US 12,242,251 B2
System, method, and computer program product for optimizing a manufacturing process
Yu Jiao, Blawnox, PA (US); Humberto Figueroa, Nuevo León (MX); and James J. Finley, Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Assigned to Vitro Flat Glass LLC, Cheswick, PA (US)
Filed by Vitro Flat Glass LLC, Cheswick, PA (US)
Filed on Jun. 12, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/208,558.
Application 18/208,558 is a continuation of application No. 17/175,785, filed on Feb. 15, 2021, granted, now 11,698,628.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/990,260, filed on Mar. 16, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0324888 A1, Oct. 12, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G05B 19/418 (2006.01)
CPC G05B 19/4183 (2013.01) [G05B 2219/32291 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
generating, with at least one processor, a time-sequenced data structure comprising manufacturing data associated with a manufacturing process for manufacturing a product, the manufacturing data comprising data associated with a plurality of stages of the manufacturing process and comprising values for a plurality of parameters, each parameter of the plurality of parameters being associated with a time in the time-sequenced data structure;
transforming, with the at least one processor, the time-sequenced data structure to a positionally-dimensioned data structure based on the plurality of stages, wherein transforming the time-sequenced data structure comprises:
identifying a zone of a plurality of zones for each parameter of the plurality of parameters, the zone comprising a location through which the product is at least one of transported, modified, treated, or assembled;
determining a time delay factor for each zone of the plurality of zones based on a length of the zone and a line speed of the zone; and
generating the positionally-dimensioned data structure using a data matrix transformation based on the time-sequenced data structure, the zone for each parameter of the plurality of parameters, and the time delay factor for each zone of the plurality of zones;
identifying, with the at least one processor, a set of empty data entries in the time-sequenced data structure or the positionally-dimensioned data structure;
imputing, with the at least one processor, data into the set of empty data entries;
determining, with the at least one processor, a new value for at least one process parameter value based on the positionally-dimensioned data structure and at least one algorithm; and
optimizing, with the at least one processor, the manufacturing process based on the new value.