Digital twinborn monitoring system and monitoring method for power plant and transformer substation

Abstract

The invention discloses a digital twinborn monitoring system and a digital twinborn monitoring method for a power plant and a transformer substation. The system comprises a three-dimensional scene module, a data anchoring module, a data acquisition module, an alarm transmission module, a visualization module and a video linkage module. The core of the method is to construct a'regional equipment component 'hierarchical virtual object system corresponding to a physical scene. The data acquisition module associates the monitoring data to a'component '-level virtual object in the system; an alarm transmission module upwards aggregates component alarm states to a device level and a region level according to a hierarchical structure of the system; the visualization module is used for carrying out highlighted prompting on an alarm virtual object in the system; and the video linkage module automatically calls and controls the camera to turn and displays a real-time video based on predefined information of the alarm component in the system. According to the invention, the rapid and accurate positioning of the alarm and the automatic linkage verification of the field video are realized, and the operation and maintenance intelligent level and safety efficiency of the power plant and the transformer substation are remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a digital twin monitoring system for power plants and substations, and also to a monitoring method for power plants and substations based on the digital twin monitoring system, belonging to the field of power system monitoring technology. Background Technology

[0002] In the daily operation monitoring of power plants and power grid substations, operators typically spend long periods of time facing the main wiring diagram of the monitoring system to observe equipment operating data. When the system generates an alarm, the existing processing flow often relies on manual step-by-step troubleshooting: operators first need to read the alarm information on the monitoring screen, judge the area where the alarm might occur based on experience, and then retrieve the relevant sub-screens to view the specific data; after initially identifying suspicious equipment, they still need to manually locate the monitoring equipment in the corresponding area from a long list of cameras, remotely control its rotation, and then observe the equipment's appearance to verify the authenticity of the alarm. This "data viewing - manual location - manual video retrieval" process is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also poses a huge challenge for new employees unfamiliar with the on-site equipment layout, leading to alarm response delays and directly affecting the safety and efficiency of power grid operation.

[0003] To address these issues, the industry has proposed various technical solutions. For example, Chinese utility model CN217880026U adds a physical inspection track vehicle as a backup control channel to a 3D simulation system. However, its core improvement lies in the backup connection of physical hardware, without realizing the intelligent association between alarm information and monitoring elements in the digital space. Chinese invention patent CN110874866B uses multi-camera video analysis to identify equipment defects and update 3D model textures. Its focus is on vision-based dynamic model updates, but it does not construct a unified data structure and hierarchical relationship to achieve automatic alarm tracing and multimodal linkage. Furthermore, Chinese invention patent CN105871062B proposes an integrated information platform that integrates multiple monitoring data, but it does not deeply address the core operational pain point of how to quickly and intuitively locate specific equipment components from massive amounts of data when an alarm occurs, and how to link on-site video for verification.

[0004] In summary, while existing technologies have improved traditional monitoring methods from different perspectives, none have fundamentally solved the problems of slow alarm location and cumbersome on-site verification. Whether it is the manual troubleshooting mode based on planar wiring diagrams, or the existing 3D simulation system or integrated platform, their common drawback is the lack of a mechanism that can automatically associate alarm signals with physical spatial locations. This results in data monitoring and video verification remaining disconnected, preventing operators from obtaining intuitive and accurate equipment status information and quickly confirming it at the first moment an alarm occurs.

[0005] Therefore, how to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies, such as the difficulty in locating alarm information and the cumbersome operation of video verification, to achieve automatic and accurate positioning of alarm data in three-dimensional space and to form intelligent linkage with the on-site video monitoring system, thereby improving the speed and accuracy of alarm response, has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The primary technical problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a digital twin monitoring system for power plants and substations.

[0007] Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a monitoring method for power plants and substations based on a digital twin monitoring system.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned technical objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: According to a first aspect of the present invention, a digital twin monitoring system for power plants and substations is provided, comprising: The 3D scene module is used to load and display a 1:1 3D model of a power plant or substation; The data anchoring module is used to deploy virtual objects in the three-dimensional model according to the hierarchical structure of "region-equipment-component" and make the virtual objects correspond to the positions of actual equipment components to form a hierarchical virtual object system. The hierarchical virtual object system serves as the unified data core of the system, establishing a unique identifier for each component-level virtual object and storing the mapping relationship with monitoring data points. It also stores the spatial attributes, hierarchical affiliation, and predefined association information of each virtual object. The data acquisition module is used to collect monitoring data from power plants or substations and associate each monitoring data point with the corresponding "component" level virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system. The alarm transmission module is used to obtain the alarm status of each monitoring data point; and according to the hierarchical structure of the hierarchical virtual object system, it automatically aggregates the alarm status of the "component" level to the corresponding "device" level and "area" level virtual objects from bottom to top using the preset parent-child relationship between the virtual objects. The visualization module is used to provide prominent visual prompts for virtual objects such as "areas", "devices", and "components" that are in an alarm state within the hierarchical virtual object system in the user interface associated with the 3D scene. The video linkage module is used to respond to the alarm transmission module's update of the alarm status of any "component" level virtual object. Based on the predefined association information of the "component" level virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system, it automatically calls the associated monitoring camera and controls the monitoring camera to turn to the physical location corresponding to the "component" level virtual object to display real-time video footage.

[0009] Preferably, the hierarchical virtual object system is constructed in the following manner: In the three-dimensional model, a "component" level virtual object is created to represent each physical device component, a "device" level virtual object is created to represent the device as a whole for each physical device, and a "region" level virtual object is created for each physical region. By setting the parent-child hierarchical relationship between the virtual objects, a tree-like logical structure is established that is isomorphic to the physical hierarchy of "region-device-component".

[0010] Preferably, in the hierarchical virtual object system, the spatial position of each virtual object is set at the geometric center or feature point of the area, device or component it represents; and the type, unique identifier, spatial coordinates, hierarchical relationship and predefined association information of each virtual object are stored in a uniformly configured database. The alarm transmission module traverses and queries the corresponding virtual objects from bottom to top based on the hierarchical relationship defined in the unified configuration database to complete the aggregation calculation of alarm status.

[0011] Preferably, the alarm transmission module includes: The first alarm processing unit is associated with the "component" virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system and is configured to: collect and determine the alarm status of all monitoring data points associated with the "component" virtual object, thereby outputting the first alarm status of the "component" virtual object. The second alarm processing unit is associated with the "device" virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system and is configured to: determine and output the second alarm status of the "device" virtual object based on the first alarm status output by the first alarm processing unit associated with all the "component" virtual objects therein. The third alarm processing unit is associated with the "region" virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system and is configured to: determine and output the third alarm status of the "region" virtual object based on the second alarm status output by the second alarm processing unit associated with all "device" virtual objects therein.

[0012] Preferably, the digital twin monitoring system further includes a dynamic interface generation module, which is used to dynamically generate interactive interface elements in the user interface according to the hierarchical relationship and current state of the virtual object; the position of the interface element on the user interface corresponds in real time to the projection position of the virtual object in the three-dimensional scene, and is dynamically attached to the corresponding virtual object.

[0013] Preferably, in the video linkage module, the control parameters of the monitoring camera include preset bit codes; the video linkage module calls the instructions of the preset bit codes to make the camera quickly turn to the optimal viewing angle preset for the component.

[0014] Preferably, at least a portion of the device models in the three-dimensional model have drivable opening and closing animations; The monitoring data collected by the data acquisition module includes at least the status of switch quantities; The digital twin monitoring system can drive the corresponding device model to play corresponding opening and closing animations based on the switch status.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for monitoring power plants and substations based on the above-described digital twin monitoring system is provided, comprising the following steps: S1: Construct a 1:1 3D scene model of the power plant or substation, and deploy corresponding virtual objects for each monitoring area, equipment and component in the model. By setting the parent-child relationship between each virtual object, establish a hierarchical virtual object system that strictly corresponds to the physical level, namely "area-equipment-component". Configure attribute information for each virtual object in the system, including unique identifier, spatial coordinates, hierarchical affiliation and predefined association information, and store it uniformly as the core metadata of the system. S2: Associate the real-time collected monitoring data with the corresponding "component" level virtual objects in the hierarchical virtual object system. By establishing a mapping between data point IDs and component virtual object IDs, each monitoring data point is accurately placed under the corresponding physical component. S3: Monitor the alarm status of the monitoring data, and automatically aggregate the alarm status of the "components" to the corresponding "devices" and "areas" virtual objects from bottom to top according to the parent-child relationship; wherein, when any component is marked as alarm, the status of the virtual objects of the device and the area to which it belongs is updated synchronously, and the virtual objects with alarm status are visualized step by step in the three-dimensional interface. S4: In response to the alarm status of a "component" level virtual object, automatically read the bound surveillance camera address and preset bit code from the predefined association information of the virtual object, and control the camera to turn to the best viewing angle set for the component in advance. S5: Display the real-time video feed transmitted by the camera in the user interface of the 3D scene, completing the automatic closed loop from data alarm to on-site video verification.

[0016] Preferably, in step S3, the aggregation of alarm states is achieved by traversing the hierarchy tree of the virtual objects and calling the judgment logic level by level; wherein, each "device" level virtual object determines whether it is alarmed by traversing the states of all "component" level virtual objects, and each "region" level virtual object determines whether it is alarmed by traversing the states of all "device" level virtual objects.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following technical effects: (i) It has achieved second-level accurate positioning and hierarchical visual tracing of alarm information. This invention constructs a hierarchical virtual object system of "region-device-component" that strictly corresponds to the physical scene, and precisely anchors real-time monitoring data to the lowest-level component-level virtual objects, giving each data point a clear physical spatial affiliation. When a component-level virtual object is marked due to an alarm caused by a bound data point, the system automatically aggregates the alarm status from bottom to top to its corresponding device-level and region-level virtual objects using the preset parent-child relationship between virtual objects. This process does not require preset complex alarm propagation rules and relies entirely on the structural characteristics of the system itself. Operators can clearly see in the 3D interface that an entire region displays alarm prompts, and upon entering the region, a specific device alarm is visible. Further focusing allows them to locate a specific component on that device. This hierarchical visualization from macro-regions to specific components reduces the alarm source location time from minutes in the traditional model to seconds, completely changing the inefficient model of relying on manual experience for layer-by-layer troubleshooting.

[0018] (ii) A "one-click" intelligent linkage closed loop has been constructed, from data alarm to on-site video verification. This invention utilizes pre-stored camera association information (video stream address and preset bit encoding) within a hierarchical virtual object system, enabling component-level virtual objects to simultaneously serve as both "alarm status carriers" and "video information indexes." When the alarm transmission module updates the alarm status of a component-level virtual object, this status change becomes a direct trigger signal for the video linkage module. The system automatically reads the association information from the virtual object, sends a preset bit call command to the corresponding camera, controls its pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) to rotate to the optimal viewing angle pre-set for that component, and seamlessly embeds the real-time video stream into the 3D monitoring interface. This design tightly couples the previously separate processes of "alarm location" and "video verification" through a unified virtual object system, forming an automated closed loop of "data alarm - status aggregation - video linkage." Operators can directly compare data alarms with the actual situation on-site without any manual camera location or operation steps, greatly simplifying the "double confirmation" process and improving emergency response speed.

[0019] (iii) A unified and scalable core data architecture has been constructed, enhancing the system's adaptability and maintainability. The hierarchical virtual object system provided by this invention serves as the unified data core of the entire system, centrally managing all core information such as the spatial location, data binding relationships, alarm status, and video linkage configuration of virtual objects. Each functional module—data acquisition, alarm transmission, visualization, video linkage, and dynamic interface generation—operates on this system, achieving data sharing and status synchronization among themselves. This unified system-centric architecture not only ensures clear system logic and low coupling between modules but also provides excellent scalability: when power plants or substations add new equipment, data points, or cameras, they can be automatically integrated into the existing monitoring system simply by adding the corresponding virtual objects and configuring their attribute information, without modifying the core system logic or the interface definitions between modules.

[0020] (iv) Improved the intelligent interactive experience of the 3D monitoring interface and lowered the barrier to entry for users. This invention utilizes a dynamic interface generation module to calculate in real-time the screen projection coordinates of each virtual object in a 3D scene within the camera's viewport. Based on the hierarchical relationships and current states of these virtual objects, it dynamically generates interactive interface elements (such as area navigation buttons, component data labels, and video windows) at corresponding locations on the user interface. These interface elements update their positions in real-time as the user moves the 3D viewpoint, always remaining "attached" to the virtual object they represent. This design organically integrates virtual objects in 3D space with interactive elements in a 2D interface, providing operators with an intuitive, user-friendly, and information-rich immersive monitoring experience. It is particularly helpful for new employees to quickly familiarize themselves with the layout of on-site equipment and master monitoring operations. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a digital twin monitoring system for power plants and substations provided in the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the deployment of virtual objects in the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the camera automatically adjusting to the optimal viewing angle in the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the transmission of alarm information via a UI interface in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 The flowchart illustrates a power plant and substation monitoring method based on a digital twin monitoring system, as provided in the second embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical content of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0023] The technical concept of this invention lies in constructing a digital twin monitoring system with a hierarchical virtual object system of "region-equipment-component" as its core hub. By deploying virtual objects that strictly correspond to the physical hierarchy in a 1:1 3D scene of a power plant or substation, and accurately binding real-time monitoring data to the lowest-level component-level virtual objects, the system can automatically aggregate component alarm statuses upwards to equipment-level and region-level virtual objects based on this hierarchical structure. This enables precise hierarchical positioning and visualization of alarm information in the 3D interface. Simultaneously, the system utilizes pre-stored camera association information in the virtual object system to automatically call the corresponding physical camera and control it to turn to the preset optimal viewing angle when a component alarm status is triggered. This seamlessly integrates real-time video footage into the 3D monitoring interface. Thus, supported by a unified data framework, an intelligent linkage closed loop from data alarm to on-site video verification is achieved, significantly improving the accuracy and efficiency of alarm response.

[0024] First Embodiment like Figure 1 As shown, the first embodiment of the present invention provides a digital twin monitoring system for power plants and substations, including a 3D scene module 1, a data anchoring module 2, a data acquisition module 3, an alarm transmission module 4, a visualization module 5, a video linkage module 6, and a dynamic interface generation module 7. The data anchoring module 2 is used to construct a hierarchical virtual object system, and all other modules work collaboratively around this hierarchical virtual object system.

[0025] The following sections will provide a detailed explanation of the specific structure and functions of each functional module: I. 3D Scene Module In one embodiment of the present invention, the 3D scene module 1 is used to load and display a 1:1 3D model of a power plant or substation. This 1:1 3D model employs 3D scanning and modeling techniques (e.g., object-oriented modeling using 3D point cloud scanning and software such as 3DMax) to create a detailed 1:1 3D model of the power plant or substation. This model needs to be accurate to the level of equipment components and includes opening and closing animations for equipment such as circuit breakers and disconnectors. Specifically, either of the following two methods can be used to construct the 3D scene.

[0026] Method 1: Object-oriented 3D modeling and scene construction for individual devices The advantages of this method are: more detailed rendering of electrical equipment and other components in the 3D scene, clearer parts, and a clear view of the operational status of equipment with opening and closing motion attributes. It also allows for manual reduction of the polygon count, accelerating post-rendering. The disadvantages are: longer 3D modeling cycles, more manual processing required, and higher costs.

[0027] In one embodiment of the present invention, the specific steps of the method are as follows: (1) Three-dimensional point cloud scanning of power plants or substations Based on a 3D point cloud scanner, a 3D point cloud scan is performed on all electrical equipment in a power plant or substation to collect high-precision point cloud data, accurate down to the appearance of the equipment components.

[0028] (2) Object-oriented 3D modeling of all equipment in the station Using 3D Max software, based on the scanned 3D point cloud data, individual 3D models of all electrical equipment in the station were created according to equipment type (such as transformers, circuit breakers, disconnect switches, switchgear, current transformers, voltage transformers, surge arresters, etc.), forming a model library. Only one model of the same equipment in the station was created. The center point of each equipment's 3D model was set at (0, 0, 0) for easy scene assembly later.

[0029] (3) Object-oriented processing of individual equipment parts Each component of an electrical device with data acquisition and motion attributes is modeled in 3D, such as various instruments and their pointers, circuit breaker opening and closing indicators, disconnector switch arms and moving and stationary contacts, switch cabinet opening and closing indicator lights, etc., and is saved as a sub-object of a single device. Each single device is a unit and is saved as a 3D model of a single device with component models.

[0030] (4) Create opening and closing animations for individual devices with opening and closing action attributes.

[0031] For electrical equipment such as circuit breakers, disconnect switches, and switch cabinets, which have opening and closing characteristics, it is necessary to create 3D animations of the opening and closing processes and save the animations to the 3D model of the individual equipment for later data-driven operation.

[0032] (5) Build a three-dimensional scene based on the three-dimensional model of an object-oriented single device with parts.

[0033] The three-dimensional model of an object-oriented single device with components is copied and built, using three-dimensional point cloud data as a location reference, to construct an overall three-dimensional scene of a power plant or substation and establish connection lines between devices.

[0034] Method 2: Rapid 3D Modeling of the Entire Site The advantages of this method are: short 3D modeling cycle, less manual processing required, and low cost. The disadvantages are: the 3D scene is presented as a whole, individual devices are not object-oriented, device parts are visible but generally lack clarity, there are no motion attributes, and the current operating status of the devices cannot be displayed in real time. The scene has a high polygon count, resulting in a heavy burden on post-processing 3D rendering.

[0035] In one embodiment of the present invention, the specific steps of the method are as follows: (1) Three-dimensional point cloud scanning of power plants or substations Based on a 3D point cloud scanner, a 3D point cloud scan is performed on all electrical equipment in a power plant or substation to collect high-precision point cloud data, accurate down to the appearance of the equipment components.

[0036] (2) Automatically generate 3D scene models Based on 3D point cloud data, a 3D model of a power plant or substation with texture data is automatically generated using point cloud conversion software.

[0037] Understandably, Method 1 and Method 2 can be chosen based on the desired level of detail in the scene representation.

[0038] II. Data Anchoring Module The data anchoring module 2 is used to deploy virtual objects in the 3D model according to the hierarchical structure of "regional equipment components" and make the virtual objects correspond to the positions of the actual equipment components to form a hierarchical virtual object system.

[0039] Specifically, this is achieved by importing the 3D scene into a development engine such as Unity3D. Within the 3D scene, a series of invisible virtual objects (e.g., Figure 2 The Box object shown, but not limited to this specific shape.

[0040] First, a "region"-level virtual object is deployed at the top center of a certain area. Then, a "device"-level virtual object is deployed at the geometric center of each piece of equipment within that region. Finally, a "component"-level virtual object is deployed at the center of each monitorable component (such as an instrument, indicator light, or contact) of that equipment. This process is repeated in a power plant or substation, where each electrical bay can be considered a region (a substation has multiple bays). Virtual objects are then deployed for all electrical equipment. Taking a 3D model of a circuit breaker as an example, the largest Box object in the center is a device-level virtual object, while the smaller Box objects are component-level virtual objects. Thus, by establishing parent-child relationships between these virtual objects, a tree-like logical structure is formed, isomorphic to the physical hierarchy—the hierarchical virtual object system.

[0041] Based on this hierarchical virtual object system, attribute information is configured for each virtual object in the system, including its unique identifier (ID), type (region / device / component), spatial coordinates, hierarchical affiliation (list of parent and child objects), and predefined association information (such as the camera URL and preset bit encoding corresponding to the component). All of this configuration information is stored in a unified structured database or configuration file as the core metadata of the system.

[0042] It should be noted that the hierarchical virtual object system constructed in this embodiment of the invention is not merely for location identification or visual enhancement in three-dimensional space. Its core value lies in establishing a unique identifier for each component-level virtual object and storing its mapping relationship with monitoring data points, enabling massive amounts of real-time data to be precisely categorized under their corresponding physical components. This data anchoring method, compared to the traditional monitoring system's approach of associating data with the entire device or merely using it for list display, achieves the smallest granular correspondence between monitoring information and the physical world. For example, for a circuit breaker device, its open / close indicator, energy storage mechanism, contacts, and other components each have independent virtual objects, each bound to its associated remote signaling and telemetry data points. When the data of a certain component is abnormal, the system can directly locate that component, rather than simply remaining at the device level. The realization of this refined anchoring mechanism relies on the objectification of equipment components during the initial modeling stage and the establishment of a mapping relationship between data points and component virtual object IDs during the data acquisition stage. This design lays the data foundation for the accuracy of subsequent alarm tracing and video linkage in this invention.

[0043] III. Data Acquisition Module In one embodiment of the present invention, the data acquisition module 3 is used to collect monitoring data of power plants or substations and associate each monitoring data point with the corresponding "component" level virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system.

[0044] Specifically, the data acquisition module 3 acquires real-time monitoring data such as switch and analog signals from the power plant monitoring system (e.g., SCADA). Based on the physical source of the data points (i.e., from which device and component the data was acquired), the system binds them to the corresponding "component"-level virtual objects in a hierarchical virtual object system. This binding relationship is achieved by establishing a mapping between data point IDs and component virtual object IDs in the unified configuration data.

[0045] IV. Alarm Transmission Module The alarm transmission module 4 is used to determine the alarm status of each monitoring data point based on the aforementioned monitoring data. Then, according to the hierarchical structure of the hierarchical virtual object system, the alarm status of the "component" level is aggregated upwards to its corresponding "device" level and "region" level virtual object.

[0046] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the alarm generation and transmission of the alarm transmission module 4 are implemented through a multi-level processing unit, including: First Alarm Processing Unit 41 (Component Level): Each virtual "component" is associated with a first alarm processing unit 41. This first alarm processing unit 41 continuously checks the alarm status of all monitoring data points bound to this component. If any data point is alarmed, the first alarm processing unit 41 determines that the component is at risk and outputs a first alarm status.

[0047] Second alarm processing unit 42 (device level): Each "device" virtual object is associated with a second alarm processing unit 42. The second alarm processing unit 42 polls the output of the first alarm processing unit 41 associated with all "component" sub-objects. If any sub-component alarms, the second alarm processing unit 42 determines that the device is at risk and outputs a second alarm status.

[0048] Third Alarm Processing Unit 43 (Region Level): Each "Region" virtual object is associated with a third alarm processing unit 43. This third alarm processing unit 43 polls the output of the second alarm processing units 42 associated with all "Device" sub-objects within it. If any sub-device alarms, the third alarm processing unit 43 determines that there is a risk in the region and outputs a third alarm status.

[0049] Through the aforementioned bottom-up aggregation mechanism, an alarm from a low-level component can be quickly propagated upwards, causing the status of devices and regional virtual objects to be updated synchronously.

[0050] Based on the aforementioned hierarchical virtual object system, the alarm propagation module operates as a bottom-up state aggregation process. Specifically, the first alarm processing unit associated with each component-level virtual object monitors the alarm status of all data points bound to that component. Once any data point triggers an alarm, the component is marked as alarmed. The second alarm processing unit for device-level virtual objects determines whether the device has an alarm by traversing the status of all its subordinate component-level virtual objects. Similarly, the third alarm processing unit for region-level virtual objects determines region alarms by traversing the status of its subordinate devices. This hierarchical aggregation process relies entirely on the pre-defined parent-child relationships between virtual objects, eliminating the need for additional complex alarm propagation rules. The technical advantage is that when an alarm occurs in a lower-level component, the status of both device-level and region-level virtual objects is updated synchronously, creating a hierarchical highlighting effect from the macroscopic region to the specific component in the 3D interface, enabling operators to pinpoint the alarm source within seconds. This design, which uses the data structure itself as a logic engine, avoids the limitations of traditional rule engines that require manual pre-setting of association conditions, and can adaptively adjust as devices are added or removed or the structure changes.

[0051] V. Visualization Module The visualization module 5 is used to provide visual cues (such as turning red or flashing) to the virtual objects of “regions”, “devices” and “components” that are in alarm state within the hierarchical virtual object system in the user interface associated with the 3D scene.

[0052] VI. Video Linkage Module In one embodiment of the present invention, the video linkage module 6 is used to automatically call the associated monitoring camera based on the predefined association information of the "component" level virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system when an alarm is detected at the "component" level virtual object, and control the monitoring camera to turn to the physical position corresponding to the "component" level virtual object so as to display real-time video footage.

[0053] Specifically, this video linkage module achieves closed-loop verification from digital space to physical site. Each "component" level virtual object stores the corresponding surveillance camera video stream access address (URL) and one or more preset bit codes in its predefined association information.

[0054] When the system detects an alarm for a virtual object of a certain "component", or when the user actively selects the component in the 3D scene, the video linkage module is triggered, which will then perform the following operations: ① Read the camera URL and preset bit encoding from the configuration of the virtual object of this component.

[0055] ②For example Figure 3 As shown, a command to invoke the preset position is sent to the designated camera, and the camera's pan-tilt head automatically rotates to the optimal viewing angle that has been pre-calibrated for that component.

[0056] ③ Create a video window in the user interface of the 3D scene (usually in a side or picture-in-picture format) and play a live video stream from that URL.

[0057] Therefore, through this video linkage module 6, operators can directly see the real-time on-site footage of the alarm components without having to manually locate and operate the cameras, thus achieving "one-click verification".

[0058] It should be noted that the working logic of the video linkage module 6 reflects the real-time mapping relationship between the data space and the physical space in this invention. This module is not independent of the digital twin monitoring system, but shares the same hierarchical virtual object system with the alarm transmission module. Specifically, the configuration information of each component-level virtual object pre-stores the video stream access address of the corresponding physical camera and the preset bit encoding of its optimal viewing angle. When the alarm transmission module updates the alarm status of a component-level virtual object, this status change becomes the trigger signal for the video linkage module. The module then reads the associated information from the virtual object, sends a preset bit call command to the corresponding camera, controls its pan-tilt to rotate to the preset angle, and embeds the real-time video stream into the 3D monitoring interface. This process relies on the component-level virtual object simultaneously serving as both an "alarm status carrier" and a "video information index," forming a direct and inevitable causal chain between the occurrence of an alarm and the access to the video. Compared to the cumbersome process of manually searching through a list of cameras and manually operating the gimbal in existing technologies, this invention tightly couples the two originally separate steps of "alarm location" and "video verification" through a unified virtual object system, realizing a "one-click" verification closed loop from data anomaly to on-site image confirmation.

[0059] VII. Dynamic Interface Generation Module In one embodiment of the present invention, the dynamic interface generation module 7 is responsible for the adaptive rendering of the user interface, and is used to dynamically generate interactive interface elements in the user interface according to the hierarchical relationship and current state of each virtual object. The position of the interface element on the user interface is associated with the projection position of the virtual object in the three-dimensional scene.

[0060] like Figure 4 As shown, the dynamic interface generation module 7 calculates the screen projection coordinates of each virtual object in the 3D scene (especially virtual objects in alarm state) in the camera viewport in real time. Then, based on these coordinates, interactive GUI elements are dynamically generated or updated at the corresponding positions in the UI interface. For example, clickable navigation buttons are generated at the location of the area or device; data labels displaying real-time data or alarm information are generated at the location of the component; and video windows are generated near the location of the component.

[0061] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned UI elements update their positions in real time as the user moves the three-dimensional viewpoint, thereby always being "attached" to the virtual object they represent.

[0062] It should be noted that the aforementioned functional modules are not simply an aggregation of independent functions, but rather form an organically coordinated whole around a hierarchical virtual object system. This system plays three core roles: 1. As a carrier for data anchoring, it assigns clear physical affiliations to discrete monitoring data points, ensuring each data point corresponds to a specific component-level virtual object; 2. As a logical engine for alarm aggregation, it utilizes inherent parent-child hierarchical relationships to enable automatic bottom-up transmission of alarm status without the need for pre-setting complex association rules; 3. As an information index for video linkage, it pre-stores camera association information in component-level virtual objects, allowing changes in alarm status to directly trigger the retrieval of on-site video. Through this design, the alarm handling process, which originally required manual layer-by-layer investigation and video retrieval, is transformed into an automated closed loop of "data alarm - status aggregation - video linkage." The essence of this technical approach lies in using a virtual structure strictly isomorphic to the physical world to unify the three originally isolated information elements—data, space, and video—under the same logical framework, thereby systematically solving the operational problems of slow alarm location and cumbersome on-site verification.

[0063] In summary, this invention, through a hierarchical virtual object system, unifies the three technical aspects of data anchoring, alarm aggregation, and video linkage under a single logical framework. The data anchoring module ensures that each monitoring data point has a clearly defined component affiliation, providing a data foundation for accurate alarm tracing. The alarm transmission module utilizes the parent-child relationships between virtual objects to achieve bottom-up automatic aggregation of alarm states, transforming discrete alarm signals into spatially hierarchical information. The video linkage module, based on pre-stored association information within the virtual objects, automatically triggers the retrieval of on-site video upon alarm occurrence, completing a closed-loop verification process from digital space to physical site. Although the three modules have different functions, they all operate on the same hierarchical virtual object system, achieving data sharing and status synchronization through this system. This "one system, three uses" overall architecture design enables the system to automatically complete the entire process of "location-display-verification" when facing device alarms, eliminating the need for manual step-by-step investigation and video retrieval, fundamentally changing the situation of data and video being separated in traditional monitoring modes.

[0064] Second Embodiment like Figure 5 As shown, based on the first embodiment described above, the second embodiment of the present invention provides a power plant and substation monitoring method based on a digital twin monitoring system. This method relies on the hierarchical virtual object system constructed in the first embodiment, and achieves intelligent monitoring and alarm handling of the operating status of the power plant or substation through the following steps. For clarity, the correspondence between each step and the aforementioned system modules, as well as their inherent technical logic, are explained simultaneously.

[0065] Step S1: Construct a hierarchical virtual object system.

[0066] This step corresponds to the collaborative work of the 3D scene module and the data anchoring module in the first embodiment. First, a 1:1 detailed 3D model of the power plant or substation is established using 3D scanning and object-oriented modeling technology. This model needs to be accurate to the level of equipment components, and opening and closing animations are created for operable equipment such as circuit breakers and disconnect switches.

[0067] Building upon the aforementioned 3D model, the core of this step lies in deploying a three-tiered virtual object system: "Region-Equipment-Component." In practice, the 3D scene is imported into a development engine such as Unity3D. For each physical region (e.g., an electrical bay), a "Region"-level virtual object is created near its geometric center. For each piece of equipment within that region (e.g., a circuit breaker, disconnector), a "Equipment"-level virtual object is created at its geometric center. For each monitorable component on that equipment (e.g., an indicator, meter, contact), a "Component"-level virtual object is created at its center. By establishing parent-child hierarchical relationships between these virtual objects—that is, components belong to devices, and devices belong to regions—a tree-like logical structure strictly isomorphic to the physical world is formed. This structure constitutes the hierarchical virtual object system upon which all subsequent operations depend.

[0068] After deployment, attribute information is configured for each virtual object, including: unique identifier (ID), type (region / device / component), spatial coordinates, parent object ID, list of child objects, and predefined association information (such as the camera URL and preset bit encoding corresponding to the component). All configuration information is centrally stored in a unified database as the core metadata of the system. The essence of this construction process is that it not only creates a 3D visualized geometric model, but more importantly, it establishes a unified data skeleton that carries logical relationships such as data binding, state aggregation, and linkage control.

[0069] Step S2: Associate the real-time collected monitoring data with the corresponding "component" level virtual objects.

[0070] This step corresponds to the implementation of the data acquisition module in the first embodiment. The system acquires real-time monitoring data such as switch quantities and analog quantities from the power plant monitoring system (e.g., SCADA) through an interface. For each data point, it is bound to the corresponding "component" level virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system based on its physical source—that is, from which device and which component it was collected from. This binding relationship is achieved by establishing a mapping between data point IDs and component virtual object IDs in a unified database.

[0071] It should be noted that the data association achieved in this step has a clear granular characteristic. Taking circuit breaker equipment as an example, each component, such as its open / close indicator, energy storage mechanism, and contacts, has its own independent virtual object, which is respectively bound to related remote signaling and telemetry data points. When the data of a certain component is abnormal, the system can directly locate the component, rather than just staying at the device level. This data anchoring method provides a precise location basis for subsequent alarm tracing, avoiding the problem of insufficient information granularity caused by data only being associated with the overall equipment in traditional monitoring systems.

[0072] Step S3: Monitor the alarm status of the monitoring data, and aggregate the alarm status of the "component" upwards to the corresponding "device" and "area" virtual objects according to the hierarchical relationship, and provide visual prompts in the 3D interface.

[0073] This step corresponds to the collaborative work of the alarm transmission module and the visualization module in the first embodiment. Its implementation includes three sub-processes: status monitoring, hierarchical aggregation, and visualization presentation.

[0074] During the status monitoring phase, the digital twin monitoring system continuously checks the alarm status of all monitoring data points bound to each "component"-level virtual object. When any data point triggers an alarm threshold or its status changes, the component is marked as being in an alarm state. This determination is made by the first alarm processing unit associated with the component virtual object.

[0075] In the hierarchical aggregation phase, the digital twin monitoring system utilizes the parent-child hierarchical relationships established in step S1 to propagate alarm status from bottom to top. Specifically, the second alarm processing unit associated with each "device"-level virtual object determines whether the device has an alarm by traversing the status of all its "component"-level virtual objects—if any sub-component has an alarm, the device is marked as alarmed. Similarly, the third alarm processing unit associated with each "region"-level virtual object determines whether the region has an alarm by traversing the status of all its "device"-level virtual objects. This aggregation process does not require pre-setting complex alarm propagation rules; it relies entirely on the inherent tree structure of the virtual object system, achieving automatic hierarchical collection of alarm information.

[0076] During the visualization phase, the digital twin monitoring system, based on the aforementioned aggregation results, highlights virtual objects with alarm states in the 3D interface. For example, alarmed components, devices, and areas are marked with red highlights, flashing lights, or dynamic halos, respectively. Because alarm states are aggregated hierarchically, operators can clearly see in the 3D interface: an entire area displays alarm prompts, entering that area reveals a specific device alarming, and further focusing pinpoints a specific component on that device. This hierarchical visualization from macro to micro reduces alarm source location time from minutes to seconds.

[0077] Step S4: In response to the triggering of the alarm status of the "component" level virtual object, the preset position of the fixed monitoring camera bound to the component is automatically invoked, and the camera is controlled to turn towards the component.

[0078] This step corresponds to the core function of the video linkage module in the first embodiment. Its key technical aspect lies in the fact that video linkage is not an operation independent of the digital twin monitoring system, but rather shares the same hierarchical virtual object system as the alarm aggregation process in step S3.

[0079] In practice, the predefined association information of each "component" level virtual object stores the video stream access address (URL) of the corresponding physical camera and one or more preset bit codes. These preset bits are the optimal viewing angles set for each component through manual adjustment during the system deployment phase.

[0080] When the alarm status of a component-level virtual object is updated to "Alarm" in step S3, this status change becomes the trigger signal for the video linkage module. The module then reads the camera URL and preset position code from the configuration information of the virtual object and sends a preset position call command to the corresponding camera. After receiving the command, the camera automatically rotates its pan-tilt unit to a preset angle, aligning its lens with the physical entity of the component. The entire triggering and call process is fully automated and requires no manual intervention.

[0081] It is important to emphasize that the triggering logic in this step forms a direct causal chain with the alarm status update: the change in the component alarm status is the sole and sufficient triggering condition for video invocation. This means that as long as the system detects a component alarm, video linkage will be executed automatically, without any verification delay caused by manual operation. This design tightly couples the originally separate stages of "alarm localization" and "video verification" through a unified virtual object system.

[0082] Step S5: Display the real-time video feed transmitted from the camera in the user interface of the 3D scene.

[0083] This step corresponds to the final presentation of the video linkage module in the first embodiment, and works in conjunction with the visualization module and the dynamic interface generation module. After step S4 successfully invokes the camera and acquires the video stream, the system creates a video window in the user interface of the 3D scene, embedding and playing the real-time video stream from the camera. This video window can be presented as a sidebar, picture-in-picture, or floating window, and its position is relatively related to the projection position of the virtual object that triggered the alarm on the screen, facilitating intuitive comparison by operators.

[0084] Thus, a complete closed-loop process of "data alarm - status aggregation - video verification" is automatically completed. Operators can directly view the specific component where the alarm occurred, the equipment and area to which that component belongs, and the real-time video feed of that component in the 3D monitoring interface, without any manual locating or operation of the cameras. This real-time mapping from digital space to physical space provides an intuitive basis for quickly confirming the authenticity of alarms, significantly improving emergency response efficiency.

[0085] As can be seen from the detailed description of the above five steps, the core of the monitoring method provided by this invention lies in unifying the three technical aspects of data anchoring, alarm aggregation, and video linkage under the hierarchical virtual object system constructed in step S1. Step S2's data association injects real-time data into this system; step S3's alarm aggregation utilizes the structural characteristics of this system to achieve automatic status aggregation; step S4's video linkage, based on pre-stored association information in this system, automatically invokes physical cameras upon alarm triggering; and step S5's fusion display ultimately presents the verification results intuitively. Although each step has a different function, they are interconnected, together forming a complete technical closed loop from data perception to spatial positioning and then to physical verification. This overall architecture design fundamentally changes the situation where data monitoring and video verification are separated in traditional monitoring models.

[0086] In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium including program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the power plant and substation monitoring method based on a digital twin monitoring system in any of the above embodiments. For example, the computer-readable storage medium may be the memory including the program instructions, which may be executed by a processor of an electronic device to complete the power plant and substation monitoring method based on a digital twin monitoring system and achieve the same technical effects as the above method.

[0087] It should be noted that the above embodiments are merely illustrative examples, and the technical solutions of each embodiment can be combined, all of which are within the protection scope of this invention.

[0088] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0089] The digital twin monitoring system and method for power plants and substations provided by this invention have been described in detail above. Any obvious modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essence of this invention will constitute an infringement of the patent rights of this invention and will incur corresponding legal liability.

Claims

1. A digital twin monitoring system for power plants and substations, characterized in that... include: The 3D scene module is used to load and display a 1:1 3D model of a power plant or substation; The data anchoring module is used to deploy virtual objects in the three-dimensional model according to the hierarchical structure of "region-equipment-component" and make the virtual objects correspond to the positions of actual equipment components to form a hierarchical virtual object system. The hierarchical virtual object system serves as the unified data core of the system. It establishes a unique identifier for each component-level virtual object and stores the mapping relationship between it and the monitoring data points. At the same time, it stores the spatial attributes, hierarchical affiliation, and predefined association information of each virtual object. The data acquisition module is used to collect monitoring data from power plants or substations and associate each monitoring data point with the corresponding "component" level virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system. The alarm transmission module is used to obtain the alarm status of each monitoring data point; Based on the hierarchical structure of the hierarchical virtual object system, and utilizing the preset parent-child relationship between the virtual objects, the alarm status of the "component" level is automatically aggregated from bottom to top to the corresponding "device" level and "region" level virtual objects. The visualization module is used to provide prominent visual prompts for virtual objects such as "areas", "devices", and "components" that are in an alarm state within the hierarchical virtual object system in the user interface associated with the 3D scene. The video linkage module is used to respond to the alarm transmission module's update of the alarm status of any "component" level virtual object. Based on the predefined association information of the "component" level virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system, it automatically calls the associated monitoring camera and controls the monitoring camera to turn to the physical location corresponding to the "component" level virtual object to display real-time video footage.

2. The digital twin monitoring system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The hierarchical virtual object system is constructed in the following way: In the three-dimensional model, a "component" level virtual object is created to represent each physical device component, a "device" level virtual object is created to represent the device as a whole for each physical device, and a "region" level virtual object is created for each physical region. By setting the parent-child hierarchical relationship between the virtual objects, a tree-like logical structure is established that is isomorphic to the physical hierarchy of "region-device-component".

3. The digital twin monitoring system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In the hierarchical virtual object system, the spatial position of each virtual object is set at the geometric center or feature point of the area, device or component it represents; and the type, unique identifier, spatial coordinates, hierarchical affiliation and predefined association information of each virtual object are stored in a uniformly configured database. The alarm transmission module traverses and queries the corresponding virtual objects from bottom to top based on the hierarchical relationship defined in the unified configuration database to complete the aggregation calculation of alarm status.

4. The digital twin monitoring system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The alarm transmission module includes: The first alarm processing unit is associated with the "component" virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system and is configured to: collect and determine the alarm status of all monitoring data points associated with the "component" virtual object, thereby outputting the first alarm status of the "component" virtual object; The second alarm processing unit is associated with the "device" virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system and is configured to: determine and output the second alarm status of the "device" virtual object based on the first alarm status output by the first alarm processing unit associated with all "component" virtual objects therein. The third alarm processing unit is associated with the "region" virtual object in the hierarchical virtual object system and is configured to: determine and output the third alarm status of the "region" virtual object based on the second alarm status output by the second alarm processing unit associated with all "device" virtual objects therein.

5. The digital twin monitoring system as described in claim 1, characterized in that... It also includes a dynamic interface generation module, which is used to dynamically generate interactive interface elements in the user interface according to the hierarchical relationship and current state of the virtual objects; the position of the interface elements on the user interface corresponds in real time to the projection position of the virtual objects in the three-dimensional scene, and is dynamically attached to the corresponding virtual objects.

6. The digital twin monitoring system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In the video linkage module, the control parameters of the surveillance camera include preset bit codes; the video linkage module calls the instructions of the preset bit codes to make the camera quickly turn to the optimal viewing angle preset for the component.

7. The digital twin monitoring system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, At least some of the equipment models in the three-dimensional model have driveable opening and closing animations; The monitoring data collected by the data acquisition module includes at least the status of switch quantities; The digital twin monitoring system can drive the corresponding device model to play corresponding opening and closing animations based on the switch status.

8. A monitoring method for power plants and substations based on the digital twin monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that... Includes the following steps: S1: Construct a 1:1 3D scene model of the power plant or substation, and deploy corresponding virtual objects in the model for each monitoring area, equipment and component. By setting the parent-child relationship between each virtual object, establish a hierarchical virtual object system that strictly corresponds to the physical level, namely "area-equipment-component". Configure attribute information for each virtual object in the system, including unique identifier, spatial coordinates, hierarchical affiliation and predefined association information, and store them uniformly as the core metadata of the system. S2: Associate the real-time collected monitoring data with the corresponding "component" level virtual objects in the hierarchical virtual object system. By establishing a mapping between data point IDs and component virtual object IDs, each monitoring data point is accurately placed under the corresponding physical component. S3: Monitor the alarm status of the monitoring data, and automatically aggregate the alarm status of the "components" to the corresponding "devices" and "areas" virtual objects from bottom to top according to the parent-child relationship; wherein, when any component is marked as alarm, the status of the virtual objects of the device and the area to which it belongs is updated synchronously, and the virtual objects with alarm status are visualized step by step in the three-dimensional interface. S4: In response to the alarm status of a "component" level virtual object, automatically read the bound surveillance camera address and preset bit code from the predefined association information of the virtual object, and control the camera to turn to the best viewing angle set for the component in advance. S5: Display the real-time video feed transmitted by the camera in the user interface of the 3D scene, completing the automatic closed loop from data alarm to on-site video verification.

9. The power plant and substation monitoring method as described in claim 8, characterized in that... In step S3, The aggregation of alarm states is achieved by traversing the hierarchy tree of the virtual objects and calling the judgment logic level by level; wherein, each "device" level virtual object determines whether it is alarmed by traversing the states of all "component" level virtual objects within it, and each "region" level virtual object determines whether it is alarmed by traversing the states of all "device" level virtual objects within it.

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