A management device includes a data acquisition unit that collects data related to power consumption supplied to a plurality of industrial machines from at least a power supply facility, a preprocessing unit that creates power consumption data based on the collected data, a decision making unit that determines a behavior of allocating a predetermined total suspension time to the plurality of industrial machines with respect to a current state of power consumption by the plurality of industrial machines with reference to a learning model associating a value of a behavior of allocating the predetermined total suspension time to the plurality of industrial machines with a state of power consumption by the plurality of industrial machines based on power consumption data, and a suspension time allocation unit that allocates the suspension time to the plurality of industrial machines.

A production management device is communicably connected to a plurality of slave control devices respectively connected to a plurality of machine tools, and also communicably connected to a master control device for preparing an overall operation plan of the plurality of machine tools. The production management device acquires data on a machine type and an operation condition of each of the plurality of machine tools from the slave control device. The production management device selects, on the basis of the data, an alternative machine tool to be substituted for a specific machine tool from among the plurality of machine tools. Furthermore, the production management device substitutes the alternative machine tool for the specific machine tool.

An apparatus and a method thereof for determining a control condition set of a production line. The apparatus divides several historical control condition sets into several groups, wherein the historical control conditions corresponding to the same control factor are the same in each group. For each group, the apparatus calculates a measurement of central tendency according to the historical yield related values in the group. The apparatus decides a subset of the groups. For each group in the subset, the apparatus calculates a degree of variation and a number regarding the different control conditions between the control condition set and the group. The apparatus calculates weight scores. Based on the measurements of central tendency and the weight scores, the apparatus selects one of the groups as a selected group and assigns the historical control conditions of the selected group as the control conditions of the control condition set.

A cell controller of a system includes: a sensor management part that collectively manages information from a sensor; a workpiece management part that monitors at least one of the stroke and the state amount of a workpiece, the stroke and state amount being included in the information from the sensor; and a task management part that selects the workpiece to be handled based on the task request from a machine controller and at least one of the stroke and the state amount of the workpiece, and transmits information on the workpiece to be handled to the machine controller.

An apparatus and a method thereof for determining a control condition set of a production line. The apparatus divides several historical control condition sets into several groups, wherein the historical control conditions corresponding to the same control factor are the same in each group. For each group, the apparatus calculates a measurement of central tendency according to the historical yield related values in the group. The apparatus decides a subset of the groups. For each group in the subset, the apparatus calculates a degree of variation and a number regarding the different control conditions between the control condition set and the group. The apparatus calculates weight scores. Based on the measurements of central tendency and the weight scores, the apparatus selects one of the groups as a selected group and assigns the historical control conditions of the selected group as the control conditions of the control condition set.

A process control device includes a deadlock determination part that determines whether or not a deadlock occurrence situation occurs when a work process that is being executed and a work process scheduled to be executed next are executed simultaneously by referring to process constraint information in which a plurality of work processes and each work state of a plurality of process execution elements of a manufacturing device are associated with each other, and a process execution control part that delays an execution timing of the work process scheduled to be executed next when the deadlock determination part has determined that the deadlock occurrence situation occurs.

A method of persona-based service delivery includes receiving use data from a sensor and from a service device while a user interacts with the service device in a current environment. Based on the use data, the method includes developing, a preference that reflects the interaction by the user with the service device as monitored by the sensor. Based on the preference, the method includes developing a command instruction that modifies a physical operational condition of the service device consistent with the preference. The method includes storing a persona specific to the user, the persona including the preference and the command instruction for the user in the current environment. The method includes subsequently receiving collected data that includes a user characteristic of the user in the current environment. In response to receipt of the collected data, the method includes downloading the persona of the user to the sensor.

There is provided a control apparatus including a receiving part that receives working data of manufacturing cells; a storage part that stores the working data; an item list generation part that classifies the working data for each of the components of each manufacturing cell, and extracts a data item to generate a data item list of a whole of each manufacturing cell; an integrated data generation part that compares a plurality of the data item lists, reads out detailed data of the data items having the same value from the working data stored in the storage part, and generates integrated data; an aggregated working data generation part that combines the integrated data and data other than the integrated data to generate aggregated working data; and a transmission part that externally transmits the aggregated working data.

A test management system is presented. The system comprises an analyzer to perform tests a sample according to a first set of instructions, a manager module connected to the analyzer, and a first order interface connected to the manager module. The manager module directs activity of the analyzer according to a second set of instructions. The first order interface receives an order for a first analytical test and a second analytical test and transmits the order to the manager module. If the order is for the first analytical test, the test manager module forwards the order directly to the analyzer and the sample is analyzed by the analyzer according to the first set of instructions. If the order is for the second analytical test, the manager module handles the order according to the second set of instructions and generates and transmits secondary test requests to the analyzer.

A production management device is communicably connected to a plurality of slave control devices respectively connected to a plurality of machine tools, and also communicably connected to a master control device for preparing an overall operation plan of the plurality of machine tools. The production management device acquires data on a machine type and an operation condition of each of the plurality of machine tools from the slave control device. The production management device selects, on the basis of the data, an alternative machine tool to be substituted for a specific machine tool from among the plurality of machine tools. Furthermore, the production management device substitutes the alternative machine tool for the specific machine tool.