# US 11,480,942 B2 · Supporting apparatus and non-transitory computer readable medium storing program

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- Number: US 11,480,942 B2
- Document ID: US11480942B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/352,881
- Filed: 2019-03-14
- Published: 2019-11-14
- Granted: 2022-10-25
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-14
- Assignees: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
- Applicants: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
- Inventors: Atsuo Kazama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11480942B2

## CPC

- G05B 19/4097: characterised by using design data to control NC machines, e.g. CAD/CAM (G05B19/4093 takes precedence)
- G05B 2219/35031: Redesign, use former design
- G05B 2219/35081: Product design and process machining planning concurrently, machining as function of design
- Y02P 90/02: Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A design supporting apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a design change, and an output unit that outputs information indicating that the design change is able to be coped with in a case where the design change is able to be coped with through replacement of a tool or a component with respect to a facility in the current manufacturing line, and outputs information indicating that the design change is not able to be coped with in a case where the design change is not able to be coped with even through replacement of the tool or the component with respect to the facility in the current manufacturing line.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A design supporting apparatus comprising:
a processor configured to:
acquire information regarding a design change including information regarding a design drawing before the design change and information regarding a design drawing after the design change;
extract a difference between the information regarding the design drawings before and after the design change, and specify the difference as a design change location;
acquire facility information regarding a facility in a current manufacturing line related to the design change location from facility information accumulated in a facility information database;
determine whether or not the design change exceeds a copable range through replacement of a tool or a component with respect to the facility from information regarding the design change location and the facility information;
output information indicating that the design change is able to be coped with through replacement of the tool or the component with respect to the facility in the current manufacturing line in a case where the design change does not exceed the copable range, and output information indicating that the design change is not able to be coped with even through replacement of the tool or the component with respect to the facility in the current manufacturing line in a case where the design change exceeds the copable range; and
display, on a display screen, the output information indicated by a color of a determination result display box provided on the display screen on which the design drawing after the design change is displayed.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The design supporting apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the current manufacturing line includes a plurality of work processes, and the facility in the current manufacturing line is correlated with each work process, and
wherein the facility in the current manufacturing line is a facility corresponding to a work process specified by the information regarding the design change.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The design supporting apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the processor further displays the design drawing after the design change on a display, and
wherein the processor outputs information indicating that the design change is not able to be coped with such that the information indicating that design change is able to be coped with or the information indicating that the design change is not able to be coped with is displayed along with the design drawing after the design change.

### Claim 4

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to:
acquire information regarding a design change including information regarding a design drawing before the design change and information regarding a design drawing after the design change;
extract a difference between the information regarding the design drawings before and after the design change, and specify the difference as a design change location;
acquire facility information regarding a facility in a current manufacturing line related to the design change location from facility information accumulated in a facility information database;
determine whether or not the design change exceeds a copable range through replacement of a tool or a component with respect to the facility from information regarding the design change location and the facility information;
output information indicating that the design change is able to be coped with through replacement of the tool or the component with respect to the facility in the current manufacturing line in a case where the design change does not exceed the copable range, and output information indicating that the design change is not able to be coped with even through replacement of the tool or the component with respect to the facility in the current manufacturing line in a case where the design change exceeds the copable range; and
display, on a display screen, the output information indicated by a color of a determination result display box provided on the display screen on which the design drawing after the design change is displayed.

### Claim 5

A design supporting apparatus comprising:
acquisition means for acquiring information regarding a design change including information regarding a design drawing before the design change and information regarding a design drawing after the design change;
means for extracting a difference between the information regarding the design drawings before and after the design change, and specifying the difference as a design change location;
means for acquiring facility information regarding a facility in a current manufacturing line related to the design change location from facility information accumulated in a facility information database;
means for determining whether or not the design change exceeds a copable range through replacement of a tool or a component with respect to the facility from information regarding the design change location and the facility information;
output means for outputting information indicating that the design change is able to be coped with through replacement of the tool or the component with respect to the facility in the current manufacturing line in a case where the design change does not exceed the copable range, and outputting information indicating that the design change is not able to be coped with even through replacement of the tool or the component with respect to the facility in the current manufacturing line in a case where the design change exceeds the copable range; and
means for displaying, on a display screen, the output information indicated by a color of a determination result display box provided on the display screen on which the design drawing after the design change is displayed.