Information processing program, information processing method, and information processing apparatus

Abstract

An information processing program causes an information processing apparatus to perform a process including acquiring a combination of components each designating an operation detail of a distributed control system and generating operating procedures based on a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by arranging the operation details designated by the respective components based on the combination of the components.

Description

INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing program, an information processing method, and an information processing apparatus.

[0002] Operation of a Distributed Control System (DCS) that is a facility for operating a factory or a plant is partly automated, but most part is only semi-automated.　In particular, an operator is requested to manually operate the DCS at the time of activation and deactivation of the plant, at the time of change of a production amount of a product, at the time of unsteady operation, such as exchange of an apparatus, at the time of trouble shooting, or the like.

[0003] The operator manually operates the DCS in accordance with a paper-based Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in order to stably ensure safety.　Further, operation of the DCS is semi-automated by constructing an SOP-based operating guidance system and causing the operator to monitor a screen and perform operation by the system.　Meanwhile, apparatuses that are operated based on the SOP are not limited to the DCS, but include Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA), a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), and the like, and further include, for example, an apparatus including an original controller (rotary machine or the like), a certain apparatus, such as a barcode reader or a weighing machine, in a batching plant area, and the like.

[0004] Here, the plant is one example of various kinds of plants using oil, petroleum chemistry, chemistry, gas, or the like, and includes a factory or the like that includes various kinds of facilities to obtain products.　Further, the products include, for example, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), resin (plastic, nylon, or the like), a chemical product, and the like.　Furthermore, the facilities include, for example, a factory facility, a machine facility, a production facility, a power generation facility, a storage facility, and a facility at a well site for mining oil, a natural gas, or the like.

[0005] Moreover, the plant is constructed by using the DCS or the like, and operation of facilities, field equipment, sensors, and the like is controlled.　For example, the DCS in the plant performs various kinds of control on a control apparatus, such as field equipment, which is installed in a control target facility, an operating apparatus that corresponds to a control target facility, or the like by using process data, a setting variable, a manipulated variable, or the like used in the plant.　Meanwhile, the process data includes, for example, a process variable (PV), a setting variable (SV), a Manipulated Variable (MV), and the like.

[0006] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2013-97443

[0007] However, an SOP may include, for example, ambiguous description or insufficient description on details of operation, and therefore, manual operation performed by an operator may depend on an individual operator.　Therefore, in some cases, it may be difficult to stably ensure safety in operation of an apparatus based on an SOP.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to support operation of an apparatus based on an SOP.

[0009] According to an aspect of the embodiments, an information processing program that causes an information processing apparatus to execute a process includes acquiring a combination of components in which operation details of a distributed control system are designated, generating operating procedures based on a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by arranging the operation details designated by the respective components based on the combination of the components, and displaying a first operating procedure that corresponds to a request among the operating procedures.

[0010] According to an aspect of the embodiments, an information processing method includes acquiring a combination of components each designating an operation detail of a distributed control system, generating operating procedures based on a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by arranging the operation details designated by the respective components based on the combination of the components, and displaying a first operating procedure that corresponds to a request among the operating procedures.

[0011] According to an aspect of the embodiments, an information processing apparatus includes a control unit that acquires a combination of components each designating an operation detail of a distributed control system, generates operating procedures based on a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by arranging the operation details designated by the respective components based on the combination of the components, and displays a first operating procedure that corresponds to a request among the operating procedures.

[0012] According to one embodiment, it is possible to support operation of an apparatus based on an SOP.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an information processing system according to the present embodiment.Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining a combination of components according to the present embodiment.Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining components according to the present embodiment.Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining generation of an operating procedure based on a combination of components according to the present embodiment.Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining designation and display of material input operation according to the present embodiment.Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining designation and display of repetitive operation according to the present embodiment.Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining designation of a condition according to the present embodiment.Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining designation and display of interruption of the repetitive operation according to the present embodiment.Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining designation and display of cancellation of the repetitive operation according to the present embodiment.Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining components of the repetitive operation according to the present embodiment.Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen for an operating procedure according to the present embodiment.Fig. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a process of displaying an operating procedure according to the present embodiment.Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of an information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0014] Embodiments of an information processing program, an information processing method, and an information processing apparatus disclosed in the present application will be described in detail below based on the drawings.　Meanwhile, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments below.　Further, the same components are denoted by the same reference symbols, repeated explanation will be omitted appropriately, and the embodiments may be combined appropriately as long as no contradiction is derived.

[0015] Overall configuration An information processing system for carrying out the present embodiment will be described below.　Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the information processing system according to the present embodiment.　As illustrated in Fig. 1, an information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment is a system that includes an information processing apparatus 10, an administrator apparatus 60, an operator apparatus 70, and a DCS control apparatus 80, all of which are communicably connected to one another via a network 50.

[0016] As the network 50, various kinds of communication networks, such as the Internet or an intranet, is applicable regardless of whether the network is wired or wireless, for example.　Further, the network 50 is not limited to a single network, but, for example, the Internet and an intranet may be configured via a network device, such as a gateway, or a different apparatus (not illustrated).

[0017] The information processing apparatus 10 is, for example, an information processing apparatus, such as a desktop Personal Computer (PC), a notebook PC, or a server computer, which is managed by an administrator or the like of a factory, a plant, or the like.　Alternatively, the information processing apparatus 10 may be, for example, a cloud computing apparatus that is managed by a service provider who provides a cloud computing service.　For example, the information processing apparatus 10 acquires a combination of components in which operation details of the DCS are designated, generates SOP-based operating procedures by arranging operation details based on the combination, and displays a first operating procedure corresponding to a request among operating procedures.　Further, the information processing apparatus 10 provides, for example, a website or an application that is operated by a user to construct a combination of components in which the operation details of the DCS are designated.

[0018] The administrator apparatus 60 is, for example, an information processing apparatus, such as a desktop PC or a notebook PC, which is used by an administrator or the like of a factory, a plant, or the like.　For example, to generate or modify an operating procedure, the administrator constructs a combination of components in which operation details of the DCS are designated, via a website or an application provided by the information processing apparatus 10 or the like by using the administrator apparatus 60.

[0019] The operator apparatus 70 is, for example, an information processing apparatus, such as a desktop PC or a notebook PC, which is used by an operator or the like of the DCS.　For example, the operator checks the operating procedure that is generated by the information processing apparatus 10 and operates the DCS in accordance with the operating procedure, via a website or an application provided by the information processing apparatus 10 or the like by using the operator apparatus 70.　Further, to generate or modify an operating procedure, the operator is also able to construct a combination of components in which operation details of the DCS are designated, via a website or an application provided by the information processing apparatus 10 or the like by using the operator apparatus 70.

[0020] The DCS control apparatus 80 is, for example, an information processing apparatus, such as a server computer, for controlling the DCS.　The DCS control apparatus 80 controls the DCS based on an operating instruction that is given from an operator via the operator apparatus 70, for example.　Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, an apparatus that controls the DCS is described as the DCS control apparatus 80, but an apparatus to be controlled in the present embodiment is not limited to the DCS, but include apparatuses, such as an SCADA or PLC, which may be operated based on the SOP.

[0021] Meanwhile, in Fig. 1, the information processing apparatus 10 and the DCS control apparatus 80 are illustrated as single computers, but may be configured as a distributed computing system that includes a plurality of computers.　Further, the DCS control apparatus 80 may be a cloud computing apparatus.　Furthermore, Fig. 1 illustrates the single administrator apparatus 60 and the single operator apparatus 70, but it may be possible to provide the plurality of administrator apparatus 60 and the plurality of operator apparatuses 70.

[0022] Functional configuration of information processing apparatus 10 A functional configuration of the information processing apparatus 10 that serves as an executor of the present embodiment will be described below.　Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.　As illustrated in Fig. 2, the information processing apparatus 10 includes a communication unit 20, a storage unit 30, and a control unit 40.

[0023] The communication unit 20 is a processing unit that controls communication with a different apparatus, such as the administrator apparatus 60, and is, for example, a communication interface, such as a network interface card.

[0024] The storage unit 30 has a function to store various kinds of data and a program that is executed by the control unit 40, and is implemented by, for example, a storage apparatus, such as a memory or a hard disk.　The storage unit 30 stores therein component information 31, operating procedure information 32, SOP information 33, and the like.

[0025] The component information 31 stores therein, for example, information on components for generating an operating procedure.　The components are displayed as User Interfaces (UI) on the administrator apparatus 60 via a website or an application, and combined by an administrator or the like to generate an operating procedure.　Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining a combination of components according to the present embodiment.　An SOP 100 that is generated in a document is illustrated on the left side in Fig. 3.　Further, components that are combined to generate an operating procedure are illustrated on the right side in Fig. 3.　as illustrated on the right side in Fig. 3, the components include, a plurality of kinds of components, such as components 110, 120-1 to 120-3, 130, and 140, for example.　The administrator or the like combines each of the components, such as the components 110, 120-1 to 120-3, 130, and 140, by using a dedicated editor that is displayed on the administrator apparatus 60 or the like via a website or an application while viewing a paper-based SOP, for example.　Meanwhile, in the following, the same kinds of components, such as the components 120-1 to 120-3, may collectively be referred to as the "component 120".　Further, the information processing apparatus 10 generates an SOP-based operating procedure by arranging operation details based on the combination of the plurality of components, which will be described in detail later.

[0026] Referring back to explanation of Fig. 2, the operating procedure information 32 stores therein, for example, a combination of a plurality of components, information on an operating procedure that is generated based on the combination, or the like.　The combination of the plurality of components is, for example, constructed by the administrator or the like, transmitted from the administrator apparatus 60 or the like, received by the information processing apparatus 10, and stored in the operating procedure information 32.　Further, for example, the information processing apparatus 10 acquires the combination of the plurality of components from the operating procedure information 32, generates an operating procedure based on the combination, and stores the operating procedure in the operating procedure information 32.

[0027] The SOP information 33 stores therein, for example, information on an electronic-document-based SOP that is generated from the operating procedure that is generated based on the combination of the plurality of components.　As for the electronic-document-based SOP, for example, the information processing apparatus 10 acquires, from the operating procedure information 32, the operating procedure that is generated based on the combination of the plurality of components, generates the SOP based on the operating procedure, and stores the SOP in the SOP information 33.

[0028] Meanwhile, the information stored in the storage unit 30 as described above is one example, and the storage unit 30 is able to store therein various kinds of information other than the information as described above.

[0029] The control unit 40 is a processing unit that controls the entire information processing apparatus 10, and is, for example, a processor or the like.　The control unit 40 includes an acquisition unit 41, a generation unit 42, a display unit 43, and an update unit 44.　Meanwhile, each of the processing units is one example of an electronic circuit that is included in a processor or an example of a process that is executed by the processor.

[0030] The acquisition unit 41 acquires a component combination, which is a combination of components in each of which an operation detail of the DCS is designated, for example.　The combination of components is, for example, received by the information processing apparatus 10 from the administrator apparatus 60 or the like and stored in the operating procedure information 32, and therefore is acquired from the operating procedure information 32.

[0031] The generation unit 42 generates an SOP-based operation procedure by arranging the operation details of the DCS designated in the respective components, based on the combination of components that is acquired by the acquisition unit 41, for example.　Generation of the operating procedure will be described in detail below.

[0032] First, components to be combined by the administrator or the like to generate an operating procedure will be described in detail below.　Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining components according to the present embodiment.　On the left side in Fig. 4, the components that are combined to generate the operating procedure as illustrated on the right side in Fig. 3 are illustrated.　Further, user interfaces for selecting the components are illustrated on the right side in Fig. 4.　As illustrated in Fig. 4, the administrator or the like constructs a combination of components by combining each of the components by selecting and arranging each of the components by using a dedicated editor that is displayed on the administrator apparatus 60 or the like.

[0033] Meanwhile, selection and arrangement of each of the components are performed such that, for example, the administrator or the like selects, by dragging, components from the user interfaces for selection of the components and dropping the selected components in arrangement target places by using an input device, such as a mouse or the like.　The components that are selected and arranged as described above include, as illustrated in Fig. 4 for example, the components 110 and 120 for designating operating procedures, a component 141 for designating a sequential execution processing procedure, a component 140 for designating a parallel execution processing procedure, components 111 and 121 for designating explanatory text, and components 130 and 131 for designating confirmation operation, but not limited thereto.　Meanwhile, the administrator or the like is able to input, for example, a title, an explanatory text, a value, or the like to each of the components by using an input device, such as a keyboard or the like.　Further, the administrator or the like is able to designate details of the confirmation operation by inputting, for example, an identifier, such as "TIC001", for identifying a DCS that is to be confirmed, a value, such as "800<=PV<=830", for confirmation, or the like to the components 130 and 131 for designating the confirmation operation.

[0034] Furthermore, some components may be uncombinable depending on the operation details that are associated with the components.　In this case, it is possible to perform control such that the uncombinable components are not arranged by forming each of the components into an uncombinable shape.　More specifically, for example, as indicated by dashed circles in Fig. 4, it is possible to perform control such that uncombinable components are not arranged by forming the components are into uncombinable shapes.　More specifically, as illustrated in Fig. 4, a component for designating a detail of check operation at start is formed such that a protruding portion has an inverted triangle shape, and control is performed such that the component 110, the component 111, or the like in which a recessed portion has a trapezoidal shape is not arranged but the component 130 or the like in which a recessed portion has an inverted triangle shape is arranged.　Further, in the example illustrated in Fig. 4, components for designating a title and explanation have shapes that can be combined with only the components 111 and 121 for designating explanatory text.　With this configuration, for example, even when an operator combines each of the components to generate an operating procedure, it is possible to perform control such that an operating procedure is not generated by a combination of wrong operation details.

[0035] Therefore, for example, when operation details that are associated with a first component and a second component among a plurality of components in which operation details of the DCS are designated are not combinable, the information processing apparatus 10 performs control so as to prevent a user from combining the first component and the second component, for example.　Further, a process of preventing a combination of the first component and the second component as described above includes a process of preventing a user from combining the first component and the second component by displaying the first component and the second component in association with uncombinable shapes when displaying the shapes of the user interfaces for specifying the components in which the operation details of the DCS are designated.

[0036] As described above, to generate an operating procedure, the administrator or the like constructs a combination of components by, for example, combining each of components by using a dedicated editor that is displayed on the administrator apparatus 60 or the like.　Further, the generation unit 42 generates, for example, an SOP-based operation procedure by arranging the operation details based on the combination of the plurality of components.　Generation of an operating procedure will be described in detail below for each of the components with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 11.

[0037] Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining generation of an operation procedure based on a combination of components according to the present embodiment.　Combined components are illustrated on the left side in Fig. 5, and an operating procedure that is generated based on the combination of the components is illustrated on the right side in Fig. 5.　Fig. 5 illustrates an example in which the component 120-1 to a component 120-6 for designating operating procedures are combined in a nested manner in the component 110 for designating an operating procedure.　In this case, in the operating procedure corresponding to the component 110, a series of operating procedures for sequentially executing all of operations in the operating procedures corresponding to the components 120-1 to 120-6 is designated.

[0038] As illustrated on the right side in Fig. 5, the generation unit 42 generates the operating procedure by arranging displays 210 and 220-1 to 220-6 that correspond to the respective components 110 and 120-1 to 120-6.　Meanwhile, the displays may be, for example, Graphical user Interfaces (GUIs), such as windows or screen control.　Further, the generated operating procedure is displayed on, for example, the operator apparatus 70 or the like, and an operator executes operation in accordance with the displayed operating procedure.

[0039] Furthermore, as illustrated on the right side in Fig. 5, each of the displays 210 and 220-1 to 220-6 may include certain display, such as "active" (during execution), "done" (executed), or "ready" (waiting for execution), which indicates progress of operation corresponding to each of the displays.　Meanwhile, the display that indicates the progress may be updated by, for example, causing the information processing apparatus 10 to receive operation status of the DCS from the DCS control apparatus 80 and update the display based on the operation status.

[0040] Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining designation and display of material input operation according to the present embodiment.　Fig. 6 illustrates an example in which a procedure for the material input operation is designated and displayed by further combining components 132-1 to 132-3 for designating material input operation in the component 120-1 that is for designating the operating procedure as illustrated in Fig. 5.　Meanwhile, the component 120-1 may be displayed in an expanded state that includes the component 132-1 to a component 132-3 as illustrated in Fig. 6 from a closed state as illustrated in Fig. 5 by user operation or the like that is performed on the component 120-1, for example.

[0041] For example, the administrator or the like is able to designate details of the material input operation by inputting, to the components 132-1 to 132-3 for designating the material input operation, an identifier for identifying a material input destination, a type of a material to be input, an amount of material to be input, or the like.　Further, as illustrated on the right side in Fig. 6, the generation unit 42 generates the operating procedure by arranging the display 220-1 and displays 232-1 to 232-3 that correspond to the respective components 120-1 and 132-1 to 132-3.　Meanwhile, the display 220-1 illustrated in Fig. 6 may be displayed by screen transition or on a different window by user operation or the like performed on the display 220-1 illustrated in Fig. 5.

[0042] Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining designation and display of repetitive operation according to the present embodiment.　Fig. 7 illustrates an example in which a procedure for the repetitive operation is designated and displayed by combining a component 150 that is for designating the repetitive operation and components 133 to 135 that are for designating operations to be executed in the repetitive operation, with the component 120-5 that is for designating the operating procedure illustrated in Fig. 5.　Meanwhile, the component 120-5 may also be displayed in an expanded state that includes the components 150, 151, and 133 to 135 as illustrated in Fig. 7 from a closed state as illustrated in Fig. 5 by user operation or the like performed on the component 120-5, for example.

[0043] For example, the administrator or the like is able to designate details of the repetitive operation by inputting, to the component 150 for designating the repetitive operation, a repetition condition or the like.　More specifically, for example, the administrator or the like designates the repetition condition by combining the component 151 for designating a condition in the component 150 as illustrated in Fig. 7.　In the example illustrated in Fig. 7, it is designated that operation is repeated while an analysis value is larger than 0.1, by combining the component 151 with the component 150.

[0044] Meanwhile, the condition that is designated by the component for designating a condition as described above with reference to Fig. 7 is not limited to the condition designated by the component 151, but it is possible to designate various kinds of conditions.　Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining designation of a condition according to the present embodiment.　As illustrated in Fig. 8, it is possible to designate various kinds of conditions by combining a component for a comparison operator, a component for a logical operator, and the like with the component 150, instead of the component 151.　Meanwhile, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 8, it is possible to perform control such that only components for designating conditions can be combined in a condition designation portion of the component 150 by forming both of the condition designation portion of the component 150 and a component for designating a condition into specific shapes, such as hexagons.　Further, as illustrated in Fig. 8, it is possible to designate an arithmetic expression of, for example, "A+B=C-D" or the like by combining components for arithmetic operators in both sides that are compared with each other in the component for a comparison operator.　Furthermore, as illustrated in Fig. 8, it is possible to designate a logical expression of, for example, "A>30 and A<50" or the like by combining a component for a comparison operator and a component for a logical operator in a nested manner in the component for a logical operator.　Meanwhile, as illustrated in Fig. 8, by forming portions to be combined with different components in the component for a comparison operator and the component for an arithmetic operator into specific shapes, such as hexagons or circles, it is possible to perform control such that an operating procedure is not formed by a combination of wrong conditions.　In this manner, the administrator or the like is able to more easily designate complicated conditions.

[0045] Referring back to explanation of Fig. 7, for example, the administrator or the like is also able to designate details of the repetitive operation by combining the components 133 to 135 that are for designating operations to be executed in the repetitive operation with the component 150 that is for designating the repetitive operation and by inputting details or the like of the operations to the component 133 to 135.　Further, as illustrated on the right side in Fig. 7, the generation unit 42 generates an operating procedure by arranging displays 220-5, 250, and 233 to 235 that correspond to the respective components 120-5, 150, and 133 to 135.　Meanwhile, the display 220-5 illustrated in Fig. 7 may be displayed by screen transition or on a different window by user operation or the like that is performed on the display 220-5 as illustrated in Fig. 5.

[0046] Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining designation and display of interruption of the repetitive operation according to the present embodiment.　Fig. 9 illustrates an example in which an operating procedure for interrupting the repetitive operation is further designated and displayed in addition to the procedure for the repetitive operation that is described with reference to Fig. 7.　In the example illustrated in Fig. 9, the component 150 is further divided into components 150-1 and 150-2, and the component 150-1 corresponds to the component 150 illustrated in Fig. 7.　Similarly, a display 250-1 corresponds to the display 250 illustrated in Fig. 7.

[0047] Further, for example, the administrator or the like is able to designate details of interruption operation by inputting an interruption condition or the like to the component 150-2 for designating operation of interrupting the repetitive operation as illustrated in Fig. 9.　Furthermore, as illustrated on the right side in Fig. 9, the generation unit 42 generates an operating procedure by arranging the display 220-5, the display 250-1, and a display 250-2 that correspond to the component 120-5, the component 150-1, and the component 150-2, respectively.

[0048] Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining designation and display of cancellation of the repetitive operation according to the present embodiment.　Fig. 10 illustrates an example in which an operating procedure for cancelling the repetitive operation is further designated and displayed in addition to the procedure for the repetitive operation that is described with reference to Fig. 7.

[0049] For example, the administrator or the like is able to designate details of cancellation operation by combining a component 160 for designating a conditional branch with the component 150 and inputting a cancellation condition or the like for the repetitive operation to the component 160 as illustrated in Fig. 10.　Further, for example, the administrator or the like is able to designate operation that is executed at the time of cancellation by combining a component 136 for designating operation to be executed at the time of cancellation with the component 150 and inputting operation details or the like to the component 136 as illustrated in Fig. 10.　Furthermore, as illustrated on the right side in Fig. 10, the generation unit 42 generates an operating procedure by arranging the displays 220-5, 250, 260, and 236 that correspond to the respective components 120-5, 150, 160, and 136.

[0050] Meanwhile, the conditional branch that is designated by the component for designating a conditional branch as described above with reference to Fig. 10 is not limited to the conditional branch designated by the component 160, but it is possible to designate various kinds of conditions.　Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining a component for the repetitive operation according to the present embodiment.　The component 160 illustrated in Fig. 10 is a component for designating a conditional branch based on what is called an if statement, and components 161 and 162 illustrated in Fig. 11 are components for designating conditional branches based on an if-else statement and a switch statement, respectively.　Further, although not illustrated in the drawing, the component for designating a conditional branch may include a different component for designating a conditional branch, such as a conditional branch based on an else-if statement, other than the conditional branches as illustrated in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, for example.　In this manner, the administrator or the like is able to more easily designate various kinds of conditional branches.

[0051] Referring back to explanation of Fig. 2, the generation unit 42 also generates an electronic-document-based SOP based on, for example, the operating procedure that is generated based on the combination of the plurality of components.

[0052] The display unit 43 displays, for example, the first operating procedure corresponding to a request among the operating procedures.　For example, the SOP-based operating procedure includes various kinds of operating procedures, and, as illustrated in Fig. 5 or the like, a single operating procedure includes a plurality of operations, and each of the operations may further include an operating procedure.　Therefore, for example, an operator issues a request for an operating procedure to be displayed by using the operator apparatus 70, and the display unit 43 displays the operating procedure corresponding to the request issued by the operator on the display via the operator apparatus 70.　Meanwhile, the operator issues a request for the operating procedure such that, for example, the operator selects, by user operation, operation of requesting display of an operating procedure from an operation list that is displayed via the operator apparatus 70 or from among operations corresponding to the displays 220-1 to 220-6 in the display 210 of the operating procedure as illustrated on the right side in Fig. 5.

[0053] Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen for the operating procedure according to the present embodiment.　Fig. 12 illustrates an example of a display screen for an operating procedure, which is displayed via the operator apparatus 70, for example.　As illustrated in Fig. 12, the display screen for the operating procedure includes displays 280, 290, and 310 that are divided as frames, for example.　Further, as illustrated in Fig. 12, the display 280 indicates a certain procedure of a single large operation (process check, dispatch of robot, on-site confirmation, and return of robot), and the display 290 indicates an operating procedure of a single operation (process check) that is included in the certain procedure.　Further, as described above with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 11, the displays 280 and 290 are generated as SOP-based operating procedures by arranging, by the generation unit 42, operating details based on a combination of a plurality of components.　For example, each of the displays 280 and 290 may be a screen or a window that corresponds to the display 210 illustrated in Fig. 5 or the display 220-1 illustrated in Fig. 6.

[0054] The display screen for the operating procedure as illustrated in Fig. 12 may be displayed by screen transition from a display screen of an operation list, as a screen for displaying a procedure of a selected operation in response to selection of the operation in the display screen for the operation list by user operation, for example.　Further, for example, a single operation may be selected by user operation from the operating procedure that is displayed on the display 280, and a procedure of the selected operation may be displayed on the display 290.　Furthermore, the displays 280 and 290 may display information indicating progress of operation or screen control for inputting an operation result or a comment, for example.　Moreover, as illustrated in Fig. 12, the display 290 may display, for example, an operation procedure that corresponds to each of operations (valve operation test, check of influence on flow rate and pressure, and observation of flow rate) that are included in the operation procedure of the displayed single operation (process check), for each of the operations (in the example illustrated in Fig. 12, the operating procedure for a valve operation test is displayed in the display 290).

[0055] Furthermore, the display 310 is, for example, a screen or a window for monitoring and operating the DCS.　Meanwhile, the display 310 may be a display of a different system from a system that displays the displays 280 and 290, and it may be possible to realize the display by adding a display of one system to the other system.　Moreover, for example, by using a common identifier as identifies for identifying the DCS in both of the system, it is possible to display an operation portion of the operating procedure that is displayed on the display 290 in an enhanced manner as indicated by a display 311 in Fig. 12, for example.　Meanwhile, the operation portion in the operating procedure is designated by, as described above with reference to Fig. 4 for example, inputting an identifier for identifying the DCS to be confirmed, such as "TIC001" that indicates the operation portion, to the component 130 that is for designating the confirmation operation.

[0056] Therefore, when an operation portion is designated in a third component among the components in which the operation details of the DCS are designated, the display unit 43 associates the operation detail that is designated for the third component and the operation portion, displays a screen for performing at least one of monitoring and operation on the operation portion that is associated with the operation detail displayed as the first operating procedure, and displays the operation portion included in the screen in an enhanced manner, for example.

[0057] Furthermore, the display unit 43 may display, for example, information on the operating procedure that is displayed in the display 290, such as a value or a graph, which indicates various kinds of measurement results, such as temperature, in the operation portion of the operating procedure that is displayed in the display 290, for example.

[0058] The update unit 44 acquires, for example, as a modification detail of the SOP-based operating procedure generated by the generation unit 42, at least one of a modified operation detail of the DCS, a modified component in which the operation detail is designated, and a modified combination of components, and updates the operating procedure based on the modification detail.　An update process as described above is, for example, a process of modifying the operating procedure that is generated based on a combination of a plurality of components as described above with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 11.　For example, the operator displays and reconstructs a combination of a plurality of components corresponding to the generated operating procedure, and modifies the operating procedure by using the operator apparatus 70.　Meanwhile, a method of modifying the operating procedure is the same as the method of generating the operating procedure as described above with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 11.

[0059] Flow of process A flow of a process of displaying an operating procedure that is performed by the information processing apparatus 10 will be described below.　Fig. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the process of displaying an operating procedure according to the present embodiment.　The process of displaying an operating procedure illustrated in Fig. 13 is performed after the administrator or the like selects and arranges each of components to construct a combination of components and stores the combination in the operating procedure information 32 by using a dedicated editor that is displayed on the administrator apparatus 60 or the like, for example.

[0060] First, as illustrated in Fig. 13, the information processing apparatus 10 acquires, for example, a combination of components in which operation details of the DCS are designated (Step S101).　The combination is, for example, received by the information processing apparatus 10 from the administrator apparatus 60 or the like and stored in the operating procedure information 32, and therefore is acquired from the operating procedure information 32.

[0061] Subsequently, the information processing apparatus 10 generates SOP-based operating procedures by, for example, arranging the operation details designated in the respective components based on the combination of components acquired at Step S101 (Step S102).　The generation of the operating procedures may be, as described above with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 11 for example, arrangement of the operation details based on the combination of the components and generation of displays corresponding to the respective components as the SOP-based operating procedure.　The operating procedures generated at Step S102 are stored in, for example, the operating procedure information 32.

[0062] Then, the information processing apparatus 10 determines whether or not a display request for an operating procedure is received from the operator apparatus 70 or the like for example (Step S103).　If the display request for the operating procedure is not received (Step S103: No), the information processing apparatus 10 waits for reception of the display request, for example.

[0063] In contrast, if the display request for the operating procedure is received (Step S103: Yes), the information processing apparatus 10 displays the operating procedure corresponding to the display request among the operating procedures generated at Step S102, for example (Step S104).　The operating procedure may be display by, for example, displaying the display screen for the operating procedure as illustrated in Fig. 12 on the operator apparatus 70 or the like that has issued the display request for the operating procedure.

[0064] After the process is performed at Step S104, the process of displaying an operating procedure illustrated in Fig. 13 is terminated, but, for example, the operator operates the DCS in accordance with the operating procedure that is displayed at Step S104.　Further, if a display request for a different operating procedure is issued from the operator apparatus 70 or the like (Step S103: Yes), the information processing apparatus 10 displays an operating procedure corresponding to the different display request for the operating procedure on the operator apparatus 70 or the like the display that has issued the display request, for example (Step S104).

[0065] Furthermore, a flow of a process performed when the operating procedure that is generated at Step S102 is modified is the same as the operating procedure display process illustrated in Fig. 13 except that the operating procedure is updated at Step S102.

[0066] Effects As described above, the information processing apparatus 10 acquires a combination of components in which operation details of the DCS are designated, generates SOP-based operating procedures by arranging operation details based on the combination, and displays a first operating procedure corresponding to a request among the operating procedures.

[0067] As a result, the information processing apparatus 10 is able to generate an operating procedure based on components, in which operation details of the DCS are designated and which allows an administrator or the like who constructs an operating procedure of the DCS to easily construct the operating procedure, and display the operating procedure, so that it is possible to stably ensure safety with respect to operation of an apparatus that is performed by the operator in accordance with the operating procedure and it is possible to support the operation of the apparatus in accordance with an SOP.

[0068] Furthermore, if it is difficult to combine operation details that are associated with the first component and the second component among the components in which operation details of the DCS are designated, the information processing apparatus 10 performs control so as to prevent the user from combining the first component and the second component.

[0069] As a result, the information processing apparatus 10 is able to perform control so as to prevent the administrator or the like who is the user from generating an operating procedure by combining erroneous operation details, so that it is possible to stably ensure safety with respect to operation on the apparatus that is performed by the operator in accordance with the operating procedure.

[0070] Moreover, when displaying shapes of user interfaces that are used to designate components in which operation details of the DCS are designated, the information processing apparatus 10 displays shapes that are not combinable with the first component and the second component in an associated manner and performs control so as to prevent the user from combining the first component and the second component.

[0071] As a result, the information processing apparatus 10 is able to perform control so as to prevent the administrator or the like who constructs the operating procedure from generating an operating procedure by combining erroneous operation details in a manner of easily understandable by the administrator, so that it is possible to stably ensure safety with respect to operation of the apparatus that is performed by the operator in accordance with the operating procedure.

[0072] Furthermore, when an operation portion is designated in the third component among the components, the information processing apparatus 10 associates the operation detail that is designated in the third component and the operation portion, and displays a screen for performing at least one of monitoring and operation on the operation portion that is associated with the operation detail that is displayed as the first operating procedure.

[0073] As a result, the information processing apparatus 10 is able to display a screen for performing at least one of monitoring and operation on the operation portion that is associated with the operating procedure, together with the operating procedure, so that it is possible to support operation of the apparatus in accordance with the SOP.

[0074] Moreover, the information processing apparatus 10 displays the operation portion included in the screen in an enhanced manner.

[0075] As a result, the information processing apparatus 10 is able to display the operation portion that is associated with the operating procedure in an enhanced manner, together with the operating procedure, so that it is possible to support operation of the apparatus in accordance with the SOP.

[0076] Furthermore, the information processing apparatus 10 acquires, as a modification detail of the generated operating procedure, at least one of a modified operation detail, a modified component, and a modified combination, and updates the operating procedure based on the modified detail.

[0077] As a result, the information processing apparatus 10 is able to modify an operating procedure based on components, in which operation details of the DCS are designated and which allows an operator or the like who modifies an operating procedure of the DCS to easily construct the operating procedure, and display the modified operating procedure, so that it is possible to stably ensure safety with respect to operation of an apparatus that is performed by the operator in accordance with the operating procedure and it is possible to support the operation of the apparatus in accordance with an SOP.

[0078] Moreover, the information processing apparatus 10 generates an SOP based on the operating procedure and outputs the generated SOP.

[0079] As a result, the information processing apparatus 10 is able to generate and output an SOP that can stably ensure safety with respect to operation of an apparatus, based on an operating procedure that is generated based on components, in which operation details of the DCS are designated and which allows an administrator or the like who constructs an operating procedure of the DCS to easily construct the operating procedure.

[0080] Still another embodiment While embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms other than the embodiments as described above.

[0081] System The processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, and information including various kinds of data and parameters illustrated in the above-described document and drawings may be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

[0082] Further, the components illustrated in the drawings are functionally conceptual and do not necessarily have to be physically configured in the manner illustrated in the drawings.　In other words, specific forms of distribution and integration of the apparatuses are not limited to those illustrated in the drawings, and all or component of the apparatuses may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in arbitrary units depending on various loads or use conditions.

[0083] Furthermore, for each processing function performed by each apparatus, all or any component of the processing function may be implemented by a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU or may be implemented as hardware by wired logic.

[0084] Hardware A hardware configuration example of the information processing apparatus 10 will be described below, where the administrator apparatus 60, the operator apparatus 70, and the DCS control apparatus other than the information processing apparatus 10 may adopt the same hardware configuration.　Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.　As illustrated in Fig. 14, the information processing apparatus 10 includes a communication terminal 10a, a non-volatile memory 10b, a Random-Access Memory (RAM) 10c, and a processor 10d.　Further, all of the units illustrated in Fig. 14 are connected to one another via a bus or the like.

[0085] The communication terminal 10a is an Ethernet (registered trademark) port or the like, and performs communication with a different information processing apparatus, such as the administrator apparatus 60, the operator apparatus 70, or the DCS control apparatus.　The non-volatile memory 10b is a flash memory or the like, and stores therein a program for implementing the functions illustrated in Fig. 2 and data.

[0086] The processor 10d is a CPU, a Micro Processing Unit (MPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), or the like.　Further, the processor 10d may be implemented by an integrated circuit, such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).　Furthermore, the processor 10d reads a program that executes the same process as the process of each of the processing units illustrated in Fig. 2 from the non-volatile memory 10b or the like and loads the read program onto the RAM 10c, so that a thread for executing each of the functions that are explained above with reference to Fig. 2 or the like is operated.　For example, the thread executes the same function as the function of each of the processing units that are included in the information processing apparatus 10.　Specifically, the processor 10d reads a program that has the same functions as those of the acquisition unit 41, the generation unit 42, the display unit 43, the update unit 44, and the like from the non-volatile memory 10b or the like.　Further, the processor 10d executes the thread that executes the same processes as those of the acquisition unit 41, the generation unit 42, the display unit 43, the update unit 44 and the like.

[0087] In this manner, the information processing apparatus 10 operates as an information processing apparatus that implements various kinds of processing methods by reading and executing a program.　Further, the program may be distributed via a network, such as the Internet.　Furthermore, the program may be recorded in a computer readable storage medium, such as a hard disk, a flexible disk (FD), a compact disc (CD)-ROM, a Magneto-Optical disk (MO), or a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD).　Moreover, the information processing apparatus 10 or the like may read the program from the computer readable storage medium and execute the program.

[0088] 10 Information processing apparatus 10a Communication terminal 10b Non-volatile memory 10c RAM 10d Processor 20 Communication unit 30 Storage unit 31 Component information 32 Operating procedure information 33 SOP information 40 Control unit 41 Acquisition unit 42 Generation unit 43 Display unit 44 Update unit 50 Network 60 Administrator apparatus 70 Operator apparatus 80 DCS control apparatus 100 SOP 110 Component 111 Component 120 Component 121 Component 130 Component 131 Component 132 Component 133 Component 134 Component 135 Component 136 Component 140 Component 141 Component 150 Component 151 Component 160 Component 161 Component 162 Component 210 Display 220 Display 232 Display 233 Display 234 Display 235 Display 236 Display 250 Display 260 Display 280 Display 290 Display 310 Display 311 Display

Claims

1. An information processing program that causes an information processing apparatus to execute a process comprising: 　　　acquiring a combination of components in which operation details of a distributed control system are designated; 　　　generating operating procedures based on a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by arranging the operation details designated by the respective components based on the combination of the components; and 　　　displaying a first operating procedure that corresponds to a request among the operating procedures.

2. The information processing program according to claim 1, the process further comprising: 　　　preventing a user from combining a first component and a second component among the components when the operation details that are associated with the first component and the second component are not combinable.

3. The information processing program according to claim 2, wherein the preventing a combination of the first component and the second component includes preventing the user from combining the first component and the second component by displaying, when displaying shapes of user interfaces that are used to designate the components, uncombinable shapes in association with the first component and the second component.

4. The information processing program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the process further comprising: 　　　associating, when an operation portion is designated in a third component among the components, the operation detail that is designated in the third component and the operation portion; and 　　　displaying a screen for performing at least one of monitoring and operation on the operation portion that is associated with the operation detail that is displayed as the first operating procedure.

5. The information processing program according to claim 4, the process further comprising: 　　　displaying the operation portion included in the screen in an enhanced manner.

6. The information processing program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the process further comprising: 　　　acquiring, as a modification detail for the generated operating procedure, at least one of a modified operation detail, a modified component, and a modified combination of components; and 　　　updating the operating procedure based on the modification detail.

7. The information processing program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the process further comprising: 　　　generating the SOP based on the operating procedure; and 　　　outputting the generated SOP.

8. An information processing method comprising: 　　　acquiring a combination of components each designating an operation detail of a distributed control system; 　　　generating operating procedures based on a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by arranging the operation details designated by the respective components based on the combination of the components; and 　　　displaying a first operating procedure that corresponds to a request among the operating procedures.

9. An information processing apparatus comprising: 　　　a control unit that 　　　　　　acquires a combination of components each designating an operation detail of a distributed control system; 　　　　　　generates operating procedures based on a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by arranging the operation details designated by the respective components based on the combination of the components; and 　　　　　　displays a first operating procedure that corresponds to a request among the operating procedures.

Images