Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-25
2001-10-30
Grant, William (Department: 2786)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C700S095000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311094
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a production planning method for planning the production of products, such as semiconductor devices, requiring a relatively longer cycle time of production and advance processing based on a predictive demand, a storage medium and a production planning apparatus.
Many techniques have been known for managing the production process.
For example, JPN PAT APPLN KOKAI PUBLICATION Nos. 64-34644 and 6-328351 have proposed the technique for controlling the quantity of production of finished products at a ratio of productions among the kinds of items.
JPN PAT APPLN KOKAI PUBLICATION No. 3-14675 has proposed an in-process vehicle management method for grasping the number of stocks (vehicles) in the process on a per-specification basis and controlling a total quantity of works per kind.
Further, “An adjustment Method for Balanced Production Scheduling Problem” in “Proceedings of Production Scheduling Symposium '95” (Oct. 2, 1995 Kyoto)—pp 187 to 192—has proposed The Institute of System's Control & Information Engineers discloses the technique of balancing a daily quantity of processing in respective processes.
JPN PAT APPLN KOKAI PUBLICATION No. 8-252749 discloses a balancing system in production planning, that is, a production planning system for, as a basic policy, balancing a quantity of production in unit interval.
As set out above, a planning system is known for, as a goal, balancing a quantity of processing or a quantity of production in unit cycle time in production planning, that is, inputting a target production in planning cycle time and a work allocation at a planned time and finding a quantity of processing required in the planning cycle time. Further, also known is a method for controlling a total quantity of works on a per-kind basis.
In the conventional method, when the number of loads in the respective equipment derived from the target production, that is, the number of works to be processed up to a delivery in respective equipment, exceeds the processing capability, then the exceeded load quantity is reduced by a stacking/leveling method. However, this method can simply draw up a micro-production plan in lot units.
For a product, such as a semiconductor device, involving an ever decreasing tendency in the cycle time of processing from the ordering to the delivery, an advance production is carried out, prior to the actual ordering, based on a predictive demand. For such a micro-production planning in lot units, however, the production adjustment cannot be achieved smoothly.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly the object of the present invention to provide a production planning method capable of flexibly coping with a variation in an quantity of production, while suppressing works to a necessary-minimal extent, a storage medium and a production planning apparatus.
The present invention is applied to the production planning of a production line from a raw material to finished products. The production process for producing the finished product from the raw material is divided into a plurality of process steps. A plurality of equipments are arranged in the production line. At least one of these equipments participates in at least two of these process steps. First, based on the stock number of works at a time of the production planning, the number of works processed up to the production planning is calculated as a cumulated processed works achieved at respective processes. The target corresponding to the stock number of works in the respective process steps at the production planned time following the planning period is calculated based on the target production representing the number of finished products outputted up to the planned time and an average period from the raw material to the finished product. And the target corresponding to the total number of process steps at the planned time is calculated based on the target corresponding to the stock number of works in the respective process steps. The number of works necessary to be subjected to process steps during a period from the planning time to the planned time is calculated, as process step loads, based on the current cumulated processed works achieved during a period from the planning time to the planned time. Since the load is individually calculated relative to the respective process steps, it is possible to draw up the production plan in a macro-viewpoint and hence to flexibly cope with a variation in a production quantity while suppressing the works to a necessary minimal extent.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5402350 (1995-03-01), Kline
patent: 5748478 (1998-05-01), Pan et al.
patent: 5825650 (1998-10-01), Wang
patent: 5826238 (1998-10-01), Chen et al.
patent: 5880960 (1999-03-01), Lin et al.
patent: 5889673 (1999-03-01), Pan et al.
patent: 5950170 (1999-09-01), Pan et al.
patent: 5971584 (1999-10-01), Iriuchijima et al.
patent: 6-328351 (1994-11-01), None
patent: 8-252749 (1996-10-01), None
Fujihara Mutsumi
Iriuchijima Ken
Sakamoto Hideo
Banner & Witcoff , Ltd.
Gain, Jr. Edward F.
Grant William
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
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