Patent ID: 11860603
Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  B | IPC B  G

Claim 0:
1. A method for optimizing utilization of a plurality of manufacturing apparatus during a work period in a manufacturing facility, the method comprising:
receiving, by a processor, first electronic messages indicating apparatus time periods when ones of the plurality of manufacturing apparatus are in use, wherein said apparatus time periods include start and end times;
receiving, by the processor, second electronic messages indicating operator time periods within ones of a plurality of work cells associated with the plurality of manufacturing apparatus from a plurality of sensors associated with the plurality of work cells;
accumulating, by the processor, one or more of each of the apparatus time periods and the operator time periods;
determining, by the processor, a number of operators in the manufacturing facility during the work period by determining numbers of overlapping active ones of the plurality of work cells during the work period;
determining, by the processor, utilization of the plurality of manufacturing apparatus based on the number of operators and based on the operator time periods; and
determining a total number of operators present in a work shift, where the work shift comprises a plurality of work periods that includes the work period,
wherein the number of operators determined to be present in the work shift is a number of work cells each with operator activity in more than a pre-determined percentage of work periods in the work shift, and
wherein the total number of operators is a number of work cells with operator activity in more than a pre-determined percentage of the plurality of work periods, and
wherein the work period is determined automatically for each activity detected in the work cell.