# US 8,788,082 B2 · Method and a system for executing a scheduled production process

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- Number: US 8,788,082 B2
- Document ID: US8788082B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/876,470
- Filed: 2010-09-07
- Published: 2011-06-02
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2009-11-27
- Assignees: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
- Applicants: Paolo Fontanot
- Inventors: Paolo Fontanot
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8788082B2

## CPC

- G06Q 10/06: Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A method and a system execute a scheduled production process having an execution duration within a production schedule executed by a manufacturing execution system. The method includes defining within the production process a resource required for the execution of the production process and defining for the resource a sequence-dependent setup sub-process having a setup duration, a productive sub-process and a sequence-dependent teardown sub-process. The production process is scheduled with a start-time. At a predetermined period at the start-time of the production process, the production process for dispatching and subsequent executing is confirmed. In response to the confirmation, individual production processes are created for the sequence-dependent setup sub-process, the production sub-process and the teardown sub-process. The created individual production processes are linked together by precedence constraints defining a sequence of the created individual production processes. The production schedule is rescheduled through replacing the production process by the created individual production processes.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for executing a scheduled production process having an execution duration within a production schedule executed and controlled by a manufacturing execution system, which comprises the steps of:
defining within the scheduled production process a resource required for an execution of the scheduled production process;
defining for the resource a sequence-dependent setup sub-process having a setup duration, a productive sub-process having a production duration and a sequence-dependent teardown sub-process having a teardown duration;
scheduling the scheduled production process for its execution with a start-time on the production schedule wherein an execution duration is a sum of the setup duration, the production duration and the teardown duration;
confirming the scheduled production process for dispatching and subsequent executing at a predetermined period one of prior to the scheduled production process and at the start-time of the scheduled production process;
in response to a confirmation of the schedule production process for dispatching, creating individual production processes for the sequence-dependent setup sub-process, the production sub-process and the teardown sub-process, whereby the individual production processes created are linked together by precedence constraints defining a sequence of the individual production processes created;
re-scheduling a production schedule through replacing the scheduled production process by the individual production processes created; and
executing a re-scheduled production schedule by dispatching the individual production processes created in the scheduled sequence.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein a duration of 0 seconds is allowed to be assigned to at least one of a setup duration range and a teardown duration range.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, which further comprises determining at least one of the setup duration and the teardown duration in dependency of a preceding production process and a subsequent production process respectively.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, which further comprises defining within the sub-processes respective resource specific for each of the sub-processes and required for the execution of the sub-processes.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, which further comprises defining the resources allocated to the sub-processes in dependency of at least one of a preceding production process and a subsequent production process.

### Claim 6

A system for executing a scheduled production process having an execution duration within a production schedule executed and controlled by a manufacturing execution system, the system comprising:
a production planner module enabled to define within the scheduled production process a resource required for an execution of the scheduled production process;
said production planner module further enabled to define for the resource a sequence-dependent setup sub-process having a setup duration, a productive sub-process having a production duration and a sequence-dependent teardown sub-process having a teardown duration;
a production scheduler module enabled to schedule the scheduled production process for its execution with a start-time on a production schedule wherein the execution duration is a sum of the setup duration, the production duration and the teardown duration;
a production execution module enabled to confirm the scheduled production process for dispatching and subsequent executing at a predetermined period one of prior to the scheduled production process and at the start-time of the scheduled production process;
said production planner module further enabled to create in response to a confirmation of the scheduled production process for dispatching, individual production processes for the sequence-dependent setup sub-process, the production sub-process and the teardown sub-process, whereby created individual production processes are linked together by precedence constraints defining a sequence of the created individual production processes;
said production scheduler module further enabled to re-schedule a production schedule through replacing the scheduled production process by the created individual production processes; and
said production execution module further enabled to execute a re-scheduled production schedule by dispatching the created individual production processes in a scheduled sequence.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system according to claim 6, wherein a duration of 0 seconds is allowed to be assigned to at least one of a setup duration range and a teardown duration range.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The system according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the setup duration and the teardown duration is determined in dependency of a preceding production process and a subsequent production process respectively.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The system according to claim 6, wherein said production planner module defines within the sub-processes a respective resource specific for each of the sub-processes and required for the execution of the sub-processes.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system according to claim 9, wherein resources allocated to the sub-processes are defined in dependency of at least one of a preceding production process and a subsequent production process.