Cell control system, manufacturing system, and control method which control manufacturing cell including plurality of manufacturing machines

A cell control system mounted in a first manufacturing machine of a manufacturing cell comprising a plurality of manufacturing machines configured to manufacture a product, the cell control system comprising:

• a communication device for communicating with a second manufacturing machine other than the first manufacturing machine in the manufacturing cell;
• an obtaining module for obtaining first manufacturing information defined in a manufacturing cell unit associated with the manufacture of the product;
• a first generation module for generating manufacturing machine-specific, second manufacturing information corresponding to the first manufacturing machine, and manufacturing machine-specific, third manufacturing information corresponding to the second manufacturing machine, based on the first manufacturing information;
• a transmission module for transmitting the third manufacturing information to the second manufacturing machine via the communication device;
• a machine control module for controlling the first manufacturing machine based on the second manufacturing information and generating manufacturing machine-specific, fourth manufacturing information corresponding to the second manufacturing information;
• a reception module for receiving manufacturing machine-specific, fifth manufacturing information corresponding to the third manufacturing information from the second manufacturing machine via the communication device;
• a second generation module for generating sixth manufacturing information defined in the manufacturing cell unit, based on the fourth manufacturing information and the fifth manufacturing information;
• and
• an output module for outputting the sixth manufacturing information.

A cell control system mounted in a first manufacturing machine of a manufacturing cell comprising a plurality of manufacturing machines configured to manufacture a product, the cell control system comprising:

• a communication device for communicating with a second cell control system, other than the cell control system, mounted in a second manufacturing machine other than the first manufacturing machine in the manufacturing cell;
• an obtaining module for obtaining first manufacturing information defined in a manufacturing cell unit associated with the manufacture of the product;
• a transmission module for transmitting the first manufacturing information to the second cell control system via the communication device;
• a first generation module for generating manufacturing machine-specific, second manufacturing information corresponding to the first manufacturing machine, based on the first manufacturing information;
• a machine control module for controlling the first manufacturing machine based on the second manufacturing information and generating manufacturing machine-specific, third manufacturing information corresponding to the second manufacturing information;
• a reception module for receiving, from the second cell control system via the communication device, fourth manufacturing information defined in a manufacturing cell unit and generated based on the first manufacturing information;
• a second generation module for generating fifth manufacturing information defined in the manufacturing cell unit, based on the third manufacturing information and the fourth manufacturing information;
• and
• an output module for outputting the fifth manufacturing information.

A method for controlling a cell control system comprising a communication device which communicates with a production planning apparatus and a manufacturing cell comprising a plurality of manufacturing machines configured to manufacture a product, the method comprising:

• obtaining first manufacturing information defined in a manufacturing cell unit associated with the manufacture of the product from the production planning apparatus via the communication device;
• generating a plurality of pieces of second manufacturing information for the plurality of manufacturing machines, respectively, based on the first manufacturing information;
• transmitting the plurality of pieces of second manufacturing information to the plurality of manufacturing machines, respectively, via the communication device;
• receiving manufacturing machine-specific, third manufacturing information corresponding to the second manufacturing information from each of the plurality of manufacturing machines via the communication device;
• generating fourth manufacturing information defined in the manufacturing cell unit, based on the third manufacturing information from each of the plurality of manufacturing machines;
• and
• outputting the fourth manufacturing information,
• wherein the production planning apparatus performs manufacturing-related management by handling only the first manufacturing information defined in the manufacturing cell unit without recognizing individual manufacturing machines of the plurality of manufacturing machines, and
• wherein the production planning apparatus handles only the first manufacturing information when the obtaining module obtains production planning information from the production planning apparatus.