Plant operation support system

Abstract

To provide a plant operation support system that enables quick and appropriate action even when an alarm in complicated conditions occurs.SOLUTION: Provided is a plant operation support system including: an alarm output circuit that is provided at a control device based on an alarm output program and outputs an alarm when an inputted signal satisfies predetermined conditions; an alarm collection unit that collects the alarm outputted from the alarm output circuit; an alarm accumulation unit that accumulates the alarm collected by the alarm collection unit; a screen output unit that enables the alarm accumulated by the alarm accumulation unit to be outputted to an operation screen; and a program jump unit that, upon display of the alarm on the operation screen, permits jumping from the displayed alarm to an alarm output program corresponding to the alarm.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a plant operation support system. [Background technology]

[0002] In industrial plants such as steel plants, control devices such as PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) are used to control the operation of each piece of equipment. Control devices can change their internal circuits based on input programs. The control devices installed in the plant build a system via a control network, and control each piece of equipment while sharing information within the plant.

[0003] Whether a plant is operating normally or not can be known by looking at alarms displayed on an operation screen installed in a factory, etc. A wide variety of alarms are displayed on the operation screen, such as alarms indicating abnormalities in control devices or networks, alarms indicating abnormalities in connected sensors, alarms indicating deviations in material position information, and alarms indicating control abnormalities.

[0004] Control devices output each alarm based on the conditions set by the program. The conditions for each alarm can be simple or complex, combining multiple elements. When an alarm with complex conditions occurs, it is often impossible to identify the cause of the alarm without checking the program that set the conditions.

[0005] When an alarm occurs, the user must take appropriate action depending on the alarm. In this case, if an alarm with complex conditions occurs, it may be necessary to refer to the relevant program and investigate the cause of the alarm using information such as the alarm content and alarm number displayed on the operation screen, which may take time to respond to the alarm. In particular, there is a concern that users who are unfamiliar with the work may not know what specific action to take in response to the alarm even when they see the alarm, which may further delay the response.

[0006] For this reason, it is desirable for industrial plants to be able to take appropriate measures more quickly even when an alarm with complex conditions occurs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-28619 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The embodiment of the present invention provides a plant operation support system that enables an appropriate response to be taken more quickly even when an alarm with a complex condition occurs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a plant operation support system that is used in an industrial plant in which equipment installed in the plant is controlled by a control device whose internal circuitry can be changed based on an input program, communicates with the control device and also communicates with a user terminal, and enables alarms generated in the control device to be displayed on an operation screen displayed on a display unit of the user terminal, thereby supporting monitoring of abnormalities in the industrial plant by the user terminal. The plant operation support system includes: an alarm output circuit that is provided in the control device based on an alarm output program and that outputs an alarm when an input signal satisfies a predetermined condition; an alarm collection unit that collects alarms output from the alarm output circuit provided in the control device; an alarm storage unit that stores the alarms collected by the alarm collection unit; a screen output unit that enables the alarms stored in the alarm storage unit to be output to the operation screen; and a program jump unit that enables, when an alarm is displayed on the operation screen, to jump from the displayed alarm to the alarm output program corresponding to the alarm. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] A plant operation support system is provided that enables an appropriate response to be taken more quickly even when an alarm with a complex condition occurs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a plant operation support system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 3 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an example of an operation of the plant operation support system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an alarm output circuit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating an example of an operation screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another example of the operation screen. [Figure 6] 3 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an example of an operation of the plant operation support system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Each embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each part, the size ratio between parts, etc. are not necessarily the same as those in reality. Furthermore, even when the same part is shown, the dimensions and ratios may be different depending on the drawing. In the present specification and the drawings, elements similar to those described above with reference to the previous drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a plant operation support system according to an embodiment. 1, the plant operation support system 10 is used in an industrial plant 2. The industrial plant 2 is, for example, a steel plant. However, the industrial plant 2 is not limited to this and may be any plant that manufactures products, such as a paper plant.

[0014] The industrial plant 2 includes a control device 3 that controls devices installed within the plant. The control device 3 is capable of changing its internal circuitry based on an input program. This allows the control device 3 to accommodate changes in circuit configuration and circuit operation simply by changing the program. The control device 3 is, for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC). Note that the control device 3 is not limited to a PLC, and may be any control device, such as a microcomputer, that is capable of changing its internal circuitry based on an input program.

[0015] The industrial plant 2 is equipped with a plurality of control devices 3. In this example, three control devices 3 are shown. However, the number of control devices 3 provided in the industrial plant 2 is not limited to three, and may be one or two, or may be four or more. The number of control devices 3 provided in the industrial plant 2 may be any number depending on the number of devices to be controlled, etc.

[0016] The industrial plant 2 further includes a control network 4. A plurality of control devices 3 are connected to the control network 4 and communicate via the control network 4 to share various types of information such as sensor information, control information, and operation data. The plurality of control devices 3 are also connected to target devices via the control network 4, for example, to control the target devices. The plurality of control devices 3 may also be connected to target devices via dedicated signal lines, for example, without via the control network 4. The configuration in which the control devices 3 control the target devices is not limited to the above, and any configuration may be used as long as it is possible to appropriately control the target devices.

[0017] The plant operation support system 10 includes an alarm system 12 and an engineering tool 14. The alarm system 12 communicates with each control device 3 and also communicates with a user terminal 100. The alarm system 12 enables alarms output from each control device 3 to be displayed on the user terminal 100, thereby supporting the user terminal 100 in monitoring abnormalities in the industrial plant 2.

[0018] The engineering tool 14 communicates with each control device 3 and also communicates with the user terminal 100. The engineering tool 14 enables the user terminal 100 to create programs for each control device 3, thereby supporting the user terminal 100 in creating programs for each control device 3. The engineering tool 14 also manages the created programs by storing and saving the created programs.

[0019] The industrial plant 2 further includes a tool network 5. A plurality of control devices 3 are connected to the control network 4 and also to the tool network 5. The alarm system 12 and the engineering tool 14 are connected to the tool network 5. As a result, the alarm system 12 and the engineering tool 14 communicate with each control device 3 via the tool network 5.

[0020] However, the form of communication between the alarm system 12 and each control device 3, and the form of communication between the engineering tool 14 and each control device 3 are not limited to the above, and may be any form that allows appropriate communication between the alarm system 12 and each control device 3, and between the engineering tool 14 and each control device 3. The industrial plant 2 is not limited to a configuration having two networks, the control network 4 and the tool network 5, and may be configured, for example, such that communication between each control device 3 and each device is carried out over a single network.

[0021] The user terminal 100 is a terminal of a user of the industrial plant 2 and the plant operation support system 10. The user is, for example, an operator who operates the industrial plant 2. In other words, the user terminal 100 is an operator terminal. However, the user is not limited to an operator, and may be any user related to the industrial plant 2. The user terminal 100 may be a terminal of any user.

[0022] The user terminal 100 has a control unit 102, an operation unit 104, a display unit 106, and a communication unit 108. The control unit 102 comprehensively controls each unit of the user terminal 100. The operation unit 104 is connected to the control unit 102. The operation unit 104 receives operation instructions input from a user and inputs operation signals corresponding to the input operation instructions to the control unit 102. The operation unit 104 may be, for example, a well-known input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel.

[0023] The display unit 106 is connected to the control unit 102. The display unit 106 displays various operation screens based on signals input from the control unit 102. The display unit 106 may be, for example, a well-known display device such as a liquid crystal display.

[0024] The communication unit 108 is connected to the control unit 102. The communication unit 108 communicates with the alarm system 12 and the engineering tool 14. More specifically, the communication unit 108 transmits signals input from the control unit 102 to the alarm system 12 and the engineering tool 14, and inputs signals received from the alarm system 12 and the engineering tool 14 to the control unit 102.

[0025] The communication between the user terminal 100 and the alarm system 12 and the communication between the user terminal 100 and the engineering tool 14 may be wired or wireless. The user terminal 100 may be a stationary terminal such as a desktop computer, or may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet terminal owned by the user. The user terminal 100 may be any terminal available to the user.

[0026] Furthermore, in a large-scale industrial plant 2, there may be multiple users. The number of user terminals 100 that communicate with the alarm system 12 and the engineering tool 14 is not limited to one, but may be multiple. The alarm system 12, for example, communicates with multiple user terminals 100 to support monitoring of the state of the industrial plant 2 by the multiple user terminals 100. The engineering tool 14, for example, communicates with multiple user terminals 100 to enable the multiple user terminals 100 to create programs for each control device 3. In other words, the engineering tool 14 comprehensively manages the programs for each control device 3 created by the multiple user terminals 100. This allows, for example, multiple users to simultaneously create programs for each control device 3, or another user to modify an already created program, thereby efficiently creating programs for each control device 3.

[0027] In this way, the plant operation support system 10 is used in an industrial plant 2 that controls equipment installed within the plant using control equipment 3 that can change internal circuits based on input programs, and communicates with the control equipment 3 as well as the user terminal 100, and by enabling alarms generated in the control equipment 3 to be displayed on an operation screen displayed on the display unit 106 of the user terminal 100, supports the user terminal 100 in monitoring abnormalities in the industrial plant 2.

[0028] The plant operation support system 10 further includes an alarm output circuit 16. The alarm output circuit 16 is provided in the control device 3. The plant operation support system 10 includes, for example, a plurality of alarm output circuits 16 provided in each of a plurality of control devices 3.

[0029] The alarm output circuit 16 receives a predetermined signal input within the control device 3. The alarm output circuit 16 receives, for example, a plurality of signals as input. The alarm output circuit 16 outputs an alarm when one or more of the input signals satisfy a predetermined condition. In this way, the alarm output circuit 16 can notify the user of the occurrence of an abnormality in the industrial plant 2.

[0030] The alarm output circuit 16 is provided in the control device 3 based on an alarm output program created by the engineering tool 14. In other words, the engineering tool 14 supports the creation of the alarm output program by the user terminal 100. However, the program created by the engineering tool 14 is not limited to the alarm output program, and may include, for example, a program for controlling the operation of the device to be controlled by the control device 3.

[0031] The control device 3 is not limited to having one alarm output circuit 16, but may have multiple alarm output circuits 16. The control device 3 may have multiple alarm output circuits 16 according to, for example, the number of alarms to be detected. Alternatively, one alarm output circuit 16 may be configured to be able to detect multiple alarms.

[0032] The alarm system 12 includes an alarm collection unit 20, an alarm storage unit 21, a response method registration unit 22, a screen output unit 23, and a program jump unit 24.

[0033] The alarm collection unit 20 collects alarms output from the alarm output circuits 16 provided in each control device 3. The alarm collection unit 20 communicates with each of the multiple control devices 3, thereby collecting alarms output from the multiple alarm output circuits 16 provided in each of the multiple control devices 3.

[0034] The alarm accumulation unit 21 accumulates alarms collected by the alarm collection unit 20. The alarm accumulation unit 21 has, for example, a database, and accumulates alarms by storing collected alarms in the database.

[0035] The response method registration unit 22 registers at least one of a response method for an alarm that has occurred and a cause of the alarm that has occurred. The alarm accumulation unit 21 can store at least one of a response method and a cause of the alarm in association with the alarm. The alarm accumulation unit 21 stores at least one of a response method and a cause of the alarm that has occurred registered by the response method registration unit 22 in a database, for example, thereby storing the at least one of the response method and the cause of the alarm in association with the alarm. The response method registration unit 22 registers at least one of a response method and a cause of the alarm by, for example, storing information on at least one of a response method and a cause of the alarm that has been input from the user terminal 100 or the like in the alarm accumulation unit 21.

[0036] The screen output unit 23 enables the alarms stored in the alarm storage unit 21 to be output to the operation screen of the display unit 106 of the user terminal 100. For example, the screen output unit 23 enables the alarms to be displayed on the operation screen of the display unit 106 of the user terminal 100 by transmitting information about the alarms stored in the alarm storage unit 21 to the user terminal 100.

[0037] The program jump unit 24 performs processing to enable, when an alarm is displayed on the operation screen of the display unit 106 of the user terminal 100, a jump from the displayed alarm to an alarm output program corresponding to the alarm. The program jump unit 24, for example, associates and stores information about an alarm stored in the alarm storage unit 21 with information about an alarm output program corresponding to the alarm, and transmits the information about the alarm output program to the user terminal 100, thereby enabling a jump from an alarm displayed on the operation screen to the alarm output program corresponding to the alarm. In other words, by transmitting the information about the alarm output program to the user terminal 100, the program jump unit 24 enables, when an alarm is displayed on the operation screen of the display unit 106 of the user terminal 100, the alarm output program corresponding to the alarm to be automatically read from the engineering tool 14.

[0038] The engineering tool 14 includes a program creating unit 30 , a download unit 31 , and an alarm condition monitoring unit 32 .

[0039] The program creation unit 30 enables the user terminal 100 to create a program for each control device 3. In other words, the program creation unit 30 creates a program for each control device 3 based on input from the operation unit 104 of the user terminal 100. The program creation unit 30 also stores and saves the created program. The program creation unit 30 (engineering tool 14) stores and saves, for example, multiple programs (multiple alarm output programs) corresponding to the number of control devices 3. The programs may be stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk provided in the engineering tool 14, or may be stored in another storage device connected to the tool network 5. The method of storing and saving the program for each control device 3 may be any method that allows the engineering tool 14 to appropriately manage the stored programs.

[0040] The download unit 31 downloads the program created by the program creation unit 30 to the target control device 3. In other words, the download unit 31 inputs the created program to the control device 3. As a result, circuits such as the alarm output circuit 16 are provided in each control device 3 based on the input program.

[0041] When an alarm is output from the alarm output circuit 16 of each control device 3, the alarm condition monitoring unit 32 monitors the conditions under which the alarm occurs and identifies the cause of the alarm. For example, the alarm condition monitoring unit 32 monitors the operation of the alarm output circuit 16 that output the alarm, thereby identifying the signal that caused the alarm to occur from among the multiple signals input to the alarm output circuit 16. In other words, the alarm condition monitoring unit 32 identifies the signal that caused the alarm to be output.

[0042] FIG. 2 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an example of the operation of the plant operation support system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation from the occurrence of an alarm to the confirmation of the alarm occurrence conditions by the engineering tool 14. In FIG.

[0043] The alarm output program created by the engineering tool 14 is downloaded to the target control device 3. As a result, an alarm output circuit 16 is provided in the control device 3. If an alarm generation condition is met for some reason, the alarm output circuit 16 of the control device 3 issues an alarm (step S01 in FIG. 2).

[0044] The alarm output circuit 16 of the control device 3 outputs an alarm to the alarm system 12 (step S02 in FIG. 2). The alarm can be output, for example, by periodically transmitting all alarm occurrence statuses via Ethernet communication or the like, and then detecting the alarm occurrence statuses in the alarm system 12, or by transmitting only the relevant alarm when an alarm occurs.

[0045] In the alarm system 12, the alarm collection unit 20 collects alarms output from the alarm output circuit 16 of the control device 3, and the alarm accumulation unit 21 accumulates the collected alarms in an alarm database or the like (step S03 in FIG. 2).

[0046] The information contained in the alarm output from the alarm output circuit 16 of the control device 3 is only simple information such as the target symbol name and memory address. The alarm message, importance, etc. are defined in advance in the alarm system 12 as alarm registration information, and the screen output unit 23 of the alarm system 12 displays the alarm on the operation screen displayed on the display unit 106 of the user terminal 100 in accordance with the alarm registration information (step S04 in FIG. 2).

[0047] The operation screen is provided with a function for searching for the target alarm, and a function for jumping to the corresponding alarm output program by selecting the alarm from the screen (step S05 in FIG. 2).

[0048] For example, when the screen output unit 23 transmits information about an alarm to the user terminal 100, the program jump unit 24 transmits information about an alarm output program corresponding to the alarm to the user terminal 100. For example, when an alarm is selected based on the operation of the operation unit 104, the user terminal 100 (control unit 102) reads the corresponding alarm output program from the engineering tool 14 based on the information about the alarm output program corresponding to the alarm, and displays the corresponding alarm output program on the operation screen of the display unit 106. This makes it possible to automatically jump from an alarm displayed on the operation screen to the corresponding alarm output program. For example, the corresponding alarm output program can be easily displayed on the operation screen without requiring the user to operate the operation unit 104 to access the engineering tool 14 and then search for and read the corresponding alarm output program from among multiple alarm output programs stored in the engineering tool 14.

[0049] If a more detailed investigation is required after jumping to the alarm output program for the alarm, the alarm occurrence conditions are investigated using the engineering tool 14 (step S06 in FIG. 2). In other words, if a more detailed investigation is required, the alarm condition monitoring unit 32 is made to identify the cause of the alarm.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of an alarm output circuit according to the embodiment. 3, the alarm output circuit 16 includes an alarm input unit 40, an input variable monitoring unit 42, an alarm output unit 44, and an alarm cause signal holding unit 46. In other words, FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an example of an alarm output program created by the engineering tool 14.

[0051] The alarm input unit 40 sets conditions for generating an alarm for an input signal. The input variable monitoring unit 42 monitors the conditions set in the alarm input unit 40. The input variable monitoring unit 42 also monitors the state of the input signal to identify the signal that caused the alarm to be generated. In other words, the input variable monitoring unit 42 identifies which condition change caused the target alarm to be generated.

[0052] The alarm output unit 44 outputs an alarm to the alarm system 12 when the input variable monitoring unit 42 detects that an alarm has been generated. In other words, the alarm output unit 44 outputs an alarm to the alarm system 12 when the input variable monitoring unit 42 detects that the conditions for generating an alarm are satisfied.

[0053] The alarm cause signal holding unit 46 holds information about the signal that caused the alarm to occur, as identified by the input variable monitoring unit 42. The alarm cause signal holding unit 46 holds the information about the signal that caused the alarm, for example, until a predetermined reset operation is performed. As a result, even after a change in the state of the input signal causes a change from a state that satisfies the conditions for generating an alarm to a state that does not satisfy the conditions for generating an alarm, it is possible to identify the signal that caused the alarm by referring to the signal information held in the alarm cause signal holding unit 46.

[0054] The alarm condition monitoring unit 32 identifies the cause of an alarm, for example, based on information stored in the alarm cause signal storage unit 46 of the alarm output circuit 16. In other words, the alarm condition monitoring unit 32 identifies the cause of an alarm by monitoring the operation of the alarm cause signal storage unit 46 of the alarm output circuit 16. However, the method by which the alarm condition monitoring unit 32 identifies the cause of an alarm is not limited to this, and any method that can appropriately identify the cause of an alarm may be used.

[0055] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram that schematically shows an example of the operation screen. FIG. 4 shows a schematic image of jumping from an alarm displayed on the operation screen of the display unit 106 by the screen output unit 23 to an alarm output program of the engineering tool 14. In FIG.

[0056] As shown in Figure 4, for example, by linking the output variable of the alarm output program created by the engineering tool 14 with the alarm variable of the alarm being output on the operation screen, it is possible to provide a function that enables jumping from the operation screen to the alarm output program for the corresponding alarm.

[0057] The linking of the output variables of the alarm output program with the alarm variables is performed, for example, by the program jump unit 24. The output variables of the alarm output program are an example of information of the alarm output program corresponding to the alarm, and the alarm variables are an example of information of the alarm. The information for enabling a jump from an alarm to the alarm output program corresponding to the alarm is not limited to the above, and may be any information that allows the alarm output program corresponding to the alarm to be appropriately read from the alarm from the engineering tool 14.

[0058] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another example of the operation screen. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operation screen that displays alarms, their corresponding response methods, and the causes of the alarms in a table format. The alarm accumulation unit 21 has a database for registering the response methods for the alarms and the causes of the alarms for each of the multiple alarms of each control device 3, and in response to a request from the response method registration unit 22, registers at least one of the response method and the cause of the alarm in the database in association with the alarm.

[0059] 5, the screen output unit 23 can display at least one of the response method and the cause of an alarm displayed on the operation screen when at least one of the response method and the cause of an alarm that is the same as an alarm displayed on the operation screen and a past alarm is stored in the alarm storage unit 21. For example, when the same alarm occurs in the future, the alarm cause and response method registered in the database can be easily viewed by clicking on the alarm in question from the alarm list displayed on the operation screen, as shown in FIG.

[0060] FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an example of the operation of the plant operation support system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 shows an example of an operation for registering an alarm cause and a response method.

[0061] In registering the alarm cause and the response method, for example, the target alarm is selected from a list of occurring alarms displayed on the operation screen of the display unit 106 of the user terminal 100 (step S11 in FIG. 6). The selection of the target alarm is performed based on the operation of the operation unit 104, for example.

[0062] If a cause of occurrence and a response method for the same alarm have been registered in the past, information on the cause of occurrence and the response method registered in the database of the alarm accumulation unit 21 is sent to the user terminal 100, and the registered information on the cause of occurrence and the response method is displayed on the operation screen of the display unit 106 (step S12 in FIG. 6), for example, as shown in Fig. 5. In this way, if a cause of occurrence and a response method for the same alarm have been registered in the past, the user can easily recognize the cause of occurrence and the response method for the alarm simply by reading out the registered information.

[0063] If a new registration is selected, for example, a registration screen is displayed on the operation screen of the display unit 106 (steps S13 and S14 in FIG. 6).

[0064] The user operates the operation unit 104 to register at least one of the cause of the selected alarm and a response method (step S15 in FIG. 6). At this time, the plant operation support system 10 allows the user to easily recognize the cause of the alarm by, for example, having the alarm condition monitoring unit 32 identify the cause of the alarm. Furthermore, by allowing the user to recognize the cause of the alarm, it is also possible to easily consider a response method for the alarm. For example, even if the user is unfamiliar with the work, it is possible to allow the user to respond to the alarm more quickly.

[0065] The user terminal 100 transmits the newly registered information on the cause of occurrence and the response method to the alarm system 12. The response method registration unit 22 updates the database of the alarm storage unit 21 by registering the information on the cause of occurrence and the response method received from the user terminal 100 in association with the corresponding alarm in the database of the alarm storage unit 21. As a result, the next time the same alarm occurs, the cause of occurrence and the response method registered in the database of the alarm storage unit 21 can be displayed on the operation screen of the display unit 106 of the user terminal 100.

[0066] However, the method for registering at least one of the response method and the cause of the occurrence is not limited to the above. For example, the cause of the occurrence identified by the alarm condition monitoring unit 32 may be automatically registered in the database of the alarm accumulation unit 21. The method for registering at least one of the response method and the cause of the occurrence may be any method that can appropriately register at least one of the response method and the cause of the occurrence.

[0067] As described above, in the plant operation support system 10 according to this embodiment, when an alarm is displayed on the operation screen of the display unit 106 of the user terminal 100, it is possible to jump from the displayed alarm to an alarm output program corresponding to the alarm. As a result, in the plant operation support system 10 according to this embodiment, it is possible to easily display a corresponding alarm output program on the operation screen without requiring the user to take the time to search for and read the corresponding alarm output program from among multiple alarm output programs stored in the engineering tool 14, for example. Therefore, even when an alarm with complex conditions occurs, it is possible to more quickly take an appropriate response.

[0068] Furthermore, the plant operation support system 10 according to this embodiment stores at least one of a response method to an alarm and the cause of the alarm in association with the alarm. This allows the user to easily recognize the response method and the cause of the alarm by referring to the stored response method and the cause of the alarm, for example, when the same alarm occurs in the future. This allows the user to take an appropriate response more quickly.

[0069] In the plant operation support system 10 according to this embodiment, when at least one of a response method and a cause of an alarm that is the same as an alarm displayed on the operation screen and a past alarm is stored in the alarm accumulation unit 21, at least one of the response method and the cause of the alarm can be displayed on the operation screen. This can, for example, reduce the user's effort of accessing the alarm accumulation unit 21 to search for the response method and the cause of the alarm, and allow the user to more easily recognize the response method and the cause of the alarm.

[0070] The plant operation support system 10 according to this embodiment includes an alarm condition monitoring unit 32 that, when an alarm is output from the alarm output circuit 16, monitors the conditions under which the alarm occurs and identifies the cause of the alarm. This allows the user to easily recognize the cause of the alarm, for example. By allowing the user to recognize the cause of the alarm, it becomes easier to consider how to respond to the alarm.

[0071] Furthermore, in the plant operation support system 10 according to this embodiment, the alarm condition monitoring unit 32 identifies the cause of an alarm based on the information stored in the alarm cause signal storage unit 46. In this way, by having the alarm output circuit 16 identify the signal that caused the alarm, it is possible to more reliably identify the signal that caused the alarm with a relatively simple configuration. Furthermore, by storing the information about the signal that caused the alarm in the alarm cause signal storage unit 46, it is possible to appropriately identify the signal that caused the alarm by referring to the signal information stored in the alarm cause signal storage unit 46, even after, for example, a change in the state of an input signal causes a transition from a state that satisfied the conditions for generating an alarm to a state that no longer satisfied the conditions for generating an alarm.

[0072] The alarm system 12 and the engineering tool 14 are, for example, servers. The alarm collection unit 20, alarm accumulation unit 21, response method registration unit 22, screen output unit 23, and program jump unit 24 are, for example, functional blocks provided in the alarm system 12 by software. Similarly, the program creation unit 30, download unit 31, and alarm condition monitoring unit 32 are functional blocks provided in the engineering tool 14 by software. In other words, the alarm system 12 has an alarm collection function, an alarm accumulation function, a response method registration function, a screen output function, and a program jump function. In other words, the engineering tool 14 has a program creation function, a download function, and an alarm condition monitoring function.

[0073] However, the alarm collection unit 20, alarm accumulation unit 21, response method registration unit 22, screen output unit 23, and program jump unit 24 are not limited to being implemented by software, but may be configured by physical circuits. The alarm collection unit 20, alarm accumulation unit 21, response method registration unit 22, screen output unit 23, and program jump unit 24 may be circuits provided in a PLC or the like based on a program, for example. Similarly, the program creation unit 30, download unit 31, and alarm condition monitoring unit 32 are not limited to being implemented by software, but may be configured by physical circuits. For example, these may be implemented by a mixture of software and physical circuits.

[0074] The plant operation support system 10 according to this embodiment includes two servers: an alarm system 12 and an engineering tool 14. The configuration of the plant operation support system 10 is not limited to this, and may include, for example, a single server that is provided with the functions of the alarm system 12 and the engineering tool 14. The plant operation support system 10 may further include, for example, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) server for notifying the user terminal 100 of the operating status of the industrial plant 2. The plant operation support system 10 may include three or more servers.

[0075] The configuration of the plant operation support system 10 is not limited to the above, and may be any configuration that includes at least the alarm output circuit 16, the alarm collection unit 20, the alarm storage unit 21, the screen output unit 23, and the program jump unit 24. The alarm collection unit 20, the alarm storage unit 21, the screen output unit 23, and the program jump unit 24 may be provided in a single server or may be provided in a distributed manner across multiple servers.

[0076] The present embodiment includes the following aspects. (Appendix 1) A plant operation support system used in an industrial plant that controls equipment installed in the plant by a control device that can change its internal circuitry based on an input program, the system communicating with the control device and a user terminal, and enabling alarms generated in the control device to be displayed on an operation screen displayed on a display unit of the user terminal, thereby supporting monitoring of abnormalities in the industrial plant by the user terminal, an alarm output circuit that is provided in the control device based on an alarm output program and that outputs an alarm when an input signal satisfies a predetermined condition; an alarm collection unit that collects alarms output from the alarm output circuit provided in the control device; an alarm storage unit that stores the alarms collected by the alarm collection unit; a screen output unit that outputs the alarms stored in the alarm storage unit to the operation screen; a program jump unit that, when an alarm is displayed on the operation screen, enables jumping from the displayed alarm to the alarm output program corresponding to the alarm; A plant operation support system equipped with

[0077] (Appendix 2) The system further includes a response method registration unit that registers at least one of a response method for an alarm that has occurred and a cause of the alarm that has occurred, 2. The plant operation support system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm accumulation unit is capable of storing at least one of the response method and the cause of the alarm in association with the alarm.

[0078] (Appendix 3) 3. The plant operation support system according to claim 2, wherein the screen output unit is capable of displaying at least one of the response method and the cause of occurrence on the operation screen when at least one of the response method and the cause of occurrence for an alarm identical to an alarm displayed on the operation screen and a past alarm is stored in the alarm accumulation unit.

[0079] (Appendix 4) The plant operation support system according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, further comprising an alarm condition monitoring unit that, when an alarm is output from the alarm output circuit, monitors the conditions under which the alarm is generated and identifies the cause of the alarm.

[0080] (Appendix 5) The alarm output circuit an alarm input unit that sets conditions for generating an alarm in response to an input signal; an input variable monitoring unit that monitors the conditions set in the alarm input unit and monitors the state of an input signal to identify the signal that caused the generated alarm; an alarm output unit that outputs an alarm when the input variable monitoring unit detects the occurrence of an alarm; an alarm cause signal storage unit that stores information about a signal that caused an alarm identified by the input variable monitoring unit; and 5. A plant operation support system according to claim 4, wherein the alarm condition monitoring unit identifies a cause of an alarm based on the information stored in the alarm cause signal storage unit.

[0081] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 2...industrial plant, 3...control equipment, 4...control network, 5...tool network, 10...plant operation support system, 12...alarm system, 14...engineering tool, 16...alarm output circuit, 20...alarm collection section, 21...alarm accumulation section, 22...response method registration section, 23...screen output section, 24...program jump section, 30...program creation section, 31...download section, 32...alarm condition monitoring section, 100...user terminal, 102...control section, 104...operation section, 106...display section, 108...communication section

Claims

1. A plant operation support system used in an industrial plant that controls equipment installed in the plant by a control device that can change its internal circuitry based on an input program, the system communicating with the control device and a user terminal, and enabling alarms generated in the control device to be displayed on an operation screen displayed on a display unit of the user terminal, thereby supporting monitoring of abnormalities in the industrial plant by the user terminal, an alarm output circuit that is provided in the control device based on an alarm output program and that outputs an alarm when an input signal satisfies a predetermined condition; an alarm collection unit that collects alarms output from the alarm output circuit provided in the control device; an alarm storage unit that stores the alarms collected by the alarm collection unit; a screen output unit that outputs the alarms stored in the alarm storage unit to the operation screen; a program jump unit that, when an alarm is displayed on the operation screen, enables jumping from the displayed alarm to the alarm output program corresponding to the alarm; A plant operation support system equipped with

2. The system further includes a response method registration unit that registers at least one of a response method for an alarm that has occurred and a cause of the alarm that has occurred, 2. The plant operation support system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm storage unit is capable of storing at least one of the response method and the cause of occurrence of the alarm in association with the alarm.

3. 3. The plant operation support system according to claim 2, wherein when at least one of the response method and the cause of occurrence for an alarm identical to an alarm displayed on the operation screen and a past alarm is stored in the alarm accumulation unit, the screen output unit can display at least one of the response method and the cause of occurrence on the operation screen.

4. 2. The plant operation support system according to claim 1, further comprising an alarm condition monitoring unit that, when an alarm is output from the alarm output circuit, monitors the conditions under which the alarm occurs and identifies the cause of the alarm.

5. The alarm output circuit an alarm input unit that sets conditions for generating an alarm in response to an input signal; an input variable monitoring unit that monitors the conditions set in the alarm input unit and monitors the state of an input signal to identify the signal that caused the generated alarm; an alarm output unit that outputs an alarm when the input variable monitoring unit detects the occurrence of an alarm; an alarm cause signal storage unit that stores information about a signal that caused an alarm identified by the input variable monitoring unit; and 5. The plant operation support system according to claim 4, wherein the alarm condition monitoring unit identifies the cause of an alarm based on the information stored in the alarm cause signal storage unit.

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