US 5,321,619 AGranted

Production control method and system therefor

AssigneeHonda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsKinji Matsuda, Makoto Otabe

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Abstract

A method and a system of production control for a production line composed of a plurality of automatic machines, in which input of control data and change of contents of the data required for control of the automatic machine can easily and efficiently be made. Identification data fed from the host computer (30) are converted by a data converter (31) into control data for automatic machines (11) in each process and stored in a storage medium (20) so that each automatic machine may be controlled after the storage medium has been moved together with the workpiece, by control data read out from the storage medium in each process in the production line. The storage medium store not only control data for the workpiece moving together with this storage medium but also those for a plurality of work pieces positioned on the upstream side of the workpiece in the production line and, thereby, prepares the relative automatic machines to be ready for the subsequent stage of operation.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A production control system comprising:

a host computer for outputting identification data for identifying products;
a plurality of automated processing units (APUs) disposed at predetermined locations in a production line, said APUs for conducting processing in accordance with operation instruction data;
data converting means having text files which store the relationship between said operation instruction data and said identification data, said data converting means for generating said operation instruction data from said identification data by referring to said text files;
information storage means being respectively disposed on and moving together with a plurality of objects to be processed (OBJs) flowing along said production line, said information storage means for storing the contents of processing to be applied to said OBJs;
data writing means for writing said operation instruction data generated by said data converting means in information storage means of OBJs corresponding to said operation instruction data;
first reading means for reading information from an information storage means of one OBJ existing at a predetermined location on said production line;
and
control means for controlling said APUs in accordance with said information read from said information storage means by said reading means so that said APUs process said one OBJ with predetermined processing;
said information storage means comprising a plurality of storage regions for respectively storing information about one said OBJ and information about other OBJs located in a predetermined range upstream of said OBJ along said production line.

6 more elements

A control method for a production line comprising the steps of:

storing in each of information storage means moving together with a plurality of transporting means, on which a plurality of objects to be processed (OBJs) are respectively disposed, moving along said production line, respective information about the contents of processing which are to be applied by automated processing units (APUs) to one OBJ, and about the contents of processing which are to be applied by said APUs to other OBJs, disposed on said transporting means, located at up to an ith location in succession on the upstream side of said one OBJ along said production line;
reading information from an information storage means moving together with one said OBJ;
causing said APUs to apply to said one OBJ on said information corresponding to said one OBJ only when a coincidence exists between information about said one OBJ, read from said one information storage means corresponding to said one OBJ, an information about said one OBJ, read from an information storage means of another OBJ processed by said APUs prior to said reading from said corresponding information storage means;
said control method for a production line further comprising the step of:
writing information, in the case where an OBJ is removed from one transporting means on said production line, said step of writing information including writing information that no OBJ exists, in storage regions of an information storage medium disposed on said one transporting means and in storage regions of information storage means disposed on a group of transporting means located at up to an ith location in succession on the downstream side of said one transporting means, said storage regions corresponding to said removed OBJ and OBJs disposed on said group of transporting means, and for replacing said information that no OBJ exists, stored in said storage regions, with information about said new OBJ when a new OBJ is mounted on said one transporting means, from which said one OBJ was removed.

2 more elements

A control method for production line comprising the steps of:

storing in each of information storage means moving together with a plurality of objects to be processed (OBJs) moving along said production line, respective information about the contents of processing which are to be applied by automated processing units (APUs) to one OBJ, and about the contents of processing which are to be applied by said APUs to others OBJs located at up to an ith location in succession on the upstream side of said one OBJ along said production line;
reading information storage means moving together with one said OBJ;
causing said APUs to apply to said one OBJ on said information corresponding to said one OBJ only when a coincidence exists between information about said one OBJ, read from said one information storage means corresponding to said one OBJ, and information about said one OBJ, read from an information storage means of another OBJ processed by said APUs prior to said reading from said corresponding information storage means;
said control method for a production line further comprising the steps of:
placing anew OBJ on the downstream side of an OBJ located at a not-less-than-the-ith location on the upstream side of said one OBJ being processed by said APUs;
storing in an information storage means of said new OBJ, information about said new OBJ and information about a group of OBJs located at up to an ith location in succession on the upstream side of said new OBJ, along said production line;
and
writing information about said new OBJ, in storage regions of information storage means of OBJs located at up to an ith location in succession on the downstream side of said new OBJ, said storage regions corresponding to said new OBJ, and for replacing information, stored in storage regions corresponding to OBJs on the upstream side of said new OBJ, with information about OBJs downstream adjacent to said OBJs on the upstream side of said new OBJ.

5 more elements

A production control system comprising:

information storage mediums being respectively disposed on and moving together with a plurality of objects to be processed (OBJs), said information storage mediums for storing the contents of processing to be applied to said OBJs;
first reading means for reading information from one of said information storage medium disposed on one of said OBJs existing at a predetermined location on said production line;
data writing means for writing information in said one information storage medium;
a control unit for controlling automated processing units (APUs) in accordance with said information read from said one information storage medium by said reading means so that said APUs apply predetermined processing to said one OBJ;
and
discriminating means for discriminating whether an OBJ has been removed from said production line;
said information storage mediums comprising a plurality of storage regions for respectively storing information about said one OBJ, and information on OBJs located between a predetermined range of distance on the upstream side of said one OBJ, along said production line;
said discriminating means for discriminating whether an OBJ has been removed from said production line, and whether a new OBJ has been placed in said production line, at a not-less-than-the-ith location on the upstream side of said one OBJ;
said data writing means for replacing information, stored in a group of information storage mediums, about OBJs on the upstream side of said removed OBJ, with information about OBJs upstream respectively adjacent to said OBJs on the upstream side of said removed OBJ stored, said group of information storage mediums being disposed on OBJs located at up to an ith location in succession on the downstream side of said removed OBJ when said removal of said OBJ is discriminated by said discriminating means;
said data writing means for writing information about said new OBJ, in storage regions of information storage mediums disposed on OBJs located at up to an ith location in succession on the downstream side of said new OBJ, said storage regions corresponding to said new OBJ, and for replacing information, stored in storage regions corresponding to OBJs on the upstream side of said new OBJ, with information about OBJs downstream adjacent to said OBJs on the upstream side of said new OBJ, when said placement of said new OBJ is discriminated by said determining means;
said control unit for controlling said APUs, in accordance with information on said one OBJ read out currently from said one information storage medium only when said information on said one OBJ read out currently from said one information storage medium and information on said one OBJ read out last time from said one information storage medium.

8 more elements

A production control system comprising:

information storage mediums being respectively disposed on and moving together with a plurality of objects to be processed (OBJs), said information storage mediums for storing the contents of processing to be applied to said OBJs;
first reading means for reading information from one of said information storage medium disposed on one of said OBJs existing at a predetermined location on said production line;
data writing means for writing information in said one information storage medium;
a control unit for controlling automated processing units (APUs) in accordance with said information read from said one information storage medium by said reading means so that said APUs apply predetermined processing to said one OBJ;
and
discriminating means for discriminating whether an OBJ has been removed from said production line;
said information storage mediums comprising a plurality of storage regions for respectively storing information about said one OBJ, and information on OBJs located between a predetermined rage of distance on the upstream side of said one OBJ, along said production line;
said discriminating means for discriminating whether an OBJ has been removed from said production line, and whether a new OBJ has been placed in said production line, at a not-less-than-the-ith location on the upstream side of said one OBJ;
said data writing means for writing information that no OBJ exists, in storage regions of an information storage medium of said removed OBJ and in storage regions of information storage mediums disposed on OBJs locate at up to an ith location in succession on the downstream side of said removed OBJ, said storage regions corresponding to said removed OBJ, when said removal of said removed OBJ is discriminated by said discriminating means, and for replacing said information that no OBJ exists, stored in said storage regions, with information about said new OBJ when the placement of a new OBJ on said one transporting means from which said one OBJ was removed, is discriminated by said discriminating means;
said control unit for controlling said APUs, in accordance with information on said one OBJ read out currently from said one information storage medium only when said information on said one OBJ read currently from said one information storage medium and information on said one OBJ read last time from said one information storage medium.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/829,071Filed 11 Feb 1992
Priority: JP 2-24653117 Sep 1990
Granted: 14 Jun 1994
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification22 codes

B62D 65/005
Designing, manufacturing, e.g. assembling, facilitating disassembly, or structurally modifying motor vehicles or trailers, not otherwise provided…
G05B 19/41865
Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible…:…
G05B 2219/31086
From computer integrated manufacturing till monitoring: communication of carriage, agv data, workpiece data at each station
G05B 2219/31283
From computer integrated manufacturing till monitoring: communication memory, storage, ram, eprom on workpiece or pallet