable range of the person is stored in the storage means. By repeating the process of making a decision based on the stored information to decide the destination of the worker so that as many workers as possible can be engaged in the work, it is possible to easily move the worker between the work areas. Workers And it can be performed with good reasonably balanced so command does not occur, an excellent effect of being able to improve the production efficiency.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a production line control system showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a terminal installed in each work area.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of production order information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of knitting process information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of organization information.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of process skill information.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of worker skill information.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of work area information.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control program (No. 1)

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control program (part 2).

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a production line, 2 is a work area, 3 is a terminal, 5 is a host computer (destination determining means), 6 is a stopper, 8
Is a hanger, 9 is a display unit (moving destination instruction means), 10 is an end button (input means), and 11 is a RAM (storage means).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A production line in which a worker moves between a plurality of work areas to proceed with work, and a system for controlling a destination of a worker between the work areas, wherein Storage means for storing information on work contents that can be processed and work contents that can be performed by each worker, input means for inputting the progress status of the work for each work area, and availability based on the input information of the input means Means for detecting a worker who has become a worker or a worker whose work amount has decreased as a "worker requiring movement", and one or more work areas in which the detected worker requiring movement can work are stored in the storage means. Based on the stored information, the work area to be moved by the worker requiring movement is selected from the selected information, and if there is a senior worker in the work area to which the worker needs to move, that person also needs to move. work The process of determining that the work area to be moved within the workable range of the person based on the stored information of the storage means is repeated, and the worker is made to engage as many workers as possible. A production line control system comprising: a destination determining means for determining the destination of the destination and a destination indicating means for indicating the destination determined by the destination determining means to a worker in each work area.