Technique for determining processing sequence of steel plates

A program stored at a program storage device for allowing an information processing apparatus to function as a system for determining a processing sequence for delivering steel plates to work rolls of steel plate processing equipment, the program causing the information processing apparatus to function as

• a constraint storage unit for storing positional constraints that define ranges of positions into which each type of steel plate is to be inserted when the steel plates are arranged in the processing sequence;
• a selecting unit for preferentially selecting, as a position into which a new steel plate is to be inserted in an array of steel plates already arranged in the processing sequence, a position having a larger expectation value of the number of steel plates that can be further inserted into the array of steel plates after the insertion of the new steel plate while satisfying the positional constraints provided by the constraint storage unit;
• and
• an inserting unit for inserting the new steel plate into the selected position in the processing sequence for delivery to the work rolls and for outputting data indicating the array of steel plates after the insertion.

A method of providing a service of determining a processing sequence for delivering steel plates to work rolls of steel plate processing equipment, comprising the method of:

• implementing a system including
• a constraint storage unit for storing positional constraints that define ranges of positions into which each type of steel plate is to be inserted when the steel plates are arranged in the processing sequence,
• a processing device and a selecting unit for execution by the processing device for preferentially selecting, as a position into which a new steel plate is to be inserted in an array of steel plates already arranged in the processing sequence, a position having a larger expectation value of the number of steel plates that can be further inserted into the array of steel plates after the insertion of the new steel plate while satisfying the positional constraints provided by the constraint storage unit, and
• an inserting unit for inserting the new steel plate into the selected position in the processing sequence for delivery to the work rolls and for outputting data indicating the array of steel plates after the insertion;
• and
• modifying the positional constraints in the implemented system.