Surveillance system, surveillance method, and recording medium

Abstract

A plurality of hierarchical information management devices (4a, 4b, 4c) have a first hierarchical information management section that manages first hierarchical information (50a, 50b, 50c) that is information that expresses the information of the devices in a hierarchical structure, and the plurality of hierarchical information management devices (4a, 4b, 4c) each manage the first hierarchical information (50a, 50b, 50c) of different devices. The monitoring device (2) has a second hierarchical information management section that generates hierarchical information that is second hierarchical information that connects the first hierarchical information (50a, 50b, 50c) in a hierarchical structure based on a plurality of different first hierarchical information (50a, 50b, 50c) acquired from the plurality of hierarchical information management devices (4a, 4b, 4c), a display section that displays information, and a display processing section that performs processing to display a plurality of different monitoring screens that correspond to the operation states of the display monitoring targets of each hierarchical level in the second hierarchical information on the display section by switching the monitoring screens.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a surveillance system, surveillance method, and recording medium capable of collecting information from multiple factories and multiple social infrastructures and monitoring multiple factories and multiple social infrastructures. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for large-scale surveillance systems capable of collecting information from multiple factories and social infrastructures for centralized monitoring of multiple targets, namely factories and social infrastructures across multiple buildings, as well as for remote monitoring of factories and social infrastructures scattered around the world.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a screen display device that, in order to monitor a large number of complete sets of equipment, can select multiple screens in a hierarchical structure, thereby enabling the rapid switching and display of the required screens with as few operations as possible in a system with a large number of screens.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-214926 Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, in the technology of Patent Document 1 mentioned above, the larger the scale of the system, the larger the hierarchical structure, and the greater the working hours and workload of the operators in creating the hierarchical structure. However, the technology of Patent Document 1 mentioned above cannot address this problem.

[0006] The present invention is proposed in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a monitoring system that can monitor multiple monitoring objects by displaying information collected from multiple monitoring objects on a screen and is easy to construct.

[0007] To address the aforementioned issues and achieve the objectives, the monitoring system of the present invention includes a monitoring device and a multi-level information management device, which monitors the operational status of multiple devices as monitoring objects. The multi-level information management device includes a first-level information management unit that manages first-level information, which represents information about the devices through a hierarchical structure. Each of the multiple hierarchical information management devices manages the first-level information of different devices. The monitoring device includes: a second-level information management unit that generates second-level information, which connects the first-level information in a hierarchical structure, based on multiple different first-level information obtained from the multiple hierarchical information management devices; a display unit that displays the information; and a display processing unit that performs the following processing: switching between multiple different monitoring screens displaying the operational status of the monitored objects corresponding to each level in the second-level information and displaying them on the display unit.

[0008] The effects of the invention

[0009] The monitoring system of the present invention can monitor multiple objects by displaying information collected from multiple objects on a screen, and it is easy to build such an effect. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of hierarchical information in the monitoring system according to Implementation Method 1.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating the outline of a method for generating large-scale hierarchical information in a monitoring system according to Embodiment 1.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the functional structure of the hierarchical information management device of the monitoring system involved in Implementation Method 1.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the functional structure of the monitoring device in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1.

[0016] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing another example of a monitoring screen of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1.

[0017] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the outline of a method for generating large-scale hierarchical information in a monitoring system according to Embodiment 1.

[0018] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of generating large-scale hierarchical information in the monitoring system according to Implementation Method 1.

[0019] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing an outline of the method for displaying the monitoring screen in the monitoring device of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1.

[0020] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of displaying a monitoring screen in the monitoring device of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1.

[0021] Figure 12 This is a diagram showing the functional structure of the monitoring device in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 2.

[0022] Figure 13This is a diagram illustrating the outline of a method for generating large-scale hierarchical information in a monitoring system according to Embodiment 2.

[0023] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of generating large-scale hierarchical information in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 2.

[0024] Figure 15 This is a diagram showing the structure of the learning unit for determining whether an input is allowed in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 3.

[0025] Figure 16 This is a diagram showing the structure of the neural network used in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 3.

[0026] Figure 17 This is a diagram showing an outline of the method for displaying the monitoring screen in the monitoring device of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 4.

[0027] Figure 18 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of displaying the monitoring screen of the monitoring device in the monitoring system of Embodiment 4.

[0028] Figure 19 This is a diagram illustrating the overview of the synchronous processing of large-scale hierarchical information in Implementation 5.

[0029] Figure 20 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of displaying the monitoring screen in the monitoring device of the monitoring system in Embodiment 5.

[0030] Figure 21 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of displaying the monitoring screen of the monitoring system in Implementation 6.

[0031] Figure 22 This is a diagram showing an outline of the display method of the monitoring screen in the monitoring device of the monitoring system in Embodiment 7.

[0032] Figure 23 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of generating large-scale hierarchical information in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 7.

[0033] Figure 24 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of generating large-scale hierarchical information in the monitoring system of Implementation Method 8. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The monitoring system, monitoring method, and recording medium according to embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0035] Implementation Method 1

[0036] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the structure of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The monitoring system 1 according to Embodiment 1 is a monitoring system capable of acquiring hierarchical information of multiple local systems and switching between displaying monitoring screens showing operational status data associated with the acquired hierarchical information.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the monitoring system 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention includes a monitoring device 2 and a local system 3. The local system 3 includes a hierarchical information management device 4 and a control device 5.

[0038] exist Figure 1 In the diagram, local system 3 is shown as first local system 3a, second local system 3b, and third local system 3c. Hereinafter, without distinguishing between the first local system 3a, second local system 3b, and third local system 3c, they will be referred to as local system 3.

[0039] The first local system 3a includes a first-level information management device 4a, a first control device 5aa, a first control device 5ab, and a first control device 5ac. The second local system 3b includes a second-level information management device 4b, a second control device 5ba, a second control device 5bb, and a second control device 5bc. The third local system 3c includes a third-level information management device 4c, a third control device 5ca, a third control device 5cb, and a third control device 5cc.

[0040] Hereinafter, without distinguishing between the first-level information management device 4a, the second-level information management device 4b, and the third-level information management device 4c, they are referred to as the hierarchical information management device 4. Similarly, without distinguishing between the first control device 5aa, the first control device 5ab, and the first control device 5ac, they are referred to as the first control device 5a. Furthermore, without distinguishing between the second control devices 5ba, 5bb, and 5bc, they are referred to as the second control device 5b. Furthermore, without distinguishing between the third control devices 5ca, 5cb, and 5cc, they are referred to as the third control device 5c. Finally, without distinguishing between the first control device 5a, the second control device 5b, and the third control device 5c, they are referred to as control device 5.

[0041] Control device 5 is a device for controlling a controlled object device (not shown). Any number of controlled object devices (not shown) are connected to control device 5. The controlled object device is a device such as a production unit or equipment unit. Control device 5 is capable of communicating with the controlled object device. That is, control device 5 is a controller for controlling a controlled object device such as a production unit or equipment unit (not shown), for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC). Control device 5 controls one or more devices that are controlled object devices. Control device 5 can also be a controller other than a PLC, or it can be a numerical control device. Examples of production units or equipment units include buildings, equipment, devices, and machines.

[0042] Control device 5 stores various information about the controlled device. Examples of this information include the information used to control the controlled device and the information generated during the control process, i.e., operational status data. Operational status data can be considered as data representing the control status of the controlled device 5. Control device 5 then sends this information about the controlled device to the hierarchical information management device 4.

[0043] The hierarchical information management device 4 manages and monitors the operating status of production equipment or devices by displaying various information about the production equipment or devices on a screen. That is, the production equipment and devices are the objects of monitoring by the hierarchical information management device 4. Information about the production equipment or devices is stored in the hierarchical information management device 4 as hierarchical information created by the user through a hierarchical structure. In other words, in this embodiment 1, the hierarchical information 50 represents information about at least one of the production equipment and devices being monitored through a hierarchical structure. The hierarchical information is the first-level information in the monitoring system 1.

[0044] In addition, the various information about the production equipment or devices represented through hierarchical information includes operational status data. This operational status data indicates the operational status of the production equipment or devices and is updated in real time. In monitoring system 1, this operational status data is used to display the operational status of the monitored object on the monitoring screen.

[0045] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of hierarchical information in the monitoring system according to Implementation Method 1. Figure 2In the example shown, the hierarchical information of the physical elements ("Components") being monitored is configured with the "Factory" hierarchy at the top level. Below the "Factory" hierarchy is the "Manufacturing Line" hierarchy. Below the "Manufacturing Line" hierarchy are the "Machine A" and "Robot Controller" hierarchies. Below the "Machine A" hierarchy is the "MELSEC" hierarchy. Below the "MELSEC" hierarchy are multiple elements such as the "MotionController" hierarchy. Below the "Robot Controller" hierarchy is the "Robot" hierarchy.

[0046] exist Figure 2 In the example shown, the hierarchical information of the "Resource" layer, which is the information contained within the "MELSEC" layer, is configured at the top level as the "Data Tag Resource" layer, followed by three "File Resource" layers and the "Data TagResource" layer. Below, similarly, the elements of the information are configured in a hierarchical structure. Furthermore, nodes represent branch levels. Hierarchical paths indicate the location of the levels.

[0047] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an outline of a method for generating large-scale hierarchical information in a monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 3 The diagram shows the situation where monitoring device 2 imports hierarchical information from the first local system 3a, the second local system 3b, and the third local system 3c.

[0048] like Figure 3 As shown, in the first local system 3a, the hierarchy information 50a with hierarchy AAA as the top level is stored in the memory. In the second local system 3b, the hierarchy information 50b with hierarchy BBB as the top level is stored in the memory. In the third local system 3c, the hierarchy information 50c with hierarchy CCC as the top level is stored in the memory.

[0049] The monitoring device 2 obtains hierarchical information 50a from the first local system 3a, hierarchical information 50b from the second local system 3b, and hierarchical information 50c from the third local system 3c, generating large-scale hierarchical information 60 with hierarchical level ααα as the top level. Figure 3In the example shown, monitoring device 2 configures hierarchical information 50a and hierarchical information βββ directly below hierarchical level ααα. Monitoring device 2 configures hierarchical information 50b and hierarchical information 50c directly below hierarchical level βββ. Thus, a large-scale hierarchical information 60 is generated, which connects hierarchical information 50a, hierarchical information 50b, and hierarchical information 50c through hierarchical construction.

[0050] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the functional structure of the hierarchical information management device of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. The hierarchical information management device 4 includes: an input unit 41 for inputting information; a management communication unit 42 for communicating with the control device 5 and with the monitoring device 2; a display unit 43 for displaying information; a processor 44 for performing various processes; and a memory 45 for storing information.

[0051] The input unit 41 is a device such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel. Information is input to the input unit 41 through operations performed by the operator. The management communication unit 42 is a connection interface to external devices of the hierarchical information management device 4. The management communication unit 42 can send hierarchical information and operation status data to the monitoring device 2, for example, through file-based output using setting information files or network communication using communication protocols. The management communication unit 42 receives data sent by the control device 5 and information sent by the monitoring device 2. The display unit 43 displays the information on a screen.

[0052] Processor 44 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Processor 44 can also be a processing device, arithmetic device, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Memory 45 includes RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive). The processing program of the hierarchical information management device 4 is stored in memory 45. Processor 44 executes the program stored in memory 45.

[0053] exist Figure 4The diagram illustrates the functional structure of the hierarchical information management device 4 implemented using processor 44. The hierarchical information management unit 46 manages the hierarchical information of the user-created local system 3, including adding, editing, and deleting hierarchical information. Furthermore, the hierarchical information management unit 46 obtains operational status data from the control device 5 via the management communication unit 42. The hierarchical information management unit 46 is the first-level information management unit in the monitoring system 1.

[0054] In order to provide the monitoring device 2 with hierarchical information managed by the hierarchical information management unit 46, the hierarchical information provision unit 47 references and transforms the hierarchical information from the hierarchical information management unit 46 and sends it to the monitoring device 2 via the management communication unit 42.

[0055] The operation status data distribution unit 48 obtains operation status data from the hierarchical information management unit 46 and distributes it to the monitoring device 2 via the management communication unit 42. The operation status data distribution unit 48 distributes the operation status data to the monitoring device 2 each time the operation status data is updated.

[0056] The display processing unit 49 performs processing for display in the display unit 43. The display processing unit 49 receives hierarchical information and operating status data and displays them on the display unit 43.

[0057] The functions of the hierarchical information management unit 46, the hierarchical information provision unit 47, the operation status data distribution unit 48, and the display processing unit 49 are implemented by a combination of processor 44 and software. Alternatively, the functions of the hierarchical information management unit 46, the hierarchical information provision unit 47, the operation status data distribution unit 48, and the display processing unit 49 can be implemented by a combination of processor 44 and firmware, or by a combination of processor 44, software, and firmware. The software or firmware is described as a program and stored in memory 45. Processor 44 reads the software or firmware. Processor 44 executes the software or firmware.

[0058] As various information about the production apparatus or equipment, the memory 45 stores hierarchical information of the local system 3's hierarchical information management device 4, as well as operational status data of the controlled object equipment obtained from the control device 5. The memory 45 also stores data received by the management communication unit 42. By continuously accumulating data received by the management communication unit 42 using the memory 45, the memory 45 stores timing data, i.e., operational status data, representing the status of the monitored object.

[0059] Figure 5This diagram illustrates the functional structure of the monitoring device in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. The monitoring device 2 obtains hierarchical information of each local system 3 from multiple hierarchical information management devices 4. The monitoring device 2 connects the hierarchical information of the local systems 3 obtained from the multiple hierarchical information management devices 4 to generate a large-scale hierarchical information, i.e., a large-scale hierarchical information, which connects the hierarchical information of the multiple hierarchical information management devices 4 in a hierarchical structure, and displays it on the screen.

[0060] The monitoring device 2 includes: an input unit 21 for inputting information; a monitoring communication unit 22 for communicating with the hierarchical information management device 4; a display unit 23 for displaying information; a processor 24 for performing various processes; and a memory 25 for storing information.

[0061] The input unit 21 is a device such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel. Information is input to the input unit 21 through operations performed by the operator. The monitoring communication unit 22 is a connection interface to external devices of the monitoring device 2. The monitoring communication unit 22 of the monitoring device 2 can communicate bidirectionally with the management communication unit 42 of the hierarchical information management device 4. The display unit 23 displays information on a screen.

[0062] Processor 24 is a CPU. Processor 24 can also be a processing device, a computing device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP. Memory 25 includes RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM or EEPROM (registered trademark), HDD or SSD. The processing program of monitoring device 2 is stored in memory 25. Processor 24 executes the program stored in memory 25.

[0063] exist Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the functional structure of the monitoring device 2 implemented using processor 24. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 connects the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3 obtained from multiple hierarchical information management devices 4, generating and managing large-scale hierarchical information 60, which is larger in scale than the hierarchical information of the local system 3 and connects the multiple hierarchical information 50 in a hierarchical structure. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 transforms the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3 into large-scale hierarchical information data, and incorporates it into any level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60, thus generating the large-scale hierarchical information 60. The large-scale hierarchical information 60 is the second-level information in the monitoring system 1. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 is the second-level information management unit in the monitoring system 1.

[0064] The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 imports the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3 into the specified level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 based on the import position information specified for the import position of the local system 3 hierarchical information 50 in the large-scale hierarchical information 60, thereby generating the large-scale hierarchical information 60. The import position information is input from the input unit 21.

[0065] In the monitoring system 1, since the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 automatically generates large-scale hierarchical information 60, the workload of the user manually setting the hierarchical information 50 of multiple local systems 3 to the large-scale hierarchical information 60 of the monitoring system 1 can be saved.

[0066] Furthermore, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 has the function of appending monitoring screen data information of each level of the local system 3's hierarchical information 50 to each level of the generated large-scale hierarchical information 60 corresponding to the local system 3's hierarchical information 50. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 appends monitoring screen data information to each level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 corresponding to the local system 3's hierarchical information 50 based on monitoring screen data appending information, and this monitoring screen data appending information instructs the appending of monitoring screen data information to each level of the local system 3's hierarchical information 50. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 stores the generated large-scale hierarchical information 60 in the memory 25. The monitoring screen data is data used to display a monitoring screen on the display unit 23, which is used to monitor the operating status of at least one of the production equipment and equipment devices that are the objects of monitoring. The monitoring screen data information is information that specifies the monitoring screen data.

[0067] Thus, in the monitoring system 1, information for displaying monitoring screen data corresponding to each level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 is appended to each level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Therefore, by specifying the levels in the large-scale hierarchical information 60, the monitoring screen and monitoring screen data corresponding to the specified levels are determined. Consequently, in the monitoring system 1, since the monitoring screen data for displaying the monitoring screen is easily determined, the monitoring screen can be easily and automatically displayed on the display unit 23.

[0068] The hierarchical information acquisition unit 27 acquires hierarchical information 50 from each local system 3 via the monitoring and communication unit 22 from multiple hierarchical information management devices 4. The hierarchical information acquisition unit 27 then sends the acquired hierarchical information 50 to the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26.

[0069] The operation status data acquisition unit 28 acquires operation status data, which represents the operation status of the production equipment and devices as shown in the hierarchical information 50 of each local system 3, from the hierarchical information management device 4 of multiple local systems 3 via the monitoring and communication unit 22, and sends it to the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26. The operation status data acquisition unit 28 receives the operation status data each time it is updated.

[0070] The display processing unit 29 performs processing for display on the display unit 23. The display processing unit 29 receives the hierarchy information 50 and operating status data and displays them on the display unit 23. The display processing unit 29 displays the screen corresponding to the instruction information input from the input unit 21 on the display unit 23. The display processing unit 29 switches the screen displayed on the display unit 23 according to the hierarchy selected by the instruction information.

[0071] The functions of the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26, the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27, the operation status data acquisition unit 28, and the display processing unit 29 are implemented by a combination of processor 24 and software. Alternatively, the functions of the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26, the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27, the operation status data acquisition unit 28, and the display processing unit 29 can also be implemented by a combination of processor 24 and firmware, or by a combination of processor 24, software, and firmware. The software or firmware is described as a program and stored in memory 25. Processor 24 reads the software or firmware. Processor 24 executes the software or firmware.

[0072] The memory 25 stores operational status data, large-scale hierarchical information 60, and monitoring screen data. The memory 25 can also store the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3.

[0073] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 7 These are diagrams illustrating other examples of monitoring screens of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the display unit 23 includes: a menu display unit 231 for the user to select the monitoring screen to be displayed; and a screen display unit 232 for displaying the monitoring screen selected by the user through the menu display unit 231. The menu display unit 231 displays the hierarchy of the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Figure 6 In the menu display section 231, the "Smart Telephone Factory" level was selected from the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Figure 7 In the menu display section 231, the sub-level of "Intelligent Telephone Factory" is displayed, and the level of "Die Casting Molding Device" is selected. Furthermore, in... Figure 6 and Figure 7In the middle, the monitoring screen corresponding to the selected level is displayed on the screen display unit 232.

[0074] Next, refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 The method for importing hierarchical information from the monitoring system 1 to the monitoring device 2 is explained. Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the outline of a method for generating large-scale hierarchical information in a monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of generating large-scale hierarchical information in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 9 The diagram illustrates a scenario where hierarchical information 50 from a new local system 3 not previously incorporated into monitoring device 2 is imported, generating large-scale hierarchical information 60. Figure 9 In the diagram, "A:" indicates the processing of monitoring device 2, and "B:" indicates the processing of hierarchical information management device 4. The same applies in subsequent flowcharts.

[0075] (Processing of monitoring devices)

[0076] First, in step S110, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2 receives system specification information and import location information. The system specification information specifies the local system of the imported hierarchical information 50, and the import location information specifies where to import the hierarchical information 50 of the new local system 3 into the architecture of the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Before importing the hierarchical information 50 of the new local system 3, the architecture of the large-scale hierarchical information 60, in which the hierarchy of the hierarchical information 50 imported from the local system 3 is empty, is stored in the memory 25. The system specification information and import location information are input by the user from the input unit 21. Furthermore, the system specification information can be said to be information that specifies the hierarchical information management device 4 of the imported hierarchical information 50.

[0077] In step S120, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 designates the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3, which is specified by the system-specified information, as the source of hierarchical information 50, and requests hierarchical information 50 from the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27 of the monitoring device 2.

[0078] In step S130, the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27 requests hierarchical information 50 from the hierarchical information providing unit 47 of the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3, which is designated as the acquisition source.

[0079] (Processing of local systems)

[0080] In step S140, the hierarchical information providing unit 47 of the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3, which has requested hierarchical information 50, requests hierarchical information 50 from the hierarchical information management unit 46 of the hierarchical information management device 4.

[0081] In step S150, the hierarchical information management unit 46 sends the hierarchical information 50 to the hierarchical information providing unit 47.

[0082] In step S160, the hierarchical information providing unit 47 converts the hierarchical information 50 obtained from the hierarchical information management unit 46 into a data format for transmission to the monitoring device 2, and sends it to the hierarchical information obtaining unit 27 of the monitoring device 2.

[0083] (Processing of monitoring devices)

[0084] In step S170, the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27 of the monitoring device 2 transforms the hierarchical information 50 obtained from the hierarchical information providing unit 47 into a data format for transmission to the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2, and transmits it to the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26.

[0085] In step S180, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 generates large-scale hierarchical information 60 using the hierarchical information 50 obtained from the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27. That is, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 generates large-scale hierarchical information 60 by configuring the hierarchical information 50 at the level specified by the import location information.

[0086] In step S190, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 appends monitoring screen data information for displaying the monitoring screen corresponding to each level to each level in the large-scale hierarchical information 60. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 appends monitoring screen data information to the large-scale hierarchical information 60 according to the monitoring screen data appending information instructed for each level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60. The monitoring screen data appending information is input by the user from the input unit 21.

[0087] In step S200, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 stores information about the area of ​​the memory 25 that is the reference target for the monitoring screen data when the display processing unit 29 acquires the monitoring screen data. Alternatively, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 may append the monitoring screen data itself to the large-scale hierarchical information 60. In this case, the reference target for the monitoring screen data is the large-scale hierarchical information 60 stored in the memory 25. Furthermore, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 stores the large-scale hierarchical information 60 in the memory 25.

[0088] The above describes the method of importing new hierarchical information 50 from one local system 3 to the monitoring device 2. However, by repeating the same process as described above, new hierarchical information 50 is imported from multiple local systems 3 to the monitoring device 2 to generate large-scale hierarchical information 60.

[0089] Reference Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 10 and Figure 11 The display method of the monitoring screen in monitoring device 2 is explained. Figure 10 This is a diagram showing an outline of the display method of the monitoring screen of the monitoring device of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of displaying the monitoring screen of the monitoring device of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 10 The wide arrows in the middle indicate the flow of operational status data.

[0090] (Processing of monitoring devices)

[0091] In step S310, while the monitoring screen is open on the display unit 23, the display processing unit 29 receives monitoring screen instruction information that instructs the monitoring screen displayed on the display unit 23. The monitoring screen instruction information is input by the user from the input unit 21.

[0092] In step S320, the display processing unit 29 confirms with the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 the location of the monitoring screen data used to display the monitoring screen indicated by the monitoring screen indication information and to attach the monitoring screen data to the hierarchical information 50 in the large-scale hierarchical information 60.

[0093] In step S330, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 sends the reference target of the monitoring screen data to the display processing unit 29 as the location of the monitoring screen data that has requested confirmation.

[0094] In step S340, the display processing unit 29 reads the monitoring screen data from the reference target of the monitoring screen data and displays the monitoring screen. The reference target of the monitoring screen data is obtained from the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26.

[0095] In step S350, the display processing unit 29 verifies the hierarchical path in the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3's hierarchical information management device 4 based on the operational status data of the read-in monitoring screen data. The hierarchical path of the operational status data in the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3's hierarchical information management device 4 is stored in the monitoring screen data.

[0096] In step S360, the display processing unit 29 specifies the hierarchical path of the operation status data in the hierarchical information 50 of the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3, and requests the operation status data from the operation status data acquisition unit 28 of the monitoring device 2.

[0097] In step S370, the operation status data acquisition unit 28 specifies the hierarchical path of the operation status data in the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3 to the operation status data distribution unit 48 of the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3, and requests the operation status data. That is, the operation status data acquisition unit 28 specifies the hierarchical path of the operation status data in the hierarchical information 50 of the hierarchical information management device 4, and registers the request for distribution of the operation status data to the operation status data distribution unit 48. Here, "distribution" refers to sending the operation status data to the operation status data acquisition unit 28 whenever the operation status data changes.

[0098] (Processing of local systems)

[0099] In step S380, the operation status data distribution unit 48 specifies the hierarchical path of the operation status data in the hierarchical information 50 and requests the operation status data from the hierarchical information management unit 46 of the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3.

[0100] In step S390, the hierarchical information management unit 46 obtains operation status data from the hierarchical information 50 based on the specified hierarchical path and sends it to the operation status data distribution unit 48. The hierarchical information management unit 46 sends the updated operation status data to the operation status data distribution unit 48 each time the operation status data of the specified hierarchical path is updated.

[0101] In step S400, the operation status data distribution unit 48 distributes the acquired operation status data to the operation status data acquisition unit 28 of the monitoring device 2. Each time the operation status data is updated, the operation status data distribution unit 48 obtains the updated operation status data from the hierarchical information management unit 46 and distributes it to the operation status data acquisition unit 28 of the monitoring device 2.

[0102] (Processing of monitoring devices)

[0103] In step S410, the operation status data acquisition unit 28 of the monitoring device 2 sends the acquired operation status data to the display processing unit 29 of the monitoring device 2.

[0104] In step S420, the display processing unit 29 displays the acquired operating status data on the display unit 23.

[0105] In addition, the operation status data acquisition unit 28 and the display processing unit 29 of the monitoring device 2 can also store and save the acquired operation status data.

[0106] Alternatively, the monitoring device 2 can be configured as a local system 3 by incorporating a hierarchical information management device 4. However, in the local system 3 and the monitoring device 2, the management methods, addition methods, editing methods, and deletion methods differ depending on whether the hierarchical information 50 managed by the hierarchical information management unit and the large-scale hierarchical information 60 are in other forms or formats. Furthermore, the monitoring device 2 can also reside on a cloud server.

[0107] In order to display and monitor the operating status of control devices 5 in multiple local systems 3 in the monitoring device 2, the monitoring system 1 described in Embodiment 1 above can obtain hierarchical information 50 used by the hierarchical information management device 4 from the local systems 3, and use the obtained hierarchical information 50 to create large-scale hierarchical information 60 for the monitoring device 2. Therefore, in the monitoring system 1, the monitoring device 2 can automatically create large-scale hierarchical information 60 containing the hierarchical information 50 of multiple local systems 3, using the hierarchical information 50 from the multiple local systems 3. Thus, in the monitoring system 1, the construction of large-scale hierarchical information 60 becomes easier, reducing the user's workload required for displaying and monitoring the operating status of control devices 5 in multiple local systems 3 in the monitoring device 2.

[0108] Furthermore, in monitoring system 1, information for displaying monitoring screen data corresponding to each level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 is appended to each level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Thus, in monitoring system 1, by specifying the levels in the large-scale hierarchical information 60, the monitoring screen and monitoring screen data corresponding to the specified levels are determined, making it easy and automatic to display the monitoring screen on display unit 23. Moreover, in monitoring system 1, monitoring device 2 can automatically obtain operating status data corresponding to the monitoring screen displayed on display unit 23 from local systems 3, and display the obtained operating status data on the monitoring screen in real time. Therefore, in monitoring system 1, the operating status of control devices 5 in multiple local systems 3 can be displayed and monitored in monitoring device 2.

[0109] Furthermore, in monitoring system 1, by changing the specified level in the large-scale hierarchical information 60, the monitoring screen displayed on display unit 23 can be easily changed to the monitoring screen of the desired level in the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Therefore, in monitoring system 1, the operating status of control devices 5 in multiple local systems 3 can be easily monitored at monitoring device 2.

[0110] Implementation Method 2

[0111] Figure 12 This is a diagram showing the functional structure of the monitoring device in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 2. Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating the outline of a method for generating large-scale hierarchical information in a monitoring system according to Embodiment 2. Figure 13 The wide arrow in the figure indicates the flow of hierarchical information 50. The difference between the monitoring system 1a according to Embodiment 2 and the monitoring system 1 according to Embodiment 1 is that the monitoring device 2a has a hierarchical information import determination unit 30 added to the monitoring device 2.

[0112] In the process of importing hierarchical information 50 from the hierarchical information management device 4 of the new local system 3 to the large-scale hierarchical information 60, the hierarchical information import determination unit 30 determines whether or not to import the information contained in the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3 to the large-scale hierarchical information 60, based on predetermined specified conditions. The import-or-not-import determination is a determination of whether the information contained in the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3 needs to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60; it is a determination that selects the information contained in the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3 that needs to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60. The specified conditions are the criteria used by the hierarchical information import determination unit 30 to determine whether the information contained in the hierarchical information 50 needs to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60 during the import-or-not-import determination. That is, in the process of determining whether to include the information, the information contained in the new hierarchical information 50 that needs to be included in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 is determined.

[0113] The specified conditions define at least one of the following: hierarchical name, data name, hierarchical position, number of hierarchies below the superior hierarchical level, number of operational status data under the superior hierarchical level, hierarchical type, tag, update date, creation date, data type, data value, access rights to the hierarchical level, access rights to the data, superior hierarchical name, number of subordinate hierarchies, and number of operational status data under the hierarchical level. The data type is the data type of the operational status data. The data value is the actual current value of the operational status data. Access rights include access rights to read from the hierarchical information 50 and access rights to write to the hierarchical information 50. The string pattern comparison is a comparison with a string pattern specified by the user. The value comparison is a comparison with a value specified by the user. The specified conditions are predetermined or determined by the user and stored in the memory 25 of the monitoring device 2a. The specified conditions can be changed by the user. In addition, specified conditions can also be stored in the hierarchical information import decision unit 30.

[0114] Based on the determination result in the hierarchical information import determination unit 30, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 imports the hierarchical information 50 of the hierarchical information management device 4 of the new local system 3 to generate large-scale hierarchical information 60.

[0115] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of generating large-scale hierarchical information in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 2. Below, we will discuss... Figure 14 The flowchart and in Implementation 1 Figure 9 The differences between the flowcharts shown will be explained.

[0116] (Processing of monitoring devices)

[0117] After step S170, in step S172, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2a sends the received hierarchical information 50 to the hierarchical information import determination unit 30 and requests the hierarchical information import determination unit 30 to confirm whether the hierarchical information 50 has been imported, i.e., to determine whether it has been imported.

[0118] In step S174, the hierarchical information import determination unit 30 compares the hierarchical information 50 received from the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 with specified conditions to determine whether or not to import the hierarchical information 50. Specifically, the hierarchical information import determination unit 30 extracts information that meets the specified conditions from the hierarchical information 50 received from the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26. The hierarchical information import determination unit 30 sends the extracted information, that is, the information that meets the specified conditions in the hierarchical information 50 received from the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26, as the import determination result to the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26.

[0119] In step S176, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26, based on the determination result received from the hierarchical information import determination unit 30, extracts only the information that needs to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60 from the information contained in the hierarchical information 50, generating extraction hierarchical information that only contains the information that needs to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60. That is, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26, based on the determination result received from the hierarchical information import determination unit 30, removes unnecessary information from the information contained in the hierarchical information 50, extracts only the information that needs to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60, and lightweights the information imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Then, the process proceeds to step S178.

[0120] In step S178, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 generates large-scale hierarchical information 60 using the extracted hierarchical information obtained from the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27. That is, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 generates large-scale hierarchical information 60 by configuring the extracted hierarchical information at the level specified by the import location information.

[0121] Therefore, in this embodiment 2, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 does not completely exclude all the acquired hierarchical information 50 from importing. Instead, based on the import decision, it imports only a portion of the information contained in the hierarchical information 50 that meets the specified conditions into the large-scale hierarchical information 60. For example, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 performs the following processing: based on the import decision, it limits the number of hierarchical levels in the information contained in the hierarchical information 50 that can be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60 to 3, and imports only a portion of the information contained in the hierarchical information 50 (only 3 levels) into the large-scale hierarchical information 60.

[0122] As described above, in the monitoring system 1a according to Embodiment 2, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2a determines whether to import the hierarchical information 50 received from the hierarchical information management device 4 based on specified conditions. Furthermore, based on the import determination result, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 determines the information contained in the new hierarchical information 50 that needs to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60, and only imports the information contained in the new hierarchical information 50 that is determined to need to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60, thereby generating or updating the large-scale hierarchical information 60. That is, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 imports the extracted hierarchical information obtained by lightweighting the information contained in the new hierarchical information 50 and generates or updates the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Therefore, in the monitoring at the monitoring system 1a, only the required hierarchical information 50 can be used to generate the large-scale hierarchical information 60, and the excessive size of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 can be suppressed.

[0123] Implementation Method 3

[0124] Figure 15 This is a diagram showing the structure of the learning unit for determining whether an input is allowed in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 3.

[0125] The input / output determination condition learning unit 70 is a machine learning device with a data acquisition unit 71, a state observation unit 72, and a learning unit 73.

[0126] In the process of importing hierarchical information 50 from the hierarchical information management device 4 of the new local system 3, input by the user, into the large-scale hierarchical information 60, the data acquisition unit 71 obtains a determination result (teacher data) regarding whether the information contained in the hierarchical information 50 needs to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60. The data acquisition unit 71 then sends the teacher data to the learning unit 73. Here, the example of teacher data is the extracted hierarchical information described above. That is, the data acquisition unit 71 obtains the result regarding whether the information contained in the new hierarchical information 50 needs to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60.

[0127] The State Observation Unit 72 obtains the hierarchical information 50 from the Large-Scale Hierarchical Information Management Unit 26, and extracts information from the hierarchical information 50 as input data. This information includes the hierarchical name, data name, hierarchical position, number of hierarchies below the superior hierarchy, number of operational status data under the superior hierarchy, hierarchical type, tag, update date, creation date, data type, data value, access rights to the hierarchy, access rights to the data, superior hierarchical name, number of subordinate hierarchies, and number of operational status data under the hierarchical level as state variables. The State Observation Unit 72 observes the hierarchical information 50 as state variables. Access rights include the right to read hierarchical information 50 and the right to write to hierarchical information 50. The status observation unit 72 sends the hierarchical information 50 to the learning unit 73 with the hierarchical name, data name, hierarchical position, number of hierarchies below the superior hierarchical level, number of operational status data under the superior hierarchical level, hierarchical type, tag, update date, creation date, data type, data value, access rights to the hierarchical level, access rights to the data, superior hierarchical name, number of subordinate hierarchies, and number of operational status data under the hierarchical level.

[0128] Learning Unit 73 learns the import criteria (learning content) of hierarchical information 50 based on a dataset. This dataset is created based on a combination of the following: information including the hierarchical name, data name, hierarchical position, number of hierarchies below the superior hierarchical level, number of operational status data under the superior hierarchical level, hierarchical type, tag, update date, creation date, data type, data value, access rights to the hierarchical level, access rights to the data, superior hierarchical name, number of subordinate hierarchical levels, and number of operational status data under the hierarchical level; and teacher data output from Data Acquisition Unit 71. That is, in the import processing of hierarchical information 50 from hierarchical information management device 4 of the new local system 3 to large-scale hierarchical information 60, the judgment result regarding whether the information contained in hierarchical information 50 needs to be imported into large-scale hierarchical information 60 is the judgment data. Here, the dataset is data that correlates state variables and judgment data. The condition for determining whether to import hierarchical information is a criterion used in the import process of hierarchical information 50 from the hierarchical information management device 4 of the new local system 3 to the large-scale hierarchical information 60. This criterion serves as a basis for determining whether the information contained in the hierarchical information 50 needs to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60, and corresponds to the specified condition in Implementation 2. That is, the learning unit 73 learns the determination condition, which is a criterion used to determine whether the information contained in the new hierarchical information 50 needs to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60.

[0129] Furthermore, the import / export determination condition learning unit 70 is used in the monitoring system 1 to learn the import / export determination conditions for hierarchical information when determining whether to import the information contained in the hierarchical information 50 into the large-scale hierarchical information 60. These import / export determination conditions include at least one of the following: hierarchical name, data name, hierarchical position, number of hierarchies below the parent hierarchical level, number of operational status data under the parent hierarchical level, hierarchical type, tag, update date, creation date, data type, data value, access rights to the hierarchical level, access rights to the data, parent hierarchical name, number of lower hierarchical levels, and number of operational status data under the hierarchical level. However, for example, the import / export determination condition learning unit 70 may also be a separate device connected to the monitoring system 1 via a network. Alternatively, the import / export determination condition learning unit 70 may be built into the monitoring system 1. Furthermore, the import / export determination condition learning unit 70 may also reside on a cloud server.

[0130] Learning Unit 73, for example, follows a neural network model and learns the conditions for determining whether hierarchical information is input or not through so-called teacher-led learning. Here, teacher-led learning refers to a model that learns the features of a dataset by providing a large number of sets of data between a certain input and the result (label), and then infers the result based on the input.

[0131] Figure 16 This diagram illustrates the structure of the neural network used in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 3. The neural network consists of an input layer composed of multiple neurons, an intermediate layer (hidden layer) composed of multiple neurons, and an output layer composed of multiple neurons. The intermediate layer may be one layer or more than or equal to two layers. Figure 16 The neural network shown is a three-layer network. The input layer contains neurons X1, X2, and X3. The intermediate layer contains neurons Y1 and Y2. The output layer contains neurons Z1, Z2, and Z3. Furthermore, the number of neurons in each layer is arbitrary. Multiple values ​​input to the input layer are multiplied by weights W1 (w11, w12, w13, w14, w15, w16) and then input to the intermediate layer. Multiple values ​​input to the intermediate layer are multiplied by weights W2 (w21, w22, w23, w24, w25, w26) and then output from the output layer. The output from the output layer varies according to the values ​​of weights W1 and W2.

[0132] In this embodiment 3, the neural network learns from the dataset observed by the state observation unit 72 by using so-called teacher-learning to determine whether hierarchical information is incorporated. This dataset is created based on a combination of the following: information including the hierarchical name, data name, hierarchical position, number of hierarchies below the superior hierarchical level, number of operational status data under the superior hierarchical level, hierarchical type, tag, update date, creation date, data type, data value, access rights to the hierarchical level, access rights to the data, superior hierarchical name, number of subordinate hierarchies, and number of operational status data under the hierarchical level; and the determination data input by the user obtained by the data acquisition unit 71.

[0133] In other words, regarding the neural network, learning is achieved by adjusting weights W1 and W2 in a manner that closely approximates the judgment data input by the user, through inputting the layer information 50 (layer name, data name, layer position, number of layers below the parent layer, number of operational status data under the parent layer, layer type, label, update date, creation date, data type, data value, access rights to the layer, access rights to the data, parent layer name, number of lower layers, and number of operational status data under the layer) into the input layer. As mentioned above, the judgment data here refers to the determination result regarding whether the information contained in the layer information 50 is incorporated into the large-scale layer information 60.

[0134] Furthermore, neural networks can also learn the conditions for determining whether to incorporate hierarchical information through so-called teacherless learning. Teacherless learning learns how the input data is distributed by simply providing a large amount of input data to the learning unit 73. Even without providing corresponding teacher output data, it learns by compressing, classifying, or shaping the input data. In teacherless learning, features of data sets can be clustered into groups of similar data. By using the results of this clustering, a benchmark is set, and output allocation is optimized to achieve output prediction. Additionally, as an intermediate problem between teacherless and teacher-led learning, there is a method called semi-teacher-led learning. Semi-teacher-led learning involves learning with only a subset of input and output data, and otherwise only input data.

[0135] Furthermore, the learning unit 73 can also use deep learning, which learns by extracting the feature quantities themselves, as a learning algorithm. Additionally, the learning unit 73 can also perform machine learning using other known methods, such as genetic programming, functional logic programming, and support vector machines.

[0136] In Embodiment 3, the hierarchical information import determination unit 30 in Embodiment 2 uses the learning results from the import / export determination condition learning unit 70 instead of the specified conditions to determine whether or not to import the hierarchical information 50. Therefore, in Embodiment 3, the specified conditions are not used, achieving the same effect as in Embodiment 2.

[0137] Furthermore, the learning unit 73 can learn the criteria for determining whether to import hierarchical information based on datasets created for multiple monitoring systems. Additionally, the learning unit 73 can obtain datasets from multiple monitoring systems, or it can learn the criteria for determining whether to import hierarchical information using datasets collected from multiple work machines operating independently at different sites. Moreover, the monitoring system collecting the dataset can be added to the object midway, or conversely, removed from the object. Furthermore, a machine learning device that has learned the criteria for determining whether to import hierarchical information for a particular monitoring system can be installed on other monitoring systems, and updated by relearning the criteria for determining whether to import hierarchical information for those other monitoring systems.

[0138] As described above, in Embodiment 3, the hierarchical information import determination unit 30 in Embodiment 2 uses the learning results from the import / export determination condition learning unit 70 instead of specifying conditions to determine whether or not to import the hierarchical information 50. Therefore, in Embodiment 3, no user-defined conditions are required, achieving the same effect as in Embodiment 2.

[0139] Furthermore, in Implementation 3, since the information contained in the hierarchical information 50 can be automatically selected to be imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60, the large-scale hierarchical information 60 can be automatically lightweighted. Therefore, the creation time of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 consumed by the user is not required, nor is the creation time of the specified conditions consumed by the user required.

[0140] Implementation Method 4

[0141] Figure 17 This is a diagram showing an outline of the method for displaying the monitoring screen in the monitoring device of the monitoring system according to Embodiment 4. Figure 17 The wide arrows in the diagram indicate the flow of operational status data. In Embodiment 4, the case where the memory 25 of the monitoring device 2 contains hierarchical path association information will be described.

[0142] Hierarchical path association information is information that associates the hierarchical path of any level in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 with the hierarchical path of the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3 corresponding to any level in the large-scale hierarchical information 60. In other words, hierarchical path association information is information that associates the hierarchical path of any level in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 with the hierarchical path of the level in the hierarchical information 50 that is the target for obtaining the operational status data of that level.

[0143] For example, imagine... Figure 17The monitoring screen of the "Status" of the "Machine1" level within the "Factory1" level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 is displayed on the display unit 23. The "Status" level in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 corresponds to the "Status" level of the "Machine1" level in the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3. That is, the operating status data displayed on the monitoring screen of the "Status" level in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 is the operating status data of the "Status" level in the hierarchical information 50 of the local system 3.

[0144] In this case, hierarchical path association information, which associates the hierarchical path of the "Status" level in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 with the hierarchical path of the "Status" level in the local system 3 hierarchical information 50, is pre-stored in memory 25. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 refers to the hierarchical path association information pre-stored in memory 25. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 creates and stores the hierarchical path association information in memory 25 when generating the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Alternatively, the hierarchical path association information can also be stored in the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26.

[0145] When the display processing unit 29 requests operation status data after specifying the hierarchical path in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 of the read-in monitoring screen data operation status data, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 transforms the hierarchical path in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 into the hierarchical path of the corresponding hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3, based on the hierarchical path association information. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 then specifies the hierarchical path of the transformed hierarchical information 50 and requests operation status data from the operation status data acquisition unit 28.

[0146] Figure 18 This is a flowchart illustrating the method for displaying the monitoring screen of the monitoring device in the monitoring system of Embodiment 4. The following is a description of... Figure 18 The flowchart and in Implementation 1 Figure 11 The differences between the flowcharts shown will be explained.

[0147] Following step S340, in step S510, the display processing unit 29 confirms the hierarchical path in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 of the read-in monitoring screen data's operational status data. The hierarchical path of the operational status data of the read-in monitoring screen data in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 is stored in the read-in monitoring screen data.

[0148] In step S520, the display processing unit 29 specifies the hierarchical path in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 of the read monitoring screen data's operation status data and requests operation status data from the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26.

[0149] In step S530, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 transforms the hierarchical path in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 of the operation status data of the monitoring screen data specified by the display processing unit 29 into the hierarchical path in the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3 based on the hierarchical path association information.

[0150] In step S540, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 specifies the hierarchical path in the hierarchical information 50 of the hierarchical information management device 4 of the transformed local system 3 and requests operation status data from the operation status data acquisition unit 28.

[0151] Furthermore, after step S400, in step S550, the operation status data acquisition unit 28 of the monitoring device 2 sends the acquired operation status data to the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2.

[0152] In step S560, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 sends the acquired operation status data to the display processing unit 29.

[0153] As described above, in this embodiment 4, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2 transforms the hierarchical path in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 into the hierarchical path of the corresponding hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3 based on the hierarchical path association information, specifies the hierarchical path of the hierarchical path in the transformed hierarchical information 50, and requests the operation status data from the operation status data acquisition unit 28.

[0154] Therefore, by using large-scale hierarchical information 60 as a basis, the monitoring system 1 can uniformly manage the location of the hierarchical information 50 of the hierarchical information management device 4 of multiple local systems 3, and can easily find and obtain the target operational status data from a large amount of information. Thus, the monitoring system 1 can centrally manage the location of operational status data, and the software structure and ease of use of the monitoring device 2 when processing the data through application software within the monitoring system 1 are improved.

[0155] Implementation Method 5

[0156] In Embodiment 5, it is explained that the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2 in the monitoring system 1 obtains the hierarchical information 50 of the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3 at an arbitrary timing, compares it with the large-scale hierarchical information 60 that has been generated, and reflects the updated content of the hierarchical information 50. Figure 19 This is a diagram illustrating the overview of the synchronous processing of large-scale hierarchical information in Implementation 5.

[0157] like Figure 19 As shown, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2 can obtain the updated hierarchical information 50e at any time interval, and update the previous large-scale hierarchical information 60a to the updated large-scale hierarchical information 60b based on the updated hierarchical information 50e. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 reflects the updated content of the updated hierarchical information 50e, that is, the change from the previous hierarchical information 50d to the updated hierarchical information 50e, in the previous large-scale hierarchical information 60a, and updates the previous large-scale hierarchical information 60a to the updated large-scale hierarchical information 60b through the updated content of the updated hierarchical information 50e.

[0158] That is, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 deletes from the previous large-scale hierarchical information 60a the levels that were deleted from the previous hierarchical information 50d in the updated hierarchical information 50e. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 adds to the previous large-scale hierarchical information 60a any levels that were added to the previous hierarchical information 50d in the updated hierarchical information 50e. Starting from the previous large-scale hierarchical information 60a, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 modifies the levels in the updated hierarchical information 50e that have changed relative to the previous hierarchical information 50d.

[0159] When adding a hierarchy to the hierarchy information 50, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 can also perform the import / export determination described in implementation method 2 or implementation method 3.

[0160] Alternatively, each level of the hierarchical information 50 can be assigned an unchangeable, inherent ID. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 compares the hierarchical information of levels with the same ID in the updated hierarchical information 50e and the original large-scale hierarchical information 60a, and updates the differences. For example, if the name of the level with ID4 in the original large-scale hierarchical information 60a is "DeviceAA" and the name of the level with ID4 in the updated hierarchical information 50e is "DeviceBA", then the name in the updated hierarchical information 50e is changed. In this case, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 changes the name of the level with ID4 in the original large-scale hierarchical information 60a from "DeviceAA" to "DeviceBA", and updates the original large-scale hierarchical information 60a to the updated large-scale hierarchical information 60b.

[0161] Therefore, according to embodiment 5, by using ID to manage large-scale hierarchical information 60 and hierarchical information 50, it is possible to easily associate the hierarchy of the large-scale hierarchical information 60a before the update with the hierarchy of the updated hierarchical information 50e corresponding to that hierarchy, and it is possible to easily update the large-scale hierarchical information 60.

[0162] The synchronization processing of the aforementioned large-scale hierarchical information 60 can be performed automatically by the monitoring system 1. Alternatively, the user can input the synchronization instruction of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 into the monitoring system 1 at any time to start the synchronization processing of the large-scale hierarchical information 60.

[0163] Figure 20 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of displaying the monitoring screen in the monitoring device of the monitoring system in Embodiment 5.

[0164] (Processing of monitoring devices)

[0165] In step S610, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2 designates the local system 3 that has hierarchical information 50 imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60 and requests the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27 of the monitoring device 2 to acquire the hierarchical information. Specifically, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 designates the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3 that has hierarchical information 50 imported into the large-scale hierarchical information 60 as the acquisition source and requests the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27 to acquire the hierarchical information.

[0166] In step S620, the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27 requests hierarchical information from the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3, which is designated as the acquisition source.

[0167] (Processing of local systems)

[0168] In step S630, the hierarchical information providing unit 47 of the hierarchical information management device 4 that has requested hierarchical information requests hierarchical information from the hierarchical information management unit 46 of the local system 3.

[0169] In step S640, the hierarchical information management unit 46 sends the hierarchical information 50 to the hierarchical information providing unit 47 of the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3.

[0170] In step S650, the hierarchical information providing unit 47 converts the hierarchical information 50 obtained from the hierarchical information management unit 46 into a data format for transmission to the monitoring device 2, and sends it to the hierarchical information obtaining unit 27 of the monitoring device 2.

[0171] (Processing of monitoring devices)

[0172] In step S660, the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27 converts the hierarchical information 50 acquired from the hierarchical information provision unit 47 into a data format for transmission to the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2, and transmits it to the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26.

[0173] In step S670, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 updates the large-scale hierarchical information 60 based on the hierarchical information 50 obtained from the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27. The updated large-scale hierarchical information 60 is stored in the memory 25. Specifically, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 compares the hierarchical information 50 obtained from the hierarchical information acquisition unit 27 with the generated large-scale hierarchical information 60, and updates the large-scale hierarchical information 60 by reflecting the updated content of the hierarchical information 50 in the large-scale hierarchical information 60.

[0174] As described above, in this embodiment 5, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2 re-acquires the hierarchical information 50 from the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3, which has the hierarchical information 50 incorporated into the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Furthermore, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 compares the re-acquired hierarchical information 50 with the already generated large-scale hierarchical information 60, and updates the large-scale hierarchical information 60 by reflecting the updated content of the hierarchical information 50 in the large-scale hierarchical information 60. That is, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 updates the large-scale hierarchical information 60 based on the difference between the re-acquired hierarchical information 50 and the already generated large-scale hierarchical information 60.

[0175] Therefore, in this embodiment 5, changes to the hierarchical information 50 in the local system 3 can be automatically reflected in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 in the monitoring device 2. Thus, in this embodiment 5, multiple hierarchical information 50s merged into the large-scale hierarchical information 60 and the large-scale hierarchical information 60 can be automatically synchronized. Furthermore, in this embodiment 5, since the workload of operators reflecting changes to the hierarchical information 50 in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 can be reduced, the maintenance time and costs of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 can be reduced.

[0176] Implementation Method 6

[0177] In Embodiment 6, it is described that the display processing unit 29 of the monitoring device 2 in the monitoring system 1 has the function of transforming any hierarchical path in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 into a hierarchical path in the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3 based on the relative path and the call position of the screen. In the monitoring device 2, in order to obtain the operation status data displayed by the monitoring screen, a monitoring screen template can be used instead of the hierarchical path of the large-scale hierarchical information 60, and this monitoring screen template is described using a relative path. The relative path is a positional information that generalizes the information representing the path in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 from any level to any other level. For example, an example of a relative path is shown that describes the situation where the level "Status" is configured below the level "Machine1".

[0178] A monitoring screen template is a standardized monitoring screen data. That is, monitoring screens with the same hierarchical structure can be displayed using a single standardized monitoring screen data. A monitoring screen template described using a relative path is monitoring screen data described with a relative path appended. By utilizing a monitoring screen template described using a relative path, a single monitoring screen template can be used to display monitoring screen data at multiple levels with the same hierarchical structure but located at different hierarchical positions in the large-scale hierarchical information 60. When the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2 generates the large-scale hierarchical information 60, a monitoring screen template described using a relative path is appended to the hierarchical information 50.

[0179] Figure 21 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of displaying the monitoring screen of the monitoring system in Embodiment 6. The following will describe... Figure 21 The flowchart and in embodiment 4 Figure 18 The differences between the flowcharts shown will be explained.

[0180] Following step S340, in step S710, the display processing unit 29 confirms the relative path for the operating status data of the read-in monitoring screen data. The relative path is stored in the hierarchy information 50 in association with the hierarchy information of the read-in monitoring screen data indicated by the monitoring screen indication information.

[0181] In step S720, the display processing unit 29 transforms the screen call level and relative path into the hierarchical path of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 of the monitoring device 2 of the monitoring system 1. For example, the level of the read monitoring screen data is the level "Factory" in the large-scale hierarchical information 60, and a relative path describing the situation where the level "Status" is configured below the level "Machine1" is stored in association with the monitoring screen data. In this case, the display processing unit 29 can determine the hierarchical path specified by the screen call level and relative path in the large-scale hierarchical information 60 as having a level "Machine1" below "Factory", and a level "Status" below level "Machine1". For example, imagine that the level of the read monitoring screen data is the level "Factory" in the large-scale hierarchical information 60, and the relative path used to obtain the operation status data within the screen of the level "Factory" is the relative path "Machine1-Status". The relative path "Machine1-Status" indicates a relative path where "Status" exists at a lower level than "Machine1". In this case, the display processing unit 29 transforms the screen's calling level and relative path into the hierarchical path "Factory-Machine1-Status" of the large-scale hierarchical information 60. The hierarchical path "Factory-Machine1-Status" indicates a hierarchical path where "Machine1" exists at a lower level than "Factory", and "Status" exists at a lower level than "Machine1". Furthermore, the display processing unit 29 assigns the hierarchical path "Factory-Machine1-Status" of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 to the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 to obtain operating status data.

[0182] As described above, in this embodiment 6, within the large-scale hierarchical information 60, among multiple levels of monitoring screen data that are located at different hierarchical positions within the large-scale hierarchical information 60 and have the same hierarchical structure, a single monitoring screen template described using relative paths can be reused. This improves the reusability of the monitoring screen data and reduces the creation time of the monitoring screen data.

[0183] Implementation Method 7

[0184] Figure 22 This is a diagram illustrating the outline of a method for generating large-scale hierarchical information in a monitoring system according to Embodiment 7. Figure 22 The wide arrows in the diagram indicate the flow of operational status data. The monitoring system 1b according to Embodiment 7 has a monitoring device 2b that adds a monitoring screen generation unit 31 to the monitoring device 2 according to Embodiment 1.

[0185] The monitoring screen generation unit 31 generates monitoring screen data based on a summary of the operating status data.

[0186] The operational status data overview is a list of the names and hierarchical paths of the operational status data under each level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Similar to the monitoring system 1 according to Embodiment 1, the operational status data is obtained from the hierarchical information management device 4 of the local system 3 through the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2b.

[0187] In the monitoring system 1b, the monitoring screen data generated by the monitoring screen generation unit 31 can be used to attach the monitoring screen data generated by the monitoring screen generation unit 31 to the large-scale hierarchical information 60, instead of the monitoring screen data where the monitoring screen data attachment information is attached to the large-scale hierarchical information 60 by the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 according to the monitoring screen data attachment information in step S190 above.

[0188] Figure 23 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of generating large-scale hierarchical information in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 7. Below, we will discuss... Figure 23 The flowchart and in Implementation 1 Figure 9 The differences between the flowcharts shown will be explained.

[0189] (Processing of monitoring devices)

[0190] Following step S180, in step S810, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 of the monitoring device 2b generates an overview of operation status data based on the operation status data contained in each level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 and sends it to the monitoring screen generation unit 31. The large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 extracts the names and hierarchical paths of the operation status data contained in each level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60 to generate an overview of operation status data.

[0191] In step S820, the monitoring screen generation unit 31 generates monitoring screen data based on the overview of the operation status data, and sends the generated monitoring screen data to the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26. Here, the monitoring screen data is used to display the names of the operation status data and the values ​​obtained through the hierarchical path.

[0192] In step S830, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 automatically appends the information of the monitoring screen data obtained from the monitoring screen generation unit 31 to each level of the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Furthermore, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 stores the monitoring screen data obtained from the monitoring screen generation unit 31 in the memory 25. Moreover, the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26 stores information about the area in the memory 25 that is the reference target for the monitoring screen data obtained by the display processing unit 29.

[0193] As described above, in the monitoring system 1b according to Embodiment 7, since the monitoring screen generation unit 31 of the monitoring device 2b automatically creates monitoring screen data, it is possible to further reduce the user's working hours and workload.

[0194] Implementation Method 8

[0195] In Embodiment 8, a variation of the monitoring system 1b shown in Embodiment 7 will be described. In the monitoring system 1b shown in Embodiment 7, the data name, hierarchical position, tag, update date, creation date, data type, data value, access rights to the data, and parent hierarchical name of the hierarchical information 50 obtained based on the overview of operation status data are set as specified conditions. Furthermore, a screen component is provided to display the operation status data on the monitoring screen, corresponding to the specified conditions, namely the data name, hierarchical position, tag, update date, creation date, data type, data value, access rights to the data, and parent hierarchical name of the hierarchical information 50. The access rights include access rights for reading the hierarchical information 50 and access rights for writing to the hierarchical information 50.

[0196] The specified conditions and the screen component that displays the operating status data on the monitoring screen in accordance with the specified conditions are predetermined and stored in the memory 25. In addition, the specified conditions and the screen component that displays the operating status data on the monitoring screen in accordance with the specified conditions may also be stored in the monitoring screen generation unit 31.

[0197] The monitoring screen generation unit 31 selects screen components that meet specified conditions based on the acquired overview of operating status data for each operating status data. The monitoring screen generation unit 31 appends a data name and hierarchical path to the selected screen component, configuring the monitoring screen data onto the screen component. The monitoring screen generation unit 31 then appends this monitoring screen data to the large-scale hierarchical information 60. Thus, screen components can be configured on the monitoring screen based on the overview of operating status data.

[0198] Figure 24 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of generating large-scale hierarchical information in the monitoring system according to Embodiment 8. The following will describe... Figure 24 The flowchart and in embodiment 7 Figure 23 The differences between the flowcharts shown will be explained.

[0199] (Processing of monitoring devices)

[0200] Following step S810, in step S910, the monitoring screen generation unit 31 of the monitoring device 2b generates monitoring screen data based on the acquired operation status data overview, and sends the generated monitoring screen data to the large-scale hierarchical information management unit 26. Here, the monitoring screen generation unit 31 selects screen components that display operation status data on the monitoring screen from a screen component overview based on specified conditions, and configures the selected screen components on the monitoring screen to generate monitoring screen data. The screen component overview displays a list of screen components that display operation status data on the monitoring screen, and is pre-stored in the monitoring screen generation unit 31 as a library.

[0201] As described above, in this embodiment 8, when the monitoring screen generation unit 31 of the monitoring device 2b automatically creates monitoring screen data, the monitoring screen data is generated by selecting screen components that will display the operating status data on the monitoring screen from a list of screen components based on specified conditions, and then configuring the selected screen components on the monitoring screen. This allows for the automatic generation of convenient monitoring screens, further reducing the user's working hours and workload.

[0202] Implementation Method 9

[0203] The monitoring screen generation unit 31 in Embodiment 8 described above can be configured to automatically generate monitoring screen data using the machine learning device in Embodiment 3, instead of specifying conditions. The machine learning device in Embodiment 9 is a machine learning device that learns a screen component selection method that automatically selects screen components configured in the monitoring screen when creating monitoring screen data for the monitoring system 1b. That is, the machine learning device in Embodiment 9 is a machine learning device that learns a screen component selection method that automatically selects screen components used in the monitoring screen data.

[0204] In this scenario, the input data in the machine learning device is set as the data name, hierarchy position, tag, update date, creation date, data type, data value, access rights to the data, and parent hierarchy name of the hierarchy information 50. Additionally, the teacher data is the type of screen component selected by the user. Furthermore, the learning content is the screen component selection method. Access rights include access rights for reading from the hierarchy information 50 and access rights for writing to the hierarchy information 50.

[0205] By equipping the monitoring system 1b with such a machine learning device, convenient monitoring screens can be automatically generated even without specifying particular conditions, further reducing user workload and time. Furthermore, the machine learning device can reside on a server on the network to which the monitoring system is connected.

[0206] The structure shown in the above embodiments represents one example of the content of the present invention. The technologies of the embodiments can be combined with each other, or combined with other known technologies. A part of the structure can be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0207] Explanation of the label

[0208] 1. Monitoring systems 1a and 1b; 2. Monitoring devices 2a and 2b; 3. Local systems: 3a First local system, 3b Second local system, 3c Third local system; 4. Hierarchical information management devices: 4a First level information management device, 4b Second level information management device, 4c Third level information management device; 5. Control devices: 5a, 5aa, 5ab, 5ac First control devices, 5b, 5ba, 5bb, 5bc Second control devices, 5c, 5ca, 5cb, 5cc Third control devices; 21. Input units 41; 22. Monitoring and communication units; 23. Display units 43; 24. Processors 44; 25. Memory 45; 26. Large-scale hierarchical information management units. 27. Level Information Acquisition Department; 28. Operation Status Data Acquisition Department; 29, 49. Display Processing Department; 30. Level Information Integration Judgment Department; 31. Monitoring Screen Generation Department; 42. Management and Communication Department; 46. Level Information Management Department; 47. Level Information Provision Department; 48. Operation Status Data Distribution Department; 50, 50a, 50b, 50c. Level Information; 50d. Level Information Before Update; 50e. Level Information After Update; 60. Large-Scale Level Information; 60a. Large-Scale Level Information Before Update; 60b. Large-Scale Level Information After Update; 70. Integration / Inclusion Judgment Condition Learning Department; 71. Data Acquisition Department; 72. Status Observation Department; 73. Learning Department; 231. Menu Display Department; 232. Screen Display Department.

Claims

1. A monitoring system having a monitoring device and a plurality of hierarchical information management devices, the monitoring system monitoring operating states of a plurality of devices as monitoring targets, the monitoring system characterized by the plurality of hierarchical information management devices having a first hierarchical information management section that manages information that expresses information of the devices in a hierarchical structure, that is, first hierarchical information, the plurality of hierarchical information management devices each managing the first hierarchical information of different ones of the devices, the monitoring device having: a second hierarchical information management section that generates hierarchical information that connects the first hierarchical information in a hierarchical structure, that is, second hierarchical information, based on a plurality of different first hierarchical information acquired from the plurality of hierarchical information management devices; a display section that displays information; and a display processing section that performs processing to display a plurality of different monitoring screens that display operating states of the monitoring targets corresponding to each hierarchical level in the second hierarchical information, by switching the monitoring screens, the second hierarchical information management section merging the first hierarchical information to an arbitrary hierarchical level of the second hierarchical information based on merge position information input by a user, the merge position information specifying a merge position of the first hierarchical information in the second hierarchical information.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized by the second hierarchical information management section adding information of monitoring screen data for displaying the monitoring screen of the devices corresponding to each hierarchical level of the second hierarchical information to each hierarchical level of the second hierarchical information.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 2, characterized by the display processing section displaying the monitoring screen on the display section using the monitoring screen data specified by the information of the monitoring screen data added to each hierarchical level of the second hierarchical information.

4. The monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by the first hierarchical information management section transmitting data that expresses the operating states of the devices, that is, operating state data, corresponding to a hierarchical path in the first hierarchical information specified from the monitoring device, to the second hierarchical information management section of the monitoring device.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 4, characterized by the first hierarchical information management section transmitting the operating state data to the second hierarchical information management section of the monitoring device each time the operating state data is updated.

6. The monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by The hierarchical information merge determination unit determines whether or not information included in the new first hierarchical information needs to be merged into the second hierarchical information, by comparing a specified condition with the new first hierarchical information acquired from the hierarchical information management device, the specified condition specifying a hierarchical name, a data name, a hierarchical position, a number of hierarchical levels existing under a superior hierarchical level, a number of operation status data under the superior hierarchical level, a type of hierarchical level, a tag, an update date, a creation date, a data type, a data value, an access right to a hierarchical level, an access right to data, a superior hierarchical level name, a number of subordinate hierarchical levels, and a number of operation status data under the hierarchical levels, and the hierarchical information merge determination is a determination of information included in the new first hierarchical information that needs to be merged into the second hierarchical information, The second hierarchical information management unit merges a part of the information included in the new first hierarchical information into the second hierarchical information based on the determination result of the hierarchical information merge determination unit, thereby generating or updating the second hierarchical information.

7. The monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein The machine learning device learns a determination condition used for determining whether or not information included in the new first hierarchical information needs to be merged into the second hierarchical information, The machine learning device includes: a state observation unit that observes a state variable including a hierarchical name, a data name, a hierarchical position, a number of hierarchical levels existing under a superior hierarchical level, a number of operation status data under the superior hierarchical level, a type of hierarchical level, a tag, an update date, a creation date, a data type, a data value, an access right to a hierarchical level, an access right to data, a superior hierarchical level name, a number of subordinate hierarchical levels, and a number of operation status data under the hierarchical levels, a data acquisition unit that acquires a result of whether or not the information included in the first hierarchical information input by a user needs to be merged into the second hierarchical information, and a learning unit that learns the determination condition based on a data set created based on a combination of the state variable and the result of whether or not the information needs to be merged, The hierarchical information merge determination unit determines whether or not information included in the new first hierarchical information needs to be merged into the second hierarchical information, by comparing the determination condition with the new first hierarchical information acquired from the hierarchical information management device.

8. The monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein The second hierarchical information management unit specifies a hierarchical path of a hierarchical level of the first hierarchical information, transforms the hierarchical path of the hierarchical level of the second hierarchical information into the hierarchical path of the hierarchical level of the first hierarchical information based on hierarchical path association information that associates a hierarchical path of an arbitrary hierarchical level of the second hierarchical information with a hierarchical path of a hierarchical level of the first hierarchical information corresponding to the arbitrary hierarchical level of the second hierarchical information, and requests the hierarchical information management device for the operation status data. ​ 9. The monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first-level information that is merged into the second-level information is again acquired, and the second-level information is updated based on a difference between the first-level information that is again acquired and the second-level information.

10. The monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein data for displaying the monitoring screen, that is, monitoring screen data, is created using relative paths that are position information in which information indicating a path from an arbitrary level in the second-level information to another arbitrary level in the second-level information is generalized, the display processing section acquires information of a level path in the first-level information based on a level of the monitoring screen data that is read in and the relative paths.

11. The monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a monitoring screen generation section that generates data for displaying the monitoring screen, that is, monitoring screen data, from an operation state data list that lists names and level paths of operation state data of the devices corresponding to the levels of the first-level information included in the second-level information.

12. The monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a monitoring screen generation section that generates monitoring screen data for displaying the monitoring screen by automatically selecting and arranging, in the monitoring screen, screen components that display operation state data of the devices based on a specified condition including a data name, a level position, a mark, an update date, a creation date, a data type, a data value, an access right to data, and a superior level name of the first-level information.

13. The monitoring system according to claim 12, wherein a machine learning device that learns a screen component selection method for selecting screen components used in the monitoring screen data, the machine learning device includes: a state observation section that observes state variables including a data name, a level position, a mark, an update date, a creation date, a data type, a data value, an access right to data, and a superior level name of the first-level information; a data acquisition section that acquires a screen component type selected by a user; and a learning section that learns the screen component selection method based on a data set created based on a combination of the state variables and the screen component type selected by the user, the monitoring screen generation section automatically selects and arranges, in the monitoring screen, the screen components based on the screen component selection method, and generates the monitoring screen data.

14. The monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the devices are at least one of production devices and equipment devices.

15. A monitoring method of monitoring operation states of a plurality of devices that are monitoring targets in a monitoring system that includes a monitoring device and a plurality of level information management devices, The monitoring method is characterized by comprising the steps of: The plurality of the hierarchical information management apparatuses transmit first hierarchical information, which is information expressing information of the devices by a hierarchical structure, to the monitoring apparatus; The monitoring apparatus generates second hierarchical information, which is hierarchical information connecting the first hierarchical information in a hierarchical structure, based on different pieces of the first hierarchical information acquired from the plurality of the hierarchical information management apparatuses; and The monitoring apparatus displays, on a display section, a plurality of different monitoring screens showing the operation states of the monitoring targets corresponding to each hierarchy in the second hierarchical information, switching the monitoring screens, In the step of generating the second hierarchical information, the first hierarchical information is merged into an arbitrary hierarchy of the second hierarchical information based on merge position information input by a user, the merge position information specifying a merge position of the first hierarchical information in the second hierarchical information.

16. A recording medium storing a program for controlling a monitoring apparatus in a monitoring system that monitors operation states of a plurality of devices as monitoring targets, the monitoring system having the monitoring apparatus and a plurality of hierarchical information management apparatuses, The recording medium is characterized by The plurality of the hierarchical information management apparatuses transmit first hierarchical information, which is information expressing information of the devices by a hierarchical structure, to the monitoring apparatus, The program causes the monitoring apparatus to execute the steps of: The monitoring apparatus generates second hierarchical information, which is hierarchical information connecting the first hierarchical information in a hierarchical structure, based on different pieces of the first hierarchical information acquired from the plurality of the hierarchical information management apparatuses; and The monitoring apparatus displays, on a display section, a plurality of different monitoring screens showing the operation states of the monitoring targets corresponding to each hierarchy in the second hierarchical information, switching the monitoring screens, In the step of generating the second hierarchical information, the first hierarchical information is merged into an arbitrary hierarchy of the second hierarchical information based on merge position information input by a user, the merge position information specifying a merge position of the first hierarchical information in the second hierarchical information.

Images