JPH09147023A - Design support method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To synthetically evaluate the easiness of the work of parts in plural stages. SOLUTION: Evaluation elements which prescribe the contents of the work for parts in a production stage are inputted through an input device 24 and are stored in a storage device 17. A work estimating part 34 estimates work contents in a decomposition stage in accordance with stored evaluation element information 100 in the production stage and a work estimating data base 29. A work man-hour calculation part 35 analyzes evaluation element information in the production stage and the decomposition stage, and an operation part 37 totalizes indexes of work easiness for every parts like the time required for the work prescribed by evaluation element information in two stages based on the analysis result and a work man-hour calculation data base 30, and this totalization result is compared with a reference value, and the result is outputted to a display and output device 26 through an input/output control part 38.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to procurement, manufacturing, sales, use, maintenance / inspection / repair, collection, disassembly, and disassembly of a product or a component of the product, which may or may pass in a lifetime. , The cost of work of goods and parts at each stage such as recycling, detoxification, disposal, storage
For example, it relates to a technology of comprehensively evaluating the design stage. Further, the present invention relates to a technology for supporting the change and improvement of the design of products and parts, which is necessary for improving the problem based on the evaluation result.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, evaluation of the cost of work that may occur or may occur at the stage of passing through a product or part in its lifetime, ease of work such as assembly, processing, disassembly, maintenance, inspection, repair, etc. It has been proposed to do this.

Techniques for evaluating the ease of assembly and processing work include, for example, JP-A-4-69703 and JP-A-5-114003.
There is known a technique described in Japanese Patent Publication No. Also, as a technique for evaluating the ease of disassembly work, Nikkei Mechanical 1994
The technology described in a contribution and the like entitled “Evaluation of Ease of Disassembling a Product by Scores and Ease of Disassembling Techniques for Searching for Improvement Suggestions” published on Jan. 10, 1998, pages 40 to 48 is known. Also, as a technique for evaluating maintenance, inspection, repair, etc., "Serviceability Evaluation" in the special feature entitled "Serviceability is a condition of popular products" published on pages 28-43 of Nikkei Mechanical on February 7, 1994. The techniques described in "Manual" are known.

[0004]

Now, in order to reduce the total cost of the work of articles or parts at each stage which may or may pass in the life of a product or part, in the design stage, It is necessary to thoroughly consider the cost of the work comprehensively at each stage that will pass or may pass in a lifetime, and to reflect the examination results in the design contents.

However, most of the evaluation techniques that have been published so far, such as the above-mentioned evaluation techniques, are related to each stage that passes or may pass during a lifetime.
There are the following problems in comprehensively studying the cost of work and reflecting the study results in the design contents.

(1) It is not possible to directly evaluate a plurality of stages, because only the easiness of work in one stage that may or may pass in the life of a product or part is considered.

(2) Any improvement according to the evaluation result,
Whether or not to make changes to the design content must be done by the designer himself, relying on his own experience. Therefore, an inexperienced designer cannot make an appropriate improvement or change in the design contents according to the evaluation result.

(3) When it is desired to evaluate a plurality of stages, it is necessary to extract the contents of the work to be performed at each stage independently for each stage, and to input these contents into an apparatus for independently performing the evaluation. Burden on the person.

Therefore, the present invention is to provide a design support device capable of comprehensively evaluating the workability of a plurality of stages that may or may pass in the life of a product or part. To aim. It is another object of the present invention to provide a design support device that allows a user to more easily perform such evaluation. Also, in addition,
The present invention is intended to reduce the ease of work at the stage of passing or possibly passing in a lifetime,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that supports improvement and change of design contents.

[0010]

To achieve the above object,
The present invention evaluates the cost of work performed on an article by defining, for example, a plurality of stages representing the life of the article and evaluation element information representing a plurality of work contents performed on the article at each of the stages. Which is a design support device for inputting the evaluation element information of each stage included in the plurality of stages, a storage unit for storing the input plurality of evaluation element information of each stage, and the storage By calculating the plurality of evaluation element information of each stage stored in the means as the input value of the predetermined program corresponding to each stage, the cost of the work of each stage or the ease of work is calculated, and the calculated each There is provided a first design support device including an evaluation means for evaluating the cost of work in steps or work ease and a reference value of work ease applied to an article in the plurality of steps.

In order to achieve the above object, the article is defined by defining a plurality of stages representing the life of the article and evaluation element information representing a plurality of work contents performed on the article in each of the stages. A design support device for evaluating the cost of the work to be performed on, and storing an estimation rule for estimating the work content required in another stage from the work content performed in one of the plurality of stages. First storage means to do, input means for receiving the input of evaluation element information of at least one of the stages of the life of the article, and storing the input evaluation element information of the at least one step Two storage means, and means for estimating the content of the work to be performed on the article at another stage from the evaluation element information of at least one stage stored in the second storage means based on the estimation rule. , Means for storing in the second storage means evaluation element information corresponding to the estimated work content, and a plurality of predetermined evaluation element information stored in the second storage means for each step A second design support apparatus is provided, which includes an evaluation unit that evaluates the overall easiness of the work performed on the article at the plurality of stages by using the input value of the program.

The second design support device may be configured as follows.

That is, the cost of the work performed on the article is evaluated by defining a plurality of stages representing the life of the article and evaluation element information indicating a plurality of work contents performed on the article at each of the stages. A design support device, comprising first storage means for storing evaluation element information required in another step from evaluation element information in one of the plurality of steps, and each step of the life of the article. Of these, input means for receiving input of at least one stage evaluation element information, second storage means for storing the input at least one stage evaluation element information, and stored in the second storage means Means for extracting, from the first storage means, evaluation element information required in other steps from the evaluation element information in at least one step, and the extracted evaluation element information stored in the second storage means. Means and a plurality of evaluation element information of each stage stored in the second storage means as input values of a predetermined program corresponding to each stage, and thus applied to the article in the plurality of stages. It is also possible to achieve the above object by having an evaluation means for evaluating the overall easiness of work.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a design support method for evaluating the cost of a work to be performed on an article on an electronic computer provided with a memory and an arithmetic unit, wherein the electronic computer Accepting input of evaluation element information that defines the content of the operation performed on the article in at least one step among the operations performed on the article at each step of life, and the evaluation element information about the accepted at least one step Is stored in a memory, and the arithmetic device applies the article to the article at a stage other than the specific stage based on the evaluation element information about the specific stage read from the memory and the database stored in the memory. The content of the work to be performed, and the evaluation element information defining the estimated content of the work is stored in the memory, and stored in the memory in the arithmetic unit. Based on the evaluation element information for a plurality of steps that may be one to assess the overall ease of work in the plurality of steps applied to the article.

Alternatively, the cost of the work performed on the article is evaluated by defining a plurality of steps representing the life of the article and evaluation element information representing a plurality of work contents performed on the article at each of the steps. A design support method, which accepts input of evaluation element information of each stage included in the plurality of stages,
By calculating the plurality of evaluation element information of each stage that has been input as the input value of a predetermined program corresponding to each stage, the cost of the work of each stage or the easiness of the work is calculated, and the calculated each stage It may be evaluated based on the cost of work or ease of work and a reference value of workability applied to the article in the plurality of stages.

Alternatively, the cost of the work performed on the article is evaluated by defining a plurality of stages representing the life of the article and evaluation element information representing a plurality of work contents performed on the article at each of the stages. A design support method, wherein an estimation rule for estimating a work content required in another stage from a work content performed in one of the plurality of stages is stored in advance, Input of evaluation element information of at least one of the stages of life is accepted, and based on the estimation rule, the evaluation element information of the inputted at least one step is applied to the article at another stage. By estimating the content of the work and using the input evaluation element information and the evaluation element information corresponding to the estimated work content as input values of a predetermined program corresponding to each step, the plurality of stages In may be configured to evaluate the overall ease of operations to be performed on the article.

Alternatively, the cost of the work performed on the article is evaluated by defining a plurality of stages representing the life of the article and evaluation element information indicating a plurality of work contents performed on the article at each stage. A design support device, in which evaluation element information required in another step is stored in advance from evaluation element information in one of the plurality of steps, and among each step of the life of the article, Accepting input of evaluation element information of at least one stage, extracting evaluation element information required in other stages from the input evaluation element information of at least one stage, the input evaluation element information, and the extraction By using the evaluated element information and the input values of a predetermined program corresponding to each step, the overall easiness of the work performed on the article in the plurality of steps may be evaluated.

Further, the present invention has the following objects to attain the above objects.
Further, a third storage means for storing an improvement example of the work content is provided, and when the evaluation result in the arbitrary one stage does not satisfy a predetermined criterion, the work performed on the article in the arbitrary one stage A third design support device for searching and displaying an improved case from the third storage means is provided.

Further, the present invention further comprises a third storage means for storing an example of improvement of the work content, and a predetermined evaluation result of comprehensive ease of work performed on the article in the plurality of stages is predetermined. A fourth design support device that searches for and displays an improved case from the third storage means with respect to the work content performed on the article in at least one of the plurality of stages. To do.

The term "article" as used herein includes products and parts, and the term "work" as used herein is used in the sense of including various processes.

In the first design support apparatus according to the present invention, first, the work of each stage included in the plurality of stages is identified based on the plurality of pieces of evaluation element information defining the work contents of each stage of which the input is accepted. Calculate the cost or workability. Then, based on the calculated work cost or work easiness of each step and the reference value of the work easiness to be applied to the article in the plurality of steps, it is applied to the article in the plurality of steps. Assess the overall ease of work.

Therefore, it is possible to comprehensively evaluate the easiness of work in a plurality of stages.

Further, in the second design support apparatus according to the present invention, the article is added to the article at a stage other than the specific stage based on the evaluation element information stored in the memory for the specific stage. Estimate the content of the work to be performed,
Since the evaluation element information defining the estimated work content is stored in the memory, the user only needs to input the evaluation element information at a certain stage to the design support apparatus, and the design support apparatus can store the evaluation element information at a plurality of stages in the article. The overall easiness of the work to be performed can be evaluated. Therefore, as compared with the first design support device, the user can more easily obtain a comprehensive workability evaluation for a plurality of stages of the article.

Further, in the third and fourth design support apparatuses according to the present invention, an improvement example based on the evaluation result of the workability of the article at a specific stage and a plurality of stages is provided. Can be provided to users. Therefore, compared to the first and second design support devices, the user can more easily and effectively perform the improvement in the workability of the specific stage and the plurality of stages of the article. It will be possible.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

First, a description will be given of a stage of a work in which a product or a component of the product passes or may pass during its life.

As shown in FIG. 1, the products and parts which are the objects of this embodiment are procured, manufactured, sold, used, maintained / inspected / repaired, recovered, disassembled, disassembled and recycled in their lifetimes. It may or may pass the stages of detoxification, disposal, or storage.

Each step will be described below.

Procurement 1: In Procurement 1, parts, materials, electric power, fuel, etc. are procured through procurement operations (eg, purchasing, transportation, inspection, ordering, inspection, payment, etc.).

Virgin material 2: The materials procured in Procurement 1 include recycled materials and materials newly made from raw materials, and the latter is called virgin material.

Manufacture 3: In Manufacture 3, products / parts are manufactured through manufacturing operations (eg, assembly, processing, inspection, power supply, painting, treatment using chemical reaction, etc.).

Sales 4: The manufactured products or parts are sold through sales operations including distribution channels (for example, transportation, exhibition, inspection, issuance of slips, payment confirmation, etc.).

Use 5: Purchased by the user, and in Use 5, work for use (for example, control, adjustment, arrangement, purchase of electric power, fuel, etc.) is performed and used.

Maintenance / Inspection / Repair 6: During use, maintenance / inspection / repair 6 performs maintenance / inspection / repair work (eg, transportation, inspection, adjustment, replacement, parts procurement, etc.). We may receive maintenance, inspection, and repair. In this case, when a part to be replaced is generated, the recovery operation 8 is performed for recovery processing, and the subsequent route is entered.

Reuse 7: The article or part that has finished use 5 may be transferred to another user and returned to use 5 again. This is called reuse. It may be transferred to another user after use 5, maintenance, inspection, and repair 6.

Recovery 8: Products or parts that have completed the mission of Use 5 are collected for recovery work (eg transportation, transportation, etc.).
Classification of goods or parts, recovery of chemical substances, electricity, fuel,
Purchase of chemical substances, purchase, processing using chemical reaction,
Etc.) Collected products or parts take several routes depending on their type. Route to return to Manufacturing 3 as it is, route to Dismantling 9 to separate materials,
And there is a route, etc. for proceeding to recycling 11 as it is.

Dismantling 9: The product or part that has advanced to dismantling 9 is a work for dismantling (for example, dismantling, equipment operation, parts,
Separation of subassemblies, classification of articles or parts, purchase of electric power, fuel, subassemblies, articles or parts, etc., purchase, disassembly using chemical reaction, etc.) are made into parts or subassemblies.
Parts or subassemblies take several routes depending on their type. There are a route for returning to the manufacturing 3 as it is, a route for directly discarding 13, a route for detoxifying 12 for harmful materials, and a route for recycling 11.

Disassembly 10: The article or part that has proceeded to disassembly 10 is a work for disassembly (eg disassembly, equipment operation, separation of parts or subassemblies, classification of articles or parts of electric power, fuel,
Purchasing subassemblies, articles, parts, etc., purchasing, disassembling treatment using chemical reaction, etc.) is performed to obtain parts or subassemblies. Parts or subassemblies take several routes depending on their type. There are a route for returning to the manufacturing 3 as it is, a route for directly discarding 13, a route for detoxifying 12 for harmful materials, and a route for recycling 11.

Recycling 11: The parts or subassemblies that have advanced to the recycling 11 can be used for recycling work (for example, operation of equipment, purchase of electric power, fuel, subassemblies, purchase, chemical reaction, etc.). However, it is not always the case that the original manufacturing process 3 is resumed, and the manufacturing process may proceed to another manufacturing process to become another article or part. Further, it is possible to consider a route that goes to the disposal 13 without returning to the production 3 and a route that goes to the detoxification 12 in the case of a harmful material.

Detoxification 12: Parts or subassemblies that have advanced to detoxification 12 are detoxified (for example, operation of equipment,
Purchasing electricity, fuel, chemical substances, etc., purchasing, detoxification using chemical reactions, etc.), and proceed to some routes.
Route to return to manufacturing 3 as it is, route to discard 13,
A route or the like to proceed to recycling 11 can be considered.

Disposal 13: Work, waste, operation of equipment, incineration, purchase of electric power, fuel, etc., purchase of parts, articles or parts that proceed to disposal 13 , Waste using chemical reactions, supply for reuse of thermal energy obtained by incineration, etc.) and then discarded. There are also products, parts or subassemblies that are sent to storage without being discarded.

In the following, as an example of the present invention, in each stage of the life of the above product, evaluation of workability for each stage of production 3 and decomposition 10 and production 3 using those data will be described. The present embodiment will be described by taking as an example the case where a comprehensive evaluation of workability that integrates both stages of the disassembly 10 and presentation of improvement cases based on the evaluation are performed.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the design support apparatus according to this embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the design support apparatus according to the present embodiment comprises an input device 24 such as a mouse, a keyboard, a pen input board, a storage device 17 for storing data for automatic calculation and various kinds of information, and an arithmetic operation. It is composed of a device 25 and a display / output device 26 which operates with a display or a printer.

At the time of input work, necessary information such as an input screen is displayed on the display / output device 26 by the arithmetic unit 25.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view 1 of the input screen according to this embodiment.
An example is shown in which 0 is evaluated.

As shown in the figure, on the input screen, the name, length, and mass of the product to be evaluated, the name, length, mass, material, disassembly operation of the parts and subassemblies that make up the product, etc. A field for inputting the item is provided and can be input by the input device 24.

In FIG. 3, the input fields for parts are as follows.
It has a function that allows the user to switch the screen and input for each individual component that is the object of evaluation. Further, the material and mass input fields of the parts have a function of inputting a combination of a plurality of materials and masses, so that it is possible to correspond to the case where the parts are not made of a single material.

Regarding the disassembling operation, up to five can be input on the screen, but more operations can be input by moving the screen. Regarding the disassembling operation, a single piece of information is not always input, and for example, the basic element 27 and the correction element 28 may be input.

It is not always necessary to input all the information on this screen, and there are items that can be calculated without inputting, items that increase the accuracy of calculation by inputting, and the like.

The storage device 17 stores the evaluation element information 100 such as the product name, length, mass, part name, length, mass, material, basic element 27 and correction element 28 input by the input device 24. Remembered.

Further, the storage device 17 has an arithmetic unit 25.
By the database management process realized above, the work estimation database 29, work factor deduction database 3
0, the structure estimation database 31, and the improvement case database 32 are constructed. Further, the function / function formula 33 for calculation used by the calculation unit 37 included in the calculation device 25 is also stored in the storage device 17.

Next, on the arithmetic unit 25, the input unit 24
An input / output control unit 38 for controlling the display / output device 26, a calculation unit 37, a work estimation unit 34, a work man-hour calculation unit 35, and an improvement case search unit 36 are provided.

However, the work estimation database 29, the work element deduction database 30, the configuration estimation database 3
1, the improvement case database 32, the function / function formula 33, the calculation unit 37, the work estimation unit 34, the work man-hour calculation unit 35, the improvement case search unit 36, etc. are actually executed by the calculation device 25. It is realized as a process that is embodied.

In the present embodiment, the design support apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration executes the evaluation / improvement case suggestion process described later, thereby facilitating the work in each stage of the lifetime production and disassembly of the product / part. , Comprehensive evaluation of workability that integrates manufacturing and disassembly, and presentation of improvement cases based on the evaluation.

First, various kinds of information such as the above-mentioned evaluation element information 100 used in this evaluation / improvement case proposing process will be described.

The evaluation element information 100 is created for each stage of the product or part life. The evaluation element information of one step consists of one or more evaluation elements, and one evaluation element describes the element to be evaluated for a certain cohesive work for one part, and the evaluation of each step. The element information 100 includes one or a plurality of evaluation elements described according to the order of work.

In this specification, the terms work and processing are used as follows to facilitate understanding. That is, the work and processing performed at each stage of the life of a product and a part are collectively called work, and in this method, the processing and work such as calculation for evaluation elements are collectively called processing.

Further, in the present embodiment, the term "parts" is used to refer to both a single part and a subassembly composed of a plurality of parts. The expression "a single part" is used to represent only a single part, and the term "part assembly" is used to represent only a part assembly.

One evaluation element is information such as the name of the part on which the work is performed corresponding to the evaluation element, a basic element that is a symbol indicating the content of the work to be performed, and the ease of work corresponding to the basic element. And a correction element which is a symbol representing an element other than the content of the work defined by the basic element that affects (for example, the size and material of the component). Further, when the same work is performed on a plurality of parts of the same type in the same manner, the evaluation elements for these parts can be integrated.
In this case, the number of parts is described in the evaluation element. Also,
When a plurality of works are successively performed on the same part, a plurality of basic elements representing works to be successively performed are described in one evaluation element in the order of the works. Although the accuracy of evaluation increases as the number of basic elements and correction elements increases, the amount of processing required for evaluation increases and rapid evaluation cannot be expected. Conversely, the smaller the number, the easier the evaluation process, but the worse the evaluation accuracy. Actually 20 ~ at each stage of product life
About 40 is desirable.

FIG. 4 shows the correspondence between work contents and symbols used as basic elements.

The first column of FIG. 4 shows the names of the stages in the life of the parts such as manufacturing and disassembly, the second column of FIG. 4 shows an example of the work that occurs at each stage, and the third column of FIG. The symbols corresponding to the work in the second column are shown.

Here, the symbol is, for example, “↓” for downward movement (name is downward movement) or “→” for lateral movement (name is lateral movement) so that the corresponding work can be easily associated. It is desirable to decide as follows.

Next, FIG. 5 shows symbols and correction coefficients used as correction elements.

The first column of FIG. 5 shows the names of stages in the life of the component such as manufacturing and disassembly, and the second column of FIG. 5 shows the classification of the material, size, etc. of the component represented by the correction element. The third column shows a more detailed division of each correction element. Symbols used as the respective correction elements are shown in the fourth column of FIG. FIG.
The fifth column shows an example of the correction coefficient given to each correction element by the process described later.

The correction coefficient changes the evaluation value by, for example, adding or multiplying the value of the evaluation result of the basic element, and affects the easiness of the work corresponding to the basic element. A numerical value indicating the degree of giving is given.

The function / function formula information 33 is information that defines a function or a function formula used when performing evaluation, and is the storage device 1
7 and is utilized by the arithmetic unit 25. The details will be described later.

Hereinafter, the evaluation and the
The improvement case proposal process will be described.

FIG. 6 shows the overall flow of this processing together with the processing by the user.

In step 1 in the figure, the user indicates the contents of various works to be performed on each part at least at one stage of the life of the product to be evaluated based on the design drawing, etc. , The part name, the number of parts, basic elements, and correction elements corresponding to the extracted contents are defined.
This is one or more evaluation factors at this stage. However, if there is no suitable one among the symbols of the basic elements and the symbols of the correction elements defined in the design support device,
Select the one that represents the closest content.

In step 2, the user inputs the evaluation elements extracted in step 1 to the design support device in stages according to the order of the corresponding work.

The evaluation elements thus input are stored in the storage device 17 for each stage according to the order in which the corresponding work is performed.

In step 3, the user performs a correction process if the input made in step 2 is incorrect. The above operation is performed for all the components to be evaluated.

In step 2 and step 3,
The input / output control unit 38 included in the arithmetic unit 25 functions.

In order to prompt input, the input / output control unit 38 outputs a screen for input to the display / output device 26. The user performs input work using the input device 24 while watching the output. The input / output control unit 38 transfers the contents input from the input device 24 to the arithmetic unit 37, and the contents are stored in the storage device 17 and also output to the display / output device 26.

In step 4, the design support apparatus performs a process of estimating the evaluation element information of the other stages from the evaluation element information of the stage input in step 2. However, this process may not be performed in some cases. The estimated evaluation element information is also stored in the storage device 17 for each stage according to the order in which the corresponding work is performed.

In this process, the work estimation unit 34 included in the arithmetic unit 25 functions using the work estimation database 29.

In step 5, the design support device evaluates the easiness of the work of each step for the entire product and the parts from the evaluation element information of each step stored in the storage device 17, and the result is It is stored in the storage device 17.

In this process, the calculation unit 37 included in the calculation device 25 functions using the work man-hour calculation unit 35, the function / function formula 33 and the work element deduction database 30 included in the storage device 17.

In step 6, the design support apparatus integrates the evaluation results of each stage calculated in step 5 for the entire product and each part for a plurality of stages to comprehensively facilitate work in a plurality of stages. The evaluation process is performed, and the result is stored in the storage device 17. . However,
Without performing this processing, it is possible to evaluate only the workability at each stage.

In this process, the arithmetic unit 37 included in the arithmetic unit 25 functions by using the function / function formula 33 included in the storage unit 17 and the contents stored in the storage unit.

In step 7, some or all of the evaluation results of the evaluations in steps 5 and 6 are displayed.
Output to the output device 26. The input / output control unit 38 outputs the content stored in the storage device 17 to the display / output device 26 based on the output request made by the user using the input device 24.

An example of the output is shown in FIG.

In step 8, the user selects step 7
The workability of the product or part to be evaluated is evaluated based on the result output in 1. If the result is acceptable, the application of the present method is terminated for the product or part to be evaluated.

When it is determined that the certain standard is not satisfied, the input device 24 is used to request the presentation of the improved case.

In step 9, the design support device extracts an improved case. Note that this process may not always be performed. In that case, step 10 is not performed either.

In this processing, the improvement case retrieval unit 3
6 functions using the configuration estimation database 31, the improvement case database 32, and the like. The extracted case is stored in the storage device 17.

In step 10, the input / output control unit 38 outputs the extracted improvement case to the display / output device 26.

In step 11, the user is in step 7
The design of the article or part is improved with reference to the evaluation content output in step 1 and the improvement example presented in step 10.

Then, based on the improved design contents, steps 1 to 11 are repeated again, and the process is continued until it passes in step 8.

The details of each step performed by the design support apparatus will be described below.

First, in step 2, the evaluation elements are input by (1) direct input from the keyboard.

(2) A method of displaying basic elements and correction elements on the display, and selecting and inputting the elements there by moving the mouse or the cursor.

(3) A method of previously assigning each symbol of the basic element and the correction element to each key of the keyboard and inputting with the key.

(4) A method of inputting by preparing a dedicated input device (tablet or the like).

Any of the above may be used.
The input method (1) is convenient when the initials of the names of the basic element and the correction element are used as symbols and is represented in alphabets, and the input methods (2), (3), and (4) are difficult to represent in alphabets. This is convenient when you are not familiar with keyboard operation. By making it possible to use a plurality of methods at the same time among the above methods, it is possible to deal with both users who are accustomed to using the present design support apparatus and users who are not.

Next, the process of estimating the evaluation element information of the other stages from the evaluation element information input in step 2, which is performed in step 4, will be described.

Here, in each stage of the life of the article, when the evaluation element information 100 at the manufacturing stage is input and already stored in the storage device 17, the evaluation element information 100 at the disassembly stage is estimated. The case will be described as an example.

This processing is realized by the work estimation unit 34 performing inference according to the inference rules accumulated in the work estimation database 29 and the configuration estimation database 31 based on the evaluation element information 100 at a certain stage. .

FIG. 8 shows the state of this estimation.

Now, the left side of FIG. 8 shows the evaluation element information at the manufacturing stage input by the user, and the basic elements in the two evaluation elements at the top and bottom correspond to the work to be evaluated at the manufacturing stage, respectively. ing. Further, it indicates that the work is performed in the order of the work corresponding to the upper evaluation element and the work corresponding to the lower evaluation element. That is, the evaluation element on the left side first indicates that the work of moving the component base downward is to be evaluated, and the evaluation element on the left side lowers the four screws to be applied thereafter. It indicates that the work to move downward and rotate the screw (screw rotation) is to be evaluated. It also shows that the ease of working with these screws is influenced by the fact that they are inside deep holes.

Based on the evaluation element information 100 input on the left side of FIG. 8 and stored in the storage device 17, the inference rules stored in the work estimation unit 34 and the work estimation database 29, “work in disassembly stage” Is often performed in the reverse order of the manufacturing stage work, in the reverse direction. "
Estimate the evaluation element information in the decomposition stage on the right side.

That is, according to the following rule defined in the work estimation database 29, the work estimation unit 34
Evaluation element information 100 including two evaluation elements on the left side of FIG.
As a result, the evaluation element information including the two evaluation elements in the decomposition stage shown on the right side of FIG. 8 is generated and stored in the storage device 17.

Rule (1) Swap the order of the evaluation elements (2) Swap the order of the part numbers representing the parts (a) of the evaluation elements.

(B) It is assumed that the names of the parts representing the parts are those at the manufacturing stage.

(C) The number of parts is kept at the manufacturing stage.

(D) If there are a plurality of basic elements, the order of them is exchanged.

(E) When the basic element represents a simple moving motion, it is converted into a basic element in which the motion direction is reversed.

(F) The correction element retains that at the manufacturing stage. Here, the simple movement operation of (2) and (e) means the downward movement or the like among the basic elements shown in FIG. , A basic element that only indicates the moving direction of a part. Further, reversing the operation direction means that, for example, what has been moved downward in manufacturing is moved upward.

The process of estimating the evaluation element information of the other stages from the evaluation element information of the stage in which the information is input in step 2, which is performed in step 4 described above, may be performed as follows. Good.

A structure estimation database 31 storing a large number of examples of rules for estimating the structure of products or parts from the evaluation element information 100, or a large number of cases of correspondence between evaluation element information and structures.
The work estimation unit 34 estimates the structural relationship of each component from the evaluation element information at the manufacturing stage by using, and stores it in the storage device 17.

Next, with respect to each component having a structural relationship stored in the storage device 17, the work estimation unit 34 stores the evaluation element information at each stage where the evaluation element information can be estimated, in the rule stored in the work estimation database 29 in advance or Estimate according to the case. Also in this case, the configuration estimation database 31 is used.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the configuration estimation database 31.

The first line of FIG. 9 shows the items of the database contents such as the life stage of the product such as manufacturing and disassembling, and the structure. For example, the first column contains information about the stage of manufacture, the second column
The structure of the product / part is stored in the column, and the information regarding the stage of disassembly is stored in the third column. Information on each stage of the life of the product / part is also stored in the fourth and subsequent columns.

The contents of the database are from the second line onward. For example, the first column of the second row indicates that the basic element is downward movement in manufacturing. Then, in the second column of the second row, typical structures of parts that can be assumed from the evaluation elements in the first column are registered. This structure example may be two or more.

In some cases, the structures that can be assumed show the characteristics not only of the target parts but also of the structure of the parts in which the target parts are combined. For example, the third
In the 2nd column of the row, screws are assumed from the evaluation elements, but it is also assumed that there are other parts to which the screws are to be attached, and that threads have been cut to attach the screws. And described. In addition, in the 4th row and the 2nd column, since the evaluation element information in the 4th row and the 1st column is attached with a symbol that holds another component, the attachment target component has an unstable shape. It is assumed that the structure is present, and the structure corresponding to it is described.

Then, in the third column, the evaluation elements necessary for decomposing the structure of the second column are shown as information regarding the decomposition. For example, in the second line, the upward movement operation is registered as the disassembling evaluation element with respect to the downward movement operation that is the manufacturing evaluation element. This evaluation element content may be two or more. For example, the third
In the row, the evaluation elements that combine the rotation of the screw and the upward movement and the evaluation elements that combine the operation of hitting the component and the upward movement are registered as the operations required for disassembly.

Although the structure estimation database 31 utilizes the data relating to the structure of the parts shown in the second column in the utilization process, it is not always necessary to record the structure itself in this database. The manufacturing data recorded in the first column of FIG. 9 and the decomposition data stored in the third column of FIG. 9 may be directly linked.

FIG. 10 shows a case where two types of evaluation element information relating to the disassembling stage are estimated by the configuration estimating database 31 from the evaluation element information at the manufacturing stage.

From the evaluation element information on the manufacturing stage stored in the storage device 17, the work estimating unit 34 searches the evaluation element information column on the manufacturing stage (first column in FIG. 9) of the configuration estimation database 31. .

For example, in the base part of part number 1, the basic element is downward movement, which is searched for in the second line of FIG. 9, and for the screw of part number 2 is searched in the third line of FIG. It

As a result, the data showing the structure of the second column is searched for the second and third rows of FIG. 9, and the structure shown in the lower left of FIG. 10 is assumed from the combination.

These pieces of information are stored in the storage device 17, respectively.

Based on the stored information, the information regarding the stage other than the manufacturing, which is the input information, is estimated. FIG.
In the example shown in 0, the information regarding disassembly is estimated based on the contents of the database shown in FIG.

In the structure at the lower left of FIG. 10, it is necessary to disassemble the screw first. Therefore, the information in the third row, third column in FIG. 9 is searched as a screw disassembly method from the configuration estimation database, and two types of disassembly information shown in the lower right of FIG. 10 are estimated.
Information about the estimated decomposition is stored in the storage device 17.

The data indicating the estimated structure and the information on the decomposition can be output to the display / output device 26 and presented to the evaluator.

Here, for example, as shown in the lower right part of FIG. 10, when there are two or more types of estimated information, the evaluator is provided with a function of selecting which information to use by the input device 24. . For example, there is a method of designating which information is optimal with a mouse, or inputting an optimal information number with a keyboard.

Further, by adding a function of correcting the estimated decomposition information, it is possible to create more accurate information on the decomposition. The correction function is shown in Fig. 6.
It can be realized by using the function described in step 3.

When the information is modified, the evaluator can strengthen the database by adding a function of additionally storing the modified information to the configuration estimation database 31. It may be possible to accumulate design know-how.

For example, when the evaluator corrects the information 1 estimated at the lower right of FIG. 10 to the information shown in FIG. 11,
This can be realized by strengthening the third row, third column of the configuration estimation database 31 shown in FIG. 9 by adding information as shown in FIG.

When displaying two or more types of information,
Which information should be displayed preferentially is prioritized based on a certain rule (for example, the last selected one, the most used one in the past, etc.), and the evaluation factor information at either stage. May be automatically selected and stored in the storage device 17 for later evaluation processing.

As a method of storing prioritized information, a method of rewriting the recording order of the configuration estimation database shown in FIG. 9 can be considered. For example, in FIG. 9, row 3, column 3,
There are two types of information as assumed evaluation element information for disassembly work. For example, when the evaluator selects information using tap (I) currently located on the bottom of the database, this information is displayed on the database. It can be realized by rewriting to. In this case, the third row, third column in FIG. 9 is rewritten as shown in FIG.

In the above, the function of searching the data showing the expected structure from the search result of the evaluation element information is not always essential. For example, information on disassembly may be directly created from information on manufacturing. In this case, the configuration estimation database shown in FIG. 9 does not need to have the information in the second column, and the manufacturing-related data recorded in the first column and the decomposition-related data recorded in the third column. It becomes a structure that is directly connected.

However, when the search result is displayed on the display / output device 26 by using the function of searching the data showing the structure assumed from the search result, when two or more configurations are estimated. , It becomes possible for the evaluator to specify which structure is closer to reality. In this case, as in the above case, a function of storing which information is preferentially displayed may be added.

In the above, the structure estimation database 3
1 is described as extracting the evaluation element information on disassembling from the evaluation element information on manufacturing, but in this database, for example, the first search is performed in the third column of the database 31. The procedure of extracting the manufacturing-related information stored in the first column from the result can also be utilized in the case of estimating the manufacturing-related information from the disassembly-related information.

As described above, the structure estimation database 31 is
From any stage of a product's life, it is possible to deduce information for all other stages stored in the database.

Next, the process of evaluating the easiness of the work of each step based on the evaluation element information of each step performed in step 5 will be described.

In this process, for each stage, the evaluation elements contained in the evaluation element information at that stage are sequentially taken out and the following processes are performed.

That is, first, the work estimation unit 34 estimates the details of the work content based on the correspondence example or the correspondence rule between the evaluation element stored in the work estimation database 29 and the operation procedure that is the details of the work.

FIG. 14 shows an example of the work estimation database 29.

The first column of FIG. 14 shows the life stage of the product such as manufacture and disassembly, the second column shows evaluation element information such as basic elements and correction elements, and the third column shows the third element. The work contents corresponding to the evaluation elements in two columns are recorded.

For example, in the upward movement operation, the operation of reaching for the component, the operation of grasping the component, the operation of moving the component, the operation of leaving the component, the operation of releasing the component, the hand The action of returning is recorded.

In the screw rotation, an operation of picking up the driver, an operation of fitting the driver to the parts, an operation of using the driver, an operation of separating the driver from the parts, an operation of closing the driver, and the like are recorded.

Regarding the correction element, for example, for deep hole correction, it is memorized that an upward movement or the like involves difficult work when grasping or moving a component, and a screwdriver is used for rotation of a screw. It is remembered that the operation of matching the parts involves difficult work.

FIG. 15 shows an example of the work man-hour calculation database 30.

The first column of FIG. 15 records the life stage of the product such as manufacturing and disassembly, the second column records the work content, and the third column records the man-hours corresponding to the work content of the second column. Has been done.

For example, at the disassembly stage, the operation of picking up the driver, the operation of fitting the driver to the parts,
A set of the operation of using the driver and the operation of separating the driver from the components is stored as 50 man-hours. In addition, man-hours 55 are stored as a set of an operation of aligning the driver with the parts, an operation of using the driver, an operation of separating the driver from the parts, and an operation of closing the driver. It is also stored that the man-hour 6 is added when the above operation is difficult.

The procedure for estimating the work man-hours from the given evaluation factors will be described below by taking the case of disassembly as an example.

For example, when the evaluation element information shown in the first column, the second column, and the third column of FIG. 16 is given, the work estimating unit 34
16 estimates the work content shown in the fourth column of FIG. 16 from the evaluation element information stored in the storage device 17 using the work estimation database 29, and then the work man-hour calculation unit 35 uses the work man-hour calculation database 30. 16 to calculate the work man-hour shown in the fifth column. The calculated man-hours are stored in the storage device 17.

The total value is the work man-hour Gi commensurate with the evaluation element information.

The actual processing procedure is as follows.

The work estimation unit 34 (1) reads out the evaluation element information stored in the storage device 17 and (2) retrieves the decomposition stage from the first column of the work estimation database 29 because it is the information regarding the decomposition. Then, from (3) basic element screw rotation, the screw rotation is searched from the second column of the work estimation database 29, and the work content of the third column is extracted.

(4) The extracted work contents are stored in the storage device 17
Is stored. This is the content shown in the fourth column of FIG.

Next, the work man-hour calculation unit 35 (5) reads out the work procedure estimated from the storage device 17, (6) retrieves each procedure from the second column of the work man-hour calculation database 30, 7) Extract man-hours suitable for each work. The extracted man-hours are stored in the storage device 17.

(8) The total value of the extracted man-hours becomes the work man-hour Gi commensurate with the evaluation element information.

The work estimation database 29,
By changing the work man-hour calculation database 30 according to the workplace, parts, products, etc., it is possible to estimate the operation procedure corresponding to various work environments, parts, products.

When the work estimation unit 34 estimates the work content using the work estimation database 29, as shown in the fourth column of FIG. It does not estimate the work content that repeats the work content corresponding to the evaluation element with the number of parts being 1.

That is, in the example of FIG. 16, in a work requiring a tool such as a screwdriver such as a screw removing operation, the operation of taking the tool from the tool base is performed before the first part, It is presumed that the placing of the tool on the tool rest will only occur after the last part.

In addition, when the work man-hour calculation unit 35 uses the work man-hour calculation database 30 to give the man-hours, a driver is used in addition to the case where the man-hours are set individually for a single work procedure. In many cases, a series of operations, such as the work of removing a screw, always occur together, and some operations may have man-hours set together.

In the above procedure, if two or more work procedures are searched when searching the work estimation database 29, the display / output device 26 is used to present the search results to the evaluator, Which one is worth the actual work,
By adding a function that can be selected by the evaluator using the input device 24, the value of man-hour estimation can be further enhanced.

When displaying two or more kinds of information, which information is preferentially displayed is based on a certain rule (for example, the last selected one, the most used one in the past, etc.). You may make it prioritize and automatically select the evaluation element information of either one of the stages, and store it in the storage device 17 for later evaluation processing. The storage method is the same as that of the configuration estimation database 31 described above.

Further, by adding a function of changing the work estimation database 29 and the work man-hour calculation database 30 and adding contents by using the input device 24, the work can be performed more efficiently and the work corresponding to the workplace, product, or part can be performed. It is possible to estimate the content and man-hours.

For example, when another work content can be considered as the evaluation element screw rotation, the user must input the input device 2
4, the work content is described, the man-hour required for the work content is derived, and the work content is recorded as a pair. As a method for calculating the man-hours required at this time, a standard time setting technique or the like can be used when it can be expressed as a motion of an operator or a machine such as manufacturing or disassembling.

In the above procedure, the work estimating unit 34 and the work man-hour calculating unit 35 operate in the work estimating database 2
9 and the work man-hour calculation database 30 are used to estimate the man-hours. For example, if the work man-hour calculation database 30 is configured as shown in FIG. 17, the man-hours can be calculated directly from the given evaluation element information. It is possible to
In this case, the evaluator cannot specify the work content and the like, but it is possible to reduce the scale of the entire design support device.

In the arithmetic unit 37, the value Gi obtained by summing the man-hours thus obtained for one evaluation element in this way
, Is an index indicating the ease of work corresponding to this evaluation element.

This Gi may be directly used as an evaluation result of workability for each part at that stage, but based on this Gi, the final evaluation result Ei is further calculated by the calculation unit 37 as follows. You may ask for it in this way.

That is, first, as shown in FIG. 18 as an example of the steps of disassembly, the work contents for which the parts can be most easily worked are defined for each step.

Next, the man-hours for the work contents are calculated by the work man-hour calculation database 30. This value is the standard man-hour Gbi at the disassembly stage. In this case, the value is 14.

Then, with respect to a certain part, Gi obtained in the previous procedure and standard man-hour Gbi obtained at the same stage as that
The function that has the relation that the final index Ei increases or decreases when Gi becomes larger than Gbi using

[0170]

(Equation 1)

According to the above, the final evaluation result Ei is obtained,

[0172]

(Equation 2)

Final evaluation result according to a relational expression such as
Try to find Ei. However, a1 is a constant.

These functions and relational expressions are stored in the storage device 1.
7 is stored as a function / function formula 33 in FIG.

[0175] As described above, as an evaluation element in each standard stage, by defining a work in which the time, cost, and man-hour required for the work in that stage are minimized, the actual stage of the article to be evaluated is evaluated. It becomes easy to compare with the time, cost, man-hours, etc. required for the work content, and as a result, it becomes easier to express the ease of the actual work content.

The process of evaluating the workability of each component in step 5 has been described above.

Regarding the processing for evaluating the workability of the entire product for each stage performed in this step, the workability of the entire product is evaluated for a plurality of stages performed in step 6 in the description of step 6 described later. It will be described together with the description of the processing.

By the way, the work man-hour calculation database 30
The man-hour εx stored in is a function that increases as the cost Cx required for the corresponding work content increases with respect to the cost Cx0, which is the easiest work content that constitutes the work of the part at the relevant stage. Relationship, ie

[0179]

(Equation 3)

It may be determined by However,
(Equation 3) a2 and a3 are constants and have a relationship of a2 = a3Cxo.

The cost Cx is as follows:
It is also possible to use the time Tx or these index Ix. Further, as the expression of εx, it is also possible to use the following (Equations 4 to 6) or the like in which the tendency of increase / decrease of εx differs with the increase of Cx.

[0182]

(Equation 4)

[0183]

(Equation 5)

[0184]

(Equation 6)

Further, instead of the deduction εx, ε'x may be obtained by using the following (Equations 7 and 8) which is larger or smaller than a predetermined value.

[0186]

(Equation 7)

[0187]

(Equation 8)

However, in (Equations 4 to 8), a4, a
5, a6, b1, b2, c1, c2, d1, d2 and β are constants. By properly selecting these constants, it is possible to change the tendency of increase or decrease of man-hours with respect to increase in cost or time required for work.

Similarly, the above-mentioned correction coefficient αy also has the same work cost Cxyn that requires a correction element under a certain environmental condition, except that the work does not require a correction element under the same environmental condition. A functional relationship for averaging the function values under various environmental conditions in which the correction coefficient αn becomes proportionally larger than 1 as it becomes larger than Cxy0,

[0190]

(Equation 9)

It may be determined by By doing so, it is possible to reduce the range in which an error in the actual processing of the evaluation result due to the different degrees of influence of the same correction element on the cost, such as when the environmental conditions are different.

The correction coefficient αn is larger than 1, and
In some cases, the correction coefficient αn is smaller than 1.

That is, the correction coefficient αn becomes smaller than 1 for the correction element whose cost Cxyn becomes smaller than the cost Cxy0 of the same work when the correction element is not added by the addition of the correction element. As the cost Cx, in addition to the cost in a financial sense, the time Tx and the index Ix of these can be used.
Can also be used.

Next, in step 6, the design support device integrates the evaluation results for each part at each stage calculated in step 5 for a plurality of stages, and facilitates the work for each part at the plurality of stages. The process of comprehensively evaluating will be described.

In this processing, the arithmetic unit 37 executes step 5
The total value Gi calculated for each component at each stage (eg Gia for screws in the manufacturing stage, Gib for screws in the disassembling stage) for multiple stages (eg manufacturing stage and disassembling stage) In the example Gi (a + b) ＝ Gia ＋ Gi
b) is obtained as an index of workability of the part at multiple stages in its life.

Alternatively, the easiness index Gi (a
+ b) increases with respect to the workability index Gbi (a + b) of multiple stages that is the reference for the relevant part, it increases or decreases.

[0197]

(Equation 10)

According to the above, the index Ei (a + b) indicating the workability of each part in a plurality of stages is determined, and the workability of the component in a plurality of stages is comprehensively evaluated.

[0199]

[Equation 11]

The index Ei (a + b) indicating the workability of each of the parts in a plurality of stages is determined according to the relational expression as described above. However, (Equation 11) a7 is a constant.

Further, this calculation method can be similarly extended when the evaluation target extends over three or more stages in the lifetime.

When extended to all stages of life, it becomes the evaluation result for the entire life cycle.

At this time, when the evaluation target is, for example, a cost, the life cycle cost can be evaluated.

Alternatively, it may be calculated using the evaluation result of the workability of each part at each stage obtained previously. For example, when the evaluation result of the workability of the manufacturing stage of a certain article is Eia and the evaluation result of the workability of the disassembling stage is Eib, the relational expression between the two,

[0205]

(Equation 12)

According to the above, the index Ei (a + b) indicating the workability of the component in a plurality of stages may be determined.
However, (Equation 9) e1 and e2 are constants. Further, this relationship can be similarly expanded when the evaluation target extends over three or more stages in the lifetime of the part.

Now, in the above, step 5 and step 6
In the above, the process of calculating the workability in each stage or in a plurality of stages for each component has been described. However, as described above, in Steps 5 and 6, it is more effective as an apparatus and method of this type to calculate the workability not only for each part but also for the entire product including each part. .

In the following, the processing for calculating the workability of the entire product performed by the calculation unit 37 in steps 5 and 6 will be collectively described.

First, the man-hour G of the work of the entire product in one step or a plurality of steps is the total Gi obtained for each part in the one or a plurality of steps.

[0210]

(Equation 13)

It can be represented by: In addition, the standard man-hour Gb of the work of the entire product in one stage or a plurality of stages is the total of the above-mentioned standard man-hours Gbi of the individual parts in the one or a plurality of stages,

[0212]

[Equation 14]

Can be represented by: Using both of these, the index E that indicates the workability of the entire product in the one or more stages is

[0214]

(Equation 15)

It can be calculated by

Alternatively, for the one or more stages, Ei obtained for each of the parts constituting the product

[0219]

(Equation 16)

It is also possible to indicate the workability of the entire product by using. However, here, (Equation 15) a8 is a constant,
(Equation 16) N is the number of parts constituting the same product.

By the way, in addition to the above processing, the arithmetic unit 37 further calculates the work costs C, Ci and the working time T, Ti of the product or parts in the steps 5 and 6 by using the above-mentioned products and parts. Actual value C ', Ci' of the cost of work of products and parts similar to those, and actual value T ', Ti' of work time
Is known, the products to be evaluated, indices E and Ei indicating the workability of the parts and similar existing products and indices E ′, Ei ′ and C, Ci indicating the workability of the parts,
It is performed by the following formula showing the relationship with C ′ and Ci ′.

[0220]

[Equation 17]

[0221]

(Equation 18)

That is, since it is a comparison with similar parts, it is possible to derive a general relational expression by keeping the functional expressions and constants constant regardless of the parts.

The above two equations for obtaining Ci and C do not require a lot of data such as the work cost Cx and the correction coefficient Cxyn in various work environments as compared with the case where C and Ci are obtained by the following functions.

[0224]

[Equation 19]

[0225]

(Equation 20)

[0226]

(Equation 21)

[0227]

(Equation 22)

The above work costs C, Ci, C ', C
Instead of i ', the required time T of work, Ti, T', Ti 'and their indexes I, Ii, I', Ii 'can be used.

Next, the process of outputting a part or all of the evaluation results of the evaluations of step 5 and step 6 of step 7 to the display / output device 26 will be described.

The arithmetic unit 37 displays a screen having the contents as shown in FIG. 7 on the display device included in the display / output device 26 via the input / output unit 38.

The upper diagram of FIG. 7 shows the evaluation results of the entire product. In this example, in addition to the information obtained in the process of step 6, the comparison result with a predetermined reference product and information about the product are also displayed.

Further, the lower diagram of FIG. 7 shows the evaluation results for each of the parts to be evaluated. In this example, in addition to the one obtained in the process of step 5, the result of comparison with a predetermined reference product is also shown.

As can be seen from the lower diagram of FIG. 7, the evaluation result has a function of displaying in order of the workability index of the parts (the workability index is large and the workability is high). , It becomes easier for the evaluator to identify the parts that should improve the workability.

Also, for each evaluation element of each part, if the man-hours of the work corresponding to the evaluation element of the part are displayed in the descending order, the evaluator needs to improve the workability more easily. Can be indicated for each part and for each work content.

Next, the extraction processing of the improved case of step 9,
The display process of the improvement example in step 10 will be described.

FIG. 19 shows an example of the contents of the improvement case database 32.

The first column of FIG. 19 shows the life stage of a product such as manufacturing or disassembly, the second column shows the items of evaluation element information, and the third column shows the contents of the evaluation element information. Improvement cases are stored in the fourth column.

For example, in the case of FIG. 19, in the first item regarding the disassembling stage, when the number of parts is 2 or more, that is, when there are a plurality of parts to be subjected to the same disassembling operation, the number of parts is Reduction has been shown to lead to improved ease of disassembly work. In the second item, as an example of improvement when screw rotation is given as an evaluation element, we will reduce the number of rotations of the screw, change the shape of the screw, and change to the integration after stopping the use of the screw. It is listed.
It should be noted that this case is more effective if the case using a figure is stored in addition to the item notation.

The improvement case retrieval unit 36 retrieves an improvement case from the contents stored in the storage device 17 by using the improvement case database 32 based on the input from the evaluator or the independent judgment, and displays the result. -Present to the evaluator by the output device 26.

The specific procedure is as follows.

When the evaluator's easiness index of the work of a certain stage obtained in steps 5 and 6 is too large, that is, the evaluator thinks that the workability is poor, the evaluator uses the input device 24.
Use to specify the stage and part.

This designation is automatically performed by the calculation unit 37 when a certain condition, for example, the workability index is larger than a predetermined reference value stored in advance in the storage device 17. Is more effective.

Next, the improvement case retrieval unit 36 retrieves the evaluation element representing the work of the relevant part at the relevant stage and the related evaluation elements such as the evaluation elements before and after the evaluation element from the storage device 17, and the configuration estimation database 31. Using, the at least one component configuration corresponding to the evaluation element is estimated and stored in the storage device 17.

For example, FIG. 20 will be described. This is the case for disassembly.

Among these parts, the case where the screw is judged and designated by the evaluator as a part to be improved will be described.

The improved case retrieval unit 36 retrieves from the storage device 17 the evaluation element for the screw and the evaluation elements other than the evaluation element before and after the evaluation element.

In this example, the following evaluation elements are extracted.

4 screws Basic element: “Screw rotation” “Horizontal movement” Flat plate A 1 sheet Basic element: “Horizontal movement” Flat plate B 1 sheet Basic element: “Upward movement” Next, using the configuration estimation database 31, The configuration shown in the upper part of FIG. 20 is estimated. The processing method at the time of this estimation is the same as the processing method at the time of estimating the work man-hour described above.

The estimated contents are stored in the storage device 17 and are presented to the evaluator by the display / output device 26 so that the evaluator can judge whether the estimated contents are correct or make a plurality of judgments. It is possible to specify the optimum estimation content when there is an estimation result, and to add new information to the configuration estimation database 31 using the input device 24, which is more effective. The input processing and the database updating function in this case are the same as those described above.

Next, in the estimated structure, a problem that deteriorates the workability is identified by the improvement case database 32.
Estimate using the cases or rules stored in.

In this example, since the content of the number of evaluation element parts is 2 or more, the reduction of the number of parts is searched as an improvement example. In this case, for example, an improvement example in which the number of screws is reduced is extracted as shown in the lower left of FIG.
In addition, the improvement examples as shown in the lower right of FIG. 20 are extracted from the improvement examples of integrated use.

At this time, the improved configuration can be estimated by the configuration estimation database 31 described above.

The estimated contents are stored in the storage device 17 and presented to the evaluator by the display / output device 26. The evaluator uses the input device 24 to determine whether or not the estimated content is correct, to specify the optimal estimated content when there are a plurality of estimation results, and to add new information to the improvement case database 32. It is possible to do so, and it is more effective. The input processing and the database updating function in this case are the same as those described above.

When the improvement case is presented to the evaluator by the display / output device 26, for example, an index of easiness of disassembly regarding the improvement case is automatically calculated by the above-mentioned method, and the improvement case plan is proposed. By presenting it together with, it becomes possible for the evaluator to grasp at the same time which improvement case should be used and to what extent the improvement effect can be obtained, and it can be used as a guideline as to which improvement case should be selected. Becomes In addition, by using this calculated value, the display order of improvement cases is automatically prioritized, that is, by adding the function of preferentially displaying the ones with a large improvement effect, more effective improvement support is possible. Becomes

Further, when the improvement case is displayed, the advantages and disadvantages of the case adopted may be displayed together so that the user can more easily carry out the design improvement.

The evaluator can effectively work on the improvement of the part that deteriorates the workability by the search contents. In this case as well, it is possible to use the input device 24 to specify the optimum estimated content when there are a plurality of search results, and to add new information to the improved case database 32. For example, the database will be progressively strengthened and will be even more effective.

The input processing and the database updating function in this case are the same as those described above.

[0258]

As described above, according to the present invention, the easiness of work is comprehensively evaluated for a plurality of stages in which a product or parts constituting the product pass or may pass in a lifetime. It is possible to provide a design support device that can do this. Further, it is possible to provide a design support device that allows the user to more easily perform such evaluation. In addition, in addition, the present invention can provide an apparatus for assisting the improvement or change of design contents in order to improve the easiness of work at a stage where there is a possibility of passing or during a lifetime.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a stage of processing in which a product or a component of the product passes or may pass during its lifetime.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a design support device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an input screen.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of evaluation elements.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of evaluation elements.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a processing procedure of processing executed by the design support apparatus in association with a user's operation.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an output example of evaluation results.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing how estimation element information is estimated.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a configuration estimation database.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how estimation element information is estimated.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how the evaluation element information is modified.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of adding contents to a configuration estimation database.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of changing the contents of the configuration estimation database.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of contents of a work estimation database.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a work man-hour calculation database.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing how an operation procedure is estimated.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of contents when a work estimation database and a work man-hour calculation database are integrated.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a reference index.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of an improved case database.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of an improved case.

[Explanation of symbols]

 17 ... Storage device, 24 ... Input device, 25 ... Arithmetic device, 26 ... Display / output device, 29 ... Work estimation database, 30 ... Work point deduction database, 31 ... Configuration estimation database, 32 ... Improved case database, 33 ... Function -Functional formula 34 ... Work estimation unit 35 ... Work man-hour calculation unit 36 ... Improved case search unit 37 ... Calculation unit 38 ... Input / output control unit 100 ... Evaluation information

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tatsuya Suzuki, 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Ltd., Hitachi, Ltd., Institute of Industrial Science (72) Inventor Kiyoshi Suzuki, 1-1, Higashi-Taga-cho, Hitachi, Ibaraki No. 1 Incorporation company Hitachi Ltd. Electric Appliances Office (72) Inventor Takayuki Nishi In 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture Production Company Hitachi, Ltd.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. The cost of the work performed on the article is evaluated by defining a plurality of stages representing the life of the article and evaluation element information representing a plurality of work contents performed on the article at each stage. A design support device, comprising: an input unit that receives an input of evaluation element information of each stage included in the plurality of stages; a storage unit that stores the input plurality of evaluation element information of each stage; and the storage unit. By calculating a plurality of evaluation element information of each stage stored in the input value of a predetermined program corresponding to each stage to calculate the cost of the work of each stage or the ease of work, the calculated each stage 2. A design support apparatus comprising: an evaluation unit that evaluates the work cost or workability based on the workability and the workability reference value applied to the article in the plurality of stages. 2. The cost of work performed on the article is evaluated by defining a plurality of stages representing the life of the article and evaluation element information indicating a plurality of work contents performed on the article at each of the stages. A design support device, comprising: first storage means for storing an estimation rule for estimating work content required in another step from work content performed in one of the plurality of steps; Of the stages of the life of the article, an input unit that receives an input of evaluation element information of at least one stage, a second storage unit that stores the input evaluation element information of the at least one stage, and the estimation Means for estimating the content of the work to be performed on the article at another stage from the evaluation element information of at least one stage stored in the second storage means based on the rule, and corresponding to the estimated work content You By means for storing evaluation element information in the second storage means, and by using a plurality of evaluation element information of each step stored in the second storage means as input values of a predetermined program corresponding to each step A design support apparatus comprising: an evaluation unit that evaluates the overall ease of work performed on the article at the plurality of stages. 3. The cost of the work performed on the article is evaluated by defining a plurality of steps representing the life of the article and evaluation element information indicating a plurality of work contents performed on the article at each of the steps. A design support device, comprising: first storage means for storing evaluation element information required in another step from evaluation element information in one of the plurality of steps; and each stage of the life of the article. Of these, input means for receiving input of at least one stage evaluation element information, second storage means for storing the input at least one stage evaluation element information, and stored in the second storage means Means for extracting from the first storage means evaluation element information necessary for another step from the evaluation element information of at least one step, and storing the extracted evaluation element information in the second storage means Steps, by using a plurality of evaluation element information of each step stored in the second storage means as input values of a predetermined program corresponding to each step, work performed on the article in the plurality of steps And a design support device that evaluates the comprehensive ease of the design support device. 4. A means for evaluating the easiness of the work performed on the article at each stage based on the evaluation element information at each stage stored in the second storage means. The design support device described in 2 or 3. 5. A third storage means for storing an example of improvement of the work content is further provided, and when the evaluation result in the arbitrary one stage does not satisfy a predetermined standard, the article in the arbitrary one stage. The design support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an improvement case is searched and displayed from the third storage unit for the work content to be performed on the design support apparatus. 6. A third storage means for storing an example of improvement of the work content is provided, and an evaluation result of comprehensive ease of work performed on the article at the plurality of stages satisfies a predetermined criterion. 5. If there is not, the improvement case is searched and displayed from the third storage means for the work content applied to the article in at least one of the plurality of steps, 5. The design support device described in Crab. 7. The evaluation means, based on the evaluation element information about a plurality of stages stored in the second storage means, facilitates the work performed on the article at each stage included in the plurality of stages. And a reference value of the calculated easiness of the work performed on the article at each stage, the total easiness of the work performed on the article at the plurality of stages, and the plurality of stages. And a means for calculating the total easiness of the work performed on the article in a plurality of stages according to a predetermined function that links the total easiness of the work performed on the article. The design support apparatus according to claim 2. 8. The evaluation means, on the basis of evaluation element information on a plurality of stages stored in a memory, of each work which is an element of a work constituting a work performed on the article in the plurality of stages. Obtaining the total cost, the total cost obtained, and the reference value of the total value of the cost of the work performed on the article in the plurality of stages,
The design support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the overall easiness of the work performed on the article in the plurality of stages is evaluated according to a predetermined function that links the easiness of the work. 9. A design support method for evaluating the cost of a work to be performed on an article on an electronic computer provided with a memory and a computing device, the method comprising: applying to the electronic computer on the article at each stage of the life of the article. Of the above, at least one stage receives an input of evaluation element information that defines the content of the work to be performed on the article, stores the received evaluation element information about the at least one step in a memory, and in the arithmetic unit, Based on the evaluation factor information read out from the memory about the specific stage and the database stored in the memory, the content of the work to be performed on the article in the stage other than the specific stage is estimated and estimated. The evaluation element information that defines the contents of the performed work is stored in the memory, and the arithmetic device evaluates the plurality of stages stored in the memory. Based on the element information, design support method characterized by evaluating the overall ease of operations to be performed on the article in the plurality of stages. 10. The cost of the work performed on the article is evaluated by defining a plurality of steps representing the life of the article and evaluation element information indicating a plurality of work contents performed on the article at each of the steps. A design support method, which receives input of evaluation element information of each step included in the plurality of steps, and inputs the plurality of input evaluation element information of each step as input values of a predetermined program corresponding to each step. By calculating the cost of each step of work or easiness of work, the calculated cost of work of each step or easiness of work and easiness of work performed on the article in the plurality of steps A design support method characterized by performing evaluation based on a reference value. 11. The cost of the work performed on the article is evaluated by defining a plurality of stages representing the life of the article and evaluation element information indicating a plurality of work contents performed on the article at each stage. A design support method, wherein an estimation rule for estimating work content required in another stage from work content performed in one of the plurality of stages is stored in advance, Accepting input of evaluation element information of at least one of the stages of a life, and based on the estimation rule, the evaluation element information of the input at least one step is applied to the article at another stage. Estimating the content of the work, by using the input evaluation element information and the evaluation element information corresponding to the estimated work content as input values of a predetermined program corresponding to each step, Before A design support device for evaluating the overall easiness of work performed on an article. 12. The cost of the work performed on the article is evaluated by defining a plurality of stages representing the life of the article and evaluation element information indicating a plurality of work contents performed on the article at each stage. A design support device, in which evaluation element information required in another step is stored in advance from evaluation element information in one of the plurality of steps, and among each step of the life of the article, Accepting input of evaluation element information of at least one step, extracting evaluation element information required in other steps from the input evaluation element information of at least one step, the input evaluation element information, and the extraction The design support characterized by evaluating the comprehensive easiness of the work performed on the article at the plurality of stages by using the evaluated element information and the input value of the predetermined program corresponding to each stage. Method.