Information processing device, control system, information processing method, control method, and program

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an information processing device and the like capable of allowing a user to easily and more efficiently manage a facility to be managed. [Solution] According to one aspect of the present invention, provided is an information processing device that assists in the management of a facility to be managed. This information processing device is configured to be able to acquire a management item data group pertaining to the facility to be managed and an external environment factor for the facility to be managed and / or a facility not to be managed. The information processing device comprises a processor. The processor is configured to be able to execute the following steps. In a first reception step, two or more management items for the facility to be managed are received from a user. In a second reception step, a future time condition is received from the user. In a first prediction step, the states of the management items under the future time condition are predicted on the basis of the received future time condition and the temporal transition of the management item data group.

Description

Information processing device, control system, information processing method, control method, and program

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

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

[0003] International Publication No. 2013 / 172088 Pamphlet International Publication No. 2017 / 022113 Pamphlet

[0004] However, in recent years, due to various demands, the purposes for managing specific facilities have become more diverse, and therefore there is a demand for technology that allows users to more easily manage the facilities they are managing.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an information processing device that allows a user to more efficiently manage the equipment to be managed, and more preferably, an information processing device that allows a user to manage the equipment to be managed based on target values ​​and options.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing device that supports the management of managed facilities. The information processing device is configured to be able to acquire a group of data on management items related to the managed facilities, non-managed facilities, and / or external environmental factors for the managed facilities. The information processing device includes a processor. The processor is configured to be able to execute the following steps: In a first reception step, two or more management items for the managed facilities are received from a user; In a second reception step, a future time condition is received from the user; In a first prediction step, the state of the management items under the future time condition is predicted based on the received future time condition and the temporal progression of the data group of the management items.

[0007] According to the above aspect, an information processing device or the like is provided that allows a user to more efficiently manage equipment to be managed.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of an information processing device 1. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the information processing device 1. FIG. 4 is an activity diagram showing the flow of information processing using the information processing device 1 etc. FIG. 5 is an activity diagram showing the flow of information processing using the information processing device 1 etc. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining details of a third reception step. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a second selection step and a first presentation step. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a fourth reception step. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a second prediction step and a second presentation step. FIG. 10 is an activity diagram showing the flow of information processing using the information processing device 1 etc.

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

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

[0011] In this embodiment, the term "unit" may include, for example, a combination of hardware resources implemented by a circuit in the broad sense and software information processing that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. In addition, various types of information are handled in this embodiment, and this information may be represented by, for example, physical values ​​of signal values ​​representing voltages and currents, high and low signal values ​​as a binary bit set consisting of 0 or 1, or quantum superposition (so-called quantum bits), and communication and calculations may be performed on a circuit in the broad sense.

[0012] Furthermore, a circuit in the broad sense is a circuit realized by at least an appropriate combination of a circuit, circuitry, a processor, a memory, etc. That is, it includes an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (e.g., a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), etc.

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

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

[0015] In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 is configured to acquire a group of data on management items related to managed equipment, non-managed equipment, and / or external environmental factors related to the managed equipment. Specifically, in the information processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1 , the information processing device 1 is connected to a plant PL1, plants PL2 and PL3 (described later), a sensor 2, and the like, via a communication line. That is, in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, the management items that the information processing device 1 can acquire may include management items related to non-managed equipment. The communication line may include the Internet or the like, and mediates the exchange of data between the equipment connected to the communication line. Furthermore, the system exemplified by the information processing system 100 is composed of one or more devices or components. Therefore, even the information processing device 1 alone is an example of a system.

[0016] As an example, plant PL2 is a plant that executes a product production process, and plant PL1 is a plant that functions as a wastewater treatment facility that treats wastewater from the product production process. In other words, in terms of the flow of wastewater, plant PL1 is located downstream of plant PL2, and typically, wastewater generated in plant PL2 is transported to plant PL1 via liquid line LL1. The equipment and the like installed in plant PL1 can be appropriately configured depending on the type of wastewater. For example, if the wastewater is aqueous, a biological treatment device or the like may be installed in plant PL1. Note that this biological treatment device uses microorganisms or the like that can purify the wastewater. Although not shown in FIG. 1 , a sensor may also be attached to liquid line LL1, and this sensor may be connected to the information processing device 1 via a communication line.

[0017] The information processing device 1 may also be connected to a plant PL3 ​​via a communication line. Although the plant PL3 ​​is not connected to the plant PL1, which is the managed plant, by a line or the like, it can function as a component of the information processing system 100 of this embodiment. That is, the information processing system 100 of this embodiment utilizes management items for predetermined management matters, and the plant PL3 ​​can provide effective parameters for managing the managed plant, for example, because it is located nearby.

[0018] Alternatively, the information processing device 1 may be connected to the sensor 2 via a communication line. The sensor 2 is typically configured to be able to acquire parameters related to external environmental factors for the equipment to be managed (plant PL1). More specific examples of the sensor 2 include a pH meter, a flow meter, a level meter, an ORP meter, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a vibration sensor, and a gas sensor (carbon dioxide sensor). Of course, the sensor 2 is not limited to these, and the type of sensor 2 may be appropriately set depending on the items to be managed, etc. Note that while FIG. 1 shows an example in which the sensor 2 is attached outside the plant PL1, each of the above-mentioned sensors 2 may also be installed inside the plant PL1.

[0019] In the information processing system 100 in FIG. 1 , the managed facility is shown as plant PL1. However, the scale of the "managed facility" is not limited to a plant and may be a specific piece of equipment or a collection of such equipment. Furthermore, the managed facility is not limited to equipment located at a specific business establishment but may be equipment or a collection of such equipment located at other business establishments in the area including the specific business establishment. Similarly, plants PL2 and PL3, which do not fall under the category of managed facility, may also be specific pieces of equipment or a collection of such equipment, and are not limited to equipment located at a specific business establishment but may be equipment or a collection of such equipment located at other business establishments in the area including the specific business establishment. Furthermore, if the managed facility is related to an industrial field, the industrial field is not limited to wastewater treatment as described above but may be various manufacturing fields (including chemical manufacturing, automobile manufacturing, steel manufacturing, paper manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing, etc.), power generation, etc.

[0020] 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 has a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, a display unit 14, and a communication unit 15, and is configured by electrically connecting each of these units via a communication bus 10. Each unit provided in the information processing device 1 will be described below.

[0021] (Control Unit 11) The control unit 11 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown) (which may also be referred to as a "processor"). The control unit 11 realizes various functions related to the information processing device 1 by reading out predetermined programs stored in the storage unit 12. In other words, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 12 is specifically realized by the control unit 11, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 11. These will be described in more detail in the next section. Note that the control unit 11 is not limited to being single, and may be implemented with multiple control units 11 for each function. A combination of these may also be used.

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

[0023] (Input Unit 13) The input unit 13 may be included in the housing of the information processing device 1 or may be externally attached. For example, the input unit 13 may be implemented as a touch panel integrated with the display unit 14. The touch panel allows the user to input tapping, swiping, and the like. Of course, a switch button, a mouse, a QWERTY keyboard, or the like may be used instead of a touch panel. That is, the input unit 13 accepts an operation input made by the user. The input is transferred as a command signal to the control unit 11 via the communication bus 10, and the control unit 11 can execute predetermined control or calculation as necessary.

[0024] (Display Unit 14) The display unit 14 may be, for example, included in the housing of the information processing device 1 or may be externally attached. The display unit 14 displays a graphical user interface (GUI) screen that can be operated by the user. This is preferably implemented by selectively using display devices such as a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and a plasma display depending on the type of the information processing device 1.

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

[0026] Furthermore, although not shown, plants PL1, PL2, and PL3 connected to information processing device 1 via communication lines may also be equipped with devices having the same hardware configuration as information processing device 1 described above.

[0027] In Figure 2, the information processing device 1 is described as having a control unit 11, a memory unit 12, an input unit 13, a display unit 14, and a communication unit 15, but for example, the control unit 11 and the memory unit 12 may be provided in an externally constructed device such as a cloud server, and may be configured to function as a pseudo-integrated information processing device 1 by sending and receiving electrical signals to and from the information processing device 1.

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

[0029] Specifically, the information processing device 1 (controller 11) may include, as functional units, a receiver 111, a predictor 112, a selector 113, a presenter 114, an acquirer 115, an equipment controller 116, and a memory manager 117. Note that these functional units may be increased or omitted as appropriate depending on the application to which the information processing device 1 is applied.

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

[0031] (Prediction Unit 112) The prediction unit 112 is configured to be able to execute a prediction step. In the prediction step, the prediction unit 112 predicts a (future) state of a predetermined object based on received information, etc. In this embodiment, in a first prediction step, the prediction unit 112 predicts the state of a management item under future time conditions based on the received future time conditions and the temporal progression of the data group of the management item. In addition, in a second prediction step, the prediction unit 112 predicts the future state of the management item based on the received options. Details of each step will be described later.

[0032] (Selection Unit 113) The selection unit 113 is configured to be able to execute a selection step. In the selection step, the selection unit 113 selects a specific candidate from multiple candidates based on the received various information. In this embodiment, in the first selection step, the selection unit 113 selects high-priority management items from a data group of management items based on the received management items. In addition, in the second selection step, the selection unit 113 selects high-priority management items and multiple combinations of values ​​corresponding to the high-priority management items based on target values ​​for each of the received management items. Details of each step will be described later.

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

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

[0035] (Equipment Control Unit 116) The equipment control unit 116 is configured to be able to execute a control step (equipment control step). In the control step (equipment control step), the equipment control unit 116 controls the equipment to be managed based on the acquired setting values. A specific example of this control is a mode in which the equipment control unit 116 automatically changes the control conditions for the equipment to be managed. Another example is a mode in which the equipment control unit 116 issues an instruction to change the control conditions, and an operator manages operation under the presented control conditions.

[0036] (Memory management unit 117) The memory management unit 117 is configured to be able to execute a memory management step. In the memory management step, the memory management unit 117 is configured to manage various pieces of information to be stored that are related to the processes of this embodiment, etc. Typically, the memory management unit 117 is configured to store information handled by the information processing device 1 in a memory area. This memory area is exemplified by the memory unit 12 of the information processing device 1 or the memory units of various devices and terminals, but this memory area does not necessarily have to be within the process shown in FIG. 1, and the memory management unit 117 can also manage various pieces of information to be stored in an external storage device, etc.

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

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

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

[0040] Here, the "management items" are items that should be managed for the equipment to be managed, and in the information processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1, they are the contents that should be managed for the plant PL1. Note that these management items may be quantitative or qualitative. Note that the "management items" may also be called "objective variables" because they correspond to the objectives to be achieved for the equipment to be managed.

[0041] Typically, the management items may be any items selected from the group consisting of laws and regulations, productivity, resource availability, energy saving, labor saving, cost reduction, and environmental hygiene. In many application examples, when two or more management items are managed, there may be a trade-off relationship between those management items, but the information processing device 1 of this embodiment can be applied without any problem of such a trade-off relationship.

[0042] 1 is a waste liquid treatment facility, there may be a trade-off between cost reduction and environmental hygiene. In other words, considering environmental hygiene when discharging waste liquid (wastewater), it is desirable to increase the degree of treatment, but increasing the degree of treatment is likely to result in higher costs. The information processing device 1 of this embodiment can provide a technology useful for considering this balance.

[0043] In this way, the management items of this embodiment may be items related to two or more different categories from those listed above. On the other hand, the management items of this embodiment may be two or more items related to the same category depending on the application. Furthermore, the management items of this embodiment are not limited to this, and management items other than the categories listed above may be adopted depending on the application.

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

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

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

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

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1 , the information processing device 1 is configured to be able to acquire a group of data on management items related to the managed facility (plant PL1), non-managed facilities (plants PL2, PL3, etc.), and / or external environmental factors for the managed facilities (factors obtainable by sensors 2, factors obtainable from the Web, factors obtainable from information published by public institutions, etc.). That is, in the first embodiment, various information that may be related to the state of the managed facility (plant PL1) can be acquired, thereby making it possible to accurately predict the state of the management items under future time conditions. Note that the "management items" here correspond to parameters that contribute to the management items, and may therefore also be referred to as "explanatory variables."

[0049] Specifically, this prediction is based on the operation results and future operation plans of the managed facility (Plant PL1), as well as the operation results and future operation plans of other facilities, external environmental factors (for example, weather, temperature and humidity changes, river water quality, local population, CO2 emissions from local businesses, etc.). ２ The information processing system 100 may refer to the current status of the equipment under management under future time conditions received from the user, such as the amount of wastewater discharged from the equipment, the amount of wastewater discharged from the equipment, and other factors. Note that this prediction may be performed based on a regression model (linear model) based on data acquired from the equipment and sensors involved in the information processing system 100, an artificial intelligence (AI) model trained on data acquired from the equipment and sensors involved in the information processing system 100, a lookup table based on data acquired from the equipment and sensors involved in the information processing system 100, or the like. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and a known diffraction method based on the obtained data group may also be employed.

[0050] The predicted data may be presented to the user as appropriate. Typically, the predicted results may be displayed on the display unit 14 of the information processing device 1, but this is not limited thereto. A predetermined printed document related to the predicted data may be issued, or the predicted data may be displayed on a device other than the information processing device 1. The predicted data may also be stored on a cloud, and a user with security privileges may be authenticated and check the data online. The presented data may be the predicted content of two or more management items at a predetermined time point, or the temporal progression from the present to a predetermined time point (a time point corresponding to a future time condition).

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

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

[0053] Such an information processing method will be described below by showing specific examples. Note that in the second embodiment, the description of the overlapping parts with the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the differences will be described.

[0054] 5 is an activity diagram showing the flow of information processing using the information processing device 1, etc. That is, in the second embodiment, as a first reception step, the reception unit 111 receives from the user two or more management items for the equipment to be managed (activity A201). Note that this first reception step is almost the same as the first reception step in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0055] In the second embodiment, in the first selection step, a high-priority control item is selected from a group of control item data based on the received control item (activity A202). As described above, in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, the information processing device 1 is configured to be able to communicate with not only the managed facility (plant PL1) but also other facilities (plants PL2 and PL3) and sensors 2, etc., and is configured to acquire various parameters (groups of control item data) from various devices. The selection unit 113 of the information processing device 1 positions the control item received in the first reception step as a response variable and the group of control item data obtainable by the information processing device 1 as explanatory variables, and selects control items that contribute significantly to the control item received in the first reception step. As described above, when managing two or more control items, there may be a trade-off between the control items. However, the information processing device 1 of this embodiment may be configured to select control items that can efficiently resolve such a trade-off. Note that the number of such control items may be one or more. On the other hand, an upper limit on the number of management items to be selected may be set appropriately depending on the processing capacity of the information processing device 1, etc.

[0056] As a typical example, if a user inputs items such as legal compliance and productivity improvement as management items for plant PL1, management items that are highly related to these items, such as the productivity (yield rate, etc.) of plant PL2 and the raw water quality of plant PL1, may be selected. Such processing is performed, for example, as follows. That is, one or more objectives are linked to various management items in advance and set as a master table, and similarly, one or more objectives are linked to various management items and set as a master table. In response to this, when the user selects a management item, the necessary management item is selected as a high-priority management item from management items that share an objective with the selected management item.

[0057] Note that such high-priority control items may be selected by ranking them according to their priority. The priority of the control items may be set to different ranks depending on the conditions of other factors that affect the control items. For example, if data on raw water quality (drainage system) is acquired and compliance with laws and regulations is set as a control item, it is possible to set the raw water quality (drainage system) as a control item with a high priority if the water quality behavior is greater than a predetermined value.

[0058] While high-priority management items are selected in this way, in this embodiment, a future time condition is accepted from the user as a second acceptance step (activity A203). This activity A203 is almost the same as activity A102 in the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0059] Next, in a first prediction step, the information processing device 1 predicts the state of the management item under the future time conditions based on the future time conditions received in the second reception step and the temporal progression of the data group of the management item selected in the first selection step (activity A204). That is, in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to predict the future state of the management item. In this way, it is possible to efficiently predict the future state of the management item.

[0060] Furthermore, in the information processing method of the second embodiment, a third reception step is performed in which target values ​​for each management item are received from the user after the first prediction step is executed (activity A205). The manner in which these target values ​​are received will be described with reference to FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the details of the third reception step. In a typical example, when the aforementioned first prediction step is executed, predicted values ​​(x0, y0, z0) for each management item (management items X, Y, Z) for the equipment to be managed are presented. This presentation may be realized, for example, by the function of the presentation unit 114. Upon seeing these predicted values, the user can consider the target values ​​(target values; x1, y1, z1) for each management item and input the values ​​by operating a terminal, etc.

[0061] When the target values ​​are input by the user in this manner, a second selection step selects multiple high-priority management items and combinations of values ​​corresponding to the high-priority management items based on the target values ​​for each of the received management items (activity A206).Furthermore, a first presentation step presents each of the high-priority management items and combinations of values ​​corresponding to the high-priority management items selected in the second selection step as options (activity A207).

[0062] FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the second selection step and the first presentation step. That is, the second selection step and the first presentation step can display to the user combinations (combinations of control items and values ​​(setting values)) that match the target values ​​received in the third reception step. In the example of FIG. 6 , target values ​​such as x1, y1, and z1 were received for each of the control items X, Y, and Z. In the second selection step, combinations of control items and their values ​​that can be x1, y1, and z1 are selected and presented to the user. Specifically, in FIG. 7 , setting value proposals corresponding to each control item are presented as "Proposal 1," "Proposal 2," "Proposal 3," and so on.

[0063] In response to this, in a fourth reception step, the user is asked to select one of the options presented in the first presentation step (activity A208). That is, when the user selects one of the proposals (proposal 1, proposal 2, proposal 3, etc.) presented in Fig. 7, the reception unit 111 receives a combination of management items and the corresponding setting values ​​for each of the management items. Fig. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the fourth reception step. Fig. 8 shows the state in which the user has selected "proposal 2."

[0064] Once the fourth reception step has been executed in this manner, the future states of the management items are predicted based on the received options in the second prediction step (activity A209). Furthermore, the future states of the management items predicted in the second prediction step are presented to the user in the second presentation step (activity A210). Figure 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the second prediction step and the second presentation step. As shown in Figure 9, if the previous "proposal 2" is adopted, the state of each management item can be presented to the user (x2, y2, z2, etc.).

[0065] Prior to executing the second prediction step, the values ​​corresponding to the options accepted in the fourth acceptance step may be changed by a terminal operation by the user, etc. In this case, the second prediction step is executed based on the changed values.

[0066] Furthermore, the presentation in the second presentation step may indicate the status at a time corresponding to the time condition previously received from the user, or may indicate the status during a predetermined time period. Note that the second presentation step may be configured to present the future temporal progression of the management items. That is, the user may be presented with how the management items related to the equipment to be managed will progress from the present to the future. Typically, the temporal progression of the management items may be presented to the user using a graph with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the management items (each of two or more management items).

[0067] In this way, the management of the facilities to be managed can be more reliably performed.

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

[0069] FIG. 10 is an activity diagram showing the flow of information processing using the information processing device 1 and the like. That is, the information processing method (control method) of the third embodiment acquires, as setting values, values ​​corresponding to high-priority management items associated with the options presented in the second embodiment (acquisition step), and controls the equipment to be managed (control step (equipment control step)) (see activities A301-302). As described above, if the information processing device 1 is equipped with the acquisition unit 115 and the equipment control unit 116, the information processing device 1 itself may acquire values ​​corresponding to high-priority management items and control the equipment to be managed based on these functions. Alternatively, a predetermined device not shown in FIG. 1 may acquire values ​​corresponding to high-priority management items associated with the options presented by the information processing device 1 and then control the equipment to be managed. The setting values ​​acquired in the acquisition step may be manually input or automatically set based on the functions of the information processing device 1. Furthermore, the control step (equipment control step) may be manually executed or automatically executed based on the functions of the predetermined device.

[0070] The "high-priority management items" in the acquisition step may be management items selected in the first selection step. In this case, the setting values ​​corresponding to the various management items may be manually input. On the other hand, the "high-priority management items" in the acquisition step may be a combination of the management items selected in the second selection step and values ​​corresponding to the high-priority management items. In this case, the values ​​can be used as setting values ​​to control the equipment.

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

[0072] The above-described embodiment has been described as a configuration of the information processing device 1, but at least one computer may be provided with a program that causes the information processing device 1 to execute each step. Also, at least one computer may be provided with a program that causes the information processing device 1 to execute each step of the control system described above.

[0073] Finally, while various embodiments of the present invention have been described, they are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments may be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Such embodiments and modifications are intended to be included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the claims and their equivalents.

[0074] Furthermore, it may be provided in the following aspects.

[0075] (1) An information processing device that supports the management of managed equipment, configured to be able to acquire a group of data on management items related to the managed equipment, non-managed equipment, and / or external environmental factors for the managed equipment, the information processing device having a processor, and the processor configured to be able to execute each of the following steps: in a first reception step, receiving from a user two or more management items for the managed equipment; in a second reception step, receiving from the user future time conditions; and in a first prediction step, predicting the state of the management items under the future time conditions based on the received future time conditions and the temporal progression of the data on the management items.

[0076] (2) An information processing device that supports the management of managed equipment, configured to acquire a group of data on management items related to the managed equipment, non-managed equipment, and / or external environmental factors for the managed equipment, the information processing device having a processor, and the processor configured to execute each of the following steps: in a first reception step, the information processing device receives from a user two or more management items for the managed equipment; and in a first selection step, the information processing device selects a management item with a high priority from the group of data on the management items based on the received management items.

[0077] (3) In the information processing device described in (2) above, in a second reception step, future time conditions are received from the user, and in a first prediction step, the state of the management item under the future time conditions is predicted based on the received future time conditions and the temporal progression of the data group of the management item.

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

[0079] (5) In the information processing device described in (4) above, in a fourth reception step, the information processing device receives from the user a designation of one of the options presented in the first presentation step, in a second prediction step, predicts the future state of the management item based on the accepted option, and in a second presentation step, presents to the user the future state of the management item predicted in the second prediction step.

[0080] (6) In the information processing device described in (5) above, in the second presentation step, future temporal changes in the management items are presented.

[0081] (7) In the information processing device described in any one of (1) to (6) above, the management matters are matters related to any one selected from the group consisting of laws and regulations, productivity, amount of resources, energy saving, labor saving, cost reduction, and environmental hygiene.

[0082] (8) In the information processing device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, the management items that can be acquired by the information processing device include management items for equipment that is not a management target.

[0083] (9) A control system for controlling equipment to be managed, the control system including a processor configured to be able to execute each of the following steps: in an acquisition step, a value corresponding to the high-priority management item associated with the option presented by an information processing device described in any one of (4) to (6) above is acquired as a setting value; in the acquisition step, the setting value is acquired based on human operation or selection by a processor; and in the control step, the equipment to be managed is controlled based on the acquired setting value.

[0084] (10) An information processing method comprising the steps of the information processing device according to any one of (1) to (8) above.

[0085] (11) A control method comprising the steps of the control system described in (9) above.

[0086] (12) A program that causes a computer to execute each step of the information processing device described in any one of (1) to (8) above or each step of the control system described in (9). Of course, this is not a limitation.

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

Claims

1. An information processing device that supports the management of managed equipment, configured to acquire a group of data on management items related to the managed equipment, non-managed equipment and / or external environmental factors for the managed equipment, the information processing device having a processor, the processor configured to execute each of the following steps: a first reception step, receiving two or more management items for the managed equipment from a user; a second reception step, receiving future time conditions from the user; and a first prediction step, predicting the state of the management items under the future time conditions based on the received future time conditions and the temporal progression of the group of data on the management items.

2. An information processing device that supports the management of managed equipment, configured to acquire a group of data on management items relating to the managed equipment, non-managed equipment and / or external environmental factors for the managed equipment, the information processing device having a processor, the processor being configured to execute each of the following steps: in a first reception step, the information processing device receives from a user two or more management items for the managed equipment; and in a first selection step, the information processing device selects a high priority management item from the group of data on the management items based on the received management item.

3. An information processing device as described in claim 2, wherein in a second reception step, a future time condition is received from the user, and in a first prediction step, a state of the management item under the future time condition is predicted based on the received future time condition and the temporal progression of the data group of the management item.

4. An information processing device as described in claim 3, wherein in a third reception step, after execution of the first prediction step, target values ​​for each of the management items are received from the user; in a second selection step, based on the received target values ​​for each of the management items, a plurality of management items with high priority and combinations of values ​​corresponding to the management items with high priority are selected; and in a first presentation step, each of the management items with high priority and combinations of values ​​corresponding to the management items with high priority selected in the second selection step are presented as options.

5. An information processing device as described in claim 4, wherein in a fourth reception step, a designation of one of the options presented in the first presentation step is received from the user; in a second prediction step, a future state of the management item is predicted based on the accepted option; and in a second presentation step, the future state of the management item predicted in the second prediction step is presented to the user.

6. An information processing device according to claim 5, wherein in said second presentation step, future temporal changes in said management items are presented.

7. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the management matters are matters related to any one selected from the group consisting of laws and regulations, productivity, resource availability, energy conservation, labor saving, cost reduction and environmental hygiene.

8. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the management items that can be acquired by the information processing device include management items for equipment that is not a subject of management.

9. A control system for controlling equipment to be managed, the control system comprising a processor, the processor being configured to be able to execute each of the following steps: in an acquisition step, a value corresponding to the high priority management item associated with the option presented by an information processing device described in any one of claims 4 to 6 is acquired as a setting value, wherein the acquisition step acquires the setting value based on human operation or selection by a processor, and in a control step, the control system controls the equipment to be managed based on the acquired setting value.

10. An information processing method comprising the steps of an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A control method comprising the steps of the control system according to claim 9.

12. A program causing a computer to execute each step of the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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