Information asset management device, information asset management system, information asset creation method and program

Abstract

The management device (10) includes a receiving unit (12) that receives, via a network, permission information from each of a plurality of customer objects that have obtained different modification assets by modifying a common reference asset that serves as information asset related to control of equipment in a facility, indicating that the modification assets of the customer object and a combination of the modification assets of the customer object and modification assets of other customer objects specified by the customer object are permitted, a management unit (13) that associates and manages the modification assets and the permission information for each customer object, and a generation unit (14) that generates a new information asset based on a combination of modification assets of different customer objects in accordance with the permission information.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information asset management device, an information asset management system, an information asset generation method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In factory automation (FA), complex control systems are often constructed in which control devices that control multiple devices are connected via a network. When improving the performance of a control system and implementing new functions, the development of control programs executed by the control devices is promoted.

[0003] Here, it is possible to use technology to support program development work (for example, see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes a technology that enables end users in a client-server system to register programs that they have independently developed to serve as client functions in a system management server, and to search for and reuse the programs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 08-314701 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a control system, information such as the configuration of the control system, the control program executed by the control device, and the parameters set in the control device are information that should in principle not be made publicly available, and can be considered as information assets for operating the control system. It is conceivable to collect information assets from multiple users who have such information assets and manage them collectively, as in the technology of Patent Document 1.

[0006] However, the technology in Patent Document 1 centrally manages programs developed for client functions that make up a client-server system, and since each client is an identical machine, no consideration is given to restricting the reuse of programs. For this reason, it is not advisable to apply the technology in Patent Document 1 as is to the development of the above-mentioned information assets.

[0007] In addition, in the technology of Patent Document 1, when forks or branches occur and programs with different policies are developed separately and independently, the result is that multiple programs that are significantly different from each other are derived, and the programs to be developed become dispersed. In this case, the efficiency of development work decreases. Therefore, there is a risk that information assets related to device control cannot be developed efficiently.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in light of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to efficiently develop information assets relating to device control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the information asset management device disclosed herein comprises a receiving means for receiving, via a network, permission information indicating that the modification assets of a plurality of objects that have obtained different modification assets through modifications to a common reference asset related to the control of equipment in a facility are permitted to be combined with the modification assets of the object and the modification assets of other objects specified by the object, a management means for associating and managing the modification assets and the permission information for each object, and a generation means for generating a new information asset based on the combination of the modification assets of different objects in accordance with the permission information. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, information assets relating to device control can be efficiently developed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a facility according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a management device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a management device according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an information asset DB (Database) according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of modification of an information asset according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the generation of a new information asset according to the first embodiment; [Figure 8] Flowchart showing information asset generation processing according to the first embodiment [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining classification of repair assets according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining generation of intermediate assets according to the first embodiment; [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a new information asset according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an information asset DB according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a management device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface screen according to the third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a first diagram for explaining the generation of a new standard asset according to a modified example. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a second diagram for explaining the generation of a new standard asset according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, a management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Embodiment 1 A management system 100 according to this embodiment is a cloud system that manages information assets used in facilities such as factories and plants, and contributes to the standardization of information assets. As shown in Fig. 1, the management system 100 includes a management device 10 that manages information assets, and terminals 31a, 31b, and 31c that are connected to the management device 10 via a network NW. The management device 10 corresponds to an example of an information asset management device, and the management system 100 corresponds to an example of an information asset management system. The network NW is a communication network such as the Internet.

[0014] Terminal 31a is a device owned by customer object A, terminal 31b is a device owned by customer object B, and terminal 31c is a device owned by customer object C. Customer objects A, B, and C are each a customer who receives cloud services provided by management device 10.

[0015] 2, the customer object A corresponds to an operator, manager, or operator of a control system 300 constructed in a facility 30a. The control system 300 has a control device 32 connected to a terminal 31a via an information network 301, and devices 33 connected to the control device 32 via a control network 302. In the control system 300, the control device 32 controls a plurality of devices 33 to cooperate with each other to operate lines that perform various processes, such as a production line, a machining line, and an inspection line. The control device 32 is, for example, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), and the devices 33 are, for example, an actuator, a robot, a machine tool, or a sensor.

[0016] Similarly, customer object B corresponds to a person involved in the control system established in facility 30b, and customer object C corresponds to a person involved in the control system established in facility 30c. Each of customer objects A, B, and C may be a single user, a group of users, or an organization such as a company. It is sufficient that customer objects A, B, and C can be distinguished from other targets of cloud service provided by management device 10. Customer objects A, B, and C correspond to examples of objects.

[0017] Returning to FIG. 1, the management device 10 is a server device that manages the information assets of customer objects A, B, and C. The information assets are, for example, a control program used to control equipment in a control system, function blocks, parameters set in at least one of the control device and equipment in the control system, information indicating the configuration of the control system, information indicating the unit configuration of the control device which is a PLC, or a manual for the control device or equipment. The information assets may also be a combination of these pieces of information, and may include at least one of these pieces of information. The following mainly describes an example in which a control program is an information asset.

[0018] The management device 10 provides a reference asset 20 as an information asset common to customer objects A, B, and C. The reference asset 20 is a control program created by an entity that provides the service by the management device 10 as something that can be generally applied to a control system of a general configuration. However, the reference asset 20 is not limited to this, and it is sufficient that the reference asset 20 is an information asset that can be commonly acquired by multiple customer objects A, B, and C and that can be acquired by the management device 10. For example, the reference asset 20 is an information asset at the time of shipment that is created by the manufacturer of the control device and the equipment to be controlled.

[0019] Furthermore, the management device 10 receives registrations of repair assets 21 obtained by each of the customer objects A, B, and C through repair of the reference asset 20 from the customer objects A, B, and C, and provides the repair assets 21 to the customer objects A, B, and C that registered the repair assets 21. For example, the management device 10 provides a programming screen using the terminal 31a as a UI, and stores the repair asset 21a1 that the customer object A created by editing the reference asset 20 using the programming screen. Then, when the customer object A writes the repair asset 21a1 into the control device 32 to execute it, the management device 10 provides the stored repair asset 21a1 in response to a request from the terminal 31a. The terminal 31a may execute a software application called an engineering tool.

[0020] The information asset to be modified is not limited to the standard asset 20, but may be the modified asset 21. That is, a different modified asset 21 may be generated by modifying the modified asset 21. For example, the customer object A modifies the modified asset 21a1 to obtain the modified asset 21a2. In addition, when modifying the modified asset 21, it is also possible to regard the modified asset 21 before the modification as a new standard asset 20 and manage it. A group of modified assets 21 derived from a single standard asset 20 by modification with a single standard asset 20 as the center is managed in a management system separate from a group of modified assets 21 derived from the modified asset 21 newly regarded as the standard asset 20 by modification. In this way, when the concept of a certain modified asset 21 among a series of modified assets 21 obtained by repeated modifications is significantly changed from the initial standard asset 20, the modified asset 21 at that stage can be managed as a new standard asset 20, so that the modification contents of the group of modified assets 21 can be managed regularly and consistently under a single concept.

[0021] The entity that modifies the information asset is not limited to the customer object. For example, the customer object A may request the provider of the management device 10 to modify the modification asset 21a2, and the management device 10 may provide the modified asset 21a3 obtained by modifying the modification asset 21a2 as the one of the customer object A.

[0022] 1 shows that the management device 10 manages, as information assets of the customer object B, a modification asset 21b1 obtained by modifying the reference asset 20, a modification asset 21b2 obtained by modifying the modification asset 21b1, and a modification asset 21b3 obtained by modifying the modification asset 21b2. Also, as information assets of the customer object C, the management device 10 manages a modification asset 21c1 obtained by modifying the reference asset 20, a modification asset 21c2 obtained by modifying the modification asset 21c1, and a modification asset 21c3 obtained by modifying the modification asset 21c2. Hereinafter, the modification assets 21a1 to 21a3, 21b1 to 21b3, and 21c1 to 21c3 may be referred to as modification assets 21 without distinction.

[0023] Fig. 3 shows a hardware configuration of the management device 10. As shown in Fig. 3, the management device 10 is configured as a computer having a processor 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary memory unit 103, an input unit 104, an output unit 105, and a communication unit 106. The main memory unit 102, the auxiliary memory unit 103, the input unit 104, the output unit 105, and the communication unit 106 are all connected to the processor 101 via an internal bus 107.

[0024] The processor 101 includes a CPU or a MPU (Micro Processing Unit) as a processing circuit. The processor 101 executes a program P1 stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 to realize various functions and execute the processes described below. The program P1 corresponds to an example of an information asset management program.

[0025] The main memory unit 102 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory). A program P1 is loaded into the main memory unit 102 from the auxiliary memory unit 103. The main memory unit 102 is used as a working area for the processor 101.

[0026] The auxiliary storage unit 103 includes a non-volatile memory represented by an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) and a Hard Disk Drive (HDD). In addition to the program P1, the auxiliary storage unit 103 stores various data used in the processing of the processor 101. The auxiliary storage unit 103 supplies the data used by the processor 101 to the processor 101 according to an instruction from the processor 101. The auxiliary storage unit 103 also stores data supplied from the processor 101.

[0027] The input unit 104 includes input devices such as a hardware switch, an input key, a keyboard, and a pointing device. The input unit 104 acquires information input by a user of the management device 10, and notifies the processor 101 of the acquired information.

[0028] The output unit 105 includes output devices such as a light emitting diode (LED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), and a speaker. The output unit 105 presents various information to the user in accordance with instructions from the processor 101.

[0029] The communication unit 106 includes a communication interface circuit for communicating with an external device. The communication unit 106 receives a signal from the outside and outputs data indicated by the signal to the processor 101. The communication unit 106 also transmits a signal indicating the data output from the processor 101 to the external device.

[0030] By the cooperation of the above-mentioned hardware configurations, the management device 10, as shown in Figure 4, has as its functions a providing unit 11 that provides information to customer objects, a receiving unit 12 that receives information from customer objects, a management unit 13 that manages information assets, and a generating unit 14 that generates new information assets.

[0031] The provision unit 11 is realized mainly by cooperation between the processor 101 and the communication unit 106. The provision unit 11 provides information assets managed by the management unit 13 to the customer object. In detail, the provision unit 11 provides a reference asset 20 previously stored in the management unit 13 and an improvement asset 21 obtained by improving the reference asset 20 to the customer object. The provision unit 11 also provides new information assets generated by the generation unit 14 to the customer object.

[0032] The reception unit 12 is realized mainly by cooperation of the processor 101 and the communication unit 106. The reception unit 12 receives the repair asset 21 and information related to the repair asset from the terminals 31a, 31b, 31c of the customer object, and stores the information in the management unit 13. The information related to the repair asset includes permission information indicating that the repair asset 21 is permitted to be combined with the repair asset 21 of another customer object, and detailed information indicating details of the repair. The permission information and detailed information will be described later. The reception unit 12 corresponds to an example of a reception means that receives, via a network, permission information indicating that a combination of the repair asset of the object and the repair asset of the object and the repair asset of another object specified by the object is permitted from each of a plurality of objects that have obtained different repair assets by repairing a common reference asset as an information asset related to the control of equipment in a facility.

[0033] The management unit 13 is realized mainly by cooperation between the processor 101 and the auxiliary memory unit 103. The management unit 13 has an information asset DB 131. The management unit 13 acquires information assets, permission information, and detailed information from the reception unit 12 and stores them in the information asset DB 131, and acquires information assets generated by the generation unit 14 from the generation unit 14 and stores them in the information asset DB 131, thereby managing information related to the information assets using the information asset DB 131. In addition, the management unit 13 provides information included in the information asset DB 131 to the provision unit 11 and the generation unit 14 as appropriate. The management unit 13 corresponds to an example of a management means that associates and manages modification assets and permission information for each object.

[0034] Fig. 5 shows an example of the information asset DB 131. In the example of Fig. 5, IDs equal to the codes of the reference asset 20 and the modification asset 21 are assigned to the programs, such that the control program

[20] corresponds to the reference asset 20 and the modification program [21a1] corresponds to the modification asset 21a1.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, the information asset DB 131 associates information assets with detailed information for each customer object. For example, in FIG. 5, the modification program [21b1] of the customer object B is associated with detailed information indicating the reason for this modification, that is, "a useless error [ERR99] occurred." In other words, since a useless error [ERR99] occurred when the control program

[20] was used, the customer object B obtained the modification program [21b1] by modifying the control program

[20] . In addition, the modification program [21b2] corresponding to the modification asset 21b2 is associated with detailed information indicating the purpose of this modification, that is, "to accommodate a new model [ABC]." In addition, the modification program [21b3] corresponding to the modification asset 21b3 is associated with detailed information indicating the change content of this modification, that is, "to rewrite the function [F22] to one with a faster execution speed." In this way, the detailed information is information indicating at least one of the reason and purpose of the modification, and the change content applied to the information asset before the modification. The detailed information corresponds to an example of modification detailed information. The reasons and purposes indicated by the detailed information may indicate defects, errors, and user requests regarding the information asset before modification.

[0036] Figure 6 shows an example of a specific series of modifications to the information assets of customer object B. In the example in Figure 6, by adding description 41 to the control program

[20] , the modification program [21b1] prevents the occurrence of unnecessary error [ERR99]. Also, by adding description 42 to the modification program [21b1], the modification program [21b2] can be made compatible with the new model [ABC]. Also, by changing the code for the modification program [21b2] as in description 43, the execution speed of function [F22] in the modification program [21b3] has been increased.

[0037] Returning to FIG. 5, the modification program [21c1] of customer object C is associated with detailed information indicating the purpose of the modification, which is to "improve the execution speed of function [F22]." This detailed information is similar to the detailed information associated with modification program [21b3] of customer object B. In other words, customer object B and customer object C implemented similar modifications at different times. If the control systems of customer objects B and C both make heavy use of function [F22], equivalent modifications may be implemented. In this way, detailed information associated with different information assets may be equivalent information. Furthermore, detailed information may be equivalent information regardless of the form of reason, purpose, or change.

[0038] Similarly, the modification program [21c2] of customer object C is associated with detailed information equivalent to the modification program [21b1] of customer object B. Furthermore, the modification program [21c3] of customer object C is associated with detailed information equivalent to the modification program [21b2] of customer object B.

[0039] The information asset DB 131 in FIG. 5 shows a series of modification history from the reference asset 20 for each customer object, and therefore compiles and manages the tree-like or network-like modification history as shown in FIG.

[0040] Furthermore, the information asset DB 131 associates a customer object with permission information indicating the object of the other party that is permitted to reuse the information asset of the customer object. In the example of Fig. 5, the customer object A specifies only the customer object A itself as the object that is permitted to reuse the information asset. In other words, the customer object A does not disclose the information asset to other objects.

[0041] Customer object B designates customer objects B and C as parties permitted to reuse its information assets. As a result, customer object B's information assets are disclosed to customer object C, enabling customer object C to carry out development based on the information assets of customer object B. Customer object C also designates customer objects B and C as parties permitted to reuse its information assets.

[0042] The management device 10 enables the reuse of information assets between different customer objects that own information assets, such as customer objects B and C. The number of information assets available to each customer object increases, and the origin of these information assets is the same reference asset 20. Therefore, each customer object can use the modification asset 21 derived from the reference asset 20 as a fixed reference, even if it is information asset of another customer object, so that it becomes possible to use many information assets while easily understanding the intention of the modification.

[0043] In addition, in Fig. 6, a C-language based program is exemplified as the control program, but the format of the control program is not limited to this. For example, the control program may be a ladder program or an SFC (Sequential Function Chart) program, or may be written in an IL (Instruction List) or ST (Structured Text) language. In particular, the ladder program and SFC languages ​​are written so that the operation of the program can be understood visually, and are therefore suitable for reusing the operation between customer objects as an information asset.

[0044] Returning to FIG. 4, the generating unit 14 is mainly realized by the processor 101. The generating unit 14 generates a new information asset by combining information assets managed by the managing unit 13 according to the permission information. In the example of FIG. 5, the customer objects B and C each permit the other to reuse the information asset, so as shown in FIG. 7, the generating unit 14 generates a new information asset 23 as a standardized information asset based on a combination of the modification assets 21b1-21b3 of the customer object B and the modification assets 21c1-21c3 of the customer object C. The new information asset 23 can be provided to the customer objects B and C by the providing unit 11. The generating unit 14 corresponds to an example of a generating means that generates a new information asset based on a combination of the modification assets of different objects according to the permission information.

[0045] Next, the information asset generation process executed by the management device 10 having the above-mentioned functions will be described with reference to Figs. 8 to 11. The information asset generation process corresponds to an example of an information asset generation method executed by the information asset management device. Note that the procedure of the information asset generation process shown in Fig. 8 is an example, and the contents of each step may be changed, and the order of each step may be changed.

[0046] In the information asset generation process, the reception unit 12 acquires the reference asset 20 and the modification asset 21 (step S1). Specifically, the reception unit 12 receives the reference asset 20 from the user of the management device 10, and accepts registration of the modification assets 21a1-21a3, 21b1-21b3, and 21c1-21c3 from the customer objects A, B, and C. Note that the reference asset 20 may be stored in advance in the management unit 13, instead of being accepted from outside by the acceptance unit 12. Also, the acceptance unit 12 does not need to accept the modification asset 21 that was previously generated by the generation unit 14 in response to a request from a customer object.

[0047] Next, the generation unit 14 classifies the repair assets 21 repaired from a specific reference asset 20 based on the detailed information (step S2). When there are multiple reference assets 20 and repair assets 21 are derived from each reference asset 20, a specific reference asset 20 is specified by the user of the management device 10. As shown in Fig. 9, the repair assets 21b1 and 21c2 are associated with equivalent detailed information, as described above. The generation unit 14 classifies the repair assets associated with equivalent detailed information in this way into one group.

[0048] The classification of repair assets by the generation unit 14 is based on a similarity indicating the degree of similarity of the contents of the detailed information. The similarity is calculated, for example, by analyzing character strings registered as detailed information, identifying character strings indicating particularly important characteristics, and comparing the identified character strings. Repair assets whose similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold are classified into the same group. For repair assets 21b1 and 21c2 in FIG. 9, "error [ERR99]" is identified as a particularly important characteristic, and since this characteristic matches, they are classified into the same first group. Similarly, repair assets 21b2 and 21c3 are classified into the second group, and repair assets 21b3 and 21c1 are classified into the third group.

[0049] Returning to FIG. 8, following step S2, the generation unit 14 generates intermediate assets representative of the classified groups (step S3). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the generation unit 14 generates an intermediate asset 22err having the characteristics of the modification assets 21 from the modification assets 21b1 and 21c2 included in the first group. The intermediate asset 22err may be either one of the modification assets 21b1 and 21c2, or may be created by merging the source codes of these modification assets 21. The selection method for selecting any one of the modification assets 21 as the intermediate asset is arbitrary, and may be selected according to selection criteria such as a fast execution speed or high readability due to the inclusion of comments, for example.

[0050] As with the first group, the generation unit 14 generates an intermediate asset 22abc from the repair assets 21b2 and 21c3 belonging to the second group, and generates an intermediate asset 22f22 from the repair assets 21b3 and 21c1 belonging to the third group.

[0051] Returning to Fig. 8, following step S3, the generation unit 14 generates a new information asset 23 from the multiple intermediate assets (step S4). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 10, the generation unit 14 generates a new information asset 23 that has all of the features of each of the intermediate assets generated in step S3. Fig. 11 shows an example of the new information asset 23. As shown in Fig. 11, the new information asset 23 includes a description of the modification asset 21b3 adopted as the intermediate asset 22f22, a description of the modification asset 21b2 adopted as the intermediate asset 22abc, and a description of the modification asset 21c2 adopted as the intermediate asset 22err.

[0052] As described above, the management device 10 generates a new information asset 23 based on a combination of modification assets 21 of different customer objects in accordance with permission information that specifies a customer object and indicates that a combination of modification assets is permitted. Therefore, the customer object itself can limit the range of objects into which the modification assets are to be reused. In addition, because a new standardized information asset 23 having the characteristics of multiple modification assets 21 is generated, the targets of development work that once branched off for different customer objects can be consolidated again into the new information asset 23. Therefore, information assets related to device control can be developed efficiently.

[0053] Furthermore, the modified asset 21 is not limited to an information asset obtained by performing one modification on the reference asset 20, but may be an information asset that has been modified multiple times. The modified asset 21 finally obtained by performing multiple modifications has many features compared to the reference asset 20, but it is relatively difficult to merge such modified assets 21 to obtain a new information asset 23. In response to this, the management unit 13 according to this embodiment manages the modified asset 21 together with the modification history, and manages the modified asset 21 obtained by each of the multiple modifications. This makes it possible to identify the features that are successively added to the reference asset 20 in small steps, which can ultimately contribute to the efficient generation of new information assets 23.

[0054] Furthermore, the management unit 13 manages the modification assets 21 and detailed information in association with each other for each customer object, and the generation unit 14 generates new information assets 23 based on the detailed information from the modification assets 21 of the permitted combinations. Therefore, it is possible to generate new information assets 23 according to the contents of the modification.

[0055] More specifically, the generation unit 14 classifies the repair assets 21 into a plurality of groups based on the similarity indicating the degree of similarity of the repair details indicated by the detailed information, obtains intermediate assets representative of each group, and generates a new information asset 23 from the intermediate assets of the plurality of groups. According to such a generation method, it is possible to efficiently generate a new information asset 23 from a combination of repair assets 21 that may have overlapping characteristics.

[0056] The receiving unit 12 according to the present embodiment corresponds to an example of a receiving means for receiving, from each of a plurality of objects, the repair asset obtained by repair and the repair detail information indicating the details of the repair of the repair asset. The management unit 13 corresponds to an example of a management means for associating and managing the repair asset and the repair detail information for each object, and the generation unit 14 corresponds to an example of a generation means for generating a new information asset based on the repair detail information from the repair assets of the permitted combination.

[0057] Embodiment 2 Next, the second embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. Note that the same or equivalent configurations as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals. In the first embodiment, detailed information indicating the details of the modifications was used to generate a new information asset 23. However, it is also possible to generate a new information asset 23 using other information. Below, an example will be described in which a new information asset 23 is generated based on the environment of the control system in which the information asset is used, instead of detailed information.

[0058] 12, the management unit 13 according to this embodiment manages, for each customer object, a repair asset 21 in association with environmental information indicating the environment of the control system in which the repair asset 21 is used. The environmental information is, for example, the configuration of the control system, the unit configuration of a control device which is a PLC, parameters set in the control device or devices constituting the control system, or a manual indicating the specifications of the control device or devices. The environmental information is received by the reception unit 12 together with the repair asset 21 and stored in the information asset DB 131.

[0059] The generating unit 14 generates a new information asset 23 based on the environmental information, similar to the detailed information according to the first embodiment. The environmental information is information indicating the environment in which the need for modification has arisen, and therefore, similar to the detailed information, it can be used to generate a new information asset 23. For example, when environmental information indicating that a new device of model [ABC] is to be added to a control system is associated with a different modification asset 21, it is considered that both of these modification assets 21 have been modified to accommodate the device.

[0060] As described above, the management device 10 according to the present embodiment generates the new information asset 23 as a standardized information asset based on the environment information. Even in this embodiment, it is possible to achieve the same effects as the management device 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0061] The receiving unit 12 according to the present embodiment corresponds to an example of a receiving means for receiving, from each of a plurality of objects, the modification asset obtained by modification and the control environment information indicating the controlled environment in which the modification asset is to be used. The management unit 13 corresponds to an example of a management means for associating and managing the modification asset with the control environment information for each object, and the generation unit 14 corresponds to an example of a generation means for generating a new information asset based on the control environment information from the modification assets of an allowed combination.

[0062] Embodiment 3 Next, the third embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. Note that the same or equivalent configurations as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it accepts instructions from a user in an interactive format and generates a new information asset 23 according to the accepted instructions.

[0063] The generation unit 14 according to this embodiment is realized by cooperation of the processor 101, the input unit 104, and the output unit 105. As shown in Fig. 13, the generation unit 14 interactively obtains instructions from the user U1 while providing information to the user U1, and generates a new information asset 23 according to the obtained instructions. In detail, when executing each step of the information asset generation process shown in Fig. 8, the generation unit 14 notifies the user U1 of the contents of the execution step, confirms with the user U1 whether or not the execution is possible, and accepts a change instruction from the user U1 by urging the user U1 to change the contents of the step as necessary. The change instruction is, for example, an instruction to correct the classification result of the repair asset, or an instruction to select a repair asset to be adopted as an intermediate asset.

[0064] The generation unit 14 interactively advances the procedure for generating a new information asset 23, as exemplified by the user interface screen of Fig. 14. In this user interface screen, information provided by the management device 10 is shown on the left side, and information input by the user U1 is shown underlined on the right side.

[0065] As described above, the generation unit 14 generates a new information asset 23 according to instructions entered interactively into the user interface. This makes it possible to generate an appropriate information asset that reflects the user's intentions.

[0066] The user who interactively inputs instructions is not limited to user U1, and may be customer objects A, B, or C. For example, when customer object B standardizes the repair assets 21b1-21b3 and 21c1-21c3 of customer objects B and C, the customer object B may interactively cause the generation unit 14 to generate new information asset 23 via the network NW.

[0067] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0068] For example, the generation unit 14 may generate a new information asset 23 having overlapping characteristics of modification assets 21 of two or more customer objects as shown in Fig. 15. In other words, the generation unit 14 may generate a new information asset 23 having overlapping characteristics of a permitted combination of modification assets 21 with respect to information assets before modification. Such generation can be achieved by discarding a group to which only one modification asset 21 belongs, by classification based on detailed information or environmental information.

[0069] 16, the generation unit 14 may generate a new information asset 23 that has all the characteristics of the repair asset 21. That is, the generation unit 14 may generate a new information asset 23 that has the characteristics that at least one of the permitted combinations of repair assets 21 has with respect to the information asset before repair. Such generation can be achieved by adopting a group to which only one repair asset 21 belongs without discarding it, by classification based on detailed information or environmental information.

[0070] In addition, the above description focuses on an example in which multiple customer objects mutually permit the reuse of information assets, but the present invention is not limited to this. A first customer object may permit a second customer object to reuse information assets, while the second customer object may not permit the first customer object to reuse information assets. In this case, a new information asset generated from the information assets of the first and second customer objects is provided to the second customer object, but is not provided to the first customer object.

[0071] Although an example in which individual customer objects are designated as targets for which diversion is permitted has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, targets for which diversion is permitted may be designated using labels or attributes attached to customer objects.

[0072] Further, although the control program is an example of an information asset, the information asset may be the above-mentioned parameters, system configuration, other information, or a combination of these pieces of information.

[0073] The above-mentioned embodiments may be combined in any manner. For example, the first and second embodiments may be combined to generate a new information asset 23 based on both detailed information and environmental information. The second and third embodiments may be combined to interactively acquire detailed information to supplement the generation of a new information asset 23 based on environmental information.

[0074] The functions of the management device 10 according to the above-described embodiment can be realized by dedicated hardware or by a general computer system.

[0075] For example, the program P1 can be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), and the program P1 can be installed on a computer to configure an apparatus that executes the above-mentioned processing.

[0076] Also, the program P1 may be stored in a disk device of a server device on a communication network such as the Internet, and may be downloaded to a computer, for example, by being superimposed on a carrier wave.

[0077] The above-mentioned processing can also be achieved by starting and executing the program P1 while transferring it via a network such as the Internet.

[0078] Furthermore, the above-mentioned processing can also be achieved by executing all or part of the program P1 on a server device, and executing the program P1 while the computer transmits and receives information related to the processing via a communications network.

[0079] In addition, when the above-mentioned functions are shared and realized by the OS (Operating System) or by the OS working together with an application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored on a medium and distributed, or may be downloaded to a computer.

[0080] Furthermore, the means for realizing the functions of the management device 10 is not limited to software, and some or all of the functions may be realized by dedicated hardware or circuits.

[0081] Various embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure are possible without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiments are for explaining the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the scope of the disclosure equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0082] This disclosure is suitable for the development of information assets to be used in FA fields. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 10 management device, 11 provision unit, 12 reception unit, 13 management unit, 14 generation unit, 20 reference asset, 21, 21a1 to 21a3, 21b1 to 21b3, 21c1 to 21c3 modified asset, 22f22, 22abc, 22err intermediate asset, 23 new information asset, 30a, 30b, 30c facility, 31a, 31b, 31c terminal, 32 control device, 33 equipment, 41 to 43 description, 100 management system, 101 processor, 102 main memory unit, 103 auxiliary memory unit, 104 input unit, 105 output unit, 106 communication unit, 107 internal bus, 131 information asset DB, 300 control system, 301 information network, 302 control network, NW network, P1 program, U1 user.

Claims

1. a receiving means for receiving, via a network, permission information from each of a plurality of objects that have obtained different repair assets by repairing a common reference asset as an information asset related to the control of equipment in a facility, indicating that the repair asset of the object and a combination of the repair asset of the object and the repair asset of another object designated by the object are permitted; a management means for managing the repair asset and the permission information in association with each other for each object; a generating means for generating a new information asset based on the combination of the modified assets of the different objects according to the permission information; An information asset management device comprising:

2. The information assets include at least one of a control program for controlling the device, parameters set in at least one of the device and a control device that controls the device, information indicating the configuration of a control system including the device and the control device, and a manual for the device or the control device.

2. The information asset management device according to claim 1.

3. The modified asset is the information asset obtained by one or more modifications to the reference asset, The management means manages the repair assets together with the repair history of the repair assets.

2. The information asset management device according to claim 1.

4. the generating means generates the new information asset having characteristics that at least one of the modified assets of the combination has compared to the information asset before modification.

2. The information asset management device according to claim 1.

5. the generating means generates the new information asset having characteristics that the modified asset of the combination has overlapping with the information asset before modification.

2. The information asset management device according to claim 1.

6. the receiving means receives, from each of the plurality of objects, the repair asset obtained by repair and repair detail information indicating details of the repair of the repair asset; the management means manages the repair asset and the repair detail information in association with each other for each object; the generating means generates the new information asset from the combined repair assets based on the repair detail information.

2. The information asset management device according to claim 1.

7. The modification detail information indicates at least one of the reason for the modification, the purpose, and the content of the changes made to the information asset before the modification.

7. The information asset management device according to claim 6.

8. the generating means classifies the repair assets of the combination into a plurality of groups based on a similarity indicating a degree of similarity between the repair details indicated by the repair detail information, obtains intermediate assets representing each of the groups, and generates the new information assets from the intermediate assets of the plurality of groups.

7. The information asset management device according to claim 6.

9. the receiving means receives, from each of the plurality of objects, the repair asset obtained by repair and control environment information indicating the control environment in which the repair asset is used; the management means manages the repair asset and the control environment information in association with each other for each object; the generating means generates the new information asset from the combination of the repair assets based on the control environment information.

2. The information asset management device according to claim 1.

10. the generating means generates the new information asset in accordance with an instruction inputted interactively to a user interface; 2. The information asset management device according to claim 1.

11. a terminal for each of a plurality of objects that have different modified assets obtained by modifying a common reference asset as an information asset related to the control of equipment in the facility; an information asset management device according to claim 1 , which receives the repair asset from each of the terminals; An information asset management system equipped with:

12. a receiving means for receiving, from each of a plurality of objects that have obtained different repair assets by repairing a common reference asset as an information asset related to the control of equipment in a facility, permission information indicating that the repair asset of the object and a combination of the repair asset of the object and the repair asset of another object designated by the object are permitted; a generating means for generating a new information asset based on the combination of the modification assets of the different objects according to the permission information; An information asset generation method comprising:

13. On the computer, receiving permission information from each of a plurality of objects that have obtained different repair assets by repairing a common reference asset as an information asset related to the control of equipment in a facility, indicating that the repair asset of the object and a combination of the repair asset of the object and the repair asset of another object designated by the object are permitted; generating a new information asset based on the combination of the modified assets of the different objects according to the permission information; A program to make it happen.

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