US 12,339,647 B2
Production line design apparatus, production line design system, and production line design method
Hiroyuki Sakata, Tokyo (JP); Daisuke Tsutsumi, Tokyo (JP); and Takahiro Nakano, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to HITACHI, LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Sep. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/954,393.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-172081 (JP), filed on Oct. 21, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0131077 A1, Apr. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. G05B 19/4155 (2006.01)
CPC G05B 19/4155 (2013.01) [G05B 2219/31372 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. The production line design apparatus comprising:
one or more processors;
a display coupled to the one or more processors;
one or more storage devices coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more storage devices storing resource configuration information defining production resources constituting a production line to be designed, resource arrangement constraint information defining an arrangement constraint on the production resources, a production condition to be satisfied by the production line, work allocation information including a workpiece allocated to the production resources and a number of the workpiece, work order information including the production resources used in setup works of the production line and an order of the setup works, and resource candidate information defining a specification of the production resources, the production resources being main resources and ancillary resources; and
one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memories storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors configure the one or more processors to:
generate a plurality of layout candidates for each of the resource configuration information, each layout candidate satisfying the arrangement constraint and the production condition,
calculate a setup time for each layout candidate using the resource configuration information, the work arrangement information, the work order information, and the resource candidate information,
display, on the display, a layout candidate screen showing a table indicating the plurality of layout candidates and indicating, for each layout candidate, a main resource, an ancillary resource and a setup time, and
display, on the display, a detailed layout plan screen indicating, for a selected layout candidate, among the plurality of layout candidates, a graph illustrating a breakdown of setup time for a workpiece.