Flexible product manufacturing planning

📌 Overview

This patent, issued on April 5, 2022, describes a flexible product manufacturing planning system that employs receding-horizon optimization to adapt dynamically to changing production needs. The system utilizes a planning engine that receives input data on manufacturing parameters and solves optimization problems with respect to cost functions to generate receding horizon execution plans for manufacturing operations (USPTO).

Why It Matters

Traditional manufacturing systems struggle with adaptability when production disturbances occur, often requiring static plans or manual interventions. This patent addresses the need for flexible and responsive manufacturing systems that can handle variable production environments with multiple products while maintaining efficiency and minimizing costs.

Core Innovations

1. Receding Horizon Planning Engine

   Receives input data on manufacturing parameters and continuously solves optimization problems to generate execution plans that adapt to changing conditions (USPTO).

2. Dynamic Re-optimization

   Upon completion of execution subsets or trigger events, the system re-solves the optimization problem to obtain new receding horizon execution plans for subsequent manufacturing steps (USPTO).

3. Cost Function Optimization

   The system minimizes cost functions while planning manufacturing steps, enabling efficient resource allocation and production scheduling (USPTO).

4. Iterative Plan Updates

   Continuously integrates new input data and system feedback to refine and improve execution plans in real-time (USPTO).

Core Value

This invention enables adaptive manufacturing systems that can respond dynamically to production disturbances, demand changes, and resource constraints. It reduces the need for manual planning interventions while supporting real-time integration with manufacturing execution systems, making it particularly valuable for environments with high variability and diverse product portfolios.

Benefits & Applications

• Enhanced Flexibility: Enables manufacturing systems to adapt quickly to changing production requirements and disturbances.
• Reduced Manual Intervention: Minimizes the need for human operators to manually adjust production plans when disruptions occur.
• Optimized Resource Utilization: Cost function optimization ensures efficient allocation of manufacturing resources and capacity.
• Real-time Responsiveness: Supports integration with manufacturing execution systems for immediate plan adjustments based on current conditions.

🔍 TL;DP Summary

@misc {muenz2022flexible, title= {Flexible product manufacturing planning} , author= {MUENZ, Ulrich and Bank, Hasan Sinan and Tzorakoleftherakis, Emmanouil and J {\"a} ntsch, Michael} , year= {2022} , month=apr # "~5", publisher= {Google Patents} , note= {US Patent 11,295,254} }