Patent Description:
Conventionally, there has been a production management system that is used in a production method of combining individual components produced in lots, to make a product (see, for example, <CIT> (Patent Literature <NUM>)).

In the above production management system, products are produced by ranking each component on the basis of finished dimensional accuracy of a predetermined portion of each component produced in lots, and combining components of a same rank on the basis of ranking data created for each rank. <NPL> discloses design and evaluation of a selective assembly station for high precision scroll compressor shells. In particular, it discloses a production management system for selecting components to be combined from a plurality of component groups, the production management system comprising a first component selection unit that, when combining a component of a first group of components and a component of a second component group among the plurality of component groups, preferentially selects a component having a value far from a tolerance median of the first component group and a second component selection unit that selects, from the second component group, a component that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the component selected from the first component group by the first component selection unit. <NPL> and <NPL> as well show production management systems.

However, in such a production management system of combining components of a same rank, components in different ranks are not combined even if they can be combined, which causes a problem of a lower combination rate.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a production management system and a production management method capable of improving a combination rate of constituent components.

A production management system according to the present invention is a production management system according to claim <NUM>.

According to the configuration above, when combining a component of the first component group and a component of the second component group among the plurality of component groups, the first component selection unit preferentially selects a component having a value far from the tolerance median of the first component group. Then, the second component selection unit selects, from the second component group, a component that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the component selected from the first component group by the first component selection unit. Repeatedly selecting a component from the first component group by the first component selection unit and selecting a component by the second component selection unit from the second component group makes it possible to search for combinations of all components of the first component group with components of the second component group. Note that, when the second component group includes no component yielding the specific dimension within the target dimension range when combined with a component selected from the first component group by the first component selection unit, the component selected from the first component group is excluded from the components subject to combination.

In this way, the first component selection unit preferentially selects a component having a value far from the tolerance median of the first component group. Therefore, by selecting preferentially a component with lower dimensional accuracy and a lower probability of finding a combination partner from the first component group, and selecting a component that can be combined with that component by the second component selection unit from the second component group, it is possible to reduce the number of components that remain without being combined, as compared to the case of ranking components on the basis of finished dimensional accuracy and combining components of a same rank. Therefore, it is possible to improve the combination rate of constituent components without ranking each component on the basis of finished dimensional accuracy, and to reduce variations of a specific dimension after the combination.

Further, in a production management system of one embodiment, the first component selection unit selects a component from an outermost side with respect to the tolerance median of the first component group.

According to the above embodiment, since the first component selection unit selects a component from the outermost side with respect to the tolerance median of the first component group, the combination rate can be improved by making the selection from the first component group, starting preferentially from a component with lower dimensional accuracy and a lowest probability of finding a combination partner in the first component group, and selecting, by the second component selection unit, from the second component group, a component that can be combined with that component.

Further, in a production management system according to the claimed invention, the first component selection unit selects, as the first component group, a component group having a largest variation in dimension data distribution among the plurality of component groups.

Possibly, the combination rate can be further improved since the combination is performed from a component group including many components with a low probability of finding a combination partner, by the first component selection unit selecting, as the first component group, a component group having a largest variation in dimension data distribution among the plurality of component groups.

Further, in a production management system of one embodiment,
when the second component group has a plurality of components that yield the specific dimension within the target dimension range when combined with a component selected from the first component group by the first component selection unit, the second component selection unit selects a component closer to a reference target value within the target dimension range among the plurality of components.

According to the above embodiment, when the second component group has a plurality of components that yield the specific dimension within the target dimension range when combined with a component selected from the first component group by the first component selection unit, a component closer to the reference target value is selected within the target dimension range among the plurality of components. Therefore, the specific dimension of the combined components is close to the reference target value, and variations in the specific dimension after the combination can be reduced.

Further, in a production management system of one embodiment,.

According to the above embodiment, the first component group of compressor pistons each having the integrally formed blade and roller is first selected. Since a variation in an outer diameter dimension of these pistons is larger than that of another component to be combined, it is possible to make combinations, starting preferentially from the group (first component group) of pistons, many of which have a lower probability of finding a combination partner than that of other components.

Further, a production management method according to the present invention is a production management method according to claim <NUM>.

According to the above configuration, in the first step, the first component selection unit preferentially selects a component having a value far from the tolerance median of the first component group in combining a component of the first component group and a component of the second component group among the plurality of component groups. Next, in the second step, the second component selection unit selects, from the second component group, a component yielding a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with a component selected from the first component group in the first step. In this way, since the first component selection unit preferentially selects a component having a value far from a tolerance median of the first component group, it is possible to reduce the number of components that remain without being combined, by selecting preferentially a component with lower dimensional accuracy and a lower probability of finding a combination partner in the first component group, and selecting, by the second component selection unit from the second component group, a component that can be combined with that component. Therefore, it is possible to improve the combination rate of constituent components, and to reduce variations of a specific dimension after the combination.

As is apparent from the above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize the production management system and the production management method capable of improving a combination rate of constituent components, by preferentially selecting a component having a value far from a tolerance median of the first component group among the plurality of component groups, and selecting, from the second component group, a component that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the component selected from the first component group by the first component selection unit.

Hereinafter, a production management system and a production management method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated aspects and embodiments.

(First aspect) <FIG> is a block diagram of a production management system <NUM> according to a first aspect of the present invention.

As shown in <FIG>, the production management system <NUM> according to this first aspect includes a dimension data input unit <NUM>, a dimension data storage unit <NUM>, a distribution analysis unit <NUM>, a first component selection unit <NUM>, a second component selection unit <NUM>, and a combination information storage unit <NUM>.

The dimension data input unit <NUM> is inputted with dimension data obtained by measuring a finished dimension of a predetermined portion of components, with use of a dimension measuring device (not shown) for each component group, in association with an identification code assigned to each component. In this first aspect, a unit of dimension data is µm.

Further, the dimension data storage unit <NUM> stores the dimension data inputted to the dimension data input unit <NUM> for each component group in association with the identification code.

Further, the distribution analysis unit <NUM> analyzes the dimension data stored for each component group in the dimension data storage unit <NUM>, and obtains a median of drawing tolerance and a position of each component in dimension data distribution.

Here, the median of the dimension data distribution is a value located at a center of the drawing tolerance.

Further, the first component selection unit <NUM> preferentially selects a component having a value far from a tolerance median of the first component group, on the basis of the dimension data distribution for each component group analyzed by the distribution analysis unit <NUM>.

Here, the first component group is determined in advance as a component group having a largest variation in the dimension data distribution among the plurality of component groups. The variation of the dimension data distribution is determined using, for example, variance, standard deviation, and the like.

In addition, the second component selection unit <NUM> selects, from the second component group, a component yielding a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the component selected from the first component group by the first component selection unit <NUM>.

Here, the second component group is a group of components suitable for combination with components of the first component group in a manufacturing process.

The combination information storage unit <NUM> stores in advance a target dimension range of a specific dimension when a component of the first component group and a component of the second component group are combined.

This specific dimension includes, for example, a level difference in a height direction of two components to be combined, a radial gap of two components to be combined, and the like, and is several µm to several tens of µm in the present embodiment.

Next, an operation of the production management system <NUM>, that is, a production management method will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> shows dimension data x1 to xm of a group of components A on the left side, and shows dimension data y1 to ym of a group of components B on the right side. Identification codes A1 to Am are assigned to the group of components A, and identification codes B <NUM> to Bm are assigned to the group of components B. This group of components A is a first component group, and the group of components B is a second component group.

The dimension data x1 to xm of the group of components A are obtained by analyzing, by the distribution analysis unit <NUM>, the dimension data stored for each component group in the dimension data storage unit <NUM>, and arranging in order from the smallest x1 to the largest xm of the dimension data of the group of components A, but rearrangement of the data is not performed in the dimension data storage unit <NUM>. At this time, the distribution analysis unit <NUM> obtains a median of drawing tolerance of the component A.

Similarly, for the dimension data y <NUM> to ym of the group of components B, dimension data for the component group stored in the dimension data storage unit <NUM> is analyzed by the distribution analysis unit <NUM>. At this time, the distribution analysis unit <NUM> obtains a median of drawing tolerance of the group of components B.

Then, on the basis of dimension data distribution of the group of components A, the first component selection unit <NUM> preferentially selects a component Aa (dimension data xa) having a value far from the tolerance median (first step). Here, the component Aa indicates an a-th component among A1 to Am.

Next, on the basis of the dimension data xa of the component Aa, the second component selection unit <NUM> selects, from the group of components B, a component Bb (dimension data yb) that yields a specific dimension (for example, (xa - yb)) within a target dimension range SAB1 to SAB2 when combined with the component Aa selected from the group of components A by the first component selection unit <NUM> (second step). Here, the component Bb indicates a b-th component among B1 to Bm.

In this way, when a set of the component Aa and the component Bb is selected, the component Aa is excluded from the next selection from the dimension data of the group of components A, while the component Bb is excluded from the next selection from the dimension data of the group of components B. Note that, when there is no component B that yields a specific dimension (for example, (xa - yb)) within the target dimension range SAB1 to SAB2 when combined with the component Aa, the component Aa is excluded from the next selection from the dimension data of the group of components A, and the dimension data storage unit <NUM> stores information indicating that there is no combination component, in association with the component Aa.

Further, the identification codes of the component Aa and the component Bb as a selection result are outputted to a component picking device (not shown) as a selection signal, and the component picking device takes out Aa and Bb corresponding to the identification codes from a housing that individually houses the groups of components A and components B.

In this way, when a set of the component Aa and the component Bb is selected, or the component Aa is excluded from the selection as there is no component B to be combined with the component Aa, the process returns to the first step. Then, on the basis of dimension data distribution of the group of components A, the first component selection unit <NUM> preferentially selects a component A having a value far from the tolerance median, and determines a combination of the component A and the component B until there is no selection target (i.e., selectable component) from the group of components A left in the dimension data storage unit <NUM>.

In this case, the component A is selected from an outer side of the tolerance median of the dimension data distribution of the group of components A. More specifically, the component having a larger absolute value of a difference from the tolerance median is selected out of a component A having a largest dimension and a component A having a smallest dimension in the dimension data distribution.

In the first aspect above, on the basis of the selection result of the components A and B, the components are taken out from the housing by the component picking device. However, without limiting to this, a person may take out the components from the housing in accordance with display or print of the selection result of the components A and B.

According to the production management system and production management method configured as described above, in combining a component of the group of components A (first component group) and a component of the group of components B (second component group) among the plurality of component groups, the first component selection unit <NUM> preferentially selects a component Aa having a value far from the tolerance median of the group of components A. Then, the second component selection unit <NUM> selects, from the group of components B, a component Bb that yields a specific dimension within the target dimension range SAB1 to SAB2 when combined with the component Aa selected from the group of components A. By repeatedly selecting components from the group of components A by the first component selection unit <NUM> and selecting components from the group of components B by the second component selection unit <NUM>, combinations for all components in the group of components A with components in the group of components B are searched for. Here, when there is no component in the group of components B that yields the specific dimension within the target dimension range when combined with a component selected from the group of components A by the first component selection unit <NUM>, the component selected from the group of components A is excluded from the combination.

In this way, the first component selection unit <NUM> preferentially selects a component having a value far from a tolerance median of the group of components A. Therefore, by selecting preferentially a component with lower dimensional accuracy and a lower probability of finding a combination partner in the group of components A, and selecting a component that can be combined with that component from the group of components B by the second component selection unit <NUM>, it is possible to reduce the number of components that remain without being combined, as compared to the case of ranking components on the basis of finished dimensional accuracy and combining components of a same rank. Therefore, it is possible to improve the combination rate of constituent components without ranking each component on the basis of finished dimensional accuracy, and to reduce variations of a specific dimension after the combination.

In addition, since the first component selection unit <NUM> selects the component Aa from an outermost, or farthest side with respect to the tolerance median of the group of components A, the combination rate can be improved by making the selection, starting preferentially from a component with lower dimensional accuracy and a lowest probability of finding a combination partner, and selecting a component that can be combined with that component from the group of components B by the second component selection unit <NUM>.

In addition, by the first component selection unit <NUM> selecting, as the group of components A, a component group having a largest variation in the dimension data distribution among the plurality of component groups, the combination is performed from a component group including many components with a low probability of finding a combination partner, and therefore the combination rate can be further improved.

In addition, when there are a plurality of components in the group of components B that yield a specific dimension within the target dimension range SAB1 to SAB2 when combined with the component Aa selected from the group of components A by the first component selection unit <NUM>, a component closer to the reference target value SAB0 in the target dimension range SAB1 to SAB2 is selected among the plurality of components. This reference target value SAB0 is to be a median of the target dimension range SAB1 to SAB2.

This allows the specific dimension of the combined component to be close to the reference target value SAB0, and can reduce variations in the specific dimension after the combination.

<FIG> is a view for explaining an operation (production management method) of a production management system <NUM> according to a second aspect of the present invention. The production management system <NUM> of this second aspect has the same configuration as the production management system <NUM> of the first aspect except that components to be combined are selected from three groups of components A, B, and C. Therefore, <FIG> is used.

<FIG> shows dimension data x1 to xm of a group of components A on the left side, and shows dimension data y1 to ym of a group of components B and dimension data z1 to zm of a group of components C on the right side. Identification codes A1 to Am are assigned to the group of components A, identification codes B1 to Bm are assigned to the group of components B, and identification codes C1 to Cm are assigned to the group of components C.

The group of components A is a first component group, and the groups of components B and C are second component groups.

Further, similarly to the groups of components A and B, the dimension data z1 to zm of the group of components C are obtained by analyzing, by a distribution analysis unit <NUM>, dimension data stored for each component group in a dimension data storage unit <NUM>, and arranging in order from the smallest z1 to the largest zm of the dimension data of the group of components C, but rearrangement of the dimension data is not performed in the dimension data storage unit <NUM>. At this time, the distribution analysis unit <NUM> obtains a median of drawing tolerance of the group of components C.

In the production management system <NUM> of the second embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, a component Aa in the group of components A and a component Bb in the group of components B are selected as in the first embodiment shown in <FIG>.

Next, for a component C to be combined with the component Aa and the component Bb, the second component selection unit <NUM> selects, from the group of components C on the basis of the dimension data xa of the component Aa, a component Cc (dimension data zc) that yields a specific dimension (for example, (xa - zc)) within a target dimension range SAC1 to SAC2 when combined with the component Aa selected from the group of components A by a first component selection unit <NUM>. Here, the component Cc indicates a c-th component among C1 to Cm.

In this way, when a set of the component Aa, the component Bb, and the component Cc is selected, the component Aa is excluded from the next selection from the dimension data of the group of components A, while the component Bb is excluded from the next selection from the dimension data of the group of components B. Further, the component Cc is excluded from the next selection from the dimension data of the group of components C.

Note that, even when there is no component C that yields a specific dimension (for example, (xa - zc)) when combined with the component Aa within the target dimension range sAC1 to sAC2, the component Aa is excluded from the next selection from the dimension data of the group of components A, and the dimension data storage unit <NUM> stores information indicating that there is no combination component in association with the component Aa.

Further, the identification codes of the component Aa, the component Bb, and the component Cc as a selection result are outputted to a component picking device (not shown) as a selection signal, and the component picking device takes out components Aa, Bb, and Cc corresponding to the identification codes from a housing that individually houses the groups of components A, components B, and components C.

In the second aspect the component Cc (dimension data zc) that yields a specific dimension (for example, (xa - zc)) within the target dimension range SAC1 to SAC2 when combined with the component Aa selected from the group of components A is selected from the group of components C. However, it is possible to select, from the group of components C, a component Cc (dimension data zc) that yields a specific dimension (for example, (yb - zc)) within a target dimension range SBC1 to SBC2 when combined with the component Ba selected from the group of components B. The component that yields a specific dimension within the target dimension range when combined with a third component is appropriately determined in accordance with constituent components of the product to be assembled.

Alternatively, the component yielding a specific dimension within the target dimension range when combined with a third component may be both of the components A and B. That is, a combination dimension specified with the components A, B, and C combined may be used, which may be, for example, a total thickness of the components A, B, and C (thickness of component A + thickness of component B + thickness of component B), or the like.

In this way, when a set of the component Aa, the component Bb, and the component Cc is selected, or the component Aa is excluded from the selection as there is no component B or component C to be combined with the component Aa, next, on the basis of dimension data distribution of the group of components A, the first component selection unit <NUM> preferentially selects a component A having a value far from the tolerance median, and determines a combination of the component A, a component B, and a component C, which process is repeated until there is no selection target left in the group of components A in the dimension data storage unit <NUM>.

The production management system and production management method of the second aspect have effects similar to those of the production management system and production management method of the first aspect.

Further, although the components to be combined are selected from the three groups of components A, B, and C in the second aspect, the components to be combined may be selected from four or more groups of components. In this case, a component group for selecting a component that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the fourth or subsequent component is determined appropriately, as with the component C, in accordance with constituent components of the assembled product, the manufacturing process, and the like.

<FIG> shows a configuration of a compressor produced with a production management system and a production management method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in <FIG>, the compressor includes a hermetic container <NUM>, a compression mechanism unit <NUM> disposed in this hermetic container <NUM>, and a motor <NUM> that is disposed in the hermetic container <NUM> and drives the compression mechanism unit <NUM> via a crankshaft <NUM>. The compressor is a so-called vertical high-pressure dome-type rotary compressor, and the compression mechanism unit <NUM> is arranged in a lower part of the hermetic container <NUM>, and the motor <NUM> is arranged above the compression mechanism unit <NUM>. A rotor <NUM> of this motor <NUM> is to drive the compression mechanism unit <NUM> via the crankshaft <NUM>.

The compression mechanism unit <NUM> takes in refrigerant gas through a suction pipe <NUM>. Further, the refrigerant gas is compressed by the compression mechanism unit <NUM> to become high temperature and high pressure, and then discharged from the compression mechanism unit <NUM> to fill the hermetic container <NUM>. At this time, the refrigerant gas passes through a gap between a stator <NUM> and the rotor <NUM>, cools the motor <NUM>, and then is discharged outside from a discharge pipe <NUM> provided above the motor <NUM>.

Further, the compression mechanism unit <NUM> includes a cylinder <NUM> to define a cylinder chamber <NUM>, a front head <NUM> attached to an upper end of this cylinder <NUM> and located on the cylinder <NUM>, and a rear head <NUM> attached to a lower end of the cylinder <NUM> and located under the cylinder <NUM>. The cylinder chamber <NUM> is formed by the cylinder <NUM>, the front head <NUM>, and the rear head <NUM>. This cylinder chamber <NUM> houses a piston <NUM> for compression of the refrigerant gas.

The front head <NUM> has a disk-shaped main body <NUM> and a boss <NUM> that protrudes upward from a center of this main body <NUM>. The crankshaft <NUM> is rotatably inserted into the main body <NUM> and the boss <NUM>. Note that the boss <NUM> is an example of an upper bearing. The main body <NUM> is provided with a discharge port 51a that communicates with the cylinder chamber <NUM>.

Further, the rear head <NUM> includes a disk-shaped main body <NUM> and a boss <NUM> that protrudes downward from a center of this main body <NUM>. The crankshaft <NUM> is rotatably inserted into the main body <NUM> and the boss <NUM>.

Thus, a lower portion of the crankshaft <NUM> is supported by the front head <NUM> and the rear head <NUM>. In this lower portion of the crankshaft <NUM>, a portion located between the front head <NUM> and the rear head <NUM> enters the cylinder chamber <NUM>.

Further, an eccentric portion <NUM> is provided at the lower portion of the crankshaft <NUM> so as to be located in the cylinder chamber <NUM>. The eccentric portion <NUM> is fitted to a roller <NUM> of the piston <NUM>. The piston <NUM> is arranged in the cylinder chamber <NUM> so as to be capable of revolving, and the revolving motion of the piston <NUM> causes a compression action.

<FIG> is a plan view of a main part of the compression mechanism unit <NUM> of the compressor.

The compressor includes the piston <NUM> having the roller <NUM> and a blade <NUM> that are integrally formed. The blade <NUM> of the piston <NUM> partitions the inside of the cylinder chamber <NUM> into a suction chamber (low pressure chamber) 22a that takes in refrigerant gas from the suction pipe <NUM>, and a discharge chamber (high pressure chamber) 22b in which the discharge port 51a (shown in <FIG>) opens on an inner surface of the cylinder chamber <NUM>.

Further, a pair of semi-cylindrical bushes <NUM> and <NUM> is brought into close contact with both side surfaces of the blade <NUM>, and the bushes <NUM> and <NUM> seal spaces adjacent to both side surfaces of the blade <NUM>. These bushes <NUM> and <NUM> support the blade <NUM> such that the blade <NUM> is able to advance and retract, by sandwiching it from both sides.

When the eccentric portion <NUM> of the crankshaft <NUM> rotates eccentrically, the roller <NUM> of the piston <NUM> revolves with an outer peripheral surface of the roller <NUM> being in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the cylinder chamber <NUM>.

<Assembly of compression mechanism unit>.

In an assembly process of the compression mechanism unit <NUM> of the compressor, the production management system <NUM> of the second embodiment is used. Prior to this assembly process, the piston <NUM>, the cylinder <NUM>, the crankshaft <NUM>, the front head <NUM>, and the rear head <NUM>, which constitute the compression mechanism unit <NUM>, are produced in lots by machining.

Then, dimension data is measured with use of a dimension measuring device (not shown) for each lot of the produced piston <NUM>, cylinder <NUM>, crankshaft <NUM>, front head <NUM>, and rear head <NUM>, and the measured dimension data is inputted to the dimension data input unit <NUM> (shown in <FIG>) in association with an identification code assigned to each component.

Then, the dimension data storage unit <NUM> stores the dimension data inputted to the dimension data input unit <NUM> for each component group in association with the identification code.

Here, the dimension data of each component is:.

Note that the shaft outer diameter of the crankshaft <NUM> is an outer diameter of a shaft portion of the crankshaft <NUM> corresponding to the shaft bore of the front head <NUM> and the shaft bore of the rear head <NUM>.

Further, the distribution analysis unit <NUM> analyzes the dimension data stored for each component group in the dimension data storage unit <NUM>, to obtain a median of drawing tolerance for each component group and a position of each component in dimension data distribution.

<FIG> is a flowchart for explaining the assembly process of the compression mechanism unit <NUM>, with use of the production management system <NUM>.

First, when assembly starts, the piston <NUM> is selected in step S1. At this time, the first component selection unit <NUM> (shown in <FIG>) selects a piston <NUM> from an outermost side with respect to a tolerance median of the group of pistons <NUM> (first component group) on the basis of the dimension data distribution for the component group analyzed by the distribution analysis unit <NUM>. That is, the first component selection unit <NUM> selects a piston <NUM> having a largest absolute value of a difference from the tolerance median.

Next, the process proceeds to step S2, and the cylinder <NUM> is selected. That is, a cylinder <NUM> to be combined with the piston <NUM> selected in step S1 is selected from a group of cylinders <NUM> (second component group). At this time, the second component selection unit <NUM> (shown in <FIG>) selects, from the group of cylinders <NUM> (second component group), a cylinder <NUM> that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the piston <NUM> selected in step S1.

The specific dimension and the target dimension range in this combination of the piston <NUM> and the cylinder <NUM> are stored in the combination information storage unit <NUM> (shown in <FIG>). The specific dimension and the target dimension range therefor are the following two, (<NUM>) and (<NUM>). A cylinder <NUM> that satisfies both (<NUM>) and (<NUM>) is selected.

The target dimension range is a range allowed for a reference target value of the level difference in the height direction.

Note that, when there are a plurality of cylinders <NUM>, in the group of cylinders <NUM> (second component group), that yield the specific dimension within the respective target dimension range when combined with the piston <NUM> selected by the first component selection unit <NUM>, a cylinder <NUM> closer to a reference target value within the target dimension range is selected among the plurality of cylinders <NUM>. This allows the level difference in the height direction (specific dimension) between the combined piston <NUM> and cylinder <NUM> to be close to the reference target value, and can reduce variations in the specific dimension after the combination.

Next, the process proceeds to step S3, and the crankshaft <NUM> is selected. That is, a crankshaft <NUM> to be combined with the piston <NUM> selected in step S <NUM> is selected from a group of crankshafts <NUM> (second component group). At this time, the second component selection unit <NUM> selects, from the group of crankshafts <NUM> (second component group), a crankshaft <NUM> that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the piston <NUM> selected in step S1.

The specific dimension and the target dimension range in this combination of the piston <NUM> and the crankshaft <NUM> are stored in the combination information storage unit <NUM>. The specific dimension is a radial gap [inner diameter of piston <NUM> - outer diameter of eccentric portion <NUM> of crankshaft <NUM>], and the target dimension range is a range allowed for a reference target value of this radial gap.

Next, the process proceeds to step S4, and the front head <NUM> is selected. That is, a front head <NUM> to be combined with the crankshaft <NUM> selected in step S3 is selected from a group of front heads <NUM> (second component group). At this time, the second component selection unit <NUM> selects, from the group of front heads <NUM> (second component group), a front head <NUM> that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the crankshaft <NUM> selected in step S3.

The specific dimension and the target dimension range in this combination of the front head <NUM> and the crankshaft <NUM> are stored in the combination information storage unit <NUM>. The specific dimension is a radial gap [inner diameter of shaft bore of front head <NUM> - outer diameter of crankshaft <NUM>], and the target dimension range is a range allowed for a reference target value of the radial gap.

Next, the process proceeds to step S5, and a rear head <NUM> is selected. That is, a rear head <NUM> to be combined with the crankshaft <NUM> selected in step S3 is selected from a group of rear heads <NUM> (second component group). At this time, the second component selection unit <NUM> selects, from the group of rear heads <NUM> (second component group), a rear head <NUM> that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the crankshaft <NUM> selected in step S3.

The specific dimension and the target dimension range in this combination of the rear head <NUM> and the crankshaft <NUM> are stored in the combination information storage unit <NUM>. The specific dimension is a radial gap [inner diameter of shaft bore of rear head <NUM> - outer diameter of crankshaft <NUM>], and the target dimension range is a range allowed for a reference target value of the radial gap.

The combination of the constituent components of the compression mechanism unit <NUM> is determined by the above steps S1 to S5. Then, in the production management system <NUM>, the selected individual piston <NUM>, cylinder <NUM>, crankshaft <NUM>, front head <NUM>, and rear head <NUM> are excluded from the next selection, with use of the identification code of each component, from the dimension data stored in the dimension data storage unit <NUM>.

Then, by repeating steps S1 to S5, combinations of constituent components of the compression mechanism unit <NUM> are determined until there is no selection target left in the group of pistons <NUM> in the dimension data storage unit <NUM>.

<FIG> is a flowchart for explaining another example of the assembly process of the compression mechanism unit, with use of the production management system <NUM>. This assembly process described in <FIG> is different from the assembly process of <FIG> in that the crankshaft <NUM>, the piston <NUM>, and the cylinder <NUM> are selected in this order.

First, the crankshaft <NUM> is selected in step S <NUM>. At this time, the first component selection unit <NUM> selects a crankshaft <NUM> from an outermost side with respect to a tolerance median of the group of crankshafts <NUM> (first component group) on the basis of the dimension data distribution for the component group analyzed by the distribution analysis unit <NUM>. That is, the first component selection unit <NUM> selects a piston <NUM> having a largest absolute value of a difference from the tolerance median.

Next, the process proceeds to step S12, and the piston <NUM> is selected. That is, a piston <NUM> to be combined with the crankshaft <NUM> selected in step S11 is selected from a group of pistons <NUM> (second component group). At this time, the second component selection unit <NUM> selects, from the group of pistons <NUM> (second component group), a piston <NUM> that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the crankshaft <NUM> selected in step S11.

The specific dimension and the target dimension range in this combination of the crankshaft <NUM> and the piston <NUM> are stored in the combination information storage unit <NUM>. The specific dimension is a radial gap [inner diameter of piston <NUM> - outer diameter of eccentric portion <NUM> of crankshaft <NUM>], and the target dimension range is a range allowed for a reference target value of the radial gap.

Next, the process proceeds to step S13, and the cylinder <NUM> is selected. That is, a cylinder <NUM> to be combined with the piston <NUM> selected in step S12 is selected from a group of cylinders <NUM> (second component group). At this time, the second component selection unit <NUM> selects, from the group of cylinders <NUM> (second component group), a cylinder <NUM> that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the piston <NUM> selected in step S12.

The specific dimension and the target dimension range in this combination of the piston <NUM> and the cylinder <NUM> are stored in the combination information storage unit <NUM>. The specific dimension and the target dimension range therefor are the following two, (i) and (ii). A cylinder <NUM> that satisfies both (i) and (ii) is selected.

The target dimension range is a range allowed for a reference target value of the level difference in the height direction.

Next, the process proceeds to step S14, and the front head <NUM> is selected. That is, a front head <NUM> to be combined with the crankshaft <NUM> selected in step S11 is selected from a group of front heads <NUM> (second component group). At this time, the second component selection unit <NUM> selects, from the group of front heads <NUM> (second component group), a front head <NUM> that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the crankshaft <NUM> selected in step S11.

Next, the process proceeds to step S15, and the rear head <NUM> is selected. That is, a rear head <NUM> to be combined with the crankshaft <NUM> selected in step S11 is selected from a group of rear heads <NUM> (second component group). At this time, the second component selection unit <NUM> selects, from the group of rear heads <NUM> (second component group), a rear head <NUM> that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the crankshaft <NUM> selected in step S11.

The combination of the constituent components of the compression mechanism unit <NUM> is determined by the above steps S11 to S15. Then, in the production management system <NUM>, the selected individual piston <NUM>, cylinder <NUM>, crankshaft <NUM>, front head <NUM>, and rear head <NUM> are excluded from the next selection, with use of the identification code of each component, from the dimension data stored in the dimension data storage unit <NUM>.

Then, by repeating steps S11 to S15, combinations of constituent components of the compression mechanism unit <NUM> are determined until there is no selection target left in the group of crankshafts <NUM> in the dimension data storage unit <NUM>.

<FIG> shows an example of combination components of a plurality of component groups of the production management system.

For example, when the combination components are a cylinder and a piston, the level difference in the height direction (cylinder height - piston height) is the specific dimension. Note that the cylinder height is set to be larger than the piston height.

Further, when the combination components are a cylinder and a bush, the level difference in the height direction (cylinder height - bush height) is the specific dimension. Note that the cylinder height is set to be larger than the bush height.

Further, when the combination components are a front head and a crankshaft, a radial gap (inner diameter of shaft bore of front head - outer diameter of crankshaft) is the specific dimension. Note that the inner diameter of the shaft bore of the front head is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the crankshaft.

Further, when the combination components are a rear head and a crankshaft, a radial gap (inner diameter of shaft bore of rear head - outer diameter of crankshaft) is the specific dimension. Note that the inner diameter of the shaft bore of the rear head is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the crankshaft.

Further, when the combination components are a piston and a crankshaft, a radial gap (inner diameter of piston - outer diameter of eccentric portion of crankshaft) is the specific dimension. Note that the inner diameter of piston is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the eccentric portion of the crankshaft.

Further, when the combination components are three of a crankshaft, a piston, and a cylinder, a radial gap (inner diameter of cylinder - outer diameter of piston - eccentricity of eccentric portion of crankshaft) is the specific dimension. Note that the inner diameter of the cylinder is set to be larger than (the outer diameter of the piston plus the eccentric amount of the eccentric portion of the crankshaft).

Furthermore, when the combination components are three of a cylinder, a bush, and a piston, a radial gap (inner diameter of cylinder bush hole - total width of two bushes - blade width of piston) is the specific dimension. Note that the inner diameter of the cylinder bush hole is set to be larger than (the total width of two bushes minus the blade width of the piston).

In the production management system and production management method configured as described above, first, the group of components A, each of which is the compressor piston <NUM> integrally formed with the blade <NUM> and the roller <NUM>, is selected. Since a variation in an outer diameter dimension of this piston <NUM> is larger than that of another component to be combined, it is possible to make combinations, starting preferentially from the group of pistons <NUM>, many of which have a lower probability of finding a combination partner than that of other components.

The production management system and production management method of the preferred embodiment have effects similar to those of the production management system and production management method of the second aspect.

In the preferred embodiment, the production management system and the production management method used for compressor production have been described. However, the production management system and the production management method according to the present invention can be applied for selecting components constituting other products, without limiting to the compressor.

Claim 1:
A production management system for selecting components to be combined from a plurality of component groups, the production management system comprising:
a distribution analysis unit (<NUM>), configured to analyze dimension data for each component group to obtain a tolerance median for each component group and a position of each component in the dimension data distribution;
a first component selection unit (<NUM>) that, when combining a component of a first component group and a component of a second component group among the plurality of component groups, selects a component having a largest absolute value of a difference from a tolerance median of the first component group on the basis of a dimension data distribution for the first component group analyzed by the distribution analysis unit (<NUM>); and
a second component selection unit (<NUM>) that selects, from the second component group, a component that yields a specific dimension within a target dimension range when combined with the component selected from the first component group by the first component selection unit (<NUM>), characterized in that
the first component selection unit (<NUM>) selects, as the first component group, a component group having a largest variation in dimension data distribution among the plurality of component groups.