WO2019118654A1 - Integrated automatic production planning and procurement - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for automatic reconfiguration of a production line includes a computer-implemented reasoner communicating with a component marketplace and a first production line. The reasoner is configured to receive from marketplace, semantic information relating components offered for sale in the marketplace; receive information representative of components in the first production line; receive design information of a second production line producing a modified product produced by the first production line; and procure from the marketplace, at least one component for the second production line. Methods for automatically reconfiguring a production line include receiving semantic information relating to one or more components in a marketplace; receiving information relating to a configuration of a pre-existing production line; receiving planning information for converting the production line to an updated production line; and producing a plan for the updated production line based on the received semantic information, pre-existing configuration information and planning information.

Description

INTEGRATED AUTOMATIC PRODUCTION PLANNING AND PROCUREMENT

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/598,031 filed on December 13, 2017, which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This application relates to industrial manufacturing. More particularly, this application relates to the setup and procurement of production lines within an industrial setting.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Industrial systems use production lines to process raw or intermediate resources into finished products. Automated or partially automated production lines transport the materials along the production line performing processes or actions to the materials along the way. When all processes are performed, the result is a finished product.

[0004] FIG. 1 is an example of a production line 100. Raw materials 101 The raw materials 101 are transported along the production line 100 by means of a conveyor 130. Conveyor 130 move the materials to and among processes that are designed to produce a finished product 140. The production line 100 may utilize sensors 131 , 133, 135, 137 placed along the conveyor 130 to detect when a raw material or intermediate product arrive at a particular location along the production line 100. In one embodiment, sensor 131 is associated with a first workstation 103. First workstation 103 is configured to perform a first process 1 13. The first process 1 13 is designed to act on raw materials 101 to produce a first intermediate product 123. The production line 100 operates as a plurality of work stations that each perform an associated process. In the example of FIG. 1 , work station 2 105 performs process 1 15 on intermediate product 123 to produce intermediate product 125. Similarly, work station 107 and work station 109 perform process 3 1 17 and process 4 1 19 to produce intermediate product 127 and intermediate product 129, respectively. Accordingly, a process flow begins with raw materials 101 that are processed by first process 1 13 to produce intermediate product 123. Intermediate product 123 is processed by second process 1 15 to produce intermediate product 125. Intermediate product 125 is processed by second process 1 17 to produce intermediate product 127. Intermediate product 127 is processed by second process 1 19 to produce intermediate product 129. Intermediate product 129 may be further processed or may represent the final state of the product and is ultimately output by the production line 101 to produce a finished product 140.

[0005] As time moves forward, technological advances in design and engineering, improved materials, tools and processes, and market forces may cause a manufacturer to redesign a product or the production line for producing an existing product. According to one example, a new version of a finished product may be planned. Beginning with the existing production line, planning is performed to determine the new materials, tools and processes needed to produce an updated finished product. When new tools are needed, procurement and placement of the new tools in the production line is required. In some cases, new tools replace old tools. The new tools may be compatible with existing work stations and may be switched out in place. In some cases, the new tools may require reconfiguration of the production line, including spatial rearrangement of the conveyor system.

[0006] FIG. 2 with reference to FIG.1 provides a diagram of a second production line 200 for producing an updated product 240 from original product 140. The general operation of production line 200 is similar to that as described with respect to production line 100 in FIG. 1. As seen in FIG. 2, work station 2 215 is changed from work station 2 1 15 in FIG. 1. Similarly, work station 4 209 is changed with respect to work station 4 109 in FIG. 1. Based on these changes, second process 215 and fourth process 219 will change in production line 200 as needed. It may be noted that work stations 103 and 107 remain unchanged. To accommodate the changes, conveyor 230 may need to be changed or resituated to perform the updated processes. The general overall process of production line 200 begins similarly to production line 100, processing raw materials 101 to produce the first intermediate product 123 through process 1 13. Intermediate product 123 is then acted on by new tool 205 and process 215 to produce an updated intermediate product 225. Intermediate product 225 is subjected to process 1 17 to produce intermediate product 127, which is subsequently acted on by updated process 219 to produce intermediate product 229 and ultimately, a new or updated finished product 240.

[0007] Production planning, such as that described with regard to FIG. 1 and FIG 2 above, (including modifications to production lines, for instance when a new version of a product is produced) and procurement are complex, expensive, and involve intertwined tasks requiring substantial manual processing and work. Production workflows and layouts are typically planned by experts who not only have to have a great deal of experience with and knowledge of the produced product as well as the machines used to manufacture that product. In addition, experts also must be aware of available standard components (or custom-built components that may be needed for the production line). Before standard and custom components can be procured, a desired production plan must be matched to these components. This matching involves considerable further manual work and human interactions between persons across company boundaries. These considerations involve transaction before, during and in the final step (from the perspective of this invention) of production so that the components may be ordered and set up. The production planning and procurement processes are therefore not as efficient as they could be but are also prone to errors such as errors due to media breaches arising between planning, procurement, and ordering systems. In particular, inter-person interactions by email or on the telephone are prone to these errors. Due to the increasing demand for more flexible production lines and the shortening of product life cycles, this problem will only be aggravated going forward.

[0008] Prior academic solutions, such as those described“Integrating Procurement, Production Planning, and Inventory Management Processes Through Negotiation Information”, 2004 by G. Confessore et al. provide attempts to alleviate this problem by creating tools for integrating production planning, updating and procurement. However, these existing efforts concentrate on facilitating the manual interactions between the involved stakeholders and thus do not go as far as automatic identification, planning, updating and procurement of production systems.

SUMMARY

[0009] A system for automatic reconfiguration of a production line according to embodiments of this disclosure includes a computer-implemented reasoner in communication with a component marketplace and a first production line. The computer- implemented reasoner is configured to receive from the component marketplace, semantic descriptive information relating to one or more components offered for sale in the computer-implemented marketplace; receive from the first production line, information representative of components in the first production line; receive design information representative of a second production line, the second production line for producing a modified version of a product produced by the first production line; and procure from the computer-implemented marketplace, at least one component for the second production line. According to some embodiments, the system further comprises a specification generator within the computer-implemented reasoner configured to generate specification documentation for each of the one or more components. In other embodiments, the system may further include a requirements reader within the computer- implemented reasoner configured to receive and read production line requirements from a planning process. The computer-implemented reasoner may also be configured to read the received requirements and identify components pre-existing in the first production line that meet at least some of the received requirements. The received requirements may be read by the reasoner and the reasoner uses the requirements to identify new standard or custom components from the computer-implemented marketplace that meet at least some of the received requirements. Once the components are identified the reasoner may procure the identified new standard or custom components from the computer- implemented marketplace for use in the second production line. To meet some more complex requirements, the reasoner may include a component combiner to satisfy a desired functionality of the second production line by identifying more than one component that when combined, work together to perform the desired functionality.

[0010] One or more methods for automatically reconfiguring a production line according to embodiments of the disclosure include receiving at a computer-implemented reasoner, semantic information relating to one or more components offered in a computer-implemented marketplace; receiving information relating to a configuration of a first pre-existing production line; receiving planning information for converting the first production line to a second updated production line; and in the computer-implemented reasoner, producing a plan for the second updated production line based on the received semantic information, configuration information for the first pre-existing production line, and the planning information. To achieve the foregoing functionality, the method may further include receiving at the computer-implemented reasoner, requirements based on planning of the second updated production line. Desired functionality of the second updated production line from the received requirements and a plurality of production line components may be identified that when combined work together to perform at least a portion of the desired functionality. According to some embodiments, methods may include steps where a specification generator of the computer-implemented reasoner is configured to generate a specification for each of the one or more components.

[0011] According to some embodiments the method may further include in a component combiner of the computer-implemented reasoner, determining a desired functionality from the received planning information and identifying a plurality of the one or more components that when combined work to perform the desired functionality. In some embodiments the reasoner is further configured to perform the step of procuring one or more components from a computer-implemented marketplace based on the received requirements. According to some embodiments, the method includes in the computer-implemented reasoner, generating a plan for the second updated production line that includes pre-existing components from the first production line and new components procured for the second updated production line. According to some methods of embodiments of the disclosure the new components procured for the second updated production line include at least one new standard component and at least one new custom component.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention are best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments that are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific instrumentalities disclosed. Included in the drawings are the following Figures: [0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a first production line for producing a first version of a product.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a second production line for producing an updated version of the product of FIG. 1.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system for automatic planning, updating and procurement of a production line according to aspects of embodiments of this description.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram of a method for automatic planning, updating and procurement of a production line according to aspects of embodiments of this description.

[0017] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computer-implemented system for automatic planning, updating and procurement of a production line according to aspects of embodiments of this description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Manual planning and updating of production systems incurs substantial costs and is prone to errors that can affect costs and production time. Embodiments described in this application provide improvements to known techniques and provide automatic planning, updating and procurement of production lines. Proposed is a knowledge-based system that integrates production planning, updating and procurement. Exemplary systems are based on semantic descriptions of standard components. Semantic descriptions capture structural, behavioral, and functional aspects of the associated components. Another aspect of a system according to embodiments herein is a reasoner that determines how to combine these components to achieve a given production goal. In addition, the reasoner may determine how equipment that is currently in use (e.g., when upgrading from the production of one product version to the next version) can be re-purposed and re-integrated in a new production workflow.

[0019] The main features of embodiments of the present invention include:

• Automatic identification of the new (standard) components that are required to produce a specified product.

• Automatic identification of the currently used equipment that can be re-used to produce that product.

• Automatic computation of the specifications of these components, and output of these specifications.

Automatic procurement of the components via a procurement marketplace (if vendors adopt compatible technologies).

[0020] The embodiments described herein decrease labor and transaction costs associated with the creation of production plans for new products, and in particular with the upgrading of production lines to produce a new version of a product. The disclosed embodiments provide at least the following benefits and improvements:

• The cost of upgrading/changing a production line to produce new products is decreased, because the systems and methods herein allow currently used equipment to be re-used or re-purposed in the upgraded line. • Effort required for procuring new standard components for an upgraded line is reduced, as the specification for these components are generated automatically.

• The time-to-market of new products is reduced, as the process of upgrading/changing production lines to produce new products is decreased.

• The downtime of production lines for implementing modifications is decreased due to a reduction in errors/interfacing problems between standard components.

• If integrated with a Procurement Marketplace, the cost of procuring new standard components is reduced.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system for automatically planning, updating and procuring a production line according to aspects of embodiments of this disclosure. The system in FIG. 3 is now described within the context of updating a first configuration of a production line 301 denoted production line 1.0 to a second configuration of the production line 305 denoted production line 1.1. First production line 301 comprises a plurality of components that cooperate to make a product 303. Some components are standard components 304. Standard components 304 may be tools, work stations or software that are available to perform certain functionality in the production of product 303. In some respects, standard components 304 are generic in that their functionality may be used in multiple production lines. Standard components 331 may be offered for sale or lease in a marketplace 330. User may access the marketplace 330 and view the components 331 that are available. [0022] During a product’s lifecycle, the need may arise for redesign or modification of a product 303. Through design planning 310, changes in materials, form factors and aesthetics of the product may be updated. This planning 310 results in a transformation of the product 303 into a new version of the product 307. When the changes desired are identified, the planning process 310 includes the generation of requirements 31 1 that are required to create the updated product 307.

[0023] The marketplace 330 is in communication with a network 340. Network 340 may by any network providing communication between entities or components. Network 340 may be a public network such as the Internet or network 340 may be a private network such as a local area network wide area network or intranet, metropolitan area network or other type of network. The network 340 may be a wired network or wireless network and may include both wired and wireless elements. Users may connect through the network 340 and gain access to the marketplace 330 via a procurement process 350. Through procurement 350 new components may be purchased and placed into production on the production line 301 , 305.

[0024] According to embodiments of the present invention, the system 300 includes a computer-implemented reasoner 320. Reasoner 320 is in communication with network 340. Additionally, reasoner 320 is in communication with the first production line 301 and the updated production line 305. Reasoner receives information from the first production line 301 including the components that comprise production line 301 . Production line 301 includes components that include custom components 302 that are specifically designed for use in production line 301 . Production line 301 further includes standard components 304, such as components that are offered by marketplace 330. In addition to the information relating to production line 301 , reasoner 320 receives requirements information 31 1 that are generated as part of the planning process 310.

[0025] As previously noted, reasoner 320 is in communication with marketplace 330 via network 340. Reasoner receives semantic descriptive information from the marketplace 330 regarding the components 331 offered by the marketplace 330. Using this information in combination with the production line 301 information and the requirements information 31 1 , the reasoner 320 is configured to leverage machine knowledge to perform certain tasks relating to updating production line 1.0 (301 ) to production line 1.1 (305).

[0026] According to some embodiments, reasoner 320 considers the existing standard components 304 and custom components 302 and based on the requirements information 31 1 determines whether at least some of the pre-existing components from the first production line 301 may be reused in the updated production line 305. In the updated production line 305, the pre-existing components 306 are identified from the original production line 301 and used to implement the updated production line 305 along with new standard components 308 and new custom components 309 to create the updated product 1.1 (307).

[0027] Additionally, reasoner 320 receives the semantic descriptions for the components 331 in the marketplace 330 and uses the semantic description information to generate component specification 323 for each component 331 from a specification generator located within reasoner 320. Component specification 323 provides a comprehensive specification of a component and allows the component to be matched to requirements 31 1 during the planning process 310.

[0028] The reasoner 320 may further make informed decisions regarding the combination of components to perform a function. For example, according to some embodiments, the reasoner 320 includes a requirements reader that receives and reads requirements 31 1 information. The requirements information 31 1 may include functionality that is required by the updated production line 305. In certain cases, the functionality may be complex and unable to be implemented by a single component. Using the semantic description information of two or more components 331 in the marketplace 330, the reasoner 320 may form associations between more than one component that allow the components to cooperate to perform more complex functionality than achievable through any of the components individually. The reasoner 320 may provide information relating to combined components 321 to a procurement process 350 to retrieve the combination of components 331 from the marketplace 330 and configure them within the updated production line 305 to achieve complex functionality contained in the requirements 31 1. A component combiner within reasoner 320 receives requirements 31 1 and identifies a desired functionality in updated production line 305. The component combiner identifies more than one component 331 that when combined, will work to perform the desired functionality.

[0029] According to some embodiments, the procurement process 350 may be a computer-implemented automated process. In these embodiments, the procurement process 350 works in concert with reasoner 320 to plan and update the production line 305 and to procure the needed components (306, 308, 309) to complete the updated production line 305. This provides an automated means for updating a production line from planning information 310 and related requirements 31 1.

[0030] The embodiments described herein provide over existing solutions for updating and procurement of a production line. Prior to the present invention, planning was performed manually, requiring substantial time, costs and individuals possessing expert knowledge of the production lines and products. This expert knowledge needed to be applied to design, procurement and updating of the line through manual communication processes that are prone to misinterpretation and errors. The embodiments herein automate may steps of the updating and procurement process, using machine learning methods that are better suited to identify potential solutions for updating and procurement, and natively applies these solutions to marketplaces and procurement processes to reduce errors, downtime and personnel, thereby saving costs and improving efficiency. An updated line can be implemented more accurately in less time for less cost. Further, by identifying solutions such as the combination of components for complex functions, improved production lines may be achieved that included advanced solutions that may not have been recognized by human experts.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram for a method of planning, updating and procuring a production line according to embodiments of this disclosure. The method may be carried out with respect to a system such as the system shown in FIG. 3. In a computer- implemented reasoner, semantic descriptions relating to components of a production line are received 401. From the semantic descriptive information, the reasoner generates or creates specifications for each of the components 480. Reasoner receives planning requirements that are desired to update a current production line to an updated production line 420. Finally, the reasoner receives information relating to the existing configuration of the first production line 430. Based on the received requirements, the reasoner determines if one or more component of the existing production line can be re-used 435. If one or more components can be re-used 437, the pre-existing components are included in the updated production line configuration 440. If components cannot be re-used 439, the reasoner selects new custom or standard components or combines two or more available components to meet the planning requirements received by the reasoner 450. The reasoner may be in communication with a procurement process and procures the new components needed from a component marketplace 460. When the reusable pre- existing components and the new components or combination of components needed to meet the requirements are identified and procured, the reasoner configures the updated production line 470. The updated production line creates an updated or new version of a product based on engineering and the planning requirements. The method of FIG. 4 may be performed by computer-implemented reasoner and procurement processes to automate the planning, updating and procurement of a production in according to planning requirements. The automation of the planning and procurement processes for updating a production line represent significant improvements over the state of the art, which require manual human intervention, which is prone to inaccuracies and errors. The automation of these processes saves time and resources and reduce production line downtime, resulting in more efficient production and overall cost savings. [0032] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary computing environment 500 within which embodiments of the invention may be implemented. Computers and computing environments, such as computer system 510 and computing environment 500, are known to those of skill in the art and thus are described briefly here.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, the computer system 510 may include a communication mechanism such as a system bus 521 or other communication mechanism for communicating information within the computer system 510. The computer system 510 further includes one or more processors 520 coupled with the system bus 521 for processing the information.

[0034] The processors 520 may include one or more central processing units (CPUs), graphical processing units (GPUs), or any other processor known in the art. More generally, a processor as used herein is a device for executing machine-readable instructions stored on a computer readable medium, for performing tasks and may comprise any one or combination of, hardware and firmware. A processor may also comprise memory storing machine-readable instructions executable for performing tasks. A processor acts upon information by manipulating, analyzing, modifying, converting or transmitting information for use by an executable procedure or an information device, and/or by routing the information to an output device. A processor may use or comprise the capabilities of a computer, controller or microprocessor, for example, and be conditioned using executable instructions to perform special purpose functions not performed by a general purpose computer. A processor may be coupled (electrically and/or as comprising executable components) with any other processor enabling interaction and/or communication there-between. A user interface processor or generator is a known element comprising electronic circuitry or software or a combination of both for generating display images or portions thereof. A user interface comprises one or more display images enabling user interaction with a processor or other device.

[0035] Continuing with reference to FIG. 5, the computer system 510 also includes a system memory 530 coupled to the system bus 521 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processors 520. The system memory 530 may include computer readable storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory, such as read only memory (ROM) 531 and/or random access memory (RAM) 532. The RAM 532 may include other dynamic storage device(s) (e.g., dynamic RAM, static RAM, and synchronous DRAM). The ROM 531 may include other static storage device(s) (e.g., programmable ROM, erasable PROM, and electrically erasable PROM). In addition, the system memory 530 may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions by the processors 520. A basic input/output system 533 (BIOS) containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer system 510, such as during start-up, may be stored in the ROM 531. RAM 532 may contain data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by the processors 520. System memory 530 may additionally include, for example, operating system 534, application programs 535, other program modules 536 and program data 537. A computer-implemented reasoner 320 may also be executed within processors 520 via system bus 521. [0036] The computer system 510 also includes a disk controller 540 coupled to the system bus 521 to control one or more storage devices for storing information and instructions, such as a magnetic hard disk 541 and a removable media drive 542 (e.g., floppy disk drive, compact disc drive, tape drive, and/or solid state drive). Storage devices may be added to the computer system 510 using an appropriate device interface (e.g., a small computer system interface (SCSI), integrated device electronics (IDE), Universal Serial Bus (USB), or FireWire).

[0037] The computer system 510 may also include a display controller 565 coupled to the system bus 521 to control a display or monitor 566, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD), for displaying information to a computer user. The computer system includes an input interface 560 and one or more input devices, such as a keyboard 562 and a pointing device 561 , for interacting with a computer user and providing information to the processors 520. The pointing device 561 , for example, may be a mouse, a light pen, a trackball, or a pointing stick for communicating direction information and command selections to the processors 520 and for controlling cursor movement on the display 566. The display 566 may provide a touch screen interface which allows input to supplement or replace the communication of direction information and command selections by the pointing device 561. In some embodiments, an augmented reality device 567 that is wearable by a user, may provide input/output functionality allowing a user to interact with both a physical and virtual world. The augmented reality device 567 is in communication with the display controller 565 and the user input interface 560 allowing a user to interact with virtual items generated in the augmented reality device 567 by the display controller 565. The user may also provide gestures that are detected by the augmented reality device 567 and transmitted to the user input interface 560 as input signals.

[0038] The computer system 510 may perform a portion or all of the processing steps of embodiments of the invention in response to the processors 520 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in a memory, such as the system memory 530. Such instructions may be read into the system memory 530 from another computer readable medium, such as a magnetic hard disk 541 or a removable media drive 542. The magnetic hard disk 541 may contain one or more datastores and data files used by embodiments of the present invention. Datastore contents and data files may be encrypted to improve security. The processors 520 may also be employed in a multi-processing arrangement to execute the one or more sequences of instructions contained in system memory 530. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions. Thus, embodiments are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

[0039] As stated above, the computer system 510 may include at least one computer readable medium or memory for holding instructions programmed according to embodiments of the invention and for containing data structures, tables, records, or other data described herein. The term“computer readable medium” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to the processors 520 for execution. A computer readable medium may take many forms including, but not limited to, non- transitory, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-limiting examples of non-volatile media include optical disks, solid state drives, magnetic disks, and magneto-optical disks, such as magnetic hard disk 541 or removable media drive 542. Non-limiting examples of volatile media include dynamic memory, such as system memory 530. Non-limiting examples of transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, including the wires that make up the system bus 521. Transmission media may also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.

[0040] The computing environment 500 may further include the computer system 510 operating in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computing device 580. Remote computing device 580 may be a personal computer (laptop or desktop), a mobile device, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to computer system 510. When used in a networking environment, computer system 510 may include modem 572 for establishing communications over a network 571 , such as the Internet. Modem 572 may be connected to system bus 521 via user network interface 570, or via another appropriate mechanism. Other entities may be connected to network 571 allowing communication with these entities via network 571. For example, embodiments described herein include a component marketplace 330 in communication with a reasoner 321 via network 571.

[0041] Network 571 may be any network or system generally known in the art, including the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a direct connection or series of connections, a cellular telephone network, or any other network or medium capable of facilitating communication between computer system 510 and other computers (e.g., remote computing device 580). The network 571 may be wired, wireless or a combination thereof. Wired connections may be implemented using Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), RJ-6, or any other wired connection generally known in the art. Wireless connections may be implemented using Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and Bluetooth, infrared, cellular networks, satellite or any other wireless connection methodology generally known in the art. Additionally, several networks may work alone or in communication with each other to facilitate communication in the network 571.

[0042] An executable application, as used herein, comprises code or machine readable instructions for conditioning the processor to implement predetermined functions, such as those of an operating system, a context data acquisition system or other information processing system, for example, in response to user command or input. An executable procedure is a segment of code or machine readable instruction, sub- routine, or other distinct section of code or portion of an executable application for performing one or more particular processes. These processes may include receiving input data and/or parameters, performing operations on received input data and/or performing functions in response to received input parameters, and providing resulting output data and/or parameters.

[0043] A graphical user interface (GUI), as used herein, comprises one or more display images, generated by a display processor and enabling user interaction with a processor or other device and associated data acquisition and processing functions. The GUI also includes an executable procedure or executable application. The executable procedure or executable application conditions the display processor to generate signals representing the GUI display images. These signals are supplied to a display device which displays the image for viewing by the user. The processor, under control of an executable procedure or executable application, manipulates the GUI display images in response to signals received from the input devices. In this way, the user may interact with the display image using the input devices, enabling user interaction with the processor or other device.

[0044] The functions and process steps herein may be performed automatically or wholly or partially in response to user command. An activity (including a step) performed automatically is performed in response to one or more executable instructions or device operation without user direct initiation of the activity.

[0045] The system and processes of the figures are not exclusive. Other systems, processes and menus may be derived in accordance with the principles of the invention to accomplish the same objectives. Although this invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that the embodiments and variations shown and described herein are for illustration purposes only. Modifications to the current design may be implemented by those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention. As described herein, the various systems, subsystems, agents, managers and processes can be implemented using hardware components, software components, and/or combinations thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A system for automatic reconfiguration of a production line comprising: a computer-implemented reasoner in communication with a component marketplace and a first production line, the computer-implemented reasoner configured to: receive from the component marketplace, semantic descriptive information relating to one or more components offered for sale in the computer-implemented marketplace; receive from the first production line, information representative of components in the first production line; receive design information representative of a second production line, the second production line for producing a modified version of a product produced by the first production line; and procure from the computer-implemented marketplace, at least one component for the second production line.

2. The system of claim 2 further comprising: a specification generator within the computer-implemented reasoner configured to generate specification documentation for each of the one or more components.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a requirements reader within the computer-implemented reasoner configured to receive and read production line requirements from a planning process.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the computer-implemented reasoner is configured to read the received requirements and identify components pre-existing in the first production line that meet at least some of the received requirements.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the computer-implemented reasoner is further configured to read the received requirements and identify new standard or custom components from the computer-implemented marketplace that meet at least some of the received requirements.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer-implemented reasoner is further configured to procure the identified new standard or custom components from the computer-implemented marketplace for use in the second production line.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a component combiner within the computer-implemented reasoner configured to receive and read requirements containing a desired functionality of the second production line and identifying more than one component that when combined, work together to perform the desired functionality.

8. A method for automatically reconfiguring a production line comprising: receiving at a computer-implemented reasoner, semantic information relating to one or more components offered in a computer-implemented marketplace; receiving information relating to a configuration of a first pre-existing production line; receiving planning information for converting the first production line to a second updated production line; and in the computer-implemented reasoner, producing a plan for the second updated production line based on the received semantic information, configuration information for the first pre-existing production line, and the planning information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: receiving at the computer-implemented reasoner, requirements based on planning of the second updated production line.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the computer-implemented reasoner identifies desired functionality of the second updated production line from the received requirements.

1 1. The method of claim 10, further comprises: in the computer-implemented reasoner, identifying a plurality of production line components that when combined work together to perform at least a portion of the desired functionality.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising: generating in a specification generator of the computer-implemented reasoner, a specification for each of the one or more components.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising: in a component combiner of the computer-implemented reasoner, determining a desired functionality from the received planning information and identifying a plurality of the one or more components that when combined work to perform the desired functionality.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: procuring one or more components from a computer-implemented marketplace based on the received requirements, wherein at least two of the procured components are a combination of components identified by the component combiner.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising: procuring one or more components from a computer-implemented marketplace based on the received requirements.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising: in the computer-implemented reasoner, generating a plan for the second updated production line that includes pre-existing components from the first production line and new components procured for the second updated production line.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the new components procured for the second updated production line includes at least one new standard component and at least one new custom component.