Multivariate Process Control Chart Pattern Classification Using Multi-Channel Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

Statistical process control (SPC) charts are commonly used to monitor quality characteristics in manufacturing processes. When monitoring two or more related quality characteristics simultaneously, multivariate T2 control charts are often employed. Like univariate control charts, control chart pattern recognition (CCPR) plays a crucial role in multivariate SPC. The presence of non-random patterns in T2 control charts indicates that a process is influenced by one or more assignable causes and that corrective actions should be taken. In this study, we developed a deep learning-based classification model for recognizing control chart patterns in multivariate processes. To address the problem of the insufficient representation of one-dimensional (1D) data, we explore the advantages of using two-dimensional (2D) image data obtained from a threshold-free recurrence plot. A multi-channel deep convolutional neural network (MCDCNN) model was developed to incorporate both 1D and 2D representations of control chart data. This model was tested on multivariate processes with different covariance matrices and compared with other traditional algorithms. Moreover, the effects of imbalanced datasets and dataset size on classification performance were analyzed. Simulation studies revealed that the developed MCDCNN model outperforms other techniques in identifying multivariate non-random patterns. For the most significant one, our proposed MCDCNN method achieved a 10% improvement over traditional methods. The overall results suggest that the developed MCDCNN model can be beneficial for intelligent SPC.