Alarm management device, alarm management method and alarm management program

Abstract

To properly provide a necessary alarm to each operator.SOLUTION: An alarm management device includes: a determination unit that, in a case where conditions for generating a plurality of alarms are satisfied in a monitoring target device, determines whether or not each of the plurality of alarms is an inhibition target to be inhibited from being displayed on a screen for notifying alarm generation; and a display control unit that, in a case where the alarm to be inhibited is present, changes a display format of each of the plurality of alarms in accordance with a type of each of users who monitor the alarms and outputs each alarm to a screen viewed by each user and, in a case where the alarm to be inhibited is not included, outputs each of the plurality of alarms to the screen viewed by each user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an alarm management device, an alarm management method, and an alarm management program. [Background technology]

[0002] Alarm management systems that monitor alarms that indicate abnormalities in processes and other areas are used in a variety of fields. For example, alarm management systems in plants are strictly standardized by international standards such as ISA18.2 and IEC62682, due to their function of quickly detecting dangers at the plant site, protecting the company's assets, and protecting the lives of workers working at the plant site. These standards define required and recommended functions as basic alarm functions that an alarm management system must satisfy, and each control system vendor implements alarm management systems that comply with these definitions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-177415 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with conventional technologies, it is difficult to flexibly present and provide alarm information to various operators who monitor alarms. For example, when multiple alarm conditions are met, the terminal device of the monitoring operator often displays only the symbol for the alarm with the highest priority as a representative alarm, rather than displaying symbols for multiple alarm states. This is done to suppress the display of symbols for other alarm states so that the operator can concentrate on responding to the most serious alarm.

[0005] However, when a higher-level operator, who has a broader view of the current situation than an operator, attempts to grasp the situation from a macro perspective, he or she may monitor the situation at an area or plant level, which is broader than the operator's monitoring scope. In this case, the higher-level operator must understand not only the representative alarm status symbols displayed, but also the status of other suppressed alarms. This makes it difficult for the higher-level operator in plant alarm monitoring to flexibly express and provide information on suppressed alarms.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to appropriately provide necessary alarms to each operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides an alarm management device that includes a display control unit that displays, as additional information, alarms with high priority accompanied by suppression information for other alarms, based on alarm output information output from a plant. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and enables a higher-level operator in plant alarm monitoring to flexibly express and provide information on suppressed alarms. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the display of an alarm symbol according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a host operator and the operator's alarm monitoring according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow of the alarm management device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the alarm management device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the suppression state management DB. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the alarm state management DB. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows an example of an alarm symbol display according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an alarm that the display control unit according to the first embodiment displays on the operator terminal device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an alarm that the display control unit according to the first embodiment displays on the upper-level operator terminal device. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the alarm management device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the setting information DB. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hierarchical structure according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hierarchical structure according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 shows an example of a display of a hierarchical structure displayed to a higher-level operator and an operator according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the alarm management device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention will be described below through embodiments, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0011] <Embodiment 1> (Overall composition) Next, an alarm management device according to the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a system according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the system according to the first embodiment includes an alarm management device 10, an operator terminal device 20, a higher-level operator terminal device 30, a plant 2, and a network N. Note that the numbers of the alarm management devices 10, the operator terminal devices 20, the higher-level operator terminal devices 30, and the plant 2 are not limited to those shown in Fig. 1.

[0012] Plant 2 is an example of various plants that use petroleum, petrochemicals, chemicals, gas, etc., and includes factories and the like equipped with various facilities for obtaining products. Examples of products are LNG (liquefied natural gas), resins (plastics, nylon, etc.), chemical products, etc. Examples of facilities are factory facilities, machinery facilities, production facilities, power generation facilities, storage facilities, wellhead facilities for extracting petroleum, natural gas, etc.

[0013] The plant 2 is constructed using a distributed control system (DCS) etc. For example, although not shown in the figure, a control system in the plant 2 uses process data used in the plant 2 to execute various controls on control devices such as field devices installed in the equipment to be controlled and operation devices corresponding to the equipment to be controlled.

[0014] A field device is a field device such as an operating device that has a measurement function for measuring the operating status (e.g., pressure, temperature, flow rate, etc.) of the installed equipment, and a function for controlling the operation of the installed equipment in response to an input control signal (e.g., actuator, etc.). The field device, which is a sensor, successively outputs the operating status of the installed equipment as process data to a controller in the control system, and the field device, which is an actuator, controls the operation of the process according to the control signal calculated by the controller.

[0015] The alarm management device 10 is a device that provides a core function for monitoring alarms that occur in the plant 2. The alarm management device 10 is an example of a computer that receives alarm notifications, outputs various information to terminal devices, and executes them.

[0016] The operator terminal device 20 is a terminal device used for monitoring by an operator, who is an example of a first operator, and is an example of a terminal device that displays only information about alarms that require a response to the operator. For example, the operator terminal device 20 is a personal computer, etc. The operator terminal device 20 may also be a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. The operator terminal device 20 also has an audio input device (e.g., a microphone) that accepts audio input, and an audio output device (e.g., a speaker) that outputs audio.

[0017] The upper operator terminal device 30 is a terminal device used for monitoring by an upper operator, who is an example of a second operator, and is an example of a terminal device that displays information on all alarms to the upper operator. An upper operator is, for example, an operator that monitors alarms in the entire plant 2. For example, the upper operator terminal device 30 is a personal computer or the like. The upper operator terminal device 30 may also be a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. The operator terminal device 20 also has an audio input device (e.g., a microphone) that accepts audio input, and an audio output device (e.g., a speaker) that outputs audio.

[0018] <Introduction> First, let's look at the problems with typical alarm monitoring systems. For example, typical alarm monitoring systems have an alarm suppression function that suppresses unnecessary alarms from among multiple alarms, allowing operators to focus on responding to serious alarms. However, alarm suppression can cause serious damage if used incorrectly. To operate the suppression function safely and effectively, international standards such as ISA18.2 and IEC62682 define multiple suppression methods depending on how they are used, and provide guidelines for the behavior of each function.

[0019] Additionally, with regard to alarm monitoring functions, there are two ways to monitor: monitoring an alarm screen that displays information about alarms in a list format, and monitoring a screen that graphically displays the data measured by each measuring instrument. For example, when monitoring a screen that graphically displays information about alarms, alarms are represented using shapes and colors. Generally, when monitoring an alarm summary screen, it is used to check detailed information about specific alarms and to confirm alarms when responding to them. On the other hand, graphic functions are often used to get a broad understanding of the situation, such as which part is causing the problem.

[0020] Specifically, a typical example of a suppression state is expressed using shape, color, and numerical values, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 is an example of a suppression state expression method recommended by High Performance HMI.

[0021] In Figure 2, the symbols enclosed in a dotted square represent the suppressed state. That is, the symbol with a circle shape and the letter S represents the suppressed state. The other symbols represent the alarm state, and the shape and the number inside the box represent the alarm priority. The symbol for a suppressed alarm must not overlap with other alarm symbols in shape or color, and this applies throughout the system.

[0022] In Plant 2, multiple types of alarms may be assigned to a single process data value, and multiple alarm conditions may be met simultaneously. For example, an upper limit error and a lower limit error may be set for the upper and lower limit values, or an error may be set for a single process data item to be issued when a data value rises or falls at a rapid rate per unit of time.

[0023] As mentioned above, when multiple alarm conditions are met while the suppression function is applied, the symbol for the alarm with the highest priority is displayed as a representative rather than displaying symbols for multiple alarm conditions.Such suppression functions are often applied to the entire process data that has multiple alarms, and a state in which only some alarms are not issued can actually cause confusion.

[0024] However, alarm suppression has been defined by standards such as ISA18.2, and its applications have expanded, requiring flexible thinking to accommodate various conditions. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a host operator and the operator's alarm monitoring according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the operator terminal device 20 outputs on its screen only the status of the highest priority alarm monitored by each operator. In addition, the host operator terminal device 30 outputs on its screen the status of the highest priority alarm displayed on each operator terminal device 20.

[0025] In other words, the same alarm status is displayed on the screen of the operator terminal device 20 and the upper-level operator terminal device 30. Since the operator deals with the highest priority alarm, it is better if lower priority alarms are not displayed on the screen. However, because the upper-level operator may want to understand the status from a macro perspective, he or she requests that the status of all alarms, including alarms with lower priorities other than the highest priority alarm, be displayed on the screen.

[0026] In view of the above-mentioned problems, in this embodiment, a method of expressing partial suppression of an alarm is to express a partially suppressed alarm by displaying suppression information of other alarms as additional information to a high-priority alarm based on the alarm output information.

[0027] However, in the above-mentioned general alarm management, it is difficult to express a partially suppressed alarm. In addition, in the general alarm management, when there are multiple alarms handled by process data, a partially suppressed alarm can be expressed only when all alarms are suppressed.

[0028] For example, for one piece of process data related to a temperature sensor, the upper limit is set to 80 degrees, and an upper limit exceeded alarm is output when the temperature exceeds 80 degrees. Furthermore, when the process data value increases rapidly per unit time, a sudden increase alarm is output.

[0029] In the above alarm definition state, the suppression function may be set to partial suppression. This is because, for example, if the process data value rises rapidly per unit time, it is known in advance that the value will not stabilize for a while, and the sudden rise alarm may be suppressed during that time. During that time, the operator monitors only the upper limit exceedance alarm.

[0030] In such an environment, if a value suddenly rises and alarm symbols are displayed using conventional technology, the upper limit alarm symbol will be displayed. For operators, this is not a problem because only the symbols of alarms that need to be addressed are displayed. However, senior operators and engineers may want to be aware of the existence of suppressed alarms. Therefore, it is difficult to display partially suppressed alarms using general alarm management.

[0031] Therefore, the alarm management device 10 according to the first embodiment detects suppressed alarms from among a plurality of alarms, and changes the alarm display method depending on the user, thereby appropriately providing the necessary alarms to each user.

[0032] (Processing Executed by Alarm Management Device 10) Here, a description will be given of the processing performed by the alarm management device 10. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of the alarm management device 10 according to the first embodiment. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, the alarm management device 10 receives information on alarms that satisfy the generation conditions at the same time in the plant 2, and detects alarms that satisfy the generation conditions.

[0033] Next, the alarm management device 10 determines whether any of the detected alarms have been suppressed. If the determination result indicates that any suppressed alarms have been detected, the alarm management device 10 changes the display format and displays the alarms on the screen. For example, if any suppressed alarms have been detected, the alarm management device 10 displays the symbol of the suppressed alarm in association with the alarm with the highest priority. If no suppressed alarms have been detected, the alarm management device 10 displays the symbol on the screen without changing the display format.

[0034] The operator then responds to the alarm based on the displayed alarm status. The higher-level operator checks the status of all alarms, including suppressed alarms, based on the displayed alarm status.

[0035] In other words, the alarm management device 10 reads various data, such as data on the suppression status of alarms and data on alarm status management, detects suppressed alarms, and changes the alarm display method depending on the user, thereby appropriately providing the necessary alarms to each user. As a result, the alarm management device 10 can provide an alarm display method that can respond to both, for example, an operator's request to display only the corresponding alarm information, and a higher-level operator's request to understand the situation including information on suppressed alarms.

[0036] (Functional configuration of alarm management device 10) Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the alarm management device 10. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the alarm management device 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, the alarm management device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a control unit 12, a storage unit 13, and an HMI unit 14.

[0037] The HMI unit 14 is a component that provides an interface for input and output to operators and higher-level operators who use the alarm management device 10. The HMI unit 14 includes an input interface that accepts input operations from operators and higher-level operators. The input interface is realized by, for example, a touch panel, a pointing device, buttons, a microphone, etc. Alternatively, the input interface may be realized by software components.

[0038] The HMI unit 14 also includes an output interface that presents image information, light emission information, audio information, etc. to the operator terminal device 20 and the upper operator terminal device 30. The output interface is realized by, for example, a display, an LED (Light-Emitting Diode), a speaker, etc. The HMI unit 14 may also be realized by a touch panel display that integrates an input interface and an output interface.

[0039] The HMI unit 14 may also be an interface component that allows remote input and remote output from a remotely connected PC (Personal Computer) or the like.

[0040] The communication unit 11 is realized by, for example, a network interface card (NIC), etc. The communication unit 11 is connected to a network (not shown) by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives various information between the alarm source 15, the operator terminal device 20, and the upper operator terminal device 30 via the network.

[0041] Here, the alarm generation sources 15 connected to the communication unit 11 will be described. First, among the alarm generation sources 15, the sensor devices 15a are devices that do not implement an alarm detection function and are devices such as temperature sensors, pressure sensors, and flow rate sensors that collect process values ​​in the plant 2. Second, among the alarm generation sources 15, the control devices 15b are devices that implement an alarm detection function and are controllers or the like that detect alarms that indicate abnormalities or the like in the plant 2 based on process values ​​in the plant 2. Third, among the alarm generation sources 15, the server devices 15c are devices that implement an alarm detection function that complies with the standard OPC UA A&C (Alarms and Conditions) and are alarm servers or the like that detect alarms that indicate abnormalities or the like in the plant 2 based on process values ​​in the plant 2.

[0042] The memory unit 13 is realized, for example, by a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk, and in the example of Figure 5, it has a suppression state management DB 13a, an alarm state management DB 13b, and a setting information DB 13c.

[0043] The suppression state management DB 13a stores data related to alarms suppressed by the suppression function. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the suppression state management DB. As shown in FIG. 6, the suppression state management DB 13a stores the items "alarm," "priority," and "suppression." The information stored here is: "alarm," for example, information identifying an alarm whose occurrence condition has been met, or information identifying an alarm notified due to the occurrence condition being met in a certain device. "priority" is information identifying the priority of the alarm. "suppression" is information identifying whether the alarm is suppressed or not.

[0044] Using the example of FIG. 6, the suppression state management DB 13a stores "alarm 1, 1, no alarm," "alarm 2, 2, yes," "alarm 3, 3, yes," and "alarm 4, 4, yes" as "alarm, priority, suppression." That is, the suppression state management DB 13a stores a state in which "alarm 1" has a priority of "1" and is not suppressed. The suppression state management DB 13a also stores a state in which "alarm 2" has a priority of "2" and is suppressed, a state in which "alarm 3" has a priority of "3" and is suppressed, and a state in which "alarm 4" has a priority of "4" and is suppressed.

[0045] The alarm state management DB 13b stores data for managing alarm states in a hierarchical structure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the alarm state management DB. As shown in FIG. 7, the alarm state management DB 13b stores the items "alarm," "state," and "hierarchical state." Here, the "alarm" stored is the same as in FIG. 6, and "state" is information specifying whether an alarm has occurred. "Hierarchical state" is information specifying a state that can be specified for each node in the hierarchy when the alarm state is expressed in a hierarchical structure. For example, if the "hierarchical state" can be specified for each node in the hierarchy, it is displayed as "◯," and if it cannot be specified, it is displayed as "X."

[0046] Using the example of FIG. 7, the alarm status management DB 13b stores "Alarm 1, alarm abnormal, O," "Alarm 2, alarm abnormal, O," "Alarm 3, operating, O," and "Alarm 4, operating, O" as "alarm, status, hierarchical status." That is, the alarm status management DB 13b stores the status of "Alarm 1" as "alarm abnormal" and the hierarchical status as "O," which can be specified for each hierarchical node. The alarm status management DB 13b also stores the status of "Alarm 2" as "alarm abnormal" and the hierarchical status as "O," which can be specified for each hierarchical node, the status of "Alarm 3" as "operating" and the hierarchical status as "O," which can be specified for each hierarchical node, and the status of "Alarm 4" as "operating" and the hierarchical status as "O."

[0047] The alarm management device 10 can check which alarms are being suppressed by comparing the data stored in the suppression state management DB 13a with the data stored in the alarm state management DB 13b.

[0048] Next, returning to Figure 5, the control unit 12 of the alarm management device 10 will be described. The control unit 12 has an internal memory for storing programs that define various processing procedures and required data, and executes various processes using these. Here, the control unit 12 is, for example, an electronic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0049] The control unit 12 includes a UI control unit 12a, a setting unit 12b, a determination unit 12c, and a display control unit 12d. The UI control unit 12a controls input and output to and from the operator and a higher-level operator via the HMI unit .

[0050] The setting unit 12b receives input and output from the UI control unit 14a and accepts operations related to settings on the terminal device 20 or the terminal device 30 by the operator or a higher-level operator via the HMI unit 14, and stores the setting contents according to the operations in the setting information DB 13c.

[0051] For example, the setting unit 12b accepts a designation operation to display only information on the alarms corresponding to the operator, and stores the setting content in the setting information DB 13c. The setting information DB 13c also accepts a designation operation to display the alarm status including information on alarms suppressed by a higher-level operator, and stores the setting content in the setting information DB 13c. The setting unit 12b also accepts a designation operation to display the alarm status of the unit that the operator or higher-level operator wants to set, such as the status of the representative alarm for each hierarchical level and the status of individual alarms for each hierarchical level, and stores the setting content in the setting information DB 13c.

[0052] When the conditions for generating multiple alarms are met in a monitored device, the determination unit 12c determines whether each of the multiple alarms is a suppression target, which suppresses display of the alarm on a screen that notifies the occurrence of the alarm. For example, the determination unit 12c determines that the alarm generation conditions are met for alarm 1 and alarm 2 and that alarm 2 is a suppression target, based on information read from the suppression status management DB 13a and the alarm status management DB 13b, respectively, as to whether the generated alarm is in a suppression status and whether the alarm status is an abnormal alarm.

[0053] If there is an alarm to be suppressed, the display control unit 12d changes the display format of the multiple alarms according to the type of each user monitoring the alarm and outputs them to the screen viewed by each user, and if there is no alarm to be suppressed, the display control unit 12d outputs each of the multiple alarms to the screen viewed by each user.

[0054] For example, when there is an alarm to be suppressed, the display control unit 12d outputs an alarm indicating that the display of multiple alarms has been suppressed on the screen of an operator who monitors each device that is the source of each alarm, and outputs an alarm indicating that there are multiple alarms and that one alarm has been suppressed on the screen of a higher-level operator who monitors the entire system including each device from a bird's-eye view.

[0055] Furthermore, when there is an alarm to be suppressed, the display control unit 12d generates a second symbol by adding information indicating the presence of an alarm to be suppressed to a first symbol corresponding to the alarm with the highest priority among the multiple alarms, and outputs the first symbol on the screen of a first operator who monitors each device that is the source of each alarm, and outputs the second symbol on the screen of a second operator who monitors the entire system including each device from a bird's-eye view. Furthermore, the display control unit 12d generates the second symbol by combining shape and color, adding information indicating the presence of an alarm to be suppressed.

[0056] Here, the symbol indicating a suppressed alarm assigned by the display control unit 12d will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is an example of a diagram showing an alarm symbol assigned by the display control unit 12d of the alarm management device 10 according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 8, the explanation will be given using nodes 41 and 42.

[0057] In node 41, four alarm symbols are represented by shapes and colors based on the priorities of 1 to 4. Note that alarm priorities are 1, 4, and 1, respectively. For example, when the determination unit 12c determines that there is a suppressed alarm, the display control unit 12d displays the symbol 43 of the suppressed alarm as a circle with the letter S. First, when alarms 1 to 4 shown in node 41 occur simultaneously, the display control unit 12d reads out the priority and whether each alarm is suppressed from the suppression status management DB 13a. For example, the display control unit 12d reads out that alarm 1 has the highest priority and is not suppressed, and alarms 2 to 4 have low priority and are suppressed.

[0058] Next, the display control unit 12d displays the symbol 43 of the suppressed alarm in association with the alarm with the highest priority shown in the node 42, based on the priority of each read alarm and whether or not it is suppressed. For example, since alarms 2 to 4 are suppressed, the display control unit 12d displays them as the symbol 43 of the suppressed alarm. In other words, the alarm symbol 43 includes information on alarms 2 to 4. Finally, the display control unit 12d displays the symbol 43 of the suppressed alarm in association with alarm 1, which has the highest priority.

[0059] Next, an example of an alarm that the display control unit 12d displays on the operator terminal device 20 and the upper operator terminal device 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an alarm that the display control unit 12d according to the first embodiment displays on the operator terminal device 20. In Fig. 9, the description will be divided into a state where alarm 2 is not suppressed and a state where alarm 2 is suppressed.

[0060] First, a case where alarm 2 in Figure 9 is not suppressed will be described. Assume that the alarm management device 10 displays alarm 4 on the screen. Next, when alarms 4 and 2 occur simultaneously, the alarm management device 10 reads the priority of each alarm and whether it is suppressed from the suppression status management DB 13a, and displays alarm 2, which is the alarm with the highest priority. Finally, when alarms 2 and 1 occur simultaneously, the alarm priority and whether it is suppressed from the suppression status management DB 13a, and displays alarm 1, which is the alarm with the highest priority, on the operator terminal device 20.

[0061] Next, a case where alarm 2 in Figure 9 is suppressed will be described. Assume that the alarm management device 10 displays alarm 4 on the screen. Next, when alarms 4 and 2 occur simultaneously, the alarm management device 10 reads the priority of each alarm and whether it is suppressed from the suppression status management DB 13a, compares the priorities, determines that alarm 2 is suppressed, and displays alarm 4 without displaying alarm 2. Finally, when alarms 2 and 1 occur simultaneously, the alarm management device 10 reads the priority of each alarm and whether it is suppressed from the suppression status management DB 13a, compares the priorities, determines that alarms 2 and 4 are suppressed, does not display alarms 2 and 4, and displays alarm 1, the alarm with the highest priority, on the operator terminal device 20.

[0062] As described above, the display control unit 12d does not display information about the suppressed alarms on the operator terminal device 20. As a result, the alarm management device 10 displays on the operator terminal device 20 only information about the alarms that the operator must respond to.

[0063] Next, Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an alarm displayed on the upper operator terminal device 30 according to the embodiment 1. Fig. 10 describes a state in which alarm 2 is suppressed.

[0064] The alarm management device 10 will be described below in connection with a case where, for example, alarm 2 is suppressed. The alarm management device 10 displays alarm 4 on the screen. Next, when alarms 4 and 2 occur simultaneously, the alarm management device 10 reads the priority of each alarm and whether or not it is suppressed from the suppression status management DB 13a, compares the priorities, and determines that alarm 2 is suppressed. Next, the alarm management device 10 generates a symbol 43 for the suppressed alarm and displays it in association with alarm 4.

[0065] Finally, when alarm 4 and alarm 1 occur simultaneously, the alarm management device 10 reads the priority of each alarm and whether or not it is suppressed from the suppression status management DB 13a, compares the priorities, determines that alarm 2 and alarm 4 are suppressed, and displays a symbol 43 of the suppressed alarm attached to alarm 1, which is the alarm with the highest priority, on the upper-level operator terminal device 30. In other words, the symbol 43 of the suppressed alarm includes information about alarm 2 and alarm 4.

[0066] As described above, the display control unit 12d displays a symbol representing the suppressed alarm on the upper-level operator terminal device 30 in a form that makes the upper-level operator aware that there is a suppressed alarm.

[0067] (Processing procedure of embodiment 1) Next, an example of a processing procedure performed by the alarm management device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the alarm management device 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0068] 11, the alarm management device 10 detects suppressed alarms based on the alarm output information output from the plant 2 (step S101). Next, the alarm management device 10 determines whether or not there are any suppressed alarms among the detected suppressed alarms (step S102).

[0069] If there is a suppressed alarm (step S102, Yes), the alarm management device 10 displays a symbol of the suppressed alarm attached to the alarm with the highest priority on the upper-level operator terminal device 30 (step S103), and ends the processing. On the other hand, if there is no suppressed alarm (step S102, No), the alarm management device 10 displays the alarm on each of the operator terminal device 20 and the upper-level operator terminal device 30 (step S104), and ends the processing.

[0070] (Effects of the First Embodiment) In the first embodiment, the alarm management device 10 determines whether or not there are any suppressed alarms based on the alarm information output from the plant 2, assigns a symbol to the suppressed alarms, and displays the suppressed alarms in association with the alarm with the highest priority. In this way, the alarm management device 10 can represent partially suppressed alarms.

[0071] In addition, the alarm management device 10 displays only the highest priority alarm on the operator terminal device 20, and also displays information about suppressed alarms on the upper-level operator terminal device 30, allowing the user to change the display method.

[0072] <Embodiment 2> (Summary of Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, an example was described in which suppressed alarms were displayed in association with the alarm with the highest priority. However, the disclosed alarm management device 10 can also represent suppressed alarms using a hierarchical structure. Therefore, in the second embodiment, an example in which suppressed alarms are represented using a hierarchical structure will be described. Note that the system configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 5 described in the first embodiment, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0073] (Configuration Functions of Alarm Management Device 10) Next, the configuration functions of the alarm management device 10 will be described. Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration functions of the alarm management device 10 according to the second embodiment. The alarm management device 10 according to the second embodiment has configurations similar to those of the communication unit 11, control unit 12, HMI unit 14, suppression state management DB 13a, and alarm state management DB 13b of the storage unit 13 described in Fig. 5, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. Here, the configuration information DB 13c of the storage unit 13, the setting unit 12b of the control unit 12, and the display control unit 12d, which have configurations different from those of the first embodiment, will be described.

[0074] The setting information DB 13c stores data related to setting information output from the operator terminal device 20 and the upper-level operator terminal device 30. Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating the setting information DB. As shown in Fig. 13, the setting information DB 13c stores the items "user", "alarm to be displayed", and "hierarchical structure to be displayed".

[0075] Here, the "user" stored is information that identifies the user who sets the setting information, such as an operator or a higher-level operator. "Alarms to display" is information that identifies the alarms set by the user. For example, when an operator sets only corresponding alarms to be displayed, "alarms to display" is information that identifies the setting to display only corresponding alarms, and when a higher-level operator sets all alarms to be displayed, "hierarchical structure to display" is information that identifies the hierarchy set by the user.

[0076] To explain using the example of FIG. 13, the setting information DB 13c stores "operator, corresponding alarms only, upper layer" and "upper operator, all alarms, upper layer" as "user, alarms to display, hierarchical structure to display."

[0077] That is, the setting information DB 13c stores that the user "operator" has set the alarms he wants to check as "corresponding alarms only" and selected the hierarchical structure to display as "upper layer." Also, the setting information DB 13c stores that the user "upper operator" has set the alarms he wants to check as "all alarms" and selected the hierarchical structure to display as "upper layer."

[0078] The display control unit 12d of the control unit 12 displays alarms in a hierarchical structure as a method of displaying alarms on the screens of both the operator and the upper-level operator. For example, the display control unit 12d notifies the status of multiple alarms from lower levels to higher levels in the hierarchical structure, and displays information on representative alarm statuses in each level.

[0079] The display control unit 12d receives requests from operators and upper level operators to set alarms to be displayed on the screen, and displays information on representative alarm states in each hierarchy.

[0080] (Example) Here, the hierarchical structure of alarm states will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. 14 is an example of a display of the hierarchical structure of alarms according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 14, the alarm management device 10 displays all alarm symbols in the lower layers of the hierarchical structure, and displays alarm symbols with higher priorities in the upper layers. When transitioning from the lower layer to the upper layer, the alarm management device 10 reads information indicating that alarm 1 has the highest priority from the suppression state management DB 13a, and notifies the lower-layer nodes of the alarm state change to the upper-layer nodes, which are then displayed on the screens of the operator terminal device 20 and the upper-level operator terminal device 30. In this way, the alarm management device 10 displays the alarm with the highest priority on the screen. Hereinafter, notification of an alarm state change to the upper layer will be referred to as a push-up. The number of nodes and layers shown in FIG. 14 may be multiple.

[0081] Fig. 15 is an example of a display of a hierarchical structure of alarms according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 15, the alarm management device 10 displays all alarm symbols in the lower layers of the hierarchical structure, as in Fig. 14, and displays alarm symbols with higher priorities in the upper layers. The alarm management device 10 pushes up alarm statuses from the lower layers to the middle layers and from the middle layers to the upper layers, and pushes up suppression information from the middle layers to the upper layers.

[0082] For example, in FIG. 15, the display control unit 12d reads information from the suppression state management DB 13a that alarm 1 has the highest priority and is not in a suppressed state, while alarms 2 to 4 are in a suppressed state, and reads information from the alarm state management DB 13b that alarms 1 and 2 are in an abnormal state, and alarms 3 and 4 are in operation.

[0083] Next, when transitioning from the lower layer to the middle layer in Fig. 15, the display control unit 12d displays only alarm 1, which has the highest priority, based on the information read from the suppression state management DB 13a. Furthermore, if the display control unit 12d determines that alarms 2 to 4 are in a suppressed state, it displays the symbols of the suppressed alarms in association with alarms 2 to 4.

[0084] Then, when transitioning from the middle layer to the upper layer in FIG. 15, the display control unit 12d displays information on alarms 2 to 4 as symbols of suppressed alarms, accompanying alarm 1, which is the alarm with the highest priority.

[0085] The sites, areas, and function tags of plant 2 will be explained using Figure 15. The monitored devices are devices that make up plant 2, and the hierarchical structure has the site of plant 2, each area included in the site, and function tags included in each area. Here, a function tag is a functional unit that groups together related items and alarms for managing and operating process data.

[0086] 15, the hierarchical structure displayed by the alarm management device 10 has sites corresponding to the upper layer, areas corresponding to the middle layer, and function tags corresponding to the lower layer. If there are any suppressed alarms, the alarm management device 10 generates a symbol for the suppressed alarm and displays it in association with the alarm with the highest priority.

[0087] For example, the alarm management device 10 outputs alarm information from a function tag to an area, and simultaneously outputs to the area whether or not there are any suppressed alarms in the alarm status of the function tag, and constantly synchronizes these pieces of information. Furthermore, if all alarms included in a function tag are subject to suppression, the alarm management device 10 can display symbols of suppressed alarms regardless of the alarm generation conditions.

[0088] Next, the alarm management device 10 outputs and displays the alarm status to the site based on information about the highest priority alarm output to the area and the suppressed alarms. The hierarchical structure described above allows the alarm management device 10 to allow a higher-level operator who monitors alarms from a macro perspective to monitor an overview of the alarm status for each area or site. Furthermore, the alarm management device 10 aggregates information about the status of representative alarms in the upper layers of the hierarchical structure, including the status of all alarms included in the lower layers.

[0089] Next, a hierarchical structure displayed on the upper operator terminal device 30 and the operator terminal device 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 shows an example of a display of the upper layer of the hierarchical structure displayed to the upper operator and the operator according to the second embodiment.

[0090] For example, suppose that the alarm management device 10 receives a setting from the upper-level operator terminal device 30 to monitor suppressed alarms as well, and stores the setting information in the setting information DB 13c. The alarm management device 10 reads out the information stored in the setting information DB 13c and displays it on the upper-level operator terminal device 30 in the form of the alarm with the highest priority accompanied by the symbol of the suppressed alarm.

[0091] Furthermore, it is assumed that a setting to monitor only the corresponding alarms is input to the alarm management device 10 from the operator terminal device 20 and stored in the setting information DB 13c. The alarm management device 10 reads the information stored in the setting information DB 13c and displays only the alarm with the highest priority on the operator terminal device 20.

[0092] As a result, the alarm management device 10 displays symbols of suppressed alarms on the upper-level operator terminal device 30, thereby satisfying the request of the upper-level operator to be aware of suppressed alarms. Also, the alarm management device 10 displays only the alarm with the highest priority on the operator terminal device 20, thereby satisfying the request of the operator to check only the corresponding alarm.

[0093] (Effects of the second embodiment) For example, in general alarm management methods, alarm statuses are sometimes displayed not only in process data units but also in various other units, such as area or plant units as described in the first embodiment. In such a situation, alarm statuses are hierarchically transmitted to higher levels, and the shape and color of the alarm with the highest priority is displayed as a representative alarm status. However, in general alarm management methods, while consideration is given to transmitting representative alarm statuses to higher levels, it is difficult to transmit suppression status information to higher levels and express the information.

[0094] Therefore, the alarm management device 10 receives setting inputs from the operator terminal device 20 and the upper-level operator terminal device 30, and displays alarms including the suppression status in the hierarchical structure using the input setting information and stored alarm status information. Therefore, the alarm management device 10 can aggregate and provide information on the status of representative alarms in the upper layers of the hierarchical structure, including the alarm status of all alarm information contained in the lower layers.

[0095] <Embodiment 3> Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms other than the above-described embodiments.

[0096] (Usage form) The alarm management device 10 collects statistical data information for each node in the hierarchical structure. For example, the alarm management device 10 uses the number of alarms suppressed per node as statistical data. Specifically, the alarm management device 10 calculates statistical data such as the number of alarms and the number of suppressed alarms aggregated for lower-level nodes for each node, and allows an operator or a higher-level operator to display this data on a screen or write it out as historical information. This allows the transition in the number of alarms and the number of suppressed alarms for each node to be statistically collected and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the suppression function.

[0097] <Hardware> The alarm management device 10 according to the embodiment described above is realized by a computer 100 having a configuration such as that shown in Fig. 17. The alarm management device 10 will be described below as an example. Fig. 17 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer 100 that realizes the functions of the alarm management device 10 according to the embodiment.

[0098] 17, the computer 100 includes a communication device 100a, a hard disk drive (HDD) 100b, a memory 100c, and a processor 100d. The components shown in FIG. 17 are interconnected by a bus or the like.

[0099] The communication device 100a is a NIC or the like, and communicates with other devices. The HDD 100b stores programs and databases that operate the functions shown in FIGS.

[0100] The processor 100d reads out from the HDD 100b or the like a program that executes the same processes as the respective processing units shown in FIG. 5 or the like and loads the program into the memory 100c, thereby operating a process that executes the respective functions described in FIG. 5 or the like. For example, this process executes the same functions as the respective processing units of the alarm management device 10. Specifically, the processor 100d reads out from the HDD 100b or the like a program that has the same functions as the UI control unit 12a, the setting unit 12b, the determination unit 12c, the display control unit 12d, etc. Then, the processor 100d executes a process that executes the same processes as the UI control unit 12a, the setting unit 12b, the determination unit 12c, the display control unit 12d, etc.

[0101] In this way, computer 100 operates as an information processing device that executes various processing methods by reading and executing a program. Computer 100 can also realize functions similar to those of the above-described embodiments by reading the program from a recording medium using a media reader and executing the read program. Note that the program referred to here is not limited to being executed solely by computer 100. For example, the present invention can also be applied in the same way to cases where a computer or server having a different hardware configuration executes the program, or where these execute the program in cooperation with each other.

[0102] This program can be distributed via a network such as the Internet. In addition, this program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk (MO), or a digital versatile disk (DVD), and can be executed by being read from the recording medium by a computer.

[0103] <Other> Some examples of the disclosed technical features are set forth below.

[0104] (1) An alarm management device characterized by comprising: a determination unit that, when a condition for generating multiple alarms is met in a monitored device, determines whether each of the multiple alarms is a suppression target, which suppresses display of the multiple alarms on a screen that notifies the user of the occurrence of the alarm; and a display control unit that, if an alarm that is a suppression target exists, changes the display format of the multiple alarms according to the type of each user monitoring the alarm and outputs the alarms to a screen viewed by the user; and, if no alarm that is a suppression target is included, outputs each of the multiple alarms to a screen viewed by the user.

[0105] (2) The alarm management device described in (1) is characterized in that, when an alarm to be suppressed exists, the display control unit outputs an alarm indicating that the display of the multiple alarms has been suppressed on the screen of a first operator among the users who monitors each device that is the source of each alarm, and outputs an alarm indicating that the multiple alarms exist and that some of the alarms have been suppressed on the screen of a second operator who monitors the entire system including the devices from a bird's-eye view.

[0106] (3) The alarm management device according to (1) or (2), characterized in that, when an alarm to be suppressed exists, the display control unit generates a second symbol by adding information indicating the existence of an alarm to be suppressed to a first symbol corresponding to the alarm with the highest priority among the plurality of alarms, and outputs the first symbol on the screen of a first operator among the users who monitors each device that is the source of each alarm, and outputs the second symbol on the screen of a second operator who monitors the entire system including the devices from a bird's-eye view.

[0107] (4) The alarm management device described in (1) to (3) is characterized in that the display control unit generates a second symbol with information indicating the existence of an alarm to be suppressed by combining shape and color.

[0108] (5) The alarm management device described in (1) to (4) is characterized in that the display control unit displays alarms in a hierarchical structure as a method of displaying alarms on the screens of the first operator and the second operator.

[0109] (6) The device to be monitored is a device that constitutes a plant, the display control unit displays the alarms in a hierarchical structure, The alarm management device according to (5), wherein the hierarchical structure has a site of the plant, each area included in the site, and a function tag included in each area.

[0110] (7) The alarm management device described in (5) or (6) is characterized in that the display control unit notifies the status of the multiple alarms from lower to upper levels of the hierarchical structure and displays information on representative alarm statuses at each level.

[0111] (8) The alarm management device described in (7) is characterized in that the display control unit accepts requests from the first operator and the second operator to set alarms to be displayed on the screen, and displays information on representative alarm states at each hierarchy level.

[0112] (9) An alarm management method characterized in that, when conditions for generating multiple alarms are met in a monitored device, a computer determines whether each of the multiple alarms is subject to suppression, which suppresses display of the alarms on a screen that notifies the user of the occurrence of the alarms; if an alarm that is subject to suppression is present, the computer changes the display format of the multiple alarms according to the type of each user monitoring the alarms and outputs them on a screen viewed by the user; and if no alarms that are subject to suppression are included, the computer executes a process to perform display control to output each of the multiple alarms on a screen viewed by the user.

[0113] (10) An alarm management program that causes a computer to execute a process that, when conditions for generating multiple alarms are met in a monitored device, determines whether each of the multiple alarms is subject to suppression, which suppresses display on a screen that notifies the user of the occurrence of the alarm; if an alarm that is subject to suppression exists, changes the display format of the multiple alarms according to the type of each user monitoring the alarm and outputs them on a screen viewed by the user; and, if no alarm that is subject to suppression is included, executes display control to output each of the multiple alarms on a screen viewed by the user. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 10 Alarm Management Device 20 Operator terminal 30 Upper operator terminal device 11 Communications Department 12 Control Unit 12a UI control section 12b Setting section 12c Judgment part 12d Display control unit 13 Storage section 13a Suppression state management DB 13b Alarm status management DB 13c Configuration Information DB 14 HMI section 15 Alarm Source 15a Sensor equipment 15b Control equipment 15c Server Equipment N Network

Claims

1. a determination unit that, when a condition for generating a plurality of alarms is met in a monitored device, determines whether each of the plurality of alarms is a suppression target for suppressing display on a screen notifying the occurrence of the alarm; a display control unit that, when an alarm to be suppressed is present, changes the display format of the plurality of alarms in accordance with the type of each user monitoring the alarm, and outputs the changed format to a screen viewed by each user, and, when no alarm to be suppressed is included, outputs each of the plurality of alarms to a screen viewed by each user; An alarm management device comprising:

2. The display control unit When an alarm to be suppressed exists, an alarm indicating that the display of the plurality of alarms is suppressed is output on the screen of a first operator of the users who monitors each device that is the source of each alarm, and an alarm indicating that the plurality of alarms exists and that a suppressed alarm exists is output on the screen of a second operator who monitors the entire system including the devices from a bird's-eye view. The alarm management device according to claim 1 .

3. The display control unit If an alarm to be suppressed exists, generating a second symbol by adding information indicating the existence of an alarm to be suppressed to a first symbol corresponding to the alarm with the highest priority among the plurality of alarms; the first symbol is output on the screen of a first operator who monitors each device that is a source of each alarm, and the second symbol is output on the screen of a second operator who monitors the entire system including each device from a bird's-eye view.

3. The alarm management device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The display control unit 4. The alarm management device according to claim 3, wherein the second symbol, to which information indicating the presence of the alarm to be suppressed is added, is generated by combining a shape and a color.

5. 3. The alarm management device according to claim 2, wherein the display control unit displays the alarms in a hierarchical structure as a method of displaying the alarms on the screens of the first operator and the second operator.

6. the monitoring target device is a device that constitutes a plant, the display control unit displays the alarms in a hierarchical structure, 6. The alarm management device according to claim 5, wherein the hierarchical structure includes a site of the plant, areas included in the site, and function tags included in each area.

7. 6. The alarm management device according to claim 5, wherein the display control unit notifies the states of the plurality of alarms from lower layers to higher layers of the hierarchical structure, and displays information on representative alarm states in each layer.

8. The alarm management device according to claim 7, characterized in that the display control unit accepts requests from the first operator and the second operator to set alarms to be displayed on the screen, and displays information on representative alarm states in each hierarchy.

9. The computer When a condition for generating a plurality of alarms is met in the device to be monitored, a determination is made as to whether or not each of the plurality of alarms is to be suppressed from being displayed on a screen notifying the occurrence of the alarm; If an alarm to be suppressed is present, a display format of the plurality of alarms is changed according to the type of each user monitoring the alarm, and the alarms are output to a screen viewed by each user, and if no alarm to be suppressed is included, a display control is performed to output each of the plurality of alarms to a screen viewed by each user.

11. An alarm management method comprising:

10. On the computer, When a condition for generating a plurality of alarms is met in the device to be monitored, a determination is made as to whether or not each of the plurality of alarms is to be suppressed from being displayed on a screen notifying the occurrence of the alarm; If an alarm to be suppressed is present, a display format of the plurality of alarms is changed according to the type of each user monitoring the alarm, and the alarms are output to a screen viewed by each user, and if no alarm to be suppressed is included, a display control is performed to output each of the plurality of alarms to a screen viewed by each user. An alarm management program that executes processing.

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