Operation display system, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To provide a mechanism capable of improving operability by exploiting the knowledge that is embodied in the daily operations of users.SOLUTION: An operation display system constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a controlled object includes: a display unit; an input unit for accepting user operations; a control unit for causing the display unit to display a page selected from one or more pages prepared in advance; an acquisition unit for acquiring history information in which user operations and events are recorded in chronological order; and a generation unit for extracting a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information to generate an operation object corresponding to a user operation included in the extracted pattern.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to support for user operations in a control system for controlling a control target. [Background technology]

[0002] In various production sites, user operations are given to a control device via a device called an HMI (Human Machine Interface), and various information is provided to the user via the HMI.

[0003] For example, JP-A-2016-506559 (Patent Document 1) discloses a method for changing an object for use on a display screen of an HMI device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2016-506559 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The user interface screen displayed on the HMI is designed taking into consideration the manufacturing equipment, work, etc. However, improvements are made on a daily basis at production sites, and there is a need to be able to flexibly modify and change the user interface screen in response to these improvements.

[0006] One object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that can improve operability by utilizing knowledge embodied in daily user operations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one example of the present invention, there is provided an operation display system constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a control target. The operation display system includes a display unit, an input unit that accepts user operations, a control unit that causes the display unit to display a selected page from one or more pre-prepared pages, an acquisition unit that acquires history information that records user operations and events in chronological order, and a generation unit that extracts a pattern consisting of multiple user operations included in the acquired history information and generates an operation object corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern. With this configuration, an operation object can be generated from the pattern included in the history information that records user operations and events in chronological order. This makes it possible to generate an operation object that utilizes knowledge embodied as daily user operations.

[0008] The generation unit may identify a session based on explicit or implicit features contained in the history information or an event that occurred in the controlled object, and extract a pattern for each identified session. With this configuration, it is possible to generate an operation object that corresponds to an appropriate user operation in response to the occurrence of a specific event.

[0009] The generation unit may extract, as a pattern, a plurality of user operations that are common across a plurality of sessions. According to this configuration, similar user operations across a plurality of sessions are extracted as patterns, so that operation objects corresponding to user operations that occur frequently can be generated.

[0010] The explicit feature may be the occurrence of an alarm. The generation unit may identify, as a session, a period from the occurrence of a specific alarm included in the history information to the recovery from the alarm. With this configuration, it is possible to generate an operation object corresponding to a user operation from the occurrence of an alarm corresponding to some abnormality to the recovery from the alarm.

[0011] The generation unit may determine, from among the patterns extracted from the plurality of sessions, a pattern for generating a control object in accordance with a predetermined criterion. With this configuration, it is possible to extract, from among various patterns included in the history information, a valid pattern that meets the predetermined criterion.

[0012] The predetermined criteria may include at least one of the following: the frequency of occurrence of the pattern, the importance of the event corresponding to the pattern, the proficiency of the user who performed the operation corresponding to the pattern, the importance of the operational aspect corresponding to the pattern, and the redundancy of the pattern. This configuration makes it possible to extract more useful patterns.

[0013] The control system may further include an analysis unit that extracts implicit features by analyzing historical information and / or measurements of the controlled object. By employing such an analysis unit, it is possible to extract sessions that include a series of operations that the user is unaware of.

[0014] The generation unit may extract, from the contents of the operations included in the history information, operations that output instructions for controlling the control target, thereby making it possible to exclude operations other than those for controlling the control target from the generated operation object.

[0015] The page may include one or more second operation objects that instruct a predetermined process. The operation objects may instruct the same process as the second operation object that was the target of the user operation. With this configuration, the history of the user's operations on the second operation objects included in the page can be collected as history information.

[0016] The control object may be a copy of the corresponding second control object. According to this configuration, the control object is independent from the second control object, so that the generated control object can be further edited.

[0017] Each of the control objects may include a command for accessing a corresponding second control object. With this configuration, the control object can be substantially integrated with the second control object, so that even if the second control object is changed, the change can be automatically reflected in the control object.

[0018] According to another example of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method in a control system for controlling a control target, which includes the steps of: displaying a selected page from one or more pre-prepared pages on a display unit; acquiring history information that records user operations and events in chronological order; extracting a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information; and generating an operation object corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern.

[0019] According to yet another example of the present invention, there is provided an information processing program executed by a computer constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a control target, wherein the information processing program causes the computer to execute the steps of: displaying a selected page from one or more pre-prepared pages on a display unit; acquiring history information that records user operations and events in chronological order; extracting a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information; and generating an operation object corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a mechanism that can improve operability by utilizing knowledge embodied in daily user operations. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an HMI of the control system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a PLC in the control system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of communication between an HMI and a PLC in the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining an example of a user operation in the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of an automatic generation process of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for automatic generation processing of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of an automatic extraction process of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a functional configuration for realizing automatic generation processing and automatic extraction processing of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a page related to manual generation processing of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a processing procedure relating to a manual generation process of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a processing procedure relating to a manual generation process of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a functional configuration for realizing a manual generation process of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 15] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining an example of filtering in the manual generation process of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for manual generation processing of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 17]This is a diagram for explaining an example of a shortcut object generated by the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 18] This is a schematic diagram showing a layout example of a shortcut object generated by the control system according to the present embodiment.

Embodiment for Carrying out the Invention

[0022] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For the same or corresponding parts in the drawings, the same reference numerals are given and their descriptions will not be repeated. <00,00124>

[0023] <A. Application Example> First, an example of a scene to which the present invention is applied will be described.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the main part of a control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the control system 1 for controlling a control target includes an operation display system.

[0025] As a configuration related to the operation display system, the control system 1 includes an input unit 126 that receives user operations, a display unit 128, an operation reception unit 150, a display control unit 152, a shortcut object generation unit 154, and a page storage unit 156.

[0026] The display control unit 152 causes the display unit 128 to display a selected page from one or more pages 130 prepared in advance. <00,00138> The operation reception unit 150 acquires history information 160 in which user operations and events are recorded in time series.

[0028] The shortcut object generation unit 154 extracts a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information 160, and generates a shortcut object 142 (operation object) corresponding to the user operation included in the extracted pattern. The page 140 including the generated shortcut object 142 is stored in the page storage unit 156.

[0029] As described above, the control system 1 according to the present embodiment extracts a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the history information 160, and generates a shortcut object 142 corresponding to the user operation included in the extracted pattern. Thereby, it is possible to generate the shortcut object 142 for realizing a more efficient user operation without an explicit instruction.

[0030] <B. Overall configuration example of the control system 1> FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration example of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, the control system 1 may control the entire factory, or may control specific manufacturing equipment or manufacturing apparatuses installed in the factory. As described above, the control system 1 is configured to control an arbitrary control target.

[0031] The control system 1 includes, as main components, one or more HMIs 100 and a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) 200 which is a typical example of a control device that controls a control target.

[0032] The control system 1 includes an operation display system. The HMI 100 constitutes at least a part of the operation display system according to the present embodiment. The operation display system according to the present embodiment constitutes at least a part of the control system 1, and may be realized only by the HMI 100, may be realized by a plurality of HMIs 100, or may be realized by the HMI 100 and another processing entity. <00​​In this specification, the term "operation display system" encompasses any device that has the function of presenting information to a user and the function of accepting operations from the user.

[0034] 2, the HMI 100 and the PLC 200 are connected via an information network 6. The information network 6 may employ a general-purpose communication protocol such as Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0035] The HMI 100 receives operations from a user, gives instructions corresponding to the operations to the PLC 200, and graphically displays various information from the PLC 200.

[0036] The PLC 200 is also connected to a field device group 10. The field device group 10 includes any device necessary to control a controlled object. More specifically, the field device group 10 includes devices for exchanging information with the controlled object (e.g., manufacturing equipment, manufacturing devices, sensors and actuators included in the manufacturing equipment or manufacturing devices, etc.). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the field device group 10 includes a remote I / O (Input / Output) device 12, a relay group 14, a servo driver 16, and a servo motor 18.

[0037] The PLC 200 acquires information from the field device group 10 and executes control calculations in accordance with a user program created in advance to generate information to be provided to the field device group 10. Hereinafter, the information acquired by the PLC 200 from the field device group 10 will also be referred to as "input data," and the information provided to the field device group 10 will also be referred to as "output data."

[0038] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the PLC 200 and the field device group 10 are connected via the control network 4. It is preferable to adopt an industrial communication protocol as the control network 4. Such communication protocols include EtherCAT (registered trademark), EtherNet / IP (registered trademark), DeviceNet (registered trademark), CompoNet (registered trademark), etc.

[0039] However, not limited to the control network 4, they may be connected by hardwiring. <C. Hardware Configuration> Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the devices constituting the control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0040] (c1: HMI 100) FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the HMI 100 of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, the HMI 100 includes a processor 102 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), an optical drive 104, a main memory 106, a storage 110, a network controller 120, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) controller 124, an input unit 126, and a display unit 128. These components are connected via a bus 108.

[0041] The processor 102 reads out various programs stored in the storage 110, expands them in the main memory 106, and executes them to realize the processing required for the HMI 100.

[0042] The storage 110 is configured with, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Flash Solid State Drive). The storage 110 typically stores an OS (Operating System) 111, a system program 112 for implementing basic processing, and a user program 113 created in advance according to the control target. Note that the storage 110 may store necessary programs other than the programs shown in FIG. 3.

[0043] The HMI 100 may have an optical drive 104. The optical drive 104 reads a computer-readable program from a recording medium 105 (for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)) that non-transiently stores the program, and stores the program in storage 110 or the like.

[0044] The various programs executed by the HMI 100 may be installed via a computer-readable recording medium 105, or may be installed by downloading them from an arbitrary server on the network.

[0045] The network controller 120 controls data exchange with the PLC 200 and the like via the information network 6 .

[0046] The USB controller 124 controls the transfer of data to and from external devices (eg, support devices) via a USB connection.

[0047] The input unit 126 is composed of a touch panel, a mouse, a keyboard, etc., and accepts user operations. The display unit 128 is composed of a display, various indicators, etc., and outputs processing results from the processor 102. Note that a touch panel display that integrates the input unit 126 and the display unit 128 may be used.

[0048] FIG. 3 shows an example of a configuration in which the necessary processing is provided by the processor 102 executing a program, but some or all of the provided processing may be implemented using dedicated hardware circuits (e.g., an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array)).

[0049] (c2:PLC200) 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the PLC 200 of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 4, the PLC 200 includes a processor 202 such as a CPU or an MPU, a chipset 204, a main memory 206, a storage 210, a control network controller 220, an information network controller 222, a USB controller 224, and a memory card interface 226.

[0050] The processor 202 reads out various programs stored in the storage 210, expands them in the main memory 206, and executes them to perform control calculations for controlling the control target. The chipset 204 controls data transmission between the processor 202 and each component.

[0051] The storage 210 stores a system program 212 for implementing basic processing and a user program 213 for implementing control calculations.

[0052] The control network controller 220 controls data exchange with the field device group 10 via the control network 4 .

[0053] The information network controller 222 controls data exchange with the HMI 100 and the like via the information network 6 .

[0054] The USB controller 224 controls the transfer of data to and from external devices (eg, support devices) via a USB connection.

[0055] The memory card interface 226 is configured to be detachable from the memory card 228, and is capable of writing data to the memory card 228 and reading various types of data (such as user programs and trace data) from the memory card 228.

[0056] In FIG. 4, a configuration example in which the necessary processing is provided by the processor 202 executing a program is shown. However, some or all of these provided processes may be implemented using a dedicated hardware circuit (for example, an ASIC or FPGA). Alternatively, the main part of the PLC 200 may be realized using hardware that follows a general-purpose architecture (for example, an industrial personal computer based on a general-purpose personal computer). In this case, virtualization technology may be used to concurrently execute a plurality of operating systems with different uses and to execute the necessary applications on each operating system.

[0057] <D. Processing Overview> Next, an example of the processing executed by the HMI 100 of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0058] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the interaction between the HMI 100 and the PLC 200 in the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5, the HMI 100 selectively displays one or more pages 130-1, 130-2,... (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "page 130") according to the user program 113. Each of the pages 130 includes one or more operation objects 132-1, 132-2, 132-3,... (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "operation object 132").

[0059] The operation object 132 (second operation object) includes any object that accepts a user operation. Typically, the operation object 132 instructs the PLC 200 to perform a predetermined process in response to a user operation. The operation object 132 includes, for example, a button that instructs on or off in response to a user operation, and a lever or slider that changes or updates a value to an arbitrary value in response to a user operation.

[0060] The user program 213 executed by the PLC 200 includes, for example, process execution commands 230-1, 230-2, 230-3, ... (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "process execution commands 230"). The process execution commands 230-1, 230-2, 230-3 include variables 232-1, 232-1, 232-1 (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "variables 232") that indicate execution conditions, respectively.

[0061] In response to a user operation, the operation object 132 included in the page 130 changes the value of a pre-associated variable of the PLC 200. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the operation object 132-1 on the page 130-1 is associated with the variable 232-1, the operation object 132-2 on the page 130-1 is associated with the variable 232-2, and the operation object 132-3 on the page 130-2 is associated with the variable 232-3.

[0062] In this way, the HMI 100 selectively displays pages 130 each including one or more operation objects 132, accepts user operations on the displayed pages 130, and provides corresponding instructions to the PLC 200. As an implementation form for providing instructions to the PLC 200, as described above, a process for changing or updating the value of the variable 232 held by the PLC 200 may be employed.

[0063] Next, an example of a user operation will be described. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a user operation in the control system 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 6 shows an example of a series of operations (work sequence) for restoring normal operation after an abnormality occurs in a manufacturing facility that continuously processes workpieces.

[0064] Suppose an abnormality such as workpiece clogging occurs in the manufacturing equipment (state ST1). At this time, the display unit 128 of the HMI 100 displays a warning message 136 in addition to a page 130A showing the operating status.

[0065] The user (operator) notices the occurrence of an abnormality through the warning message 136. Then, the user visually checks the manufacturing equipment and takes measures to resolve the abnormality (in this example, remove the workpiece) (state ST2).

[0066] When taking action to resolve the abnormality, the user selects warning message 136, checks the warning content, and then performs an operation to remove the workpiece. Operations for removing the workpiece include, for example, releasing the safety guard to allow access to the manufacturing equipment, and closing the safety guard after removing the workpiece. Furthermore, after removing the workpiece, operations such as returning to the origin (initialization) and resetting the abnormality state are performed. This series of operations involves, for example, switching between pages 130A, 130B, and 130C in sequence, and operating the target operation object included in each page 130.

[0067] After the series of abnormalities have been resolved and the user has confirmed that the manufacturing equipment is safe, operation can be resumed by operating the target operation object on page 130D of HMI 100.

[0068] When the manufacturing equipment returns to a normal operating state (state ST3), the user refers to page 130A of the HMI 100 and confirms that the manufacturing equipment is operating normally.

[0069] In a processing procedure for operating an operation object 132 by sequentially switching between multiple pages 130, unnecessary operations such as page transitions and waiting times may occur. On the other hand, in a manufacturing facility where various abnormalities may occur, it is difficult to determine at the design stage what processing procedures should be used to recover from each abnormality. In addition, each time an abnormality actually occurs, it is often necessary to consider what processing procedures are most efficient.

[0070] Here, we will explain the characteristics of a series of operations (work sequence) performed by the user (operator). When operating the HMI 100 to control manufacturing equipment, the order of operations is important. Although operations do not necessarily have to be performed in a specific order, it is recommended that operations be performed in a specific, predetermined order to prevent mistakes.

[0071] Furthermore, a highly reproducible work sequence is likely to improve work efficiency. As a result, by performing operations in accordance with a highly reproducible work sequence, the possibility of reducing the time required to accomplish a task can be increased.

[0072] Here, the term "task" encompasses what should be achieved by the user (operator) operating the HMI 100. "Tasks" include, for example, recovery from an abnormality, operation start-up, shutdown processing, changeover, and daily report creation.

[0073] In addition, not only the frequency with which the same or similar tasks occur but also the effect of tasks achieved by efficiently performing the tasks should be considered. If a task is on the critical path that affects production throughput, whether or not the task can be performed efficiently becomes an important issue.

[0074] Furthermore, work sequences that frequently occur in the same type of manufacturing equipment can often be applied to other manufacturing equipment of the same type. Therefore, there is a high possibility that work efficiency can be improved by standardizing frequently occurring work sequences.

[0075] In addition, the length of experience and proficiency vary for each user (operator), and there may be habits unique to each user (operator) regarding the operation of the HMI 100. Such habits may also reduce the efficiency of work.

[0076] To address such problems, the control system 1 according to the present embodiment provides a function of grouping one or more operation objects 132 necessary to achieve the target task on a single page 130. By grouping the necessary operation objects 132 on a single page 130, more efficient operations can be realized in the event of an abnormality in the target, etc., and even a user with little knowledge and experience can execute a predetermined processing procedure. The process of grouping the necessary operation objects 132 provided by the control system 1 according to the present embodiment is also referred to as "shortcut generation process" for convenience of explanation.

[0077] The control system 1 according to the present embodiment is capable of executing a process (automatic generation process and automatic extraction process) of generating a shortcut object 142 based on history information that records user operations and events in chronological order, and / or a process (manual generation process) of generating a shortcut object 142 in accordance with an explicit operation of the user. However, the control system 1 may be implemented to execute at least one of the automatic generation process, the automatic extraction process, and the manual generation process. That is, it is not necessary to implement all of the automatic generation process, the automatic extraction process, and the manual generation process, and at least one process may be implemented according to the situation and needs, etc.

[0078] <E. Shortcut Generation Process: Automatic Generation Process> First, an example of the automatic generation process executed by the control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0079] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the automatic generation process of the control system 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 7 shows an example of a process for generating a shortcut object 142 for dealing with the occurrence of a specific event (for example, an alarm) and a page 140 including the shortcut object 142.

[0080] 7, the HMI 100 acquires history information 160, which records user operations and events in chronological order. The history information 160 includes, in chronological order, action information 162, which includes the details of user operations or events that have occurred, and processing information 164, which includes the details of processing executed by the HMI 100.

[0081] When an instruction to generate a shortcut object 142 for a specific alarm (Alarm1) is issued, the HMI 100 extracts a series of history information 160 from the occurrence to cancellation of the target alarm as a session (step S1). In the example shown in Fig. 7, the alarm occurs twice, so two sessions 166-1 and 166-2 (session A and session B) (hereinafter, sometimes collectively referred to as "session 166") are extracted.

[0082] In this specification, a "session" refers to a section for which one or more shortcut objects 142 are to be generated. In other words, a "session" refers to a series of operations (task sequence) from start to finish required to accomplish a target task.

[0083] As shown in Fig. 7, for example, a section starting from the occurrence of some alarm and ending from the resolution of the alarm corresponds to a "session." In this way, if the occurrence of a specific event is considered to be the occurrence of an alarm, the HMI 100 identifies the section from the occurrence of a specific alarm included in the history information 160 to the recovery of the alarm as session 166. The start and end points of a "session" can be determined arbitrarily depending on the purpose.

[0084] Next, the HMI 100 filters the extracted sessions 166 (step S2). In this filtering, operations that output instructions to control a control target are extracted from the contents of operations included in the history information 160. This makes it possible to extract only the information needed to generate the shortcut object 142. For example, the process "ShowPage" included in sessions 166-1 and 166-2 means page transition. Therefore, this is an operation that is not needed to generate the shortcut object 142, and is therefore excluded from the filtering. Furthermore, the process "ShowDoc" included in session 166-2 means displaying a document such as a manual. Therefore, this is an operation that is not needed to generate the shortcut object 142, and is therefore excluded from the filtering.

[0085] As a result, in the example shown in FIG. 7, only the information shown in bold is extracted from the time-series information contained in sessions 166-1 and 166-2.

[0086] Next, the HMI 100 extracts common patterns 168 from the multiple sessions 166 (step S3). That is, the HMI 100 extracts multiple user operations that are common among the multiple sessions 166 as patterns 168.

[0087] In the example shown in Fig. 7, a common pattern 168 including four user operations is extracted. The HMI 100 generates one or more shortcut objects 142 according to the operations included in the extracted common pattern 168 and the contents of the corresponding processes. In the example shown in Fig. 7, four shortcut objects 142 are generated, and a page 140 including the generated four shortcut objects 142 is output.

[0088] In this way, the HMI 100 extracts a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information 160, and generates a shortcut object 142 (operation object) corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern. At this time, the HMI 100 identifies a session 166 based on explicit or implicit features included in the history information 160 or an event that occurred in the controlled object (in the above example, the occurrence of a specific event), and extracts a pattern 168 for each identified session 166.

[0089] The shortcut object 142 instructs the same processing as that of the operation object 132 that is the target of the user operation. As will be described later, the shortcut object 142 may be a copy of the corresponding operation object 132, or may be implemented in a form including an instruction for accessing the corresponding operation object 132.

[0090] In this way, the HMI 100 extracts information (session 166) about the section of the specified event (for example, from the occurrence to the cancellation of the alarm) contained in the history information 160 according to the event specification, filters the extracted information, and then generates the shortcut object 142.

[0091] 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for the automatic generation process of the control system 1 according to this embodiment. Each step shown in FIG. 8 is typically realized by the processor 102 of the HMI 100 executing the system program 112 (FIG. 3).

[0092] Referring to FIG. 8, HMI 100 determines whether or not an instruction to start generating shortcut object 142 has been issued (step S10).

[0093] If the start of generation of the shortcut object 142 has not been instructed (NO in step S10), the process of step S10 is repeated.

[0094] If the start of generation of the shortcut object 142 is instructed (YES in step S10), the HMI 100 receives a designation of a generation target (step S12).

[0095] The HMI 100 acquires history information in which user operations and events are recorded in time series (step S14), identifies the designated generation target included in the acquired history information (step S16). Then, the HMI 100 extracts, as a session 166, a portion related to the designated generation target from the history information (step S18). Usually, a plurality of sessions 166 are extracted.

[0096] Subsequently, the HMI 100 filters each of the extracted sessions 166 (step S20), and extracts a common pattern 168 based on the information extracted by the filtering (step S22).

[0097] Subsequently, the HMI 100 generates one or more shortcut objects 142 according to the operations and the corresponding processing contents included in the extracted common pattern 168 (step S24). Finally, the HMI 100 stores a page including the generated shortcut objects 142 (step S26). Thus, the automatic generation process ends.

[0098] <F. Shortcut Generation Process: Automatic Extraction Process> Next, an example of the automatic extraction process executed by the control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0099] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of the automatic extraction process of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, the HMI 100 identifies one or more sessions 166 included in the history information 160 in which user operations and events are recorded in time series (step S31).

[0100] Next, the HMI 100 filters the identified session 166 (step S32), and then extracts patterns from the filtered session 166 (step S33).

[0101] Finally, the HMI 100 generates one or more shortcut objects 142 from the extracted patterns (step S34).

[0102] In this way, the HMI 100 extracts a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information 160, and generates a shortcut object 142 (operation object) corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern.

[0103] Each step will be described in detail below. (f1: Identifying the session (S31)) A session can be identified based on explicit or implicit characteristics contained in the history information 160 or events occurring in the controlled object (in the above example, the occurrence of a specific event).

[0104] As an example of an explicit feature, as described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, a series of history information from the occurrence to the cancellation of an event such as an alarm may be identified as one session.

[0105] In this case, the user (operator) recovers from the abnormality that was the subject of the alarm. The identified session includes a series of operations (work sequence) related to this recovery. The content of the work sequence varies depending on the content of the alarm that occurred (i.e., the abnormality that was the subject of the alarm). On the other hand, since the work sequence is considered to be the same for the same alarm, patterns can be extracted.

[0106] As another method for identifying a session, an operation by a user (operator) to create a daily report may be used as a trigger. The operation of creating a daily report is a predetermined operation performed during a specific time period. The operation of creating a daily report includes, for example, an operation of sequentially displaying pages showing target information in order to leave a report containing production information, various sensor values, and the like after the completion of work for the day. In this case, a shortcut object 142 is generated to sequentially display pages showing target information.

[0107] As yet another method for identifying a session, a status managed by the PLC 200 may be used. For example, status information such as start and stop of operation of the manufacturing equipment and switching to an operation mode or a maintenance mode may be used to identify a session.

[0108] In addition to or instead of the explicit features described above, the following implicit features may be used:

[0109] For example, any sign that occurs in the controlled object (such as a rise in temperature, the generation of abnormal noise, or an increase in the defect rate) that does not result in an alarm may be used as implicit information for identifying a session. Note that a session can be identified using any explicit or implicit feature contained in an event that occurs in the controlled object. In this case, implicit features can be extracted or discovered by analyzing any measurement value of the controlled object.

[0110] Furthermore, by analyzing the history information, events that occur periodically (for example, any event that occurs at the start of operations (startup), any event that occurs every Tuesday, etc.) may be used as implicit information for identifying sessions. By identifying sessions using such information, it is possible to record phenomena that frequently occur at the start of operations and the countermeasures for those phenomena, or phenomena that frequently occur every Tuesday and the countermeasures for those phenomena.

[0111] Implicit features contained in historical information or events occurring in a controlled object can be extracted or discovered by analyzing the historical information (information recorded in chronological order) and / or the measured values ​​of the controlled object (information recorded in chronological order) using a known analytical method. That is, the control system 1 according to this embodiment may have a function of extracting implicit features by analyzing the historical information and / or the measured values ​​of the controlled object.

[0112] By using such an analysis method, it is possible to provide useful information (insight) that even the user (operator) is not aware of. As a result, the useful information that the user is not aware of is generated in the form of shortcut object 142, and the user can explicitly know that the generated shortcut object 142 or the pattern indicated by the shortcut object 142 has importance.

[0113] (f2: Filtering (S32)) In filtering, information that is less relevant to accomplishing a target task is removed from the history information. Note that, instead of removing all of the less relevant information, it may be possible to retain it as additional information.

[0114] For example, at least one of the page transition operation, the alarm viewer confirmation operation, the troubleshooting information display operation, and the manual display operation may be excluded from the history information.

[0115] (f3: Pattern extraction (S33)) By searching for similarities between sessions from which less relevant information has been filtered out, patterns are extracted, and from these extracted patterns, highly useful patterns are determined. In other words, by searching for similarities between multiple sessions, multiple patterns are extracted.

[0116] In this way, the HMI 100 identifies sessions based on explicit or implicit features (e.g., occurrence of alarms or statuses) contained in the history information 160 or events that have occurred in the controlled object, and extracts patterns for each identified session. Then, the HMI 100 determines, from among the patterns extracted from multiple sessions, a pattern for which a shortcut object 142 will be generated according to predetermined criteria.

[0117] The predetermined criteria may include at least one of the frequency of occurrence of the pattern, the importance of the event corresponding to the pattern, the proficiency of the user who performed the operation corresponding to the pattern, the importance of the operational aspect corresponding to the pattern, and the redundancy of the pattern.

[0118] These elements may be used to determine usefulness. That is, among the extracted patterns, the most useful pattern may be determined as the target for generating the shortcut object 142.

[0119] More specifically, usefulness may be determined based on the frequency of occurrence of the pattern (the frequency of occurrence of each pattern in the historical information), the importance of the alarm (or the target abnormality), the proficiency of the user (operator), the downtime of operations, the importance of the work / process / equipment, the redundancy of the work sequence, etc.

[0120] Regarding the factors that determine these usefulness, for example, operations performed by highly skilled users are likely to result in more desirable work sequences with less waste. It can be assumed that patterns extracted from sessions in which the user (operator) in charge is highly skilled are more useful. Work sequences that vary greatly depending on the user (operator) can be made more efficient by standardizing them.

[0121] When extracting frequently occurring patterns, a plurality of user operations (task sequences) that are common across a plurality of sessions are extracted.

[0122] Also, for alarms with a large cumulative operation stop time or alarms with relatively large losses when an abnormality occurs, by streamlining the work sequence and shortening the time to recovery, productivity can be improved more effectively.

[0123] Also, the importance of a work / process / device may be determined based on whether it is a critical path that affects production throughput. That is, for objects that immediately affect production when some abnormality occurs, by streamlining the work sequence and shortening the time to recovery, the impact on production can be more limited.

[0124] Also, the redundancy of the work sequence may be determined based on, for example, the number of pages transitioned in one operation. That is, when a single work sequence is composed of operations of an operation object 132 that sequentially switches and displays a plurality of pages, the operations can be streamlined by grouping the target operation object 132 into one page.

[0125] (f4: Generation of Shortcut Objects) One or more shortcut objects 142 are generated according to the patterns extracted by the above-described processing. When a plurality of patterns are extracted, the extracted patterns may be listed for the user. At this time, considering the above-described benefits, patterns with higher benefits may be displayed higher.

[0126] <X When the user selects any pattern or approves it as a generation target, one or more shortcut objects 142 may be generated from the target pattern.

[0127] <G. Functional Configuration> 10 is a schematic diagram showing a functional configuration for realizing the automatic generation process and the automatic extraction process of the control system 1 according to this embodiment. Each functional configuration shown in FIG. 10 is typically realized by the processor 102 of the HMI 100 executing the system program 112 (FIG. 3).

[0128] Referring to FIG. 10, HMI 100 includes an operation receiving unit 150, a display control unit 152, a shortcut object generating unit 154, and a page storage unit 156.

[0129] The operation accepting unit 150 accepts a user operation given via the input unit 126 or the like. The operation accepting unit 150 outputs, to the shortcut object generating unit 154, information for identifying the operation object 132 selected by the user operation, and the like.

[0130] The display control unit 152 displays a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on the display unit 128. More specifically, the display control unit 152 selects a page stored in the page storage unit 156 in response to a user operation and displays the selected page on the display unit 128.

[0131] Based on the acquired history information, the shortcut object generation unit 154 generates one or more shortcut objects 142. The shortcut object generation unit 154 stores information about the page 140 including the generated one or more shortcut objects 142 in the page storage unit 156.

[0132] More specifically, the shortcut object generating unit 154 includes an analyzing unit 1540 , a conversion processing unit 1542 , a presenting unit 1544 , and a layout determining unit 1546 .

[0133] The analysis unit 1540 is responsible for the main processes related to the above-described automatic generation process and automatic extraction process. More specifically, the analysis unit 1540 extracts a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information. Typically, the analysis unit 1540 identifies a session included in the history information according to a user operation or the like, and extracts a pattern from the identified session.

[0134] The conversion processing unit 1542 generates a shortcut object 142 (operation object) corresponding to the user operation included in the pattern extracted by the analysis unit 1540. That is, the conversion processing unit 1542 generates one or more corresponding shortcut objects 142 based on the pattern extracted by the analysis unit 1540.

[0135] The presentation unit 1544 presents one or more patterns extracted by the analysis unit 1540 to the user. The presentation unit 1544 may list and display the patterns in an order according to the usefulness of the patterns.

[0136] The layout determination unit 1546 determines the layout of one or more shortcut objects 142 generated by the conversion processing unit 1542. Details of the layout will be described later.

[0137] The page storage unit 156 stores a page 140 including one or more shortcut objects 142 generated by the shortcut object generation unit 154. The page 140 stored in the page storage unit 156 is selectively displayed according to a user operation together with a pre-generated page 130.

[0138] <H. Shortcut Generation Process: Manual Generation Process> Next, an example of the manual generation process executed by the control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0139] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a page 140 related to the manual generation process of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 11, the page 140 includes one or more shortcut objects 142 generated by the manual generation process. The shortcut objects 142 correspond to any operation objects 132 included in any page 130. As will be described later, the shortcut objects 142 may be copies of the corresponding operation objects 132, or may be implemented in a form including instructions for accessing the corresponding operation objects 132.

[0140] In this manner, in the manual generation process, a new page 140 may be generated that includes one or more shortcut objects 142. However, the shortcut object 142 may also be generated in such a way that it is added to an existing page 130.

[0141] 11, a page 140 may be displayed to the user that does not include any operation objects other than one or more shortcut objects 142. Displaying such a page 140 reduces the possibility that the user will perform unnecessary operations, thereby making operations more efficient.

[0142] For convenience of explanation, a page 130 including only operation objects 132 and a page 140 including only shortcut objects 142 are exemplified, but the page 130 or the page 140 may include both operation objects 132 and shortcut objects 142.

[0143] In response to the selection of the page switching object 141, the shortcut objects 142 displayed on the page 140 are switched in sequence.

[0144] The content of the displayed page 140 changes in response to the selection of one or more page selection objects 143. In the example shown in Fig. 11, a page 140 labeled "Shortcut_1" is displayed.

[0145] The page 140 includes an addition start object 144 and an addition end object 145. When the addition start object 144 is selected, recording of the shortcut object 142 (corresponding operation object 132) to be added to the selected page 140 begins. When the addition end object 145 is selected, recording of the shortcut object 142 (corresponding operation object 132) to be added to the selected page 140 ends.

[0146] The page 140 includes an edit object 146 for modifying, adding, deleting, etc. the shortcut object 142 .

[0147] 12 and 13 are diagrams for explaining the processing procedure of the manual generation processing of the control system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0148] 12, when addition start object 144 of page 140 is selected, processing to generate (add) shortcut object 142 is initiated. In response to the selection of addition start object 144, dialog 147 for setting a label name for page 140 is displayed. The user inputs an arbitrary label 148 in dialog 147 and selects start object 149. Then, the user performs an arbitrary operation as shown in FIG.

[0149] Finally, when the add end object 145 of the page 140 is selected, the page 140 is generated, which includes the shortcut object 142 corresponding to the user operation.

[0150] The label entered in the dialog 147 is set on the page 140. Fig. 13 shows an example in which the user arbitrarily enters the label for the page 140, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the label may be automatically determined based on the content of the abnormality that occurred, the date and time, etc.

[0151] 13, the user performs an arbitrary operation corresponding to the shortcut object 142 to be generated. Fig. 13 shows an example in which an operation object included in page 130-10 displaying main information is selected, transition to page 130-11 is made, and an operation object included in page 130-11 is further selected, and page 130-12 is displayed. The user selects a desired operation object on page 130-12.

[0152] 13, the user then returns to page 130-11, selects another operation object included in page 130-11, and page 130-13 is displayed. The user then selects another desired operation object on page 130-13. As shown in FIG. 13, the user performs a series of operations.

[0153] Typically, shortcut objects 142 corresponding to the operation objects included in page 130-12 and the operation objects included in page 130-13 are generated by processing as described below. That is, the operations performed from page 130-10 through page 130-11 until page 130-12 is displayed, and the operations performed from page 130-12 through page 130-11 until page 130-13 is displayed are operations for page transition and are not operations for issuing instructions to PLC 200. That is, there is no need to generate them as shortcut objects 142. Therefore, the control system 1 according to this embodiment extracts operations that match predetermined rules from among the operations performed by the user, and generates shortcut objects 142 corresponding to the extracted operations.

[0154] Note that Figures 12 and 13 show an example in which the shortcut object 142 is generated by the user explicitly selecting the addition start object 144 and the addition end object 145, but this is not limited to this, and the generation of the shortcut object 142 may start when a predetermined condition is met.

[0155] For example, the start trigger may be the occurrence of some kind of abnormality or alarm, and the end trigger may be the restoration of normal operation. In this case, from the start to the end, the user will perform a series of operations such as checking the details of the abnormality, clearing the abnormality, returning to the origin (initialization), resetting the abnormal state, and checking whether normal operation is possible. This series of operations may be recorded, and the corresponding shortcut object 142 may be generated.

[0156] 13 may be performed when an abnormality occurs and the abnormality is to be restored. However, when an abnormality actually occurs, it is usually required to restore the abnormality as soon as possible, so the following method may be used.

[0157] For example, a simulator (for example, provided by a support device) that reproduces part or all of the control system 1 may be prepared, and the user may perform operations on the simulator, record the series of operations, and generate a corresponding shortcut object 142.

[0158] Alternatively, after disabling the instruction from the HMI 100 to the PLC 200, the user may operate the HMI 100, record the series of operations, and generate the corresponding shortcut object 142.

[0159] Furthermore, for example, when training an inexperienced user, if an arbitrary abnormality occurs and the training user teaches the operation to be performed in response to the abnormality, the series of operations performed by the training user may be recorded and a corresponding shortcut object 142 may be generated.

[0160] Furthermore, if an unexpected abnormality occurs, a series of operations for recovering from the abnormality may be recorded, and a corresponding shortcut object 142 may be generated. In this case, the shortcut object 142 corresponding to the unnecessary operation may be deleted afterwards by editing the page 140 including the generated shortcut object 142 (editing becomes possible by selecting the edit object 146 (see FIG. 11)).

[0161] Any information may be added to the page 140 including the generated shortcut object 142. Examples of the information that may be added include information indicating the details of the abnormality that occurred, the name of the user who performed the operation when the abnormality occurred, the date and time of generation, information for identifying the workpiece in which the abnormality occurred, and environmental information such as temperature and humidity.

[0162] Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a functional configuration for realizing the manual generation process of the control system 1 according to this embodiment. Each functional configuration shown in Fig. 14 is typically realized by the processor 102 of the HMI 100 executing the system program 112 (Fig. 3).

[0163] Referring to FIG. 14, HMI 100 includes an operation receiving unit 150, a display control unit 152, a shortcut object generating unit 158, and a page storage unit 156.

[0164] The operation accepting unit 150 accepts a user operation given via the input unit 126 or the like. The operation accepting unit 150 outputs, to the shortcut object generating unit 158, information for identifying the operation object 132 selected by the user operation, and the like.

[0165] As described above, the operation receiving unit 150 starts acquiring history information upon receiving a predetermined specific user operation (selection of the addition start object 144). Also, the operation receiving unit 150 ends acquiring history information upon receiving a predetermined specific user operation (selection of the addition end object 145).

[0166] The display control unit 152 displays a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on the display unit 128. More specifically, the display control unit 152 selects a page stored in the page storage unit 156 in response to a user operation and displays the selected page on the display unit 128.

[0167] In response to a user operation, the shortcut object generation unit 158 ​​generates one or more shortcut objects 142. The shortcut object generation unit 158 ​​stores information about the page 140 including the generated one or more shortcut objects 142 in the page storage unit 156.

[0168] Here, the shortcut object generation unit 158 ​​extracts operations that match predetermined generation rules 1584 from the acquired history information, and based on the extracted operations, generates one or more shortcut objects 142 that instruct the same processing as one or more operation objects 132 operated by the user.

[0169] More specifically, the shortcut object generating unit 158 ​​includes a filtering unit 1580 and a conversion processing unit 1582 .

[0170] The filtering unit 1580 refers to the generation rules 1584 and extracts only information for generating the shortcut object 142 from the user operations. Typically, the filtering unit 1580 extracts, from the contents of the operations included in the history information, an operation that outputs an instruction for controlling a control target.

[0171] The filtering unit 1580 also determines whether or not the start condition and end condition (start trigger and end trigger) related to the generation of the shortcut object 142 are met.

[0172] The conversion processing unit 1582 generates a necessary shortcut object 142 based on the information extracted by the filtering unit 1580. More specifically, the conversion processing unit 1582 may generate the shortcut object 142 by duplicating the corresponding operation object 132, or may generate the shortcut object 142 in a form including an instruction for accessing the target operation object 132.

[0173] The page storage unit 156 assigns a designated label to the page 140 including one or more shortcut objects 142 generated by the shortcut object generation unit 158, and stores the page 140. The page 140 stored in the page storage unit 156 is selectively displayed in response to a user operation, together with the page 130 generated in advance.

[0174] Here, we will explain an example of the generation rules 1584. The generation rules 1584 mainly set rules for extracting the operation object 132 to be operated.

[0175] For example, an operation to set a variable (bit) of the PLC 200 to TRUE / FALSE (a momentary button (driven to TRUE only once)), an operation to change a variable (bit) of the PLC 200 to TRUE or FALSE, etc. are extracted as targets for generating a shortcut object 142. These operations correspond to operations in which an instruction to control a control target is output.

[0176] On the other hand, user operations related to page transitions are not operations that give any instructions to the PLC 200, and therefore may be excluded from the targets for generating shortcut objects 142. That is, filtering unit 1580 excludes user operations related to page transitions from the contents of operations included in the history information.

[0177] Furthermore, one or more of the operation to check the alarm viewer, the operation to display troubleshooting information, and the operation to display the manual are not operations that issue any instructions to the PLC 200, and therefore may be excluded from the targets for generating the shortcut object 142. In other words, the filtering unit 1580 excludes at least one of the operation to check the alarm viewer, the operation to display troubleshooting information, and the operation to display the manual from the contents of the operations included in the history information.

[0178] Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example of filtering in the manual generation process of the control system 1 according to this embodiment. History information 170 shown in Fig. 15 is a chronological record of user operations.

[0179] The history information 170 includes a user operation 171 indicating the selection of an addition start object 144 (momentary button) and a user operation 174 indicating the selection of an addition end object 145 (momentary button). One or more user operations occurring between the selection of the addition start object 144 and the selection of the addition end object 145 are targets for generating a shortcut object 142.

[0180] Of these user operations, user operations 172 and 173 indicating the selection of operation objects 132 of "Button101" and "Button102" (both momentary buttons) are extracted as targets for generating shortcut objects 142. Then, two shortcut objects 142 corresponding to the operation objects 132 of "Button101" and "Button102", respectively, are generated.

[0181] On the other hand, the user operation 175 instructing to display a page and the user operation 176 instructing to close a page are excluded from the targets for which the shortcut object 142 is to be generated.

[0182] 16 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for the manual generation processing of the control system 1 according to this embodiment. Each step shown in FIG. 16 is typically realized by the processor 102 of the HMI 100 executing the system program 112 (FIG. 3).

[0183] 16, the HMI 100 determines whether or not a condition for starting generation of the shortcut object 142 is met (step S50). The condition for starting generation of the shortcut object 142 may include the selection of an addition start object 144, the occurrence of a predetermined event, and the like.

[0184] If the condition for starting generation of the shortcut object 142 is not met (NO in step S2), the process of step S50 is repeated.

[0185] If the condition for starting generation of the shortcut object 142 is met (YES in step S50), the HMI 100 determines the label of the page including the shortcut object 142 (step S52). The label of the page may be determined by accepting a label specification from the user. The HMI 100 then records the content of the user operation (step S54). That is, the HMI 100 executes a process to acquire history information that records user operations and events in chronological order.

[0186] Next, the HMI 100 determines whether or not a generation termination condition for the shortcut object 142 is met (step S56). The generation termination condition for the shortcut object 142 may be selection of the addition termination object 145, recovery from a predetermined abnormality, or the like.

[0187] If the condition for ending the generation of the shortcut object 142 is not met (NO in step S56), the processing from step S54 onwards is repeated.

[0188] If the condition for terminating the generation of the shortcut object 142 is met (YES in step S56), the HMI 100 filters the recorded user operation contents (step S58) and generates the shortcut object 142 based on the user operation contents extracted by the filtering (step S60).Then, the HMI 100 stores the page including the generated shortcut object 142 (step S62).

[0189] This completes the manual generation process. <I.ショートカットオブジェクト142> Next, the shortcut object 142 will be described.

[0190] 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a shortcut object 142 generated by the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 17, the setting information 1320 associated with the operation object 132 includes, for example, identification information 1321, a variable specification 1322 for the button object, an action specification 1323 set for the button object, a variable specification 1324 for changing the display mode of the operation object 132, and a label specification 1325 for the operation object 132.

[0191] When generating a shortcut object 142A as a copy of the operation object 132, setting information 1420 is generated that is identical to the content of the setting information 1320. The setting information 1420 includes, for example, identification information 1421, a variable specification 1422 for the button object, an action specification 1423 set for the button object, a variable specification 1424 for changing the display mode of the shortcut object 142, and a label specification 1425 for the shortcut object 142.

[0192] The shortcut object 142A, which is a copy of the operation object 132, exists independently of the operation object 132, so even if any change is made to one of the objects, the other is not affected.

[0193] When generating a shortcut object 142B implemented to include a command for accessing the operation object 132, the setting information 1420 of the shortcut object 142B includes a reference designation 1427 indicating a reference to the identification information 1321 included in the accessed operation object 132. In other words, the reference designation 1427 corresponds to a command for accessing the operation object 132.

[0194] When shortcut object 142B is implemented in a form including an instruction for accessing operation object 132, both objects are essentially integrated, and any change to the object is reflected in both objects.

[0195] The shortcut object 142 may be an object including a single button, a composite object including multiple buttons, or a composite object including buttons and components other than buttons.

[0196] <J.ページレイアウト> Various methods can be used to determine the layout on the page of the shortcut objects 142 generated by the above-described process.

[0197] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the layout of shortcut objects generated by the control system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0198] Referring to Figure 18(A), if the order of a series of operations (task sequence) in the extracted pattern is meaningful, one or more shortcut objects 142 may be arranged on page 140 in accordance with the order of the series of operations.

[0199] Alternatively, the position of the shortcut object 142 may be adjusted depending on the frequency and importance. For example, buttons that are frequently used simultaneously may be placed in combination, regardless of the order of operations. Also, shortcut objects 142 that are frequently or highly important may be placed in a position that is easier to operate or highly visible.

[0200] 18(B), on page 140, shortcut group 180 made up of shortcut objects with high importance is arranged in the upper left corner where operability and visibility are high. On the other hand, in shortcut group 182 with low importance, the shortcut objects themselves are displayed relatively small. In this way, for shortcut objects with low frequency or importance, the objects themselves may be displayed small or displayed in a list using a list box or the like, so that more shortcut objects can be arranged.

[0201] In this way, the layout of the shortcut object on the page to be generated may be changed as appropriate according to the extracted pattern. Note that not only the display size of the shortcut object as shown in Fig. 18(B) is changed, but also the display mode (display color, font, etc.) of the shortcut object may be changed as appropriate according to the evaluation result (frequency, importance, etc.) of the extracted pattern.

[0202] Furthermore, the display mode may be changed depending on the attributes of the user who operates the shortcut object.

[0203] For example, a page containing shortcut objects for maintaining the HMI 100 may be displayed to a user who has been granted administrator privileges, while a page containing shortcut objects for performing normal operations may be displayed to a general user (such as an operator).

[0204] Also, depending on the department to which the user belongs, the types of shortcut objects displayed on the page may be made different. For example, for departments responsible for production technology and equipment design, a page including shortcut objects for debugging purposes and troubleshooting may be displayed, while for general users (such as operators), only a page including shortcut objects for normal operation may be displayed.

[0205] Also, for the provider of the device, since the parameters are part of the know-how of device development, the page for displaying the parameters may not be presented to the users of the recipient.

[0206] Furthermore, depending on the physical characteristics of the user (such as the dominant hand and finger size), the size and display mode of the shortcut objects may be made different. Also, the comments displayed on the same shortcut object may be displayed in the selected language (for example, Japanese, English, etc.). Furthermore, it is possible to adapt to the display mode considering universal design, and the voice output may also be according to the attributes of the user.

[0207] <K. Variation Example> In the above-described embodiment, mainly, an example in which the HMI 100 executes the shortcut generation process has been described, but the HMI 100 and other processing entities may be associated, or another processing entity may execute the shortcut generation process instead of the HMI 100. As other processing entities, for example, the PLC 200, support devices, and upper server devices are assumed. Also, all or part of the processing may be executed using cloud computing on the network.

[0208] <L. Supplementary Note> The above-described embodiment includes the following technical ideas.

[0209] [Configuration 1] An operation display system (100) constituting at least a part of a control system (1) for controlling a control target, A display unit (128); an input unit (126) that accepts user operations; a control unit (152) for displaying a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on a display unit; an acquisition unit (150) that acquires history information that records user operations and events in chronological order; a generation unit (154) that extracts a pattern (168) consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information (160) and generates an operation object (142) corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern.

[0210] [Configuration 2] The operation display system according to configuration 1, wherein the generation unit identifies a session (166) based on explicit or implicit features contained in the history information or the event that occurred in the control target, and extracts the pattern for each identified session.

[0211] [Configuration 3] 3. The operation display system according to configuration 2, wherein the generation unit extracts a plurality of user operations that are common among a plurality of the sessions as the pattern.

[0212] [Configuration 4] the explicit characteristic is the occurrence of an alarm; 4. The operation display system according to configuration 2 or 3, wherein the generation unit identifies, as the session, a section from the occurrence of a specific alarm included in the history information to the recovery of the alarm.

[0213] [Configuration 5] 3. The operation display system according to configuration 2, wherein the generation unit determines, from among the patterns extracted from the plurality of sessions, a pattern for which the operation object is to be generated in accordance with a predetermined criterion.

[0214] [Configuration 6] The operation display system according to configuration 5, wherein the predetermined criteria include at least one of a frequency of occurrence of a pattern, an importance of an event corresponding to the pattern, a proficiency level of a user who performed an operation corresponding to the pattern, an importance of an operational aspect corresponding to the pattern, and a redundancy level of the pattern.

[0215] [Configuration 7] 7. The operation display system according to any one of configurations 2 to 6, further comprising an analysis unit that extracts the implicit features by analyzing the history information and / or the measured values ​​of the controlled object.

[0216] [Configuration 8] 8. The operation display system according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, wherein the generation unit extracts an operation that outputs an instruction to control the control target from the contents of the operations included in the history information.

[0217] [Configuration 9] the page includes one or more second operation objects (132) that instruct a predetermined process; 9. The operation display system according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, wherein the operation object instructs the same processing as that of a second operation object that is the target of a user operation.

[0218] [Configuration 10] 10. The operation display system according to configuration 9, wherein the operation object is a copy of a corresponding second operation object.

[0219] [Configuration 11] 10. The operation display system of configuration 9, wherein each of the operation objects includes instructions for accessing a corresponding second operation object.

[0220] [Configuration 12] An information processing method in a control system (1) for controlling a control target, comprising: a step (152) of displaying a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on a display unit; A step (S14) of obtaining history information recording user operations and events in chronological order, extracting a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the obtained history information, and generating an operation object corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern (S18, S20, S22, S24; S31, S32, S33, S34), and an information processing method comprising the same.

[0221] [Configuration 13] An information processing program (112) executed by a computer that constitutes at least a part of a control system (1) for controlling a control target, wherein the information processing program causes the computer to, display a selected page among one or more pre-prepared pages on a display unit (step 152), obtain history information recording user operations and events in chronological order (step S14), extract a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the obtained history information, and generate an operation object corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern (S18, S20, S22, S24; S31, S32, S33, S34), and an information processing program for causing the same to be executed.

[0222] <M. Advantage> Although a general user (operator) performs operations as daily work, it is not natural for the user to know which operations occur frequently or which operations are effective for improvement among a series of operations. The control system 1 according to the present embodiment extracts a series of operations (work sequence) from the obtained history information and generates a shortcut object corresponding to the extracted work sequence. At this time, by determining a highly beneficial pattern among the plurality of extracted patterns, a shortcut object beneficial for improvement in the production site can be generated, and know-how in work can be embodied in the form of a shortcut object. In addition, the generated shortcut object can also be used for educating users with little experience.

[0223] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0224] 1 control system, 4 control network, 6 information network, 10 field devices, 12 remote I / O devices, 14 relays, 16 servo drivers, 18 servo motors, 100 HMI, 102, 202 processor, 104 optical drive, 105 recording medium, 106, 206 main memory, 108 bus, 110, 210 storage, 112, 212 system program, 113, 213 user program, 120 network controller, 124, 224 USB controller, 126 input section, 128 display section, 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, 140 page, 132 operation object, 136 warning message, 141 page switching object, 142, 142A, 142B shortcut object, 143 page selection object, 144 additional start object, 145 Add end object, 146 Edit object, 147 Dialog, 148 Label, 149 Start object, 150 Operation reception unit, 152 Display control unit, 154, 158 Shortcut object generation unit, 156 Page storage unit, 160, 170 History information, 162 Action information, 164 Processing information, 166 Session, 168 Pattern, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176 User operation, 180, 182 Shortcut group, 200 PLC, 204 Chipset, 220 Control system network controller, 222 Information system network controller, 226 Memory card interface, 228 Memory card, 230 Processing execution command, 232 Variable, 1320, 1420 Setting information, 1321, 1421 Identification information, 1322, 1324, 1422, 1424 Variable specification, 1323, 1423 operation specification, 1325, 1425 label specification, 1427 reference specification, 1540 analysis unit, 1542, 1582 conversion processing unit, 1544 presentation unit, 1546 layout determination unit, 1580 filtering unit, 1584 generation rule, ST1, ST2, ST3 states.

Claims

1. An operation display system constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a control target, A display unit; an input unit that accepts user operations; a control unit that causes the display unit to display a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance; an acquisition unit that acquires history information that records user operations and events in chronological order; a generation unit that extracts a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information, and generates an operation object corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern; the generation unit identifies a session based on a feature included in the history information or an event that occurred in the control target, and extracts the pattern for each identified session; the characteristics include generation of an alarm indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the controlled object; The generation unit identifies, as the session, a period from the occurrence of a specific alarm included in the history information to the recovery of the alarm.

2. The operation display system according to claim 1 , wherein the generation unit extracts a plurality of user operations that are common among a plurality of the sessions as the pattern.

3. An operation display system constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a control target, A display unit; an input unit that accepts user operations; a control unit that causes the display unit to display a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance; an acquisition unit that acquires history information that records user operations and events in chronological order; a generation unit that extracts a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information, and generates an operation object corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern; The generation unit identifying a session based on a feature included in the history information or an event occurring in the control target, and extracting the pattern for each identified session; extracting, as the pattern, a plurality of user operations common to a plurality of the sessions; An operation display system that determines, from among the extracted patterns, a pattern for which the operation object is to be generated based on the occurrence frequency of the pattern.

4. the characteristics include generation of an alarm indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the controlled object; The operation display system according to claim 3 , wherein the generation unit specifies, as the session, a period from the occurrence of a specific alarm included in the history information to the recovery of the alarm.

5. 5. The operation display system according to claim 1, further comprising an analysis unit that extracts the features by analyzing the history information and / or the measured values ​​of the controlled object.

6. The operation display system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the generation unit extracts an operation that outputs an instruction to control the control object from the content of the operation included in the history information.

7. the page includes one or more second operation objects that instruct a predetermined process; 7. The operation display system according to claim 1, wherein the operation object instructs the same processing as that of a second operation object that is the target of a user operation.

8. The operation display system according to claim 7 , wherein the operation object is a copy of a corresponding second operation object.

9. The operation display system according to claim 7 , wherein each of the operation objects includes an instruction for accessing a corresponding second operation object.

10. An information processing method executed by a computer constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a control target, displaying a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on a display unit; acquiring history information that records user operations and events in chronological order; extracting a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information, and generating an operation object corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern; the generating step includes a step of identifying a session based on a feature included in the history information or an event that has occurred in the control target, and extracting the pattern for each identified session; the characteristics include generation of an alarm indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the controlled object; The information processing method, wherein the generating step includes a step of specifying, as the session, a section from the occurrence of a specific alarm included in the history information to the recovery of the alarm.

11. An information processing method executed by a computer constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a control target, displaying a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on a display unit; acquiring history information that records user operations and events in chronological order; extracting a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information, and generating an operation object corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern; The generating step includes: identifying a session based on a feature included in the history information or an event occurring in the control target, and extracting the pattern for each identified session; extracting a plurality of user operations common to a plurality of the sessions as the pattern; and determining, from among the extracted patterns, a pattern for which the operation object is to be generated based on a frequency of occurrence of the pattern.

12. An information processing program executed by a computer constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a control target, the information processing program including: displaying a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on a display unit; acquiring history information that records user operations and events in chronological order; extracting a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information, and generating an operation object corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern; the generating step includes a step of identifying a session based on a feature included in the history information or an event that has occurred in the control target, and extracting the pattern for each identified session; the characteristics include generation of an alarm indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the controlled object; The generating step includes a step of identifying, as the session, a section from the occurrence of a specific alarm included in the history information to the recovery of the alarm.

13. An information processing program executed by a computer constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a control target, the information processing program including: displaying a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on a display unit; acquiring history information that records user operations and events in chronological order; extracting a pattern consisting of a plurality of user operations included in the acquired history information, and generating an operation object corresponding to the user operations included in the extracted pattern; The generating step includes: identifying a session based on a feature included in the history information or an event occurring in the control target, and extracting the pattern for each identified session; extracting a plurality of user operations common to a plurality of the sessions as the pattern; and determining, from among the extracted patterns, a pattern for which the operation object is to be generated based on a frequency of occurrence of the pattern.

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