Method for manufacturing or machining a product, and control device for controlling a production system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11327474-B2
Application number	US-201817258239-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2018
Priority date	Jul 30, 2018
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

Producing a product, differently detailed structural information about a structure of the product and digital machining information about a machining process are read in. The structural information is examined as to whether a respective item of structural information is given further detail by a respective other structure. A plurality of machining sequences are generated from the structural information and machining information so that an item of structural information from a first machining sequence is given detail by an item of structural information from a second machining sequence. The first machining sequence is transmitted to a first planning module and the second machining sequence is transmitted to a second planning module. The planning modules generate an action sequence as a planning result, which is considered by the second planning module during generation of the action sequence. Control signals are output by the action sequence generated by the second planning module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a product by a production system, the method comprising:
reading in differently detailed, digital structural statements about a structure of the product or of a precursor of the product and digital machining statements about a machining process for the product or for a precursor of the product;
checking the structural statements to determine whether a respective structural statement is provided with further detail by a respective other structural statement;
generating multiple machining sequences for the product from the structural statements and machining statements such that a first structural statement comprising a first machining sequence is provided with further detail by a second structural statement comprising a second machining sequence;
transmitting the first machining sequence to a first planning module and transmitting the second machining sequence to a second planning module;
generating, by the first planning module using the first machining sequence, an action sequence;
transmitting the action sequence output by the first planning module to the second planning module;
generating, by the second planning module, a new action sequence that takes into consideration the action sequence output by the first planning module and the second machining sequence, such that the action sequence output by the first planning module is refined by the second planning module to generate the new action sequence; and
generating and outputting control signals for controlling the production system using the new action sequence generated by the second planning module.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the structural statements are stored as nodes in one or more digital structure graphs.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the checking is a check to determine whether a first structural statement is provided with further detail by a second structural statement, and involves checking whether a partial structure graph based on a node of the first structural statement contains a partial structure graph based on a node of the second structural statement, and/or whether the node of the second structural statement succeeds the node of the first structural statement in a structure graph in respect of a reference structure thereof.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the structural statements each comprise an attribute that indicates a degree of detailing, and in that the checking is performed on a basis of the attribute.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the structural statements and the machining statements are each stored as nodes in a digital production graph such that a respective structural statement that provides a respective other structural statement with further detail succeeds the other structural statement in the production graph in respect of a reference structure thereof.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the machining sequences are each generated as a partial graph of the production graph.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein target structural statements that each specify a target state of the product are selected from the structural statements, and in that the machining sequences are generated such that a target structural statement comprising the first machining sequence is provided with further detail by a target structural statement comprising the second machining sequence.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the generating of a respective machining sequence involves the respective machining sequence being progressively assigned at least one structural statement and at least one machining statement based on a respective target structural statement, the statements specifying a conversion of at least one precursor into the respective target state by at least one machining process.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the generation of a respective machining sequence is terminated as soon as all starting points for the machining sequence comprise only stipulated starting materials.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the new action sequence output by the second planning module is rated on a basis of a stipulated criterion, which is taken as a basis for prompting the first planning module to generate a further action sequence and/or a new machining sequence to be generated.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein if a planning module or a hardware driver of the production system reports an error then a new machining sequence is generated taking into consideration the error.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the new action sequence is output together with an associated detailing statement.

13. A control device for controlling a production system, configured to carry out the method as claimed in claim 1 .

14. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code executable by a processor of a computer system to implement the method as claimed in claim 1 .

15. A computer-readable storage medium containing a computer program product as claimed in claim 14 .

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Kast Bernd
• Albrecht Sebastian
• Feiten Wendelin

Classifications

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title

• G05B19/41885 Primary

  characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system · CPC title

• G05B19/4183

  characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification · CPC title

• G05B2219/32089

  Action and material and technology combined to manufacture product · CPC title

• G05B19/41865 Primary

  characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow · CPC title