Display device, display method, control device, control method, and computer program

Abstract

The present invention provides a display device, a display method, a control device, a control method, and a computer program which can use a plurality of graphs to display the operational state of a plant, and which can contribute to analysis of the operational state from a variety of viewpoints. A display device 50 for displaying the operational state of a plant 1 displays a plurality of types of graphs indicating the operational state of the plant 1 as options in a first region A1, and uses a graph to display the operational state of the plant in a second region B1, C1.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device, a display method, a control device, a control method, and a computer program. [Background technology]

[0002] Various techniques for monitoring the operating status of a plant have been proposed. For example, a plant monitoring device has been proposed that compares process values acquired in time series from monitored points in a plant with corresponding limit values, determines the time point at which the process value exceeds a limit value, and displays the process values and the corresponding limit values in time series within a time range set based on the time point on a display device (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-115195 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 can display process values as a time-series graph, but such a single type of graph can sometimes make it difficult to determine whether the plant's operating status is normal or abnormal.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a display device, a display method, a control device, a control method, and a computer program that can display the operating status of a plant using multiple graphs and contribute to analyzing the operating status from various perspectives. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention is a display device that displays the operating state of a plant, and displays multiple types of graphs representing the operating state of the plant as options in a first area, and displays the operating state of the plant using the graphs in a second area. In this display device, when a specific graph is selected from the multiple types of graphs displayed in the first area, the operating state of the plant can be displayed in the second area using the specific graph.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention is a display method for displaying the operating state of a plant, including an option display step of displaying multiple types of graphs representing the operating state of the plant as options in a first area of a predetermined screen, and an operating state display step of displaying the operating state of the plant in a second area using any one of the multiple types of graphs displayed in the option display step. In the operating state display step of this display method, when a specific graph is selected from the multiple types of graphs displayed in the option display step, the operating state of the plant can be displayed in the second area using the specific graph.

[0008] A third aspect of the present invention is a control device for controlling a display device that displays the operating state of a plant, the control device including: an acquisition unit that acquires process data of the plant; a generation unit that generates multiple types of graphs that represent the operating state of the plant based on the process data acquired by the acquisition unit; and a display control unit that displays the multiple types of graphs as options in a first area of the display device and displays the operating state of the plant in a second area of the display device using the graphs. The control device can further include a reception unit that accepts a selection of a graph, and when the display control unit accepts that a specific graph has been selected from the multiple types of graphs displayed in the first area, the display control unit can display the operating state of the plant in the second area using the specific graph.

[0009] A fourth aspect of the present invention is a control method for controlling a display device that displays an operating state of a plant, the control method including: an acquisition step of acquiring process data of the plant; a generation step of generating multiple types of graphs that represent the operating state of the plant based on the process data acquired in the acquisition step; and a display control step of displaying the multiple types of graphs as options in a first area of the display device and displaying the operating state of the plant using the graphs in a second area of the display device. The control method can further include a receiving step of receiving a selection of a graph, and in the display control step, when it is received in the receiving step that a specific graph has been selected from the multiple types of graphs displayed in the first area, the display control step can display the operating state of the plant in the second area using the specific graph.

[0010] A fifth aspect of the present invention is a computer program causing a computer to execute a control method for controlling a display device that displays an operating state of a plant, the control method including: an acquisition step of acquiring process data of the plant; a generation step of generating multiple types of graphs that represent the operating state of the plant based on the process data acquired in the acquisition step; and a display control step of displaying the multiple types of graphs as options in a first area of the display device and displaying the operating state of the plant using the graphs in a second area of the display device. The control method executed by this computer program can further include a receiving step of receiving a selection of a graph, and in the display control step, when it is received in the receiving step that a specific graph has been selected from the multiple types of graphs displayed in the first area, the operating state of the plant can be displayed in the second area using the specific graph.

[0011] By employing such a configuration and method, multiple types of graphs representing the operating status of the plant can be displayed as options in the first area of the display device. Therefore, the operator can select any one of the multiple types of graphs displayed in the first area of the display device, and the operating status of the plant can be displayed in the second area of the display device using the selected graph. Therefore, the operating status of the plant can be displayed using multiple graphs, which can contribute to analyzing the operating status from various perspectives.

[0012] The multiple types of graphs in each aspect of the present invention may include graphs that represent history of process data showing the operating state of a plant. Also, the multiple types of graphs may include graphs that represent common process data in different ways (for example, graphs that include both a graph that shows the history of process data in chronological order and a graph that shows the history of process data non-chronologically).

[0013] In this way, plant operating conditions that cannot be detected using time-series graphs alone (for example, operating conditions that are likely to gradually transition to an abnormal condition) can be identified using non-time-series graphs, making it possible to quickly identify the causes of plant abnormalities and take preventative measures, thereby contributing to the continued stable operation of the plant.

[0014] The display control unit in the third aspect of the present invention can store the graph generated by the generation unit in the memory unit, and the display control process in the fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention can store the graph generated by the generation unit in the memory unit.

[0015] By adopting such a configuration and method, it is possible to store graphs that have been generated and used in the past. Therefore, for example, by storing an operator and a graph that the operator used in association with each other, it is possible to refer to a graph that an operator with high proficiency used in the past.

[0016] The display control unit in the third aspect of the present invention can read a graph stored in the memory unit and display it in the second area of the display device, and the display control process in the fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention can read a graph stored in the memory unit and display it in the second area of the display device.

[0017] By adopting such a configuration and method, it is possible to read a graph (a graph with various items set) that a specific operator with a high level of proficiency has used in the past, and display that graph in the second area of the display device. This allows even an operator with a relatively low level of proficiency to know what graphs have been used by operators with a high level of proficiency in the past, and how they have been arranged (item set). This makes it possible to learn monitoring points, and to easily improve operating proficiency. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a display device, a display method, a control device, a control method, and a computer program that can display the operating status of a plant using multiple graphs and contribute to analyzing the operating status from various perspectives. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a plant to be monitored in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a driving assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a graph selection setting screen displayed on the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a time series graph screen displayed on the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a non-time series graph screen displayed on a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6]1 is a diagram illustrating a physical configuration of a driving assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are merely illustrative for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention to these embodiments. Monitoring targets to which the present invention is applicable include plants. Examples of plants include power plants with boilers, incineration plants, chemical plants, wastewater treatment plants, and other plants from which process data can be acquired. In addition to the exemplary process data for power plants described in the following embodiments, process data for waste incineration plants include, for example, the amount and temperature of air fed into the incinerator, the gas temperature and composition factors at the furnace outlet, and measurement data such as the temperature, pressure, flow rate, and combustion state of various components measured by sensors. Process data for chemical plants include, for example, the temperature difference between processes or between two or more thermocouples, operating pressure, product flow parameters (velocity, density, etc.), cooling water flow rate, output measurements, valve sensor data, etc. Process data for wastewater treatment plants include, for example, the amount of raw water flowing in and out of a tank, water level, treated water quality, and the operational values of equipment such as various pumps, all of which are output from sensors and watt-hour meters.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a plant 1, which is an example of a monitoring target in an embodiment of the present invention. The plant 1 according to this embodiment is a power plant equipped with a circulating fluidized bed boiler (circulating fluidized bed type) that generates steam by burning fuel while circulating a circulating material such as silica sand that flows at high temperature. As fuel for the plant 1, in addition to fossil fuels such as coal, non-fossil fuels (woody biomass, waste tires, waste plastic, sludge, etc.) can be used. The steam generated in the plant 1 is used to drive a turbine 100.

[0022] The plant 1 is configured to combust fuel in a furnace 2, separate circulating material from exhaust gas using a cyclone 3 that functions as a solid-gas separator, and return the separated circulating material to the furnace 2 for circulation. The separated circulating material is returned to the bottom of the furnace 2 via a circulating material recovery pipe 4 connected below the cyclone 3. The bottom of the circulating material recovery pipe 4 is connected to the bottom of the furnace 2 via a loop seal 4a with a narrowed flow path. This leaves a predetermined amount of circulating material stored in the bottom of the circulating material recovery pipe 4. The exhaust gas from which the circulating material has been removed by the cyclone 3 is supplied to the rear flue 5 via the exhaust gas flow path 3a.

[0023] The boiler includes a furnace 2 for burning fuel and a heat exchanger for generating steam and the like using heat obtained by combustion. A fuel supply port 2a for supplying fuel is provided in the middle of the furnace 2, and a gas outlet 2b for discharging combustion gas is provided in the upper part of the furnace 2. Fuel supplied to the furnace 2 from a fuel supply device (not shown) is supplied into the furnace 2 through the fuel supply port 2a. In addition, a furnace wall tube 6 for heating boiler feedwater is provided on the furnace wall of the furnace 2. The boiler feedwater flowing through the furnace wall tube 6 is heated by combustion in the furnace 2.

[0024] Within the furnace 2, solids containing fuel supplied from the fuel supply port 2a are fluidized by combustion and fluidization air introduced from the lower air supply line 2c, and the fuel burns at, for example, approximately 800 to 900°C while flowing. Combustion gas generated in the furnace 2 is introduced into the cyclone 3, accompanied by circulating material. The cyclone 3 separates the circulating material from the gas by centrifugal separation, and returns the separated circulating material to the furnace 2 via the circulating material recovery pipe 4, while sending the combustion gas from which the circulating material has been removed through the exhaust gas flow path 3a to the rear flue 5.

[0025] In the furnace 2, a portion of the circulating material, called the in-furnace bed material, accumulates at the bottom. This bed material may contain coarse particles unsuitable for circulating flow or contain exhaust combustion impurities, and such unsuitable bed material may cause poor flow. To prevent such poor flow, the in-furnace bed material is continuously or intermittently discharged to the outside from a discharge port 2d at the bottom of the furnace 2. After removing impurities such as metals and coarse particles from the discharged bed material in a circulation line (not shown), the discharged bed material is either fed back to the furnace 2 or discarded as is. The circulating material in the furnace 2 circulates within a circulation system consisting of the furnace 2, cyclone 3, and circulating material recovery pipe 4.

[0026] The rear flue 5 has a flow path for flowing the gas discharged from the cyclone 3 to a subsequent stage. The rear flue 5 has a superheater 10 that generates superheated steam and an economizer 12 that preheats boiler feedwater as an exhaust heat recovery section that recovers heat from the exhaust gas. The exhaust gas flowing through the rear flue 5 is cooled by heat exchange with the steam and boiler feedwater flowing through the superheater 10 and the economizer 12. The plant 1 is also provided with a steam drum 8 that stores the boiler feedwater that has passed through the economizer 12. The steam drum 8 is also connected to the furnace wall pipe 6 of the furnace 2.

[0027] The economizer 12 transfers heat from the exhaust gas to the boiler feedwater to preheat the boiler feedwater. The economizer 12 is connected to the pump 7 by a pipe 21, and is also connected to the steam drum 8 by a pipe 22. The boiler feedwater is supplied from the pump 7 via the pipe 21 to the economizer 12 and preheated by the economizer 12, and is then supplied to the steam drum 8 via the pipe 22.

[0028] A downcomer pipe 8a and a furnace wall pipe 6 are connected to the steam drum 8. The boiler feedwater in the steam drum 8 flows down the downcomer pipe 8a, is introduced into the furnace wall pipe 6 at the bottom of the furnace 2, and flows toward the steam drum 8. The boiler feedwater in the furnace wall pipe 6 is heated by the combustion heat generated in the furnace 2, and evaporates into steam in the steam drum 8.

[0029] A saturated steam pipe 8b that discharges the steam inside is connected to the steam drum 8. The saturated steam pipe 8b connects the steam drum 8 and a superheater 10. The steam inside the steam drum 8 is supplied to the superheater 10 via the saturated steam pipe 8b. The superheater 10 superheats the steam using the heat of the exhaust gas to generate superheated steam. The superheated steam passes through a pipe 10a and is supplied to a turbine 100 outside the plant 1 and is used for power generation.

[0030] The pressure and temperature of the steam discharged from the turbine 100 are lower than the pressure and temperature of the steam discharged from the superheater 10. Although not particularly limited, the pressure of the steam supplied to the turbine 100 is approximately 10 to 17 MPa, and the temperature is approximately 530 to 570°C.

[0031] A condenser 102 is provided downstream of the turbine 100. The steam discharged from the turbine 100 is supplied to the condenser 102, where it is condensed and returned to saturated water, and then supplied to the pump 7. A generator is connected to the turbine 100, which converts the kinetic energy obtained by the rotation of the turbine 100 into electrical energy.

[0032] The pump 7a supplies makeup water so as to maintain a constant water level in the condenser 102. Fig. 1 shows a flow rate u1 of makeup water supplied by the pump 7a (an example of "process data").

[0033] The process data handled in this embodiment may be any data related to the plant 1. For example, it may be data (an example of "process data") measuring the operating state of the plant 1 with a sensor. More specifically, it may include measured values of the temperature, pressure, flow rate, and the like of the plant 1. FIG. 1 shows a boiler feedwater flow rate u2 (an example of "process data") supplied from the pump 7 to the economizer 12. FIG. 1 also shows a boiler outlet steam flow rate u3 (an example of "process data") supplied from the superheater 10 to the turbine 100, and a saturated steam flow rate u4 (an example of "process data") supplied from the steam drum 8 to the superheater 10. The make-up water flow rate u1 may be controlled to follow the saturated steam flow rate u4. The boiler feedwater flow rate u2 may be controlled to be adjusted while monitoring both the boiler outlet steam flow rate u3 (or the superheated steam flow rate) and the liquid level in the steam drum 8.

[0034] If a hole occurs in the pipe system that makes up the plant 1, the makeup water flow rate u1 will increase, and the flow rate difference between the boiler feedwater flow rate u2 and the boiler outlet steam flow rate u3 will increase. A DCS (Distributed Control System, see Figure 2) 20, which will be described later, receives process data of the plant 1, such as the makeup water flow rate u1, the boiler feedwater flow rate u2, the boiler outlet steam flow rate u3, and the saturated steam flow rate u4, from the plant 1, and monitors the operating status of the plant 1 to check for any abnormalities in the plant 1.

[0035] Although the makeup water flow rate u1, boiler feedwater flow rate u2, boiler outlet steam flow rate u3, and saturated steam flow rate u4 are exemplified as process data, other data may be used as the process data for the plant 1. The process data for the plant 1 may be other data such as temperature and pressure, or data calculated based on multiple process data, or may be uncalculated data acquired from a sensor or the like.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the plant 1, the DCS 20, and the operation support system 30 according to this embodiment.

[0037] The DCS 20 is a distributed control system for controlling the plant 1. The DCS 20 acquires process data from sensors and the like installed in the plant 1, and supplies control signals to the plant 1 for controlling the plant 1 based on the process data.

[0038] The operation assistance system 30 includes an edge / cloud computing unit 32 that acquires process data from the DCS 20, a monitoring device 40 that acquires the process data from the edge / cloud computing unit 32 and monitors the plant 1 based on the process data, and a display device 50 that displays the operating status of the plant 1 for operators. The monitoring device 40 (an example of a "control device") also functions as a control device that controls the display device 50. Specifically, the monitoring device 40 acquires process data of the plant 1, generates multiple types of graphs that represent the operating status of the plant 1 based on the process data, displays the generated multiple types of graphs as options in a first area of the display device 50, and displays the operating status of the plant 1 using the graphs in a second area of the display device 50. This enables analysis of the operating status from various perspectives.

[0039] The edge / cloud computing unit 32 includes a plurality of edge servers distributed at the periphery of the network and a cloud data server that collects process data from the plurality of edge servers and provides the process data to the monitoring device 40. By including the edge / cloud computing unit 32, it is possible to suitably collect process data from a large-scale monitoring device or multiple distributed monitoring devices. However, the driving assistance system 30 does not necessarily have to include the edge / cloud computing unit 32. In that case, the driving assistance system 30 acquires process data from the DCS 20 via the network.

[0040] The monitoring device 40 includes a control unit 42 and a storage unit 44. The control unit 42 includes a process data acquisition unit 42A that acquires process data from the edge / cloud computing unit 32, a graph selection receiving unit 42B that receives a selection of a graph, a graph generation unit 42C that generates multiple types of graphs that represent the operating state of the plant 1 based on the process data acquired by the process data acquisition unit 42A, and a display control unit 42D that displays the multiple types of graphs generated by the graph generation unit 42C as options in a selection area (an example of a "first area") A1 of the display device 50, and that, when the graph selection receiving unit 42B receives that a specific graph has been selected from the multiple types of graphs displayed in the selection area A1, displays the operating state of the plant 1 using the specific graph in display areas (an example of a "second area") B1, C1, etc. of the display device 50.

[0041] The storage unit 44 of the monitoring device includes a graph setting DB 44 A and a graph history DB 44 B. First, each database of the storage unit 44 will be described.

[0042] The graph setting DB 44A stores process data acquired in the past. In particular, when a period to be monitored (target period) is specified by an operator, the graph setting DB 44A stores the process data in association with the time of acquisition so that the process data acquired during the target period can be output.

[0043] The graph setting DB 44A also stores template information for each graph for representing the acquired process data in multiple types of graphs (e.g., trend charts, box plot charts, scatter plots, cumulative frequency distribution charts, etc.). For example, when a group of process data is input via the process data acquisition unit 42A and a specific graph is selected via the graph selection receiving unit 42B, template information for displaying the input process data in the specific graph is read from the graph setting DB 44 and used to generate a graph in the graph generation unit 42C. The information stored in the graph setting DB 44A can be updated as needed.

[0044] The graph setting DB 44 also stores information for setting the details of each graph. For example, when generating the scatter diagram graph shown in Fig. 5, the process data is classified and stored for each parameter so that the vertical axis (Y axis) parameter can be selected and set from "air flow rate," "damper opening," and "air pressure."

[0045] The graph history DB 44B stores history information of graphs that have been used in the past. In particular, the graph history DB 44B stores an operator and a graph that the operator used in association with each other, so that the graph that the operator used in the past can be referenced.

[0046] Next, each functional block of the control unit 42 of the monitoring device 40 will be described.

[0047] The process data acquisition unit 42A acquires process data from the edge / cloud computing unit 32. The graph selection reception unit 42B receives a graph selection from an operator via a user interface (such as a keyboard or mouse) not shown.

[0048] The graph generator 42C generates multiple types of graphs representing the operating state of the plant 1 based on the process data acquired by the process data acquisition unit 42A. Specifically, when a group of process data is input via the process data acquisition unit 42A and a period to be monitored (target period) is specified by an operator, the graph generator 42C reads the process data acquired during the target period from the graph setting DB 44A and also reads template information for displaying the input process data in multiple types of graphs from the graph setting DB 44A, and generates multiple types of graphs based on this information. For example, the graph generator 42C can generate a trend graph (with air flow rate on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis) showing the air flow rate of the wind chest 2c (FIG. 1) as process data over time, as shown in FIG. 4, or a scatter plot graph of the air flow rate (with air flow rate on the vertical axis and boiler load on the horizontal axis) as shown in FIG. 5. The trend graph and the scatter plot graph represent the common process data, "air flow rate," in different ways (one in a time-series manner, the other in a non-time-series manner).

[0049] The display control unit 42D displays the multiple types of graphs generated by the graph generation unit 42C as options in a selection area (an example of a "first area") A1 of the display device 50. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the display control unit 42D displays the multiple types of graphs (for example, trend diagrams, box plot diagrams, scatter plots, cumulative frequency distribution diagrams, etc.) generated by the graph generation unit 42C as options in the selection area A1 included in the graph setting screen S1 displayed on the display device 50 as icons in the selection area A1. The operator can select a specific graph (for example, the icon I of a trend diagram) from the graphs displayed as icons in this way. T and scatter plot icons I S ) can be selected by double-clicking.

[0050] The display control unit 42D also displays information for setting details of each graph. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the display control unit 42D displays a display for selecting a period (target period) to be monitored in a period setting area A2 included in the graph setting screen S1. The operator can select an appropriate date and time from the options displayed in the period setting area A2. As shown in FIG. 3, the display control unit 42D also displays options for setting vertical and horizontal axis parameters when generating a specific graph (e.g., the scatter plot of FIG. 5) in item setting areas A3 and A4 included in the graph setting screen S1, and displays options for adjusting the lengths of the vertical and horizontal axes. The operator can select vertical and horizontal axis parameters from the options displayed in the item setting area A3 by the display control unit 42D, or adjust the lengths of the vertical and horizontal axes by appropriately changing the values displayed in the item setting area A4 by the display control unit 42D. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the display control unit 42D displays the lengths (adjustment values) of the vertical and horizontal axes of a specific graph (for example, the scatter plot in FIG. 5), the maximum values, minimum values, average values, etc. of the parameters of the vertical and horizontal axes in the specific value display area A5 included in the graph setting screen S1.

[0051] Then, when the graph accepting unit 42C accepts that a specific graph has been selected from the multiple types of graphs displayed in the selection area A1, for example, by double-clicking, the display control unit 42D causes the display device 50 to display the operating state of the plant 1 in the display areas (an example of a "second area") B1 and C1 of the display device 50 using the selected specific graph. Specifically, the display control unit 42D selects a trend chart (icon I) from the graphs displayed as icons in the selection area A1. T ) is selected, a trend chart graph is displayed in a display area B1 included in a first graph display screen S2 displayed on the display device 50, as shown in Fig. 4. As a result, the operating state of the plant 1 is displayed using the trend chart graph.

[0052] The trend chart graph shown in Figure 4 has air flow rate on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis, and shows the time history of air flow rate over a certain target period (21:45 on June 12, 2020 to 21:45 on June 19, 2020). This trend chart graph shows how the air flow rate increases and decreases over time, but depending on the operator's level of proficiency, it may be difficult to determine whether this time history indicates an abnormal or normal state of Plant 1.

[0053] Therefore, the operator selects a non-time series graph (for example, a scatter plot) from among the graphs displayed as icons in the selection area A1 of the display device 50. The display control unit 42D selects a scatter plot (icon I) from among the graphs displayed as icons in the selection area A1. S ) is selected, a scatter diagram graph is displayed in a display area C1 included in a second graph display screen S3 displayed on the display device 50, as shown in Fig. 5. As a result, the operating state of the plant 1 is displayed using the scatter diagram graph.

[0054] The scatter plot graph shown in Figure 5 has air flow rate on the vertical axis and boiler load on the horizontal axis, and shows the correlation between air flow rate and boiler load during the same period covered by the trend chart graph (21:45 on June 12, 2020 to 21:45 on June 19, 2020). This scatter plot graph shows that the air flow rate increases gradually as the boiler load increases, and since this correlation is typically seen when Plant 1 is in a normal state, it can be inferred that there is nothing particularly abnormal with Plant 1.

[0055] The display control unit 42D can also register and display historical information about graphs used in the past. That is, the display control unit 42D can store (register) the graph generated through the above procedure in the graph history DB 44B along with peripheral information about the graph (such as the name of the operator who created it, the process data used, the type of graph, axes, and adjustment values) by inputting predetermined information into the registration area A6 of FIG. 3 . The display control unit 42D can also read, from the graph history DB 44B, a graph (a graph with various items set) previously used by a specific, highly skilled operator, and display the graph in the display area B1 (C1) included in the graph display screen S2 (S3). This allows even a relatively less skilled operator to know what graphs, how they were arranged (item set), and used by a more skilled operator in the past. This allows the operator to learn monitoring points and easily improve their operating proficiency.

[0056] 6 is a diagram showing a physical configuration for realizing the driving assistance system 30 according to this embodiment. However, since the edge / cloud computing unit 32 can adopt a known physical configuration, a description thereof will be omitted, and the following will describe the physical configuration of the driving assistance system 30 excluding the edge / cloud computing unit 32.

[0057] The driving assistance system 30 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 30A corresponding to a calculation unit, a random access memory (RAM) 30B and a read-only memory (ROM) 30C corresponding to storage units, a communication unit 30D, an input unit 30E, and a display unit 30F. These components are connected via a bus to enable mutual data transmission and reception. While the present example describes a case in which the driving assistance system 30 is configured with a single computer, the driving assistance system 30 may also be configured with multiple computers. For example, the display unit 30F may be configured with multiple displays. The configuration shown in FIG. 6 is merely an example, and some of these components may not be included. Furthermore, some of the components may be provided in a remote location. For example, part of the ROM 30C may be provided in a remote location and configured to be able to communicate via a communication network.

[0058] The CPU 30A is an arithmetic unit that performs control processing, arithmetic processing, and the like included in the present disclosure by executing computer programs, etc., recorded in the ROM 30C, etc. The CPU 30A is equipped with a processor. The CPU 30A receives various information (including process data) from the RAM 30B, the ROM 30C, the communication unit 30D, the input unit 30E, etc., and displays the arithmetic processing results, etc., on the display unit 30F or stores them in the RAM 30B or the ROM 30C.

[0059] The RAM 30B functions as a cache memory in the storage unit, and may be configured with volatile semiconductor storage elements such as SRAM and DRAM.

[0060] The ROM 30C functions as the main memory of the storage unit and may be configured, for example, as an electrically rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory element such as a flash memory or a magnetically rewritable HDD. The ROM 30C may store, for example, computer programs and data for executing processes including the various controls and arithmetic processes described in this disclosure.

[0061] The communication unit 30D is an interface for connecting the driving assistance system 30 to other devices such as the DCS 20. The communication unit 30D may be connected to a communication network such as the Internet.

[0062] The input unit 30E receives data input and graph selection from the operator, and may include, for example, a keyboard and a touch panel.

[0063] The display unit 30F visually displays the results of calculations performed by the CPU 30A, and may be configured, for example, by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

[0064] In the physical configuration described above, the functions constituting the control unit 42 of the monitoring device 40 can be realized mainly by the CPU 30A executing a computer program, the databases constituting the memory unit 44 can be realized mainly from the ROM 30C, and the display device 50 can be realized mainly from the display unit 30F.

[0065] The operation assistance system 30 may be configured as a tablet terminal. By configuring the operation assistance system 30 as a tablet terminal, the operation assistance system 30 can be carried around and used, for example, while patrolling the plant 1.

[0066] Next, a method (control method) for controlling the display device 50 that displays the operating state of the plant 1 using the operation assistance system 30 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is a flowchart including such a display method. Note that the method for displaying the operating state of the plant 1 using the control method according to this embodiment is one example of a display method in the present invention.

[0067] First, the process data acquisition unit 42A of the control unit 42 of the monitoring device 40 of the operation assistance system 30 acquires process data of the plant 1 via the edge / cloud computing unit 32 and the DCS 20 (data acquisition step: S71). Next, the graph generation unit 42C of the control unit 42 of the monitoring device 40 of the operation assistance system 30 generates multiple types of graphs representing the operating state of the plant 1 based on the process data acquired in the data acquisition step S71 (graph generation step: S72). Then, the display control unit 42D of the control unit 42 of the monitoring device 40 of the operation assistance system 30 displays the multiple types of graphs generated in the graph generation step S72 as icons in the selection area A1 of the display device 50 as options (option display control step: S73). Note that the step of displaying the multiple types of graphs as icons in the selection area A1 as options in the option display control step S73 corresponds to the option display step of the display method of the present invention.

[0068] Next, when the operator selects one of the multiple types of graphs displayed as icons in the selection area A1 of the display device 50 by double-clicking or the like, the graph accepting unit 42B of the control unit 42 of the monitoring device 40 of the operation support system 30 accepts the graph selection from the operator (graph selection accepting step: S74). Then, the display control unit 42D of the control unit 42 of the monitoring device 40 of the operation support system 30 displays the specific graph (e.g., a trend chart or a scatter plot graph) accepted in the graph selection accepting step S74 in the display areas B1 and C1 of the display device 50 (graph display control step: S75). As a result, the operating status of the plant 1 is displayed using the specific graph (e.g., a trend chart or a scatter plot graph). The step of displaying the operating status of the plant 1 in the display areas B1 and C1 using the specific graph in the graph display control step S75 corresponds to the operating status display step of the display method of the present invention.

[0069] According to the above embodiment, multiple types of graphs representing the operating state of the plant 1 can be displayed as options in the selection area A1 of the display device 50. Therefore, the operator can select any one of the multiple types of graphs displayed in the selection area A1 of the display device 50, and the selected graph can be used to display the operating state of the plant 1 in the display areas B1 and C1 of the display device 50. Therefore, the operating state of the plant 1 can be displayed using multiple graphs, which can contribute to analyzing the operating state from various perspectives.

[0070] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the multiple types of graphs used are graphs that display common process data in different ways (i.e., both graphs such as trend charts that show the history of process data in a chronological order and graphs such as scatter plots that show the history of process data non-chronologically). Therefore, the operating conditions of the plant 1 that cannot be detected using only a chronological graph (for example, an operating condition that is likely to gradually shift to an abnormal condition) can be identified using a non-chronological graph, and it becomes possible to grasp the causes of abnormalities in the plant 1 at an early stage and take preventive measures, thereby contributing to the continued stable operation of the plant 1.

[0071] The present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the above embodiment, the display control unit 42D reads from the graph history DB 44B a graph (a graph on which various items are set) that a specific operator with a high level of proficiency has used in the past, and displays the graph in the display area B1 (C1), thereby enabling an operator with a relatively low level of proficiency to learn the past graphs of operators with a high level of proficiency. However, the display control unit 42D can go further and automatically display a sample of an optimal graph depending on the situation.

[0072] In this case, the display control unit 42D performs machine learning to learn the correlation between a specific situation (e.g., a situation in which a warning is issued) and a graph used by a highly skilled operator in that situation, records the learning results in the graph history DB, and when it determines that a specific situation has occurred based on the process data, automatically reads a graph related to that situation from the graph history DB and displays it in the display area B1 (C1). Machine learning models include those that use neural networks such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), those that use regression models such as Gaussian process regression, and those that use tree algorithms such as decision trees. The edge / cloud computing unit 32 can be used to collect information for machine learning.

[0073] In addition, various modifications of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, some components of one embodiment can be added to other embodiments within the scope of ordinary creativity of a person skilled in the art. Also, some components of one embodiment can be replaced with corresponding components of other embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1. Plant 40...Monitoring device (control device) 42A...Process data acquisition unit (acquisition unit) 42B...Graph selection reception unit (reception unit) 42C...Graph generation unit (generation unit) 42D...Display control unit 50…Display device A1...Selected area (first area) B1...display area (second area) C1...display area (second area) S71...Data acquisition process (acquisition process) S72...Graph generation process (generation process) S73...Option display control step (display control step) S74...Graph selection reception process (reception process) S75...Graph display control process (display control process)

Claims

1. A display device that displays an operating state of a plant, a plurality of types of graphs representing an operating state of the plant, the plurality of types of graphs including a graph showing a time series of a history of process data indicating the operating state of the plant and a graph showing a non-time series of a history of the process data common to the time series graph, are displayed as options in a first area, and the operating state of the plant is displayed in a second area using the plurality of types of graphs; a display device that, when a specific graph and vertical and horizontal axis parameters of the specific graph are selected from the plurality of types of graphs displayed in the first area, displays in the second area a history of specific process data that indicates an operating state of the plant using the specific graph and the parameters, and also displays in the second area a history of the specific process data using a specific graph that a specific user has previously selected for the specific process data and vertical and horizontal axis parameters that the specific user has set for the specific graph.

2. A display method for displaying an operating state of a plant, comprising: an option display step of displaying, in a first area, a plurality of types of graphs representing an operating state of the plant, the plurality of types of graphs including a graph that chronologically shows a history of process data indicating the operating state of the plant, and a graph that non-chronologically shows a history of the process data that is common to the graph that chronologically shows; an operating state display step of displaying an operating state of the plant in a second area using any one of the plurality of types of graphs displayed in the option display step, In the operating state display step, when a specific graph and vertical and horizontal axis parameters of the specific graph are selected from the plurality of types of graphs displayed in the first area, a history of specific process data indicating the operating state of the plant is displayed in the second area using the specific graph and the parameters, and the history of the specific process data is displayed in the second area using a specific graph selected in the past by a specific user for the specific process data and vertical and horizontal axis parameters set by the specific user for the specific graph.

3. A control device that controls a display device that displays an operating state of a plant, an acquisition unit that acquires process data of the plant; a generation unit that generates a plurality of types of graphs that represent an operating state of the plant based on the process data acquired by the acquisition unit, the plurality of types of graphs including a graph that chronologically shows a history of process data that indicates the operating state of the plant, and a graph that non-chronologically shows a history of the process data that is common to the graph that chronologically shows; a display control unit that displays the plurality of types of graphs as options in a first area of the display device and displays an operating state of the plant using the plurality of types of graphs in a second area of the display device, the display control unit, when a specific graph and vertical and horizontal axis parameters of the specific graph are selected from the multiple types of graphs displayed in the first area, displays in the second area a history of specific process data indicating an operating state of the plant using the specific graph and the parameters, and also displays in the second area a specific graph selected in the past by a specific user for the specific process data and vertical and horizontal axis parameters set by the specific user for the specific graph.

4. further comprising a reception unit that receives a selection of a graph; 4. The control device according to claim 3, wherein, when the reception unit receives that a specific graph has been selected from the plurality of types of graphs displayed in the first area, the display control unit causes the operating state of the plant to be displayed in the second area using the specific graph.

5. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein the display control unit causes the graph generated by the generation unit to be stored in a storage unit.

6. The storage unit stores a learning result obtained by machine learning a correlation between a specific operating state of the plant and a specific graph selected by a specific user in the specific operating state, 6. The control device according to claim 5, wherein, when it is determined based on the process data that the specific operating state has occurred, the display control unit reads the graph selected by the specific user in the specific operating state based on the learning result stored in the memory unit and displays the graph in the second area of the display device.

7. A control method for controlling a display device that displays an operating state of a plant, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring process data of the plant; a generating step of generating a plurality of types of graphs representing an operating state of the plant based on the process data acquired in the acquiring step, the plurality of types of graphs including a graph that chronologically shows a history of process data indicating the operating state of the plant, and a graph that non-chronologically shows a history of the process data that is common to the graph that chronologically shows; a display control step of displaying the plurality of types of graphs as options in a first area of the display device and displaying an operating state of the plant using the plurality of types of graphs in a second area of the display device, In the display control step, when a specific graph and vertical and horizontal axis parameters of the specific graph are selected from the plurality of types of graphs displayed in the first area, a history of specific process data indicating the operating state of the plant is displayed in the second area using the specific graph and the parameters, and the history of the specific process data is displayed in the second area using a specific graph selected in the past by a specific user for the specific process data and vertical and horizontal axis parameters set by the specific user for the specific graph.

8. further comprising a receiving step of receiving a selection of a graph; 8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein, in the display control step, when it is received in the receiving step that a specific graph has been selected from the plurality of types of graphs displayed in the first area, the operating status of the plant is displayed in the second area using the specific graph.

9. The control method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the display control step stores the graph generated in the generating step in a storage unit.

10. the storage unit stores a learning result obtained by machine learning of a correlation between a specific operating state of the plant and a specific graph selected by a specific user in the specific operating state; 10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein, in the display control step, when it is determined based on the process data that the specific operating state has occurred, the graph selected by the specific user in the specific operating state is read based on the learning result stored in the memory unit, and displayed in the second area of the display device.

11. A computer program that causes a computer to execute a control method for controlling a display device that displays an operating state of a plant, The control method includes: an acquisition step of acquiring process data of the plant; a generating step of generating a plurality of types of graphs representing an operating state of the plant based on the process data acquired in the acquiring step, the plurality of types of graphs including a graph that chronologically shows a history of process data indicating the operating state of the plant, and a graph that non-chronologically shows a history of the process data that is common to the graph that chronologically shows; a display control step of displaying the plurality of types of graphs as options in a first area of the display device and displaying an operating state of the plant using the plurality of types of graphs in a second area of the display device, In the display control step, when a specific graph and vertical and horizontal axis parameters of the specific graph are selected from the plurality of types of graphs displayed in the first area, a history of specific process data indicating an operating state of the plant is displayed in the second area using the specific graph and the parameters, and the history of the specific process data is displayed in the second area using a specific graph selected in the past by a specific user for the specific process data and vertical and horizontal axis parameters set by the specific user for the specific graph.

12. The control method further includes a receiving step of receiving a selection of a graph; 12. The computer program according to claim 11, wherein, in the display control step, when it is received in the receiving step that a specific graph has been selected from the plurality of types of graphs displayed in the first area, the operating status of the plant is displayed in the second area using the specific graph.

13. The computer program according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the display control step causes the graph generated in the generating step to be stored in a storage unit.

14. the storage unit stores a learning result obtained by machine learning of a correlation between a specific operating state of the plant and a specific graph selected by a specific user in the specific operating state; 14. The computer program according to claim 13, wherein, in the display control step, when it is determined based on the process data that the specific operating state has occurred, the graph selected by the specific user in the specific operating state is read based on the learning result stored in the memory unit, and displayed in the second area of the display device.

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