Data management device and data management method

Abstract

Provided is technology that makes it easier to arrive at necessary information. A data management device comprises: an object management unit that manages object data corresponding to an object in a virtual space simulating a real space, and partial object data of each partial object constituting the object; a hierarchical structure display unit that displays a hierarchical structure of each partial object constituting the object in a tree form; a data management unit that associates with the hierarchical structure and manages related data related to each partial object constituting the object; a search unit that searches the partial object data of each partial object constituting the object on the basis of prescribed search conditions and a keyword; and a hierarchical structure changing unit that changes the hierarchical structure displayed in the virtual space on the basis of the results of the search by the search unit, and association information of a file list of the related data associated with the partial object data retrieved in the search.

Description

Data management device and data management method

[0001] The present invention is suitable for application to a data management device and a data management method relating to a technology for managing information.

[0002] Generally, businesses continuously perform maintenance work on a large number of facilities, devices, machines, and other objects, and are seeking to share, for example, information about the maintenance work related to these objects. For example, the following technologies exist as methods for sharing maintenance work information. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, for example, causes of malfunctions related to maintenance work and methods of dealing with the malfunctions are registered in a database as maintenance support data, and a 3D model of the object of maintenance work is displayed at the location of the equipment that is the object of the maintenance work based on the maintenance support data retrieved as needed. With the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, when there are multiple malfunction causes, these multiple malfunction causes are listed and displayed in a list, and when a user selects one of the malfunction causes from the list, the content of the maintenance support based on the maintenance support data is displayed.

[0003] International Publication No. 2020 / 217317

[0004] However, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a huge amount of information is displayed in a list, it takes a long time for the user to find the information they need.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose a data management device and a data management method that make it easier to find the information you need.

[0006] In order to solve such problems, the present invention comprises an object management unit that manages object data corresponding to an object in a virtual space that mimics real space and each part object data of each part object that constitutes the object; a hierarchical structure display unit that displays the hierarchical structure of each part object that constitutes the object in a tree format; a data management unit that links and manages related data regarding each part object that constitutes the object to the hierarchical structure; a search unit that searches for object data of each part of each part object that constitutes the object based on specified search conditions and keywords; and a hierarchical structure modification unit that modifies the hierarchical structure displayed in the virtual space based on the results of the search by the search unit and the linking information of a file list of related data linked to the object data of each part that has been searched.

[0007] In addition, in the present invention, the system includes an object management step in which an object management unit manages object data corresponding to an object in a virtual space that mimics real space and each part object data of each part object that constitutes the object; a hierarchical structure display step in which a hierarchical structure display unit displays the hierarchical structure of each part object that constitutes the object in a tree format; a data management step in which a data management unit manages related data regarding each part object that constitutes the object by linking it to the hierarchical structure; a search step in which a search unit searches for object data of each part of each part object that constitutes the object based on predetermined search conditions and keywords; and a hierarchical structure modification step in which a hierarchical structure modification unit modifies the hierarchical structure displayed in the virtual space based on the results of the search by the search unit and linking information of a file list of related data linked to the object data of each part that has been searched.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily find necessary information.

[0009] 17 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a data management device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of object data shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of hierarchical information shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of related data shown in FIG. 1. A flowchart showing an example of the procedure of object management processing. A diagram showing an example of a result of structural analysis by the object management processing shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5. A flowchart showing an example of the procedure of hierarchical structure display processing. A diagram showing an example of hierarchical display and information display by hierarchical selection by the hierarchical structure display processing shown in FIG. 7. A diagram showing an example of hierarchical display and information display by hierarchical selection by the hierarchical structure display processing shown in FIG. 7. A flowchart showing an example of the procedure of data management processing. A diagram showing an example of hierarchical information. A flowchart showing an example of the procedure of search processing. A diagram showing an example of metadata. A diagram showing an example of search information. A flowchart showing an example of the procedure of hierarchical structure change processing. A diagram showing an example of a hierarchical information display field including hierarchical information being changed. A diagram showing an example of an information search screen. A diagram showing an example when the hierarchical structure displayed on the information search screen shown in FIG. 17 is changed. A diagram showing a modified example of the hierarchical information display field. A diagram showing a modified example of the hierarchical information display field. A diagram showing a modified example of the hierarchical information display field.

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a data management device 1 according to this embodiment. The data management device 1 is connected to an external system 2 and an external server 3 via a network 4. The external system 2 and the external server 3 each request data management from the data management device 1 via the network 4.

[0011] The data management device 1 includes a bus 10, a central control device 11, an input device 12, an output device 13, a communication device 14, a simulator 15, a main memory device 16, and an auxiliary memory device 17. The central control device 11, the input device 12, the output device 13, the communication device 14, the simulator 15, the main memory device 16, and the auxiliary memory device 17 are connected to each other by the bus 10.

[0012] The input device 12 is an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard. The output device 13 is an output device such as a display. The communication device 14 controls data communication with the external system 2 and the external server 3 via the network 4 under the control of the central control device 11. The simulator 15 performs a simulation using data managed by the data management device 1.

[0013] The auxiliary storage device 17 is a storage device having a storage area capable of non-volatilely storing software such as programs and data, and is, for example, a hard disk drive or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0014] The main storage device 16 is a storage device having a storage area capable of storing software such as programs and data in a non-volatile manner. Details of the main storage device 16 will be described later.

[0015] The main storage device 16 has, as software, an object management unit 161, a hierarchical structure display unit 162, a data management unit 163, a search unit 164, and a hierarchical structure change unit 165.

[0016] The object management unit 161 manages object data of 3D (Dimension) objects (hereinafter also referred to as "objects" or "parent objects") in a virtual space that mimics real space, and the part object data of each part object (hereinafter also referred to as "child objects") that make up the object.

[0017] The hierarchical structure display unit 162 displays the hierarchical structure of each part object that makes up the object in a tree format on the screen. The hierarchical structure display unit 162 displays the hierarchical structure changed by the hierarchical structure change unit 165 on the screen.

[0018] The data management unit 163 manages the hierarchical structure of each part object constituting the object by linking related data relating to each part object constituting the object.

[0019] The search unit 164 searches for object data of each part of each part object that constitutes an object based on predetermined search conditions and keywords.

[0020] The hierarchical structure modification unit 165 modifies the hierarchical structure of each part object displayed in the virtual space based on the search results by the search unit 164 and on linking information in a list of associated data (also referred to as "registered data") 172 linked to the object data of each part found. The linking information associates, for example, the object data of each part with the associated data 172 that should correspond to the object data of each part.

[0021] The data management unit 163 manages the related data 172 by linking it to some of the part objects that make up the object, and manages the part objects as hierarchical information that represents the hierarchical structure. The hierarchical structure change unit 165 displays the hierarchical structure as a list of part objects that include at least one part object found in the search by the search unit 164.

[0022] The hierarchical structure modification unit 165 adds additional information to the related data 172, and for the related data 172 found in the search by the search unit 164, extracts each part object that constitutes a specific related object based on the additional information such as tags or notes, and displays the hierarchical structure in a list of each part object. The additional information may be information other than the above-mentioned tags or notes.

[0023] The auxiliary storage device 17 includes object data 171 , related data 172 , search information 173 , hierarchical information 174 , a search database (hereinafter abbreviated as “DB”) 175 , and changed hierarchical information 176 .

[0024] The object data 171 is, for example, three-dimensional data for managing the structure of a three-dimensional object. The related data 172 is data such as explanations and manuals for each part object that constitutes the three-dimensional object.

[0025] The search information 173 includes search conditions and keywords used in the search by the search unit 164, as well as search results.

[0026] The hierarchical information 174 is information relating to the hierarchical structure of each part object that constitutes a three-dimensional object.

[0027] The search DB 175 stores the objects to be searched by the search unit 164. The search DB 175 may include the related data 172, search information 173, and hierarchical information 174 described above.

[0028] The post-change hierarchical information 176 is hierarchical information relating to the hierarchical structure of each part object that has been changed as will be described later.

[0029] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the object data 171 shown in Fig. 1. The object data 171 includes, for example, a parent object name, a child object name, a hierarchical level, coordinates, mesh data, and materials. The example shown in the figure is, for example, object data 171 related to a facility object A.

[0030] In this embodiment, a "parent" refers to a higher-level part object in the hierarchical structure, and a "child" refers to at least one lower-level part object that makes up that higher-level part object. Thus, a "parent object" is made up of at least one "child object."

[0031] The parent object name indicates the name of a higher-level part object, and the child object name indicates at least one lower-level part object that constitutes the higher-level part object.

[0032] The hierarchical level indicates the hierarchical position of each part object in the hierarchical structure. The coordinates indicate the position in virtual space. The coordinates represent the position in virtual space using predetermined X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, for example (X, Y, Z).

[0033] In this embodiment, an object is composed of, for example, mesh data and materials. The mesh data defines the shape of the virtual space. The materials define the appearance of the virtual space. The mesh data is composed of, for example, vertices, edges, and faces (polygons). The vertices represent, for example, the coordinates of the object in the virtual space.

[0034] Edges connect vertices. Faces form areas enclosed by edges. Materials can specify properties such as color, texture, reflectivity, and transparency. For example, an object with a metallic texture is achieved by applying a metallic material. Materials are interpreted by, for example, a rendering engine to determine how an object appears in virtual space.

[0035] The object hierarchy links different objects so that when one object moves, the other object follows suit. For example, when a parent object at hierarchical level "1" moves, the child object at the next hierarchical level "2" also moves in sync. The hierarchy is an ordered structure, with the highest element taking priority. Elements (part objects) can also be added or deleted from the hierarchy. The coordinates of an object are the position information of the object in virtual space. The coordinates of an object are, for example, the center coordinates of the object.

[0036] In this embodiment, for example, mesh data and materials of an object may be stored in a client computer, and the hierarchical information 174 may be stored in an external server 3, which is an example of a server computer. The hierarchical structure change unit 165 enables the hierarchical information 174 to be rewritten in a remote environment.

[0037] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hierarchical information 174 shown in FIG. The hierarchical information 174 includes, for example, a parent object name and a hierarchical structure. The hierarchical information 174 including the hierarchical structure is, for example, data in a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format with a nested structure.

[0038] More specifically, the hierarchy information 174 including the hierarchical structure is, for example, the illustrated "Hierarchy_obj01a.json", and one example of this is the following data format: { "Facility object A": { "children": { "Object1": { "name": "entire facility" "mesh": "001.obj", "mat": "001.mat", "children": { ... (omitted) ...}}

[0039] The hierarchical information 174 manages various types of metadata (such as the above-mentioned "whole facility," "001.obj," and "001.mat") by linking them to an object name "Object1" that indicates the name of a parent object. The hierarchical information 174 manages various types of metadata by linking them to, for example, a child object name "children" that indicates the name of a child object.

[0040] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the related data 172 shown in FIG. The related data 172 includes, for example, a registration ID (identifier), linking information, a first type, a second type, a third type, a file link, a registration date, a search tag, importance, a memo, a creator, a related link_3D, and a related link_file. In the illustrated example, the related data 172 has a large number of columns, so it is displayed in two columns.

[0041] The registration ID indicates an ID (identifier) ​​when the associated data 172 is registered in the data management unit 163. As described above, the linking information associates, for example, object data of each part with the associated data 172 that should correspond to the object data of each part. The first type, second type, and third type each indicate the type of the associated data 172. The first type indicates what type of associated data 172 is, and in the illustrated example, indicates that it is a "file." The second type indicates the type of data of the associated data 172, and in the illustrated example, indicates that it is a "PDF file." The third type indicates what type of content the associated data 172 is, and in the illustrated example, indicates that it is an "inspection record."

[0042] The file link indicates the file link destination of the related data 172. The registration date indicates the date on which the record of the related data 172 with registration ID = "1" was registered. The search tag indicates the tag used when searching by the search unit 164. The importance indicates the importance of the record. The memo indicates the memo attached to each record. The creator indicates the creator of the record with registration ID = "1".

[0043] The related link_3D indicates the related link of the object data 171 corresponding to each record. The related link_file indicates the file of the object data 171 corresponding to each record. The related link_file is, for example, a PDF file.

[0044] (1) Display only the hierarchical level that contains the related data 172. The hierarchical structure change unit 165 refers to the registered linking information for the file list obtained as a result of the search performed by the search unit 164, and reconstructs the hierarchical display with only the relevant objects.

[0045] (2) A display showing the number of related data 172 is performed, and reference files are linked from a screen showing the hierarchical structure of each part object. As a result of a search performed by the search unit 164, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 refers to the registered linking information for the file list obtained by the search, and reconstructs the hierarchical display in a way that displays the number of files referenced for the linked object. At this time, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 may display a list of files linked to that object when a hierarchical name is clicked.

[0046] (3) Creating a hierarchy that shows changes over the years The hierarchical structure change unit 165 refers to information about the registration date for the file list obtained as a result of the search performed by the search unit 164.

[0047] At this time, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 performs a process of grouping files by year according to a certain rule, for example. The hierarchical structure modification unit 165 also generates hierarchical information for the number of groups and reconstructs the hierarchical display by changing only the file linking information. If objects are also registered by year, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 also links them according to year. If there is a change in the object, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 may present the change. If there is no year registration for the object, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 references the same object.

[0048] (4) Hierarchical representation classified by type. The hierarchical structure change unit 165 refers to the registered types for the file list obtained as a result of a search performed by the search unit 164, and reconstructs the hierarchical display so that linked objects are classified by the referenced types. For example, the list may be displayed by classifying them into two categories: plans and implementation results.

[0049] (5) A hierarchical representation that allows the importance of the related data 172 to be understood. As a result of a search performed by the search unit 164, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 references the registered importance for the file list obtained by the search and reconstructs the hierarchical display in a manner that displays the referenced importance for the linked objects. For example, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 creates groups for each importance and displays the importance for each importance group. Furthermore, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 changes the color according to the importance and displays a colored importance icon together with the hierarchical name, for example.

[0050] (6) Link information between parts and files is added to the hierarchical information. As a result of a search performed by the search unit 164, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 references registered link information for the file list obtained by the search and reconstructs the hierarchical display in a manner that displays the referenced link information for linked objects. For example, if there is link information between multiple objects, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 displays it in a manner that makes the link destination clear, such as by connecting lines. If there is a file link, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 similarly displays the object in which the file is registered in a manner that makes the link clear.

[0051] The data management device 1 according to this embodiment has the above-described configuration. Next, an example of the operation of the data management device 1 will be described.

[0052] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the object management process. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the result of the structure analysis by the object management process shown in the flowchart in Fig. 5. The object management process is executed by the object manager 161.

[0053] In this structural analysis, the object data is a general 3D model with an extension such as ".fbx." In this structural analysis, a parent-child structure between a parent object and at least one child object is extracted and stored separately as hierarchical information 174.

[0054] Fig. 5 will be described below with reference to Fig. 6. First, in step S101, the object management unit 161 inputs object data representing the entire facility OBJ1 shown on the left side of Fig. 6. In step S102, the object management unit 161 analyzes the hierarchical structure of each part object that constitutes the object.

[0055] Specifically, the object management unit 161 analyzes that, for example, an object representing the entire equipment OBJ1 is composed of a transport device OBJ01 and a manufacturing device OBJ02. The object management unit 161 analyzes the structure of the object to determine that, for example, the manufacturing device OBJ02 is composed of equipment A OBJ021 and equipment B OBJ022. Furthermore, the object management unit 161 analyzes the structure of the object to determine that, for example, equipment A OBJ021 is composed of an arm OBJ0211 and a base OBJ0212.

[0056] In step S103, the object management unit 161 extracts hierarchical information 174 from the results of the analysis of the object structure. The hierarchical information 174 includes, for example, information about the hierarchical structure of each part object related to the results of the structural analysis shown in Fig. 6. In step S104, the object management unit 161 creates the hierarchical information 174.

[0057] In step S105, the object management unit 161 stores the object data 171 and the layer information 174 in the auxiliary storage device 17.

[0058] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for hierarchical structure display processing. The hierarchical structure display processing is executed by the hierarchical structure display unit 162. Figs. 8 and 9 are diagrams showing an example of a hierarchical display by the hierarchical structure display processing shown in Fig. 7 and an example of information display by hierarchical selection, respectively. Fig. 8 shows an example of a screen before the item "Equipment A" is selected, and Fig. 9 shows an example of a screen after the item "Equipment A" is selected.

[0059] In the hierarchical structure display process, the hierarchical structure display unit 162 reads information including, for example, meshes and materials, and displays the object in virtual space through rendering. In the hierarchical structure display process, the hierarchical structure display unit 162 reads registered hierarchical information 174 in JSON format, and based on the read hierarchical information 174, displays, for example, information corresponding to the metadata "name" on the screen together with the hierarchical structure of each part object of the object.

[0060] The hierarchical structure display process shown in Fig. 7 will be described below with reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. First, in step S201, hierarchical structure display unit 162 reads specified object data 171 and displays objects in object display column 171A on the right side of hierarchical information display column 174A based on the read object data 171.

[0061] Next, in step S202, the hierarchical structure display unit 162 reads the hierarchical information 174 of each part object of the object, and based on the read hierarchical information 174, displays the hierarchical structure of each part object of the entire facility, for example, as shown in Figure 8, in the hierarchical information display field 174A.

[0062] In step S203, when, for example, an item "equipment A" 174A1 is selected in the hierarchical information display field 174A, the hierarchical structure display unit 162 displays information about the selected item "equipment A" in the detailed information display field 802 to the right of the object display field 171A.

[0063] In step S204, the hierarchical structure display unit 162 changes the display of the object according to the selected item "equipment A." In step S205, the hierarchical structure display unit 162 searches the related data 172 for the item "equipment A" as information associated with the hierarchical level corresponding to the part of the item "equipment A," for example, and displays the associated information.

[0064] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the data management process. The data management process is executed by the data management unit 163. In step S301, the data management unit 163 receives input of the object data 171.

[0065] The data management unit 163 searches for each part object that constitutes the object of the input object data 171, and determines the linking destination of the input object data 171. Here, as a method for searching for each part object, for example, the user may search for the part name of a specific part in text, with the part name set to the hierarchical name of the object, or, for example, the user may determine that the object of a specific facility (for example, facility A) is the linking destination based on the design documents of the facility A.

[0066] In step S303, the data management unit 163 creates metadata representing the first type or the like based on the input information, and associates the created metadata with the object. In this association of the metadata with the object, the input information is added as metadata to the hierarchical information 174 in JSON format.

[0067] The data management unit 163 may add metadata based on the input information as text information as is, or may add memos, file names, and file links as shown in Fig. 11. Here, in this embodiment, it is important to be able to prepare multiple metadata patterns, and the number of types of hierarchical structure change patterns is determined depending on how many types of files, memos, file types, file importance, creators, search tags, file links between documents, etc. can be increased.

[0068] In step S304, the data management unit 163 creates the search DB 175. Specifically, the data management unit 163 registers information in the JSON format in the search DB 175. Specifically, the data management unit 163 makes it possible to search for "memo"="001.txt" with "name"="entire facility", for example.

[0069] Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for search processing. The search processing is executed by the search unit 164 and the hierarchical structure display unit 162. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of metadata. Note that the metadata is almost the same as that described above, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0070] In step S401, search conditions and keywords are input. In step S402, the search unit 164 executes a search based on the search conditions and keywords.

[0071] In step S403, the hierarchical structure display unit 162 acquires and displays the search conditions, keywords, and search results. In step S404, the hierarchical structure display unit 162 saves the search conditions and keywords as search information 173.

[0072] 14 is a diagram showing an example of the search information 173. In the search information 173, the search conditions are, for example, first type == "file" and second type == "pdf," a tag as an example of a keyword is "equipment," and "hit registration IDs" as an example of a search result are "1, 10, 12, 16, 20."

[0073] 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for hierarchical structure modification processing. The structure modification processing is executed by the hierarchical structure modification unit 165. In step S501, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 acquires search conditions, keywords, and search results. In step S501, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 rewrites the existing hierarchical information 174 based on the search information 173 and the hierarchical information 174.

[0074] In step S502, the hierarchical structure change unit 165 acquires the contents of the search DB 175 and the search information 173. In step S503, the hierarchical structure change unit 165 determines the hierarchical display format.

[0075] In step S504, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 generates hierarchical information 174 indicating the hierarchical structure of each part object after the search. In step S504, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 may display, for example, the following: - Display only the hierarchical levels where registered related data 172 is located. - Create a hierarchy that shows changes over time. - Create a hierarchical representation that shows the importance of the related data 172 (registered data). - Create a display that shows the number of files of registered related data 172. - Add link information between parts and files to the hierarchical information.

[0076] In step S 505 , the hierarchical structure change unit 165 passes the hierarchical information 174 to the hierarchical structure display unit 162 .

[0077] Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of changing the hierarchical information display field 174A including the hierarchical information 174. Fig. 16 shows that the hierarchical information display field 174A on the left side is changed to the hierarchical information display field 174A on the right side as a result of the search.

[0078] The hierarchical information display field 174A has a drop-down list 1174A and a "Reflect search results" button 1174B. The drop-down list 1174A is an operation part for specifying search conditions such as "Annual changes" for referring to changes from year to year, or other search conditions such as "Classify by department" or "Actual results and plan." The "Reflect search results" button 1174B is an operation part that is operated to reflect the results of the search performed by the search unit 164 according to the search conditions, etc., specified in the drop-down list 1174A in the hierarchical information display field 174A.

[0079] For example, in the hierarchical information display field 174A shown on the left side of Figure 16, if you select "Aging" in the drop-down list 1174A, click on the area specification field 1174C to select "Area B", and then operate the "Reflect search results" button 174B, the hierarchical structure change unit 165 will display the hierarchical information display field 174A shown on the right side of Figure 16.

[0080] In a hierarchical information display field 174A shown on the right side of Fig. 16, hierarchical information 174 for "Area B" is displayed in a manner that changes for each year, such as 2022 and 2023. In the hierarchical information display field 174A shown on the right side of Fig. 16, an icon 172A is displayed indicating that it is possible to refer to related data 172 associated with each part object "Equipment Y1" and "Equipment Z1" in the hierarchical structure of each part object that constitutes the object for "Area B," for example.

[0081] The icon 172A is attached to, for example, "Equipment Y1" and "Equipment Z1" of "Manufacturing Equipment 1" in "Area B" in 2022, and "Equipment Y1" of "Manufacturing Equipment 1" in "Area B" in 2023.

[0082] When the icon 172A is clicked, the hierarchical structure change unit 165 refers to the associated data 172 linked to the icon 172A and displays the contents of the associated data 172. The contents of the associated data 172 are information relating to the associated specific body part.

[0083] The information relating to a specific part is, for example, a manual relating to the specific part. If the related data 172 is registered in this way by linking it to a specific part, even if the hierarchical structure of each part object constituting the object is changed, the related data 172 associated with each part object can be easily accessed without taking much time.

[0084] 17 is a diagram showing an example of an information search screen 1001. The information search screen 1001 includes a hierarchical information display field 174A, an object display field 171A, and a search window 300.

[0085] First, the search window 300 is a display field for setting search conditions, keywords, etc. used when the search unit 164 performs a search. The search window 300 includes a search target drop-down list 300A, a keyword input field 300B, a period input field 300C, a search execution button 300D, and a search result field 300E.

[0086] The search target drop-down list 300A is a drop-down list for specifying a search target as a search condition. In the illustrated example, "maintenance plan" is selected. The keyword input field 300B is used to input a keyword to be used in the search. The period input field 300C is used to input a search condition for the time range that the search target falls under.

[0087] When search execution button 300D is operated, search unit 164 uses these search conditions and keywords to search search DB 175. Search result field 300E displays the search results.

[0088] In the object display field 171A, objects are displayed based on the object data 171 selected by the user by the hierarchical structure display unit 162. In the hierarchical information display field 174A, "ALL" is selected in the drop-down list 1174A, indicating that all objects are the target.

[0089] When the "Reflect search results" button 1174B is operated, the hierarchical structure display unit 162 uses the above-mentioned search conditions and keywords to obtain hierarchical information 174 of the object. The hierarchical structure display unit 162 displays the relationships between the part objects in a tree-like manner in the hierarchical information display field 174A so that the hierarchical structure of the part objects that make up the object can be grasped, as shown in the figure.

[0090] The hierarchical structure display unit 162 displays hierarchical information 174 relating to the manufacturing equipment for the entire facility, for example, for each of area A, area B, and area C, in the hierarchical information display field 174A in response to the above "ALL."

[0091] On the other hand, the hierarchical structure display unit 162 displays the target object in the object display field 171A based on the hierarchical information 174.

[0092] Fig. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the hierarchical structure displayed on the information search screen shown in Fig. 17 has been changed. In the example shown, maintenance-related data 172 is searched, and annual changes in maintenance targets are confirmed by hierarchical information 174 and changes in objects.

[0093] The data management unit 163 registers objects managed by period information. The period information is related to the above-mentioned registration date. When the search unit 164 executes a search including period information as a search condition, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 generates a hierarchical structure in a form that represents changes over time, for example, annual changes in objects.

[0094] Specifically, in the example shown, when the "Reflect search results" button 1174B is operated with "Annual changes" selected in the drop-down list 1174A for search results searched based on the search conditions and keywords set in the search window 300, the hierarchical structure change unit 165 displays, for example, objects for fiscal year 2022 and objects for fiscal year 203 vertically in the object display column 171A so that the annual changes can be grasped.

[0095] In the illustrated example, for example, the arm of facility A in the manufacturing equipment in area A is being replaced. For this reason, icon 172A is displayed near the arm portion of the object for 2023. When this icon 172A is clicked, hierarchical structure display unit 162 opens related data 172 linked to icon 172A and displays its contents.

[0096] 19 is a diagram showing a modified example of the hierarchical information display field 174A. In the illustrated example, three icons 172A are displayed. Next to each icon 172A, the number of files of associated data 172 registered and linked to that icon 172A is displayed. That is, in area A of the entire equipment in 2022, three associated data 172 are registered in the arm of equipment A, and in area A of the entire equipment in 2023, two associated data 172 are registered in equipment A, and two associated data 172 are registered in that arm.

[0097] The connecting line 172F indicates that the part objects indicated by the icons 172A at both ends are related. This connecting line 172F expresses the connection between the multiple associated data 172 using metadata such as the multiple associated data 172 by connecting them with a line. This allows the user to recognize that when referring to the associated data 172 associated with one icon 172A, the associated data 172 associated with the other icon 172A should also be referred to. This prevents the know-how that it is necessary to refer to multiple related associated data 172 from becoming personal to a specific user.

[0098] The data management unit 163 manages the related data 172 by linking it to each part object that constitutes the object and by adding additional information indicating its importance. The hierarchical structure modification unit 165 displays the list of part objects found in the search by the search unit 164 in an emphasized manner by adding one of importance marks 174D1 to 174D3 or a combination of these as an example of additional information indicating the importance to the related data 172 linked to the part object.

[0099] In the illustrated example, the hierarchical information display field 174A displays the hierarchical information 174, in which each item is displayed vertically, alongside an importance display field 174D. The importance display field 174D displays importance marks 174D1-174D3 at positions corresponding to each icon 172A. The importance marks 174D1-174D3 are configured to display differently, such as in color or pattern, depending on the importance of each associated data 172 corresponding to each icon 172A. This allows the importance of the multiple associated data 172 associated with each of the displayed icons 172A to be ascertained, allowing the associated data 172 with the highest priority to be referenced first. This prevents the knowledge that multiple related associated data 172 need to be referenced from becoming personal to a specific user.

[0100] Furthermore, the importance marks 174D1 to 174D3 arranged as shown in the figure highlight the locations of the associated data 172 corresponding to each icon 172A according to the level of importance in the metadata called importance. As an example of such highlighting, for example, if three associated data 172 are registered in the example shown in the figure, the user can determine that the associated data 172 has the highest importance.

[0101] 20 is a diagram showing a modified example of the hierarchical information display field 174A. In the example shown, after searching for related data 172 using "facility A," the display is divided by registered department information present in the metadata. Although the referenced objects are the same, the same hierarchical information is expressed in two ways. Specifically, when the "Reflect search results" button 1174B is operated with "Classify by department" selected in the drop-down list 1174A, the hierarchical structure change unit 165 retrieves hierarchical information 174 for each department from the search DB 175.

[0102] The hierarchical structure display unit 162 displays the related data 172 for each department, represented by icons 172A, based on the acquired hierarchical information 174. For example, only icons 172A for links to documents related to design are displayed in the display field 174W. For example, only icons 172A for links to documents related to maintenance are displayed in the display field 174X. In this manner, the user can easily acquire the related data 172 required for each department.

[0103] 21 is a diagram showing a modified example of the hierarchical information display field 174A. In the example shown, after searching for the related data 172 using "Facility A" and "Maintenance," it is determined whether the file is a maintenance result file that has been performed as of the current time or a maintenance plan file that is scheduled to be performed in the future. Specifically, when the "Reflect Search Results" button 1174B is operated with "Actual Results and Plan" selected in the drop-down list 1174A, the hierarchical structure change unit 165 obtains hierarchical information 174 for each actual results and plan from the search DB 175.

[0104] The hierarchical structure display unit 162 displays the related data 172 for each actual result and plan, represented by icons 172A, based on the acquired hierarchical information 174. For example, only the icons 172A for document links related to the actual result are displayed in the display field 174W. For example, only the icons 172A for document links related to the plan are displayed in the display field 174X. In this way, the user can easily acquire the related data 172 required for each actual result and plan.

[0105] The data management device 1 according to this embodiment comprises an object management unit 161 that manages object data 171 corresponding to an object in a virtual space that mimics real space and each part object data of each part object that constitutes the object; a hierarchical structure display unit 162 that displays the hierarchical structure of each part object that constitutes the object in a tree format; a data management unit 163 that manages related data regarding each part object that constitutes the object by linking it to the hierarchical structure; a search unit 164 that searches for object data of each part of each part object that constitutes the object based on predetermined search conditions and keywords; and a hierarchical structure modification unit 165 that modifies the hierarchical structure displayed in the virtual space based on the results of the search by the search unit 164 and the linking information of the file list of related data linked to the object data of each part that has been searched.

[0106] The data management method according to this embodiment includes an object management step in which an object management unit 161 manages object data 171 corresponding to an object in a virtual space that mimics real space and each part object data of each part object that constitutes the object; a hierarchical structure display step in which a hierarchical structure display unit 162 displays the hierarchical structure of each part object that constitutes the object in a tree format; a data management step in which a data management unit 163 manages related data regarding each part object that constitutes the object by linking it to the hierarchical structure; a search step in which a search unit 164 searches for object data of each part of each part object that constitutes the object based on predetermined search conditions and keywords; and a hierarchical structure modification step in which a hierarchical structure modification unit 165 modifies the hierarchical structure displayed in the virtual space based on the results of the search by the search unit 164 and linking information of a file list of related data linked to the object data of each part that has been searched.

[0107] In this way, the existence of information such as the related data 172 relating to each part object of an object is not personal to a specific user, and other users can easily find the information they need.

[0108] The data management unit 163 manages the related data 172 by linking it to some of the part objects that make up the object, and manages the part objects as hierarchical information that represents the hierarchical structure. The hierarchical structure change unit 165 displays the hierarchical structure as a list of part objects that includes at least one part object found in a search by the search unit 164. In this way, the existence of information such as the related data 172 related to each part object of the object displayed in the hierarchical structure is not personalized to a specific user, making it easier to find the information you need.

[0109] The hierarchical structure modification unit 165 adds additional information to the related data 172, and for the related data 172 found in the search by the search unit 164, extracts each part object that makes up a related specific object based on the additional information such as tags or notes, and displays the hierarchical structure in a list of each part object. In this way, the existence of information such as the related data 172 related to each part object of the object displayed in the hierarchical structure is not personalized to a specific user, making it easier to find the information you need.

[0110] The data management unit 163 registers objects managed by period information. When the search unit 164 executes a search including period information as a search condition, the hierarchical structure modification unit 165 generates a hierarchical structure in a form that represents changes over time, for example, annual changes of objects. In this way, the existence of information such as related data 172 related to each part object of an object displayed in a hierarchical structure generated in a form that represents changes over time is not personalized to a specific user, making it easier to find the information needed.

[0111] The data management unit 163 manages the related data 172 by linking it to each part object that makes up the object and by adding additional information indicating its importance. The hierarchical structure modification unit 165 displays the list of part objects found in the search by the search unit 164 in an emphasized manner by adding one of importance marks 174D1 to 174D3, or a combination of these, to the related data 172 linked to the part object as an example of additional information indicating its importance. In this way, the existence of information such as the related data 172 related to each part object of the object is not personalized to a specific user, and the additional information indicating its importance makes it easier to find the necessary information.

[0112] In this embodiment, for example, mesh data and materials of an object are stored in a client computer (not shown), and hierarchical information 174 is stored in, for example, JSON format in an external server 3, which is an example of a server computer. The hierarchical structure change unit 165 makes it possible to rewrite the hierarchical information 174 in a remote environment. In this way, it is possible to easily find necessary information using the hierarchical information 174 rewritten in the remote environment.

[0113] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, the elements described in parallel in the present embodiment may be configured such that at least one of the elements is connected in series to the other elements.

[0114] The present invention can be applied to, for example, a data management device related to a technology for managing information.

[0115] 1...data management device, 161...object management section, 162...hierarchical structure display section, 163...data management section, 164...search section, 165...hierarchical structure change section, 171...object data, 172...related data, 173...search information, 174...hierarchical information, 175...search DB, 176...changed hierarchical information

Claims

1. A data management device comprising: an object management unit that manages object data corresponding to an object in a virtual space that mimics real space and each part object data of each part object that constitutes the object; a hierarchical structure display unit that displays the hierarchical structure of each part object that constitutes the object in a tree format; a data management unit that manages related data regarding each part object that constitutes the object by linking it to the hierarchical structure; a search unit that searches for object data of each part of each part object that constitutes the object based on predetermined search conditions and keywords; and a hierarchical structure modification unit that modifies the hierarchical structure displayed in the virtual space based on the results of the search by the search unit and linking information of a file list of related data linked to the object data of each part that has been searched.

2. The data management device described in claim 1, characterized in that the data management unit manages the related data by linking it to some of the part objects that make up the object, and manages the part objects as hierarchical information representing the hierarchical structure, and the hierarchical structure modification unit displays the hierarchical structure as a list of part objects including at least one part object that was found in a search by the search unit.

3. The data management device described in claim 1, characterized in that the hierarchical structure modification unit adds additional information to the related data, extracts each part object that constitutes a specific related object based on the additional information for the related data that is found in a search by the search unit, and displays the hierarchical structure in a list of each part object.

4. The data management device described in claim 1, characterized in that the data management unit registers objects managed by period information, and the hierarchical structure modification unit generates the hierarchical structure in a form that represents changes over time when the search unit performs a search including the period information.

5. The data management device described in claim 4, characterized in that the data management unit manages the related data by linking it to each part object that makes up the object and adding additional information indicating its importance, and the hierarchical structure modification unit displays the list of part objects found in a search by the search unit in an emphasized manner, adding additional information indicating its importance to the related data linked to the part objects.

6. The data management device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mesh data and materials of the object are stored in a client computer, the hierarchical information is stored in a server computer, and the hierarchical structure modification unit is capable of rewriting the hierarchical information in a remote environment.

7. A data management method comprising: an object management step in which an object management unit manages object data corresponding to an object in a virtual space simulating real space and each part object data of each part object that constitutes the object; a hierarchical structure display step in which a hierarchical structure display unit displays the hierarchical structure of each part object that constitutes the object in a tree format; a data management step in which a data management unit manages related data regarding each part object that constitutes the object by linking it to the hierarchical structure; a search step in which a search unit searches for object data of each part of each part object that constitutes the object based on predetermined search conditions and keywords; and a hierarchical structure modification step in which a hierarchical structure modification unit modifies the hierarchical structure displayed in the virtual space based on the search results by the search unit and linking information of a file list of related data linked to the object data of each part that has been searched.

8. The data management method described in claim 7, characterized in that in the data management step, the data management unit manages the related data by linking it to some of the part objects that make up the object, and manages the part objects as hierarchical information representing the hierarchical structure, and in the hierarchical structure modification step, the hierarchical structure modification unit displays the hierarchical structure as a list of part objects including at least one part object that was found in a search by the search unit.

9. The data management method of claim 7, characterized in that the hierarchical structure modification step comprises the steps of: the hierarchical structure modification unit adding additional information to the related data; extracting each part object that constitutes a specific related object based on the additional information for the related data found in the search by the search unit; and displaying the hierarchical structure in a list of each part object.

10. A data management method as described in claim 7, characterized in that in the data management step, the data management unit registers objects managed by period information, and in the hierarchical structure modification step, when the search unit performs a search including the period information, the hierarchical structure modification unit generates the hierarchical structure in a form that represents changes over time.

11. The data management method described in claim 10, characterized in that in the data management step, the data management unit manages the related data by linking it to each part object that makes up the object and adding additional information indicating its importance, and in the hierarchical structure modification step, the hierarchical structure modification unit displays the related data linked to the part objects in a list of part objects found in a search by the search unit in an emphasized manner, adding additional information indicating its importance.

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