Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing Method, and Program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus and the like that can make it easier for a user to manage facilities to be managed more efficiently. 【Solution means】According to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing apparatus that supports the management of facilities to be managed is provided. This information processing apparatus is configured to be able to acquire a data group of management items related to the facilities to be managed, facilities not to be managed, and / or external environmental factors for the facilities to be managed. The information processing apparatus includes a processor. The processor is configured to be able to execute the following steps. In the first reception step, two or more management matters for the facilities to be managed are received from the user. In the second reception step, a future time condition is received from the user. In the first prediction step, based on the received future time condition and the temporal transition of the data group of management items, the state of the management matters under the future time condition is predicted.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, technologies for controlling predetermined facilities have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a social infrastructure control system including a control device for locally controlling social infrastructure and a server communicable with the control device. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a water treatment system including a control unit that predicts the water quality of wastewater discharged from plant facilities and performs feedforward control of the operating conditions of water treatment facilities based on the predicted water quality.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, due to various demands, in recent years, the purpose of managing predetermined facilities has become diverse. Therefore, a technology that enables a user to more easily manage the facilities to be managed is desired.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide an information processing apparatus or the like that enables a user to more efficiently and easily manage the facilities to be managed. Further, as a more preferable aspect, the present invention aims to provide an information processing apparatus or the like that enables a user to manage the facilities to be managed based on target values and options.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus for assisting in the management of facilities to be managed. This information processing apparatus is configured to be able to acquire a data group of management items related to the facilities to be managed, facilities not to be managed, and / or external environmental factors for the facilities to be managed. The information processing apparatus includes a processor. The processor is configured to be able to execute the following steps. In the first reception step, two or more management matters for the facilities to be managed are received from the user. In the second reception step, future time conditions are received from the user. In the first prediction step, based on the received future time conditions and the temporal transition of the data group of management items, the state of the management matters under the future time conditions is predicted.

[0007] According to the above aspect, there is provided an information processing apparatus or the like that enables a user to more efficiently manage facilities to be managed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. Note that various characteristic matters shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0010] By the way, the program for realizing the software appearing in this embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable medium readable by a computer, may be provided so as to be downloadable from an external server, or may be provided so that the program is started on an external computer and its function is realized on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0011] In addition, in this embodiment, the “unit” may include, for example, hardware resources implemented by a circuit in a broad sense and information processing of software that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. Also, in this embodiment, various types of information are handled, and these information are represented, for example, by physical values of signal values representing voltage and current, the high and low of signal values as a set of binary bits composed of 0 or 1, or quantum superposition (so-called quantum bits), and communication and calculation can be executed on a circuit in a broad sense.

[0012] In addition, a circuit in a broad sense is a circuit realized by appropriately combining at least a circuit, circuitry, a processor, a memory, etc. That is, it includes an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (for example, a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), etc.

[0013] 1. Hardware Configuration In this section, the hardware configuration of a system (which may also be referred to as an information processing system) to which the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment can be applied will be described.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of the information processing system of the present embodiment. The information processing system 100 of the present embodiment typically includes an information processing apparatus 1. Further, the information processing apparatus 1 supports the management of facilities to be managed. In the information processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1, a plant PL1 is shown as a facility to be managed.

[0015] In this embodiment, the information processing apparatus 1 is configured to be able to acquire a data group of management items related to equipment to be managed, equipment not to be managed, and / or external environmental factors for equipment to be managed. Specifically, in the information processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 1 is connected via a communication line to a plant PL1, a plant PL2, a plant PL3, a sensor 2, etc. to be described later. That is, in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, the management items that can be acquired by the information processing apparatus 1 may include management items for equipment not to be managed. The communication line includes the Internet, etc., and mediates the exchange of data between equipment connected to its own line. Also, the system exemplified by the information processing system 100 consists of one or more devices or components. Therefore, the information processing apparatus 1 alone can also be an example of a system.

[0016] As an example, the plant PL2 is a plant that executes a product production process, and the plant PL1 is a plant that functions as a waste liquid treatment facility for treating waste liquid from the product production process. That is, as the flow of waste liquid, the plant PL1 is located downstream of the plant PL2. Typically, the waste liquid generated in the plant PL2 is transferred to the plant PL1 via the liquid line LL1. Equipment and the like arranged in the plant PL1 can be appropriately set according to the type of waste liquid. For example, when the waste liquid is aqueous, a biological treatment apparatus or the like may be provided in the plant PL1. Note that microorganisms capable of purifying the waste water are applied to this biological treatment apparatus. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a sensor may also be attached to the liquid line LL1, and this sensor and the information processing apparatus 1 may be connected via a communication line.

[0017] Further, the information processing apparatus 1 may be connected to the plant PL3 via a communication line. Here, although this plant PL3 is not connected to the plant PL1 to be managed by a line or the like, it can function as a component of the information processing system 100 of the present embodiment. That is, in the information processing system 100 of the present embodiment, management items for predetermined management matters are utilized, and the plant PL3 can provide effective parameters for managing the management target due to circumstances such as being in a nearby location, for example.

[0018] In addition, the information processing apparatus 1 may be connected to the sensor 2 via a communication line. This sensor 2 is typically configured to be able to acquire parameters regarding external environmental factors for the facility (plant PL1) to be managed. More specific examples of the sensor 2 include a pH meter, a flow meter, a level meter, an ORP meter, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a vibration sensor, a gas sensor (carbon dioxide sensor), and the like. Of course, it is not limited to these, and the type of the sensor 2 may be set appropriately according to items to be managed and the like. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the sensor 2 is attached outside the plant PL1, each of the above-described sensors 2 may be provided inside the plant PL1.

[0019] In the information processing system 100 in FIG. 1, although the facility to be managed is shown as the plant PL1, the scale of the "facility to be managed" is not limited to a plant and may be a specific device or an aggregate thereof. Further, the management target is not limited to the facilities existing in a predetermined business office, and may be facilities or an aggregate thereof existing in other business offices existing in the area including the predetermined business office. Similarly, for the plants PL2 and PL3 that do not correspond to the facility to be managed, they may be a specific device or an aggregate thereof, and are not limited to the facilities existing in a predetermined business office, and may be facilities or an aggregate thereof existing in other business offices existing in the area including the predetermined business office. Further, when the facility to be managed is related to an industrial field, the industrial field is not limited to the waste liquid treatment as described above, and may be various manufacturing fields (including chemical manufacturing, automobile manufacturing, iron and steel manufacturing, paper manufacturing, food and beverage industries, etc.) or a power generation field, etc.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 1. The information processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, a display unit 14, and a communication unit 15, and these units are electrically connected by a communication bus 10. Hereinafter, each unit provided in the information processing apparatus 1 will be described.

[0021] (Control Unit 11) The control unit 11 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown) (which may be referred to as a "processor"). The control unit 11 realizes various functions related to the information processing apparatus 1 by reading a predetermined program stored in the storage unit 12. That is, the information processing by software stored in the storage unit 12 is specifically realized by the control unit 11, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 11. These will be described in more detail in the next section. Note that the control unit 11 is not limited to being single, and may be implemented to have a plurality of control units 11 for each function, or a combination thereof.

[0022] (Storage Unit 12) The storage unit 12 stores various information defined as described above. This can be implemented, for example, as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) that stores various programs and the like related to the information processing apparatus 1 executed by the control unit 11, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily necessary information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to the calculation of the program. The storage unit 12 stores various programs, variables, and the like related to the information processing apparatus 1 executed by the control unit 11.

[0023] (Input Unit 13) The input unit 13 may be included in the housing of the information processing apparatus 1 or may be externally attached. For example, the input unit 13 may be integrated with the display unit 14 and implemented as a touch panel. With a touch panel, the user can input tap operations, swipe operations, etc. Of course, instead of a touch panel, a switch button, a mouse, a QWERTY keyboard, etc. may be adopted. That is, the input unit 13 receives operation inputs made by the user. The input is transferred as a command signal to the control unit 11 via the communication bus 10, and the control unit 11 can execute predetermined control and calculations as necessary.

[0024] (Display unit 14) The display unit 14 may be included in the housing of the information processing apparatus 1 or may be externally attached, for example. The display unit 14 displays a screen of a graphical user interface (GUI) operable by the user. For example, it is preferable to implement this by selectively using display devices such as a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and a plasma display according to the type of the information processing apparatus 1.

[0025] (Communication unit 15) The communication unit 15 is configured to be able to transmit various electrical signals from the information processing apparatus 1 to external components. Also, the communication unit 15 is configured to be able to receive various electrical signals from external components to the information processing apparatus 1. Note that the communication unit 15 may have a network communication function, and thereby various information may be communicated between the information processing apparatus 1 and external devices via a communication line.

[0026] Also, although not shown in the figure, the plants PL1, PL2, and PL3 connected to the information processing apparatus 1 via a communication line may also be equipped with devices having the same hardware configuration as the aforementioned information processing apparatus 1.

[0027] In FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 1 has been described as including a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, a display unit 14, and a communication unit 15. However, for example, the control unit 11 and the storage unit 12 may be provided in an externally constructed apparatus such as a cloud server, and may be configured to function as a pseudo-integrated information processing apparatus 1 through transmission and reception of electrical signals with the information processing apparatus 1.

[0028] 2. Functional Configuration In this section, the functional configuration of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the information processing apparatus 1. As described above, information processing by software (stored in the storage unit 12) is specifically realized by hardware (the control unit 11), and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 11.

[0029] Specifically, the information processing apparatus 1 (control unit 11) may include a reception unit 111, a prediction unit 112, a selection unit 113, a presentation unit 114, an acquisition unit 115, a facility control unit 116, and a storage management unit 117 as each functional unit. Note that such each functional unit may be appropriately increased or omitted according to the application of the information processing apparatus 1 and the like.

[0030] (Reception Unit 111) The reception unit 111 is configured to be able to execute a reception step. In the reception step, the reception unit 111 receives various information. In the present embodiment, in the first reception step, the reception unit 111 receives two or more management items for the facility to be managed from the user. Further, in the second reception step, the reception unit 111 receives future time conditions from the user. Further, in the third reception step, after the execution of the first prediction step, the reception unit 111 receives target values for each of the management items from the user. Further, in the fourth reception step, the reception unit 111 receives the designation of any one of the options presented in the first presentation step from the user. Details of each step will be described in detail later.

[0031] (Prediction Unit 112) The prediction unit 112 is configured to be able to execute a prediction step. In the prediction step, the prediction unit 112 predicts the (future) state of a predetermined target based on the received information and the like. In the present embodiment, as the first prediction step, the prediction unit 112 predicts the state of the management item under the future time condition based on the received future time condition and the temporal transition of the data group of the management items. Further, as the second prediction step, the prediction unit 112 predicts the future state of the management item based on the received options. The details of each step will be described in detail later.

[0032] (Selection unit 113) The selection unit 113 is configured to be able to execute a selection step. In the selection step, the selection unit 113 selects a specific candidate from among a plurality of types of candidates based on the received various information. In the present embodiment, as the first selection step, the selection unit 113 selects a management item with a high priority from the data group of the management items based on the received management item. Further, as the second selection step, the selection unit 113 selects a plurality of combinations of a management item with a high priority and values corresponding to the management item with a high priority based on the target value for each of the received management items. The details of each step will be described in detail later.

[0033] (Presentation unit 114) The presentation unit 114 is configured to be able to execute a presentation step. In the presentation step, the presentation unit 114 presents various information. Specifically, the presentation unit 114 controls the display unit 14 of the information processing apparatus 1 to display visual information such as a screen, an image, an icon, and a message. Note that the presentation unit 114 may generate only rendering information for displaying the above-described visual information on a predetermined terminal. Further, the information presented by the presentation unit 114 is not limited to visual information, and may be auditory information. In the present embodiment, as a first presentation step, the presentation unit 114 presents, as options, each of the management items with high priority selected in the second selection step and the combination of values corresponding to the management items with high priority. Further, as a second presentation step, the presentation unit 114 presents to the user the future state of the management items predicted in the second prediction step. Details of each step will be described in detail later.

[0034] (Acquisition unit 115) The acquisition unit 115 is configured to be able to execute an acquisition step. In the acquisition step, the acquisition unit 115 acquires, as set values, the values corresponding to the management items with high priority associated with the options presented by the information processing apparatus 1. Note that the acquisition step acquires the set values based on a human operation or a selection by a processor.

[0035] (Facility control unit 116) The facility control unit 116 is configured to be able to execute a control step (facility control step). In the control step (facility control step), the facility control unit 116 controls the facility to be managed based on the acquired set values. As a specific mode of this control, a mode in which the facility control unit 116 automatically changes the control conditions for the facility to be managed is exemplified. Further, a mode in which the facility control unit 116 presents an instruction to change the control conditions and the operator manages the operation based on the presented control conditions is exemplified.

[0036] (Memory management unit 117) The memory management unit 117 is configured to be able to execute a memory management step. In the memory management step, the memory management unit 117 is configured to manage various types of information to be memorized related to the process of the present embodiment and the like. Typically, the memory management unit 117 is configured to store information and the like handled by the information processing apparatus 1 in a memory area. Examples of this memory area include the memory unit 12 of the information processing apparatus 1 and the memory units of various apparatuses and terminals. However, this memory area does not necessarily have to be within the process shown in FIG. 1, and the memory management unit 117 can also manage to store various types of information in an external storage device or the like.

[0037] 3. Details of Information Processing In the third section, with reference to the activity diagram and the like, the information processing method executed by the information processing apparatus 1 and the like will be described. In this section, the details of the information processing will be described separately for the first to third embodiments.

[0038] [First Embodiment] In the information processing method of the first embodiment, the control unit 11 (processor) of the information processing apparatus 1 executes the following first reception step, second reception step, and first prediction step. Here, in the first reception step, it is a step of receiving two or more management items for the facility to be managed from the user. In the second reception step, it is a step of receiving future time conditions from the user. In the first prediction step, it is a step of predicting the state of the management item at the future time condition based on the received future time condition and the temporal transition of the data group of the management items.

[0039] FIG. 4 is an activity diagram showing the flow of information processing using the information processing apparatus 1 and the like. That is, in the first embodiment, as the first reception step, the reception unit 111 receives two or more management items for the facility to be managed from the user (activity A101).

[0040] Here, the "management items" refer to the items that should be managed for the facilities to be managed. In the information processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1, they are the contents that should be managed for the plant PL1. Note that these management items may be either quantitative or qualitative. Since they correspond to the objectives to be achieved for the facilities to be managed, the "management items" may also be referred to as "objective variables".

[0041] Typically, the management items may be items related to any one selected from the group consisting of laws and regulations, productivity, abundance of resources, energy saving, labor saving, cost reduction, and environmental hygiene. In many application examples, when managing two or more management items, these management items may be in a trade-off relationship. However, in the information processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, such a trade-off relationship can be applied without considering it as a problem.

[0042] For example, if the plant PL1 in FIG. 1 is a waste liquid treatment facility, from a certain perspective, the management items of cost reduction and environmental hygiene may be in a trade-off relationship. That is, considering the aspect of environmental hygiene when discharging waste liquid (waste water), it is desirable to increase the degree of treatment. On the other hand, when the degree of treatment is increased, there is a high possibility of increasing costs. The information processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can provide a useful technique when considering this balance.

[0043] As described above, the management items of the present embodiment may be items related to two or more different categories among the categories listed above. On the other hand, depending on the application, the management items of the present embodiment may be two or more items related to the same category. In addition, the management items in the present embodiment are not limited to this, and management items other than the categories listed above may be adopted according to the application.

[0044] Also, the user who inputs information to the reception unit 111 may be a person involved in the facilities to be managed (plant PL1). In a typical example, the user may be an operator of the facilities to be managed (plant PL1), but it is not limited to this.

[0045] On the other hand, in the information processing method of the first embodiment, as a second reception step, the reception unit 111 receives a future time condition from the user (activity A102). The "future time condition" in this step relates to a time in the future from the time when the user performs an input operation. Although not limited to the following, the time condition may be set in units of minutes, hours, days, weeks, or years. Note that the "future time condition" may refer to a predetermined point in time or a predetermined time period.

[0046] Note that the execution order of activity A101 and activity A102 may be adjusted as appropriate. That is, either activity A101 or activity A102 may be executed first, or these may be executed simultaneously.

[0047] In this way, when activity A101 and activity A102 are executed, as a first prediction step, based on the received future time condition and the temporal transition of the data group of management items, the state of the management item under the future time condition is predicted (activity A103).

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 1 is configured to be able to acquire a data group of management items related to the facility to be managed (plant PL1), facilities not to be managed (plants PL2, PL3, etc.) and / or external environmental factors for the facility to be managed (factors that can be acquired by sensor 2, factors that can be acquired from the web, factors that can be acquired from public information by public institutions, etc.). That is, in the first embodiment, since various information that can affect the state of the facility to be managed (plant PL1) can be acquired, the state of the management item under the future time condition can be predicted with high accuracy. Here, since the "management item" corresponds to a parameter that contributes to the management item, it may also be referred to as an "explanatory variable".

[0049] Specifically, this prediction may refer to the operation records and future operation plans of the equipment to be managed (plant PL1), as well as the operation records and future operation plans of other equipment, external environmental factors (e.g., weather, changes in temperature and humidity, water quality of rivers, population of the region, CO2 emissions of local business offices, etc.), etc., and predict the state of the equipment to be managed under the future time conditions received from the user. Note that this prediction may be based on a regression model (linear model) based on data obtained from equipment and sensors involved in the information processing system 100, an artificial intelligence (AI) model trained with data obtained from equipment and sensors involved in the information processing system 100, a look-up table based on data obtained from equipment and sensors involved in the information processing system 100, etc. Of course, this is not limited thereto, and a known analysis method based on the obtained data group may be adopted.

[0050] Note that the predicted data may be presented to the user as appropriate. Typically, the predicted result may be displayed on the display unit 14 of the information processing device 1, but this is not limited thereto. A predetermined printed matter related to the predicted data may be issued, or the predicted data may be displayed on a device different from the information processing device 1. Also, the predicted data may be stored on the cloud, and a user having security authority may be authenticated to check the data online. Note that the data to be presented may be the predicted content of two or more management items at a predetermined time point, or may be the temporal transition from the present to a predetermined time point (the time point corresponding to the future time condition).

[0051] Furthermore, the various types of information received in the first embodiment and the various types of information predicted may be stored in a predetermined storage area (e.g., the storage unit 12, etc.) by the function of the storage management unit 117. Note that based on the information stored in this way, the model used in the prediction, etc. may be updated.

[0052] [Second Embodiment] Next, the information processing method of the second embodiment will be described. In the information processing method of the second embodiment, the information processing apparatus 1 executes a first reception step and a first selection step. In the first reception step, the information processing apparatus 1 receives two or more management items for the facility to be managed from the user. In the first selection step, based on the received management items, the information processing apparatus 1 selects a management item with a high priority from the data group of management items.

[0053] Such an information processing method will be described while showing a specific aspect. In the second embodiment, the description of the overlapping parts of the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the different parts will be described.

[0054] FIG. 5 is an activity diagram showing the flow of information processing using the information processing apparatus 1 and the like. That is, in the second embodiment, as the first reception step, the reception unit 111 receives two or more management items for the facility to be managed from the user (activity A201). Since this first reception step is substantially the same as the first reception step of the first embodiment, the description here will be omitted.

[0055] In the second embodiment, as the first selection step, based on the received management items, high-priority management items are selected from the data group of management items (activity A202). As described above, in the information processing system 100 of the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 1 is configured to be communicable with other facilities (plants PL2 and PL3) and sensors 2 in addition to the facility (plant PL1) to be managed, and is configured to be able to acquire various parameters (data group of management items) from various devices. The selection unit 113 of the information processing apparatus 1 positions the management items received in the first reception step as the target variable and the data group of management items that can be acquired by the information processing apparatus 1 as the explanatory variable, and selects management items that contribute greatly to the management items received in the first reception step. As described above, when managing two or more management items, these management items may be in a trade-off relationship. However, in the information processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it may be configured to select management items that can efficiently resolve such a trade-off relationship. Note that the number of such management items may be one or two or more. On the other hand, an upper limit value of the number of management items to be selected may be appropriately set according to the processing capacity of the information processing apparatus 1 and the like.

[0056] As a typical example, when the user inputs items such as compliance with laws and regulations and productivity improvement as management items in plant PL1, management items such as the productivity (yield rate, etc.) of plant PL2 and the raw water quality of plant PL1, which are highly relevant to these items, can be selected. Such processing is executed, for example, as follows. That is, one or more purposes are associated with various management items in advance and set as a master table. Similarly, one or more purposes are associated with various management items and set as a master table. On the other hand, when the user selects a management item, necessary management items are selected as high-priority management items from among the management items having the same purpose as the selected management item.

[0057] Note that such selection of management items with high priority may be selected with rankings according to the highness of the priority. The priority of management items may be set to have different rankings according to the conditions of other factors that affect the management items. For example, when raw water quality (drainage system) data has been acquired and compliance with laws and regulations is set as a management matter, if the water quality behavior is greater than a predetermined value, it may be considered to set a higher priority for raw water quality (drainage system) as a management item.

[0058] In this way, while management items with high priority are selected, in this embodiment, as the second reception step, the information processing apparatus 1 receives future time conditions from the user (activity A203). Since this activity A203 is almost the same as activity A102 of the first embodiment, the description here is omitted.

[0059] Subsequently, as the first prediction step, the information processing apparatus 1 predicts the state of the management matter under the future time condition based on the future time condition received in the second reception step and the temporal transition of the data group of the management items selected in the first selection step (activity A204). That is, also in the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the state of the future management matter can be predicted. In this way, the future state of the management matter can be efficiently predicted.

[0060] Furthermore, in the information processing method of the second embodiment, as the third reception step, after the first prediction step is executed, target values for each of the management items are received from the user (activity A205). The mode of receiving this target value will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the details of the third reception step. In a typical example, when the aforementioned first prediction step is executed, predicted values (x0, y0, z0) for each of the management items (management items X, Y, Z) for the facility to be managed are presented. This presentation may be realized, for example, by the function of the presentation unit 114. The user who comes into contact with such predicted values can consider the target values (target values; x1, y1, z1) for each of the management items and input the values by means of terminal operations or the like.

[0061] When the target value is input from the user in this way, as the second selection step, based on the target values for each of the received management items, a plurality of combinations of high-priority management items and values corresponding to the high-priority management items are selected (activity A206). Also, as the first presentation step, each of the high-priority management items selected in the second selection step and the combinations of values corresponding to the high-priority management items are presented as options (activity A207).

[0062] FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the second selection step and the first presentation step. That is, by this second selection step and the first presentation step, a mode (combination of a management item and a value (set value)) that conforms to the target value received in the aforementioned third reception step can be displayed to the user. In the example of FIG. 6, target values such as x1, y1, z1 are received for each of the management items X, Y, Z, etc., but in the second selection step, combinations of management items and their values that can be x1, y1, z1 are selected and presented to the user. Specifically, in FIG. 7, proposals for set values corresponding to each of the management items are made as "Proposal 1", "Proposal 2", "Proposal 3", etc.

[0063] On the other hand, as the fourth reception step, the user's designation of any one of the options presented in the first presentation step is received (activity A208). That is, when the user designates any one of the proposals (proposal 1, proposal 2, proposal 3, etc.) presented in FIG. 7, the reception unit 111 receives the combination of management items and the set values corresponding to each of the management items. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the fourth reception step. In this FIG. 8, the mode in which the previous "proposal 2" is selected by the user is shown.

[0064] When the fourth reception step is executed in this way, as the second prediction step, based on the received option, the future state of the management item is predicted (activity A209). Further, as the second presentation step, the future state of the management item predicted in the second prediction step is presented to the user (activity A210). FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the second prediction step and the second presentation step. As shown in this FIG. 9, when the previous "proposal 2" is adopted, it is possible to present to the user what state each of the management items will be in (x2, y2, z2, etc.).

[0065] Note that prior to executing this second prediction step, changes such as values corresponding to the option received in the fourth reception step may be made by a terminal operation of the user or the like. In this case, the second prediction step is executed based on the changed values or the like.

[0066] Also, the presentation in the second presentation step may show the state at the time corresponding to the time condition previously received from the user, or may show the state in a predetermined time zone. Note that the second presentation step may be configured to present the future temporal transition of the management item. That is, regarding the management item related to the facility to be managed, it may be presented to the user how it will transition from the present to the future. Typically, the temporal transition of the management item may be shown to the user by a graph with the horizontal axis being time and the vertical axis being the management item (each of two or more management items).

[0067] In the above manner, the management of the equipment to be managed can be made more reliable.

[0068] [Third Embodiment] Subsequently, the third embodiment will be described. In the information processing method (control method) of the third embodiment, a predetermined device executes an acquisition step and a control step (equipment control step). In the acquisition step, a value corresponding to a management item with a high priority associated with the option presented by the information processing apparatus 1 is acquired as a set value. Here, the acquisition step acquires the set value based on a human operation or a selection by the processor. In the control step, based on the acquired set value, the equipment to be managed is controlled.

[0069] FIG. 10 is an activity diagram showing the flow of information processing using the information processing apparatus 1 and the like. That is, the information processing method (control method) of the third embodiment acquires, as a set value, a value corresponding to a management item with a high priority associated with the option presented in the second embodiment (acquisition step), and controls the equipment to be managed (control step (equipment control step)) (see activities A301 to 302). As described above, when the information processing apparatus 1 includes the acquisition unit 115 and the equipment control unit 116, based on these functions, the information processing apparatus 1 itself may execute the acquisition of values corresponding to management items with a high priority and the control of the equipment to be managed. On the other hand, a predetermined device (not shown in FIG. 1) may execute the control of the equipment to be managed after acquiring values corresponding to management items with a high priority associated with the options presented by the information processing apparatus 1. Note that the set value acquired in the acquisition step may be manually input or automatically set based on the functions of the information processing apparatus 1 or the like. Also, the execution of the control step (equipment control step) may be manually executed or automatically executed based on the functions of the predetermined device.

[0070] Note that the "management item with high priority" in the acquisition step may be the management item selected in the first selection step. In that case, an example is that the set values corresponding to various management items are artificially input. On the other hand, the "management item with high priority" in the acquisition step may be a combination of the management item selected in the second selection step and the value corresponding to the management item with high priority. In this case, the value can be utilized as the set value to execute control on the facility.

[0071] 4. Others In Section 4, a modified example of the information processing method of the information processing system 100 described above will be described.

[0072] Although the above-described embodiment has been described as the configuration of the information processing apparatus 1, a program for causing at least one computer to execute each step of the information processing apparatus 1 may be provided. Also, a program for causing at least one computer to execute each step of the above-described control system may be provided.

[0073] Finally, although various embodiments according to the present invention have been described, these are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention and are also included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

[0074] Furthermore, it may be provided in each of the aspects described below.

[0075] (1) An information processing apparatus for assisting in the management of facilities to be managed, configured to be able to acquire a data group of management items related to the facilities to be managed, facilities not to be managed, and / or external environmental factors for the facilities to be managed. The information processing apparatus includes a processor, and the processor is configured to be able to execute the following steps. In a first reception step, it receives two or more management matters for the facilities to be managed from a user. In a second reception step, it receives a future time condition from the user. In a first prediction step, based on the received future time condition and the temporal transition of the data group of the management items, it predicts the state of the management matters under the future time condition.

[0076] (2) An information processing apparatus for assisting in the management of facilities to be managed, configured to be able to acquire a data group of management items related to the facilities to be managed, facilities not to be managed, and / or external environmental factors for the facilities to be managed. The information processing apparatus includes a processor, and the processor is configured to be able to execute the following steps. In a first reception step, it receives two or more management matters for the facilities to be managed from a user. In a first selection step, based on the received management matters, it selects management items with high priority from the data group of the management items.

[0077] (3) In the information processing apparatus according to (2) above, in a second reception step, it receives a future time condition from the user. In a first prediction step, based on the received future time condition and the temporal transition of the data group of the management items, it predicts the state of the management matters under the future time condition.

[0078] (4) In the information processing apparatus according to (3) above, in the third reception step, after the execution of the first prediction step, target values for each of the management items are received from the user. In the second selection step, based on the target values for each of the received management items, a plurality of combinations of the management items with high priority and the values corresponding to the management items with high priority are selected. In the first presentation step, each of the management items with high priority and the combinations of the values corresponding to the management items with high priority selected in the second selection step are presented as options. An information processing apparatus.

[0079] (5) In the information processing apparatus according to (4) above, in the fourth reception step, a designation of any one of the options presented in the first presentation step is received from the user. In the second prediction step, based on the received option, the future state of the management item is predicted. In the second presentation step, the future state of the management item predicted in the second prediction step is presented to the user. An information processing apparatus.

[0080] (6) In the information processing apparatus according to (5) above, in the second presentation step, the future temporal transition of the management item is presented. An information processing apparatus.

[0081] (7) In the information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (6) above, the management item is a matter related to any one selected from the group consisting of laws and regulations, productivity, abundance or scarcity of resources, energy saving, personnel reduction, cost reduction, and environmental hygiene. An information processing apparatus.

[0082] (8) In the information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (7) above, the management items that can be acquired by the information processing apparatus include management items for facilities that are not the management target. An information processing apparatus.

[0083] (9) A control system for controlling equipment to be managed, the control system comprising a processor, the processor being configured to be able to execute the following steps. In the acquisition step, a value corresponding to the management item with a high priority associated with the option presented by the information processing apparatus according to any one of (4) to (6) above is acquired as a set value. Here, the acquisition step acquires the set value based on a human operation or selection by the processor. In the control step, based on the acquired set value, the equipment to be managed is controlled. Control system.

[0084] (10) An information processing method comprising each step of the information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (8) above. Information processing method.

[0085] (11) A control method comprising each step of the control system according to (9) above. Control method.

[0086] (12) A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (8) above or each step of the control system according to (9) above. Program. Of course, this is not all.

Explanation of Signs

[0087] 1: Information processing apparatus 2: Sensor 10: Communication bus 11: Control unit 12: Storage unit 13: Input unit 14: Display unit 15: Communication unit 100: Information processing system 111: Reception unit 112: Prediction unit 113: Selection unit 114: Presentation unit 115: Acquisition unit 116: Equipment control unit 117: Memory management unit LL1: Liquid line PL1, PL2, PL3: Plant

Claims

1. An information processing device that supports management of a managed facility, The system is configured to be capable of acquiring a group of data on management items related to the equipment to be managed, equipment not to be managed, and / or external environmental factors for the equipment to be managed; The information processing device includes a processor, The processor is configured to execute the following steps: In the first receiving step, two or more management items for the equipment to be managed are received from a user; In the first selection step, a management item having a high priority is selected from a data group of the management items based on the received management items; Here, the first selection step selects the management items having high priority by referring to a preset master table, The master table links each of a plurality of types of management items with one or more purposes, and also links each of a plurality of types of management items with one or more purposes.

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, In the second receiving step, a future time condition is received from the user; In a first prediction step, the information processing apparatus predicts a state of the management item under the future time condition based on the received future time condition and a temporal transition of a data group of the management item.

3. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The information processing device, wherein the management item is any item selected from the group consisting of laws and regulations, productivity, amount of resources, energy saving, labor saving, cost reduction, and environmental sanitation.

4. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The management items that can be acquired by the information processing device include management items for facilities that are not subject to management.

5. 1. An information processing method, comprising: An information processing method comprising the steps of the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A program, A program causing a computer to execute each step of the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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