Equipment Power Visualization With Cycle-Time Drill-Down

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods fail to effectively visualize the operating status of an equipment group to optimize power consumption, particularly when consumption is high or low, limiting detailed assessment and optimization.

Innovation Solution

A visualization device and method that utilize a processor to display power consumption, cycle times, and process details across multiple screens, allowing users to identify high or low consumption periods and equipment performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If grouping of branch breakers and display of used amount of electric power for each group is implemented, then power consumption data can be displayed, but detailed operating status of the equipment group cannot be ascertained

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperating status informationVSAvoidvisualization system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the visualization into three distinct screens: first screen showing power consumption of the entire equipment group, second screen showing cycle times of individual equipment pieces, and third screen showing cycle times of specific processes. This segmentation allows detailed operating status information to be displayed without overwhelming the user with a single complex interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from a single-dimensional view (aggregate power consumption) to a multi-dimensional view by adding hierarchical drill-down capabilities. Users can navigate from equipment group level to individual equipment level to process level, effectively adding temporal and hierarchical dimensions to the visualization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Measurement precision

If aggregate power consumption display is implemented, then overall energy usage is visible, but detailed equipment performance analysis is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperating status measurement precisionVSAvoiduser operation simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system prepares and displays aggregate power consumption data in advance on the first screen, allowing users to quickly identify periods of high or low consumption before drilling down into detailed equipment performance data on subsequent screens.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a nested visualization structure where the first screen contains overall equipment group information, the second screen contains individual equipment details within selected time periods, and the third screen contains process-level details within selected equipment. This nested approach enables progressive disclosure of detailed information while maintaining ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentEP4134767A1Visualization device, visualization method and visualization program
Publication Date: 2023.02.15 SINTOKOGIO LTD
  • EP4134767A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4134767A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4134767A1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

A visualization device (1), which enables a user to easily ascertain an operating status of an equipment group when power consumption of a whole of the equipment group is particularly large or an operating status of the equipment group when power consumption of a whole of the equipment group is particularly small, includes a processor (11) for carrying out a first displaying process (S11) of displaying, on a display device (15), a first screen (σ1) indicating power consumption of a whole of an equipment group (2) in each of periods included in a period group, a second displaying process (S12) of displaying, on the display device (15), a second screen (σ2) indicating a cycle time of each of pieces of equipment included in the equipment group (2) in a particular period, and a third displaying process (S13) of displaying, on the display device (15), a third screen (o3) indicating a cycle time of each of processes carried out with use of a particular piece of equipment in the particular period. (Fig. 1)