Abstract:
The present invention provides a system for managing vehicle inspections, the system including a server used on a vehicle production line and having an inspection master database which stores inspection items for parts to be repaired, and a repair terminal and a repair checking terminal which communicate with the server via a LAN and which are used in a plurality of inspection stages. The server includes a transmitting section which extracts, on the basis of repair information on a part to be repaired which is transmitted by the repair terminal, inspection items related to this part to be repaired, from the inspection master data, and which transmits the inspection items to the repair checking terminal as re-inspection items. The repair checking terminal includes a display, and a display section which displays, on the display, the re-inspection items for the part to be repaired which have been transmitted by the server.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-120106, filed Apr. 15, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a system and method for managing vehicle inspections on a vehicle production line.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Conventional automobile production lines are classified into the following two types. In a first type, a plurality of inspecting stages are set for a vehicle. In each inspecting stage, inspection data is downloaded from a host computer into a personal computer. An inspector carries out inspections on the basis of the inspection data. The inspector then inputs the results of the inspections to the personal computer to transmit them to the host computer. In a second type, at the beginning of the inspections, an inspection instruction sheet is created by printing reference data required for inspections in the respective stages, on a sheet in a bar code form. The inspection instruction sheets are then attached to the vehicle. In the first stage, the bar code is read to obtain the reference data. Inspections are then carried out on the basis of the reference data. A bar code label indicating the results is then created and applied to the inspection instruction sheet. Thus, together with the vehicle, the inspection instruction sheet is transferred to the next stage (see, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-12177).  
         [0006]     If any defect is found as a result of the inspections based on the inspection instruction sheet, it must be repaired in the subsequent stage (that is, a repair stage).  
         [0007]     Further, during the stage of repairing the defect, a new defect may occur.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for managing vehicle inspections in which repair information obtained during a repair stage of repairing a defect found in an inspection stage is collected so that the repaired part can be reliably re-inspected.  
         [0009]     According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for managing vehicle inspections, the system comprising a server used on a vehicle production line and including an inspection master database which stores inspection items for parts to be repaired; and a repair terminal and a repair checking terminal which communicate with the server via a LAN and which are used in a plurality of inspection stages, 
        wherein the server comprises:     a transmitting section configured to extract, on the basis of repair information on a part to be repaired which is transmitted by the repair terminal, inspection items related to this part to be repaired, from the inspection master data, and to transmit the inspection items to the repair checking terminal as re-inspection items, and     the repair checking terminal comprises:     a display; and     a display section configured to display, on the display, the re-inspection items for the part to be repaired which have been transmitted by the server.        
 
         [0015]     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. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0016]     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a diagram showing the configuration of an inspection managing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a server according to the embodiment;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a master managing terminal according to the embodiment;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of an portable inspection terminal, a portable repair terminal, and a repair checking portable terminal;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by the master managing terminal according to the embodiment;  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by the server according to the embodiment; and  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by the portable repair checking terminal according to the embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]     With reference to the drawings, description will be given of operations of an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 1  is a diagram showing the configuration of a system for managing vehicle inspections. In the figure, reference numeral  1  denotes a LAN placed in a vehicle manufacturing plant. The LAN  1  connects to a server  2 , a master managing terminal  3 , and a plurality of access points  4 . Each of the access points  4  communicates wirelessly with a portable inspection terminal  5   a  serving as an terminal inspection, a portable repair terminal  5   b  serving as a repair terminal, and a portable repair checking terminal  5   c  serving as a repair checking terminal; these portable terminals are mobile terminals located close to the access point  4 .  
         [0025]     The portable inspection terminal  5   a  is carried by an inspector  6 . Every time a predetermined process on a production line is finished, the portable inspection terminal  5   a  is operated to inspect a plurality of sites or parts to be inspected which were integrated into an automobile  7  during the process.  
         [0026]     The portable repair terminal  5   b  is carried by a repairer to repair a defect found during the inspection stage, in a subsequent repair checking stage, the inspection stage using the inspecting portable terminal  5   a.    
         [0027]     The portable repair checking terminal  5   c  is carried by a repair checker during a repair checking stage of checking whether or not the defect repaired during the repair stage has been appropriately executed.  
         [0028]     The server  2  is provided with an inspection master database  11  and an inspection result database  12 . The inspection master database  11  stores inspection item assignment information on parts to be repaired. The parts to be repaired mean parts in which defects found during the inspection stage have occurred. It is also necessary to inspect sites in which detects are likely to occur as a result of the repair of the parts in which the defects occurred. Such a site is called a site to be inspected. A set of a part to be repaired and a site to be inspected is called an inspection target item. The master managing terminal  3  sets inspection item assignment information for each part to be repaired. The server  2  also stores various operation applications  13 .  
         [0029]     The inspection result database  12  stores the results of actual inspections.  
         [0030]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the server  2  is provided with a central processing unit (CPU)  21  constituting a control section main body, a read-only memory (ROM)  22  that stores program data used by the CPU  21  to control each section, a random-access memory (RAM)  23  provided with a memory temporarily used by the CPU  21  to execute data transmission, reception, processing, or the like, a communication section  25  which transmits and receives data to and from the master managing terminal  3  via the LAN  1  and which transmits and receives data to and from the inspecting portable terminal  5  via the access point  4 , and an operation section  26  used for key inputs, display of indicators, and the like. The components of the server  2  are electrically connected together by a bus line  27 .  
         [0031]     The master managing terminal  3  is operated by the manager of the production line. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the master managing terminal  3  is provided with a CPU  31  constituting a control section main body, a ROM  32  that stores program data used by the CPU  31  to control each section, a RAM  33  provided with a memory temporarily used by the CPU  31  to execute data transmission, reception, processing, or the like and a memory storing a small amount of data, a communication section  34  which transmits and receives data to and from the server  2  via the LAN  1 , a keyboard provided with various keys to perform operations, a display  36  composed of a liquid crystal or the like and used for data display or the like, a printer  37  used to print required data, and a hard disk device  38  used to store a large amount of data. The components of the server  2  are electrically connected together by a bus line  39 .  
         [0032]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , each of the portable terminals  5   a  to  5   c  is provided with a CPU  51  constituting a control section main body, a ROM  52  that stores program data used by the CPU  51  to control each section, a RAM  53  provided with a memory temporarily used by the CPU  51  to execute data transmission, reception, processing, or the like and a memory storing a small amount of data, a liquid crystal display  54  used for data display, display of various types of information on the input screen, or the like, a touch panel  55  placed on the liquid crystal display  54  to input information to an input screen displayed on the liquid crystal display  54 , and a radio communication section  56  that transmits and receives data to and from the access point  4  by radio. The components of the portable terminal  5   a  to  5   c  are electrically connected together by a bus line  57 .  
         [0033]     Using the master managing terminal  3 , the manager inputs, for each automobile to be manufactured, inspection information as to what inspections to be carried out and which sites or parts to be inspected in each step. Moreover, the manager inputs inspection item assignment information on a part to be repaired. As a result, in accordance with the processing shown in the flowchart in  FIG. 5 , the inspection information and the inspection item assignment information on the part to be repaired are transmitted to the inspection master database  11  of the server  2  (step S 1 ).  
         [0034]     Once the inspection information for each automobile to be manufactured and for each stage is set in the inspection master database  11  of the server  2 , the portable inspection terminal  5   a  communicates wirelessly with the server  2  in each stage. On the basis of the inspection information transmitted by the server  2 , the portable inspection terminal  5   a  displays an inspection screen on the liquid crystal display  54 . The results of inspections in each stage are input to the inspection screen.  
         [0035]     Inspections are carried out using the portable inspection terminal  5   a,  with the results of the inspections transmitted to the server  2 . Then, when the results of the inspections indicate that there is a defect in the automobile, the server  2  transmits the cause of the detected defect. The portable repair terminal  5   b  is subsequently used to repair the defect.  
         [0036]     For some defects, repair may result in the occurrence of a secondary defect. For example, if a defect in an instrument panel is found as a result of inspections carried out using the portable inspection terminal  5   a,  replacing the instrument panel with a new one may result in a secondary defect in another part in association with the replacement. Consequently, after the repair of the defect, it is necessary to re-inspect other parts in which defects may occur as a result of the repair. This inspection is carried out in a repair checking stage, described later.  
         [0037]     As described above in connection with the configuration, the inspection item assignment information for the part to be repaired has been input through the master managing terminal  3 . The inspection item assignment information relate to other parts to be re-inspected because defects may occur in them as a result of the repair. The inspection item assignment information contains a set of sites to be inspected and the contents and methods of inspections.  
         [0038]     In the repair stage, the portable repair terminal  5   b  transmits the information on the part to be repaired (that is, repair information) to the server  2 .  
         [0039]     Upon receiving this information, the server  2  executes a process such as the one shown in  FIG. 6 . Specifically, the server  2  determines whether or not there has been any part to be repaired input by the portable repair terminal  5   b  (step S 11 ). If the result of the determination in step S 11  is “YES”, the server  2  transmits the inspection item assignment information on the part to be inspected to the portable repair checking terminal  5   c  (step S 12 ).  
         [0040]     Then, the portable repair checking terminal  5   c  executes a process shown in the flowchart in  FIG. 7 . Specifically, the portable repair checking terminal  5   c  displays the received inspection item assignment information on its own liquid crystal display  54  (step S 21 ).  
         [0041]     A repair checker views the display screen of the liquid crystal display  54  to input the results of the repair checks.  
         [0042]     The terminal determines whether or not the results have been input (step S 22 ). If the result of the determination in step S 22  is “YES”, the terminal transmits the results of the inspections to the server  2  (step S 23 ).  
         [0043]     For example, a display area in the upper part of the display screen of the portable repair terminal  5   b  shows an inspection classification “A1”, an inspection content “noise”, an inspection target “power window”, and an inspection site “D seat side”. In other words, defect information is displayed indicating that there is noise in the power window.  
         [0044]     Further, parts to be adjusted and repaired are shown in a display area in the lower part of the display screen of the portable repair terminal  5   b.    
         [0045]     The portable repair checking terminal  5   c  is provided with a display area that shows sites to be re-inspected in connection with the inspection target shown in the display area of the portable repair terminal  5   b,  and a display area that shows sites to be inspected of peripheral parts in which secondary defects may occur as a result of the repair of the part to be repaired which is shown in the display area of the portable repair inspection terminal  5   b.    
         [0046]     Buttons used to input the results of inspections are displayed at the right end of the display area showing the sites to be re-inspected.  
         [0047]     Also at the right end of the display area that shows the sites to be inspected of the peripheral parts in which secondary defects may occur as a result of the repair of the parts to be repaired, buttons are shown which are used to input the results of inspections of the sites to be inspected of the peripheral parts in which secondary defects may occur.  
         [0048]     When “All OK” is input as the results of the inspections of all the sites to be inspected of the peripheral parts in which secondary defects may occur as a result of the repair of the parts to be repaired, the input buttons located at the right end of the inspection area are enabled; the input buttons are used to input the results of the inspections.  
         [0049]     As described above, in the repair checking stage, the automobile is automatically inspected for new problems that may occur in the repair stage of repairing defects found in the inspection stage. This makes it possible to reliably avoid oversights in secondary problems that may occur in the step of repairing defects.  
         [0050]     In the description of the present embodiment, the portable inspection terminal is used as an inspection terminal, the portable repair terminal is used as a repair terminal, and the portable repair checking terminal is used as a repair checking terminal. Further, the system communicates with the server  2  via the access point  4  on the basis of the radio communication system. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is possible to use an installed inspection terminal, repair terminal, and repair checking terminal which are set by the server  2  and LAN.  
         [0051]     Moreover, the liquid crystal display  54  of the portable inspection terminal  5   a  is of the touch panel type. However, the present invention is not limited to this.  
         [0052]     Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.