IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,803,795
Granted Patent B2
US 11,803,795 · App. 17/440,789 · Granted Oct 31, 2023

Work assist device

Inventors: Atsuko Aoki (Tokyo, JP); Ryuhei Sumisaki (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
G06Q10/0633G06Q50/04
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,803,795
App. No.
17/440,789
Granted
Oct 31, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A work assist device includes a work burden degree evaluation unit, an improvement measures storage, a simulation unit, and an improvement measures determination unit. The work burden degree evaluation unit evaluates a work burden degree indicating a degree of burden imposed on an operator due to work from operator information and production facility information. The operator information is information related to the operator performing the work in cooperation with a production facility. The improvement measures storage stores improvement measures for improving the work burden degree. The simulation unit performs simulation of estimating an estimated improvement effect indicating a degree of improvement of the work burden degree when the improvement measures are applied. The improvement measures determination unit determines application improvement measures to be applied to at least one of the operator and the production facility from the improvement measures, based on the estimated improvement effect.

Claims (59)

1. A work assist device comprising:

work burden degree evaluation circuitry to evaluate a work burden degree indicating a degree of burden imposed on an operator due to work from operator information related to the operator performing the work in cooperation with a production facility and production facility information related to the production facility, the production facility including at least one production device used by the operator when performing the work;

an improvement measures memory to store improvement measures for improving the work burden degree;

simulation circuitry to perform simulation of estimating an estimated improvement effect indicating a degree of improvement of the work burden degree when the improvement measures are applied;

improvement measures determination circuitry to determine application improvement measures to be applied to at least one of the operator and the production facility from the improvement measures, based on the estimated improvement effect;

an operator information memory to store the operator information;

an operator information receiver to collect new operator information to be included in the operator information successively in real time;

a production facility information memory to store the production facility information;

a production facility information receiver to collect new production facility information to be incorporated in the production facility information successively in real time; and

a controller that controls a setting of the at least one production device to automatically implement the determined application improvement measures.

2. The work assist device according to claim 1 , wherein

the work burden degree evaluation circuitry evaluates the work burden degree in real time from the new operator information and the new production facility information when the new operator information and the new production facility information are collected.

3. The work assist device according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller circuitry is configured to control the setting of the at least one production device to automatically implement the determined application improvement measures in real time when the application improvement measures to be applied are determined.

4. The work assist device according to claim 1 , wherein

the at least one production device includes at least one of a height adjustable work table, a robot device, a processing device to which the operator supplies a component, a mechanism that supports and/or lifts a work target object or the component, a conveyor line that conveys the component or the work target object, a lighting device, an air-conditioning device, and an air-sending device.

5. The work assist device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

operator delivery circuitry that informs the operator of the determined application improvement measures.

6. The work assist device according to claim 5 , wherein

the operator delivery circuitry includes at least one of a mobile terminal of the operator, signage at the production facility, or a monitor at the production facility, and

the operator information interface informs the operator of the determined application improvement measures by visual, voice, or other signal information.

7. The work assist device according to claim 6 , wherein

the operator delivery circuitry is configured to inform the operator of the determined application improvement measures in real time when the application improvement measures to be applied are determined.

8. The work assist device according to claim 1 , wherein the improvement measures include the improvement measures with introduction of a new facility and the improvement measures without the introduction of the new facility.

9. A work assist device comprising:

work burden degree evaluation circuitry to evaluate a work burden degree indicating a degree of burden imposed on an operator due to work from operator information related to the operator performing the work in cooperation with a production facility and production facility information related to the production facility, the production facility including at least one production device used by the operator when performing the work;

an improvement measures memory to store improvement measures for improving the work burden degree;

simulation circuitry to perform simulation of estimating an estimated improvement effect indicating a degree of improvement of the work burden degree when the improvement measures are applied;

improvement measures determination circuitry to determine application improvement measures to be applied to at least one of the operator and the production facility from the improvement measures, based on the estimated improvement effect; and

a controller that controls a setting of the at least one production device to automatically implement the determined application improvement measures, wherein

the improvement measures include the improvement measures with introduction of a new facility and the improvement measures without the introduction of the new facility,

in the simulation, the estimated improvement effect indicating the degree of improvement of the work burden degree when the improvement measures with the introduction of the new facility are applied, and the estimated improvement effect indicating the degree of improvement of the work burden degree when the improvement measures without the introduction of the new facility are applied are estimated, and

when the improvement measures with the introduction of the new facility have a best estimated improvement effect, the improvement measures determination circuitry incorporates, in the application improvement measures, the improvement measures with the introduction of the new facility and the improvement measures without the introduction of the new facility.

10. The work assist device according to claim 9 , further comprising:

an operator information memory to store the operator information;

an operator information receiver to collect new operator information to be included in the operator information successively in real time;

a production facility information memory to store the production facility information; and

a production facility information receiver to collect new production facility information to be incorporated in the production facility information successively in real time.

11. The work assist device according to claim 9 , wherein

in the simulation, estimated influence that the improvement measures exert on a production plan is further estimated, and

the improvement measures determination circuitry determines the application improvement measures, based on the estimated improvement effect and the estimated influence.

12. The work assist device according to claim 9 , further comprising

improvement measures addition circuitry to create the improvement measures customized regarding the operator, based on an action of the operator, and add the improvement measures customized regarding the operator to the improvement measures.

13. The work assist device according to claim 9 , further comprising:

operator delivery circuitry that informs the operator of the determined application improvement measures.

14. A work assist device comprising:

work burden degree evaluation circuitry to evaluate a work burden degree indicating a degree of burden imposed on an operator due to work from operator information related to the operator performing the work in cooperation with a production facility and production facility information related to the production facility, the production facility including at least one production device used by the operator when performing the work;

an improvement measures memory to store improvement measures for improving the work burden degree;

simulation circuitry to perform simulation of estimating an estimated improvement effect indicating a degree of improvement of the work burden degree when the improvement measures are applied; and

improvement measures determination circuitry to determine application improvement measures to be applied to at least one of the operator and the production facility from the improvement measures, based on the estimated improvement effect; and

controller circuitry that controls a setting of the at least one production device to automatically implement the determined application improvement measures, wherein

the application improvement measures include the application improvement measures to be applied to the production facility.

15. The work assist device according to claim 14 , wherein

the controller circuitry controls the setting of the at least one production device to automatically implement the determined application improvement measures in real time when the application improvement measures to be applied to the production facility are determined.

16. The work assist device according to claim 14 , wherein the improvement measures include the improvement measures with introduction of a new facility and the improvement measures without the introduction of the new facility.

17. The work assist device according to claim 14 , further comprising:

operator delivery circuitry that informs the operator of the determined application improvement measures.

18. The work assist device according to claim 17 , wherein

the operator delivery circuitry is configured to inform the operator of the determined application improvement measures in real time when the application improvement measures to be applied to the production facility are applied to the production facility.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 20, 2021
From: AOKI, ATSUKO; SUMISAKI, RYUHEI
To: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 057524/0701 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220164728A1 · May 26, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 12,417,423