JP7850063B2 - Equipment operation support system and equipment operation support method - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an equipment operation support system and an equipment operation support method.

In a plant, the operating status of each piece of equipment that makes up the plant must be appropriately controlled, and one method of control is automatic control. For example, in plants where the input to the plant can be manually controlled, such as product manufacturing plants, it is common practice to control the amount of input supplied to the plant and to automatically control the plant's components according to the amount of input.

Furthermore, even in plants where inputs to the plant cannot be manually controlled, such as water treatment plants, sewage treatment plants, dams, and rainwater pumping stations, automatic control of the plant equipment is implemented. However, in such plants, because inputs cannot be manually controlled, it is common for operators to intervene in the automatic control system. The operation of the plant, including these interventions, is then evaluated to determine whether it is being operated appropriately.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a performance evaluation device for a heat source system or air conditioning system that evaluates the performance of a target system based on performance evaluation values recorded in corresponding operating data at each point in time where the operating conditions at each point in the actual operation of the target system match the recorded operating conditions, and similar performance evaluation values obtained at each point in time during the actual operation of the target system.

Patent No. 5390960

Incidentally, when operators intervene in automatic control systems, the nature of these interventions significantly impacts the plant's operation. In other words, the higher the operator's skill and proficiency, the more effectively they can control the plant. However, this increased reliance on skilled operators presents a challenge: if skilled operators become scarce due to retirement or other reasons, proper operation may become impossible.

Therefore, in order to reduce reliance on operator skills, the system searches for past events similar to the trends in plant input values and plant control trends over a predetermined period up to the present, and then determines the control content by referring to the operating patterns in the retrieved past events.

However, since the past driving patterns referenced include both appropriate and inappropriate driving decisions at the time, simply reproducing the driving patterns shown in the search results may result in the reproduction of inappropriate driving.

This invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its objective is to enable referencing of driving data related to appropriately controlled operation.

An equipment operation support system according to one aspect of the present invention is an equipment operation support system that provides operation support for a plant having a controlled equipment in which control is performed according to the detected value of the input amount of a substance input to the plant by a sensor. An equipment operation support system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: an operation data database in which the actual operation data of the plant and evaluation information on the quality of the plant's operation are stored in association with each other; a search processing unit that predicts future operation data, which is the trend of detected values by a sensor over a predetermined period in the future, searches the operation data database for similar past actual operation data that is similar to the predicted future operation data, and outputs the retrieved similar actual operation data and evaluation information associated with the similar actual operation data; and a display processing unit that displays the similar actual operation data and evaluation information input from the search processing unit on a display device.

According to at least one aspect of the present invention, it becomes possible to refer to driving data related to appropriately controlled driving.
Other issues, configurations, and effects not mentioned above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

This figure shows a schematic configuration example of an equipment operation support system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example configuration of the operation data DB according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates an example of the configuration of an evaluation information input screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates an example of the configuration of a similar performance trend display screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows an example of the procedure for equipment operation support processing by the equipment operation support system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows an example of the procedure for the operation evaluation input processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows an example of the procedure for a search process performed by the search processing unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows an example of the display processing procedure by the display processing unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows a schematic configuration example of an equipment operation support system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows an example of the procedure for the operation evaluation input processing according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows a schematic configuration example of an equipment operation support system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows an example of the procedure for the operation evaluation input processing according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes examples of embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various numerical values and other details in the embodiments are illustrative. Furthermore, in this specification and the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for identical components or components having substantially the same function, and redundant explanations are omitted.

<First Embodiment>
[Outline configuration of the equipment operation support system]
First, with reference to Figure 1, the configuration of the equipment operation support system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing a schematic example of the equipment operation support system 100. In this embodiment, an example is given in which the equipment operation support system of the present invention is applied to a system that supports the operation of equipment (an example of controlled equipment) of a rainwater pumping station plant that manages the drainage of rainwater.

The equipment operation support system 100 is composed of a standalone PC (Personal Computer) or the like, and as shown in Figure 1, includes a storage device 1, an input device 2, an arithmetic unit 3, and a display device 4. While Figure 1 shows an example where each component of the equipment operation support system 100 is contained within a single device, the present invention is not limited to this. The components of the equipment operation support system 100 may be distributed between a server and clients.

(Storage device)
The storage device 1 is composed of, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. The storage device 1 stores the OS (Operating System) and programs for operating the equipment operation support system 100 (neither of which are shown in the diagram). The programs are stored in the form of computer-readable program code and are read and executed by the arithmetic unit 3. In other words, the storage device 1 is used as an example of a computer-readable, non-transient recording medium that stores programs executed by a computer.

Furthermore, the storage device 1 stores an operation data database (DB (Data Base)) 11. The operation data DB 11 is a database that stores information on the plant's actual operation data and operation evaluation values. The operation data in the operation data DB 11 includes detection values from sensors (not shown), the number of operating pumps under control, etc.

The sensors in this embodiment include a sensor for detecting the amount of rainwater (an example of a substance) flowing into the plant, and a sensor for detecting the water level in a pump well (not shown) that receives and stores rainwater. The detected values from each sensor are acquired based on a sampling rate set to, for example, 10 minutes, and recorded in the operation data DB 11. The configuration of the operation data DB 11 will be described later with reference to Figure 2.

(Input device)
The input device 2 is composed of, for example, a mouse and keyboard, and generates operation signals based on user operations and outputs these operation signals to the arithmetic unit 3. User operations on the input device 2 include searching for driving data to be evaluated, inputting evaluation results of the searched driving patterns, and instructing the system to search for driving data to be referenced during control.

(computing device)
The arithmetic unit 3 comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33.

The CPU 31 reads the program code of the software that implements each function of the equipment operation support system 100 according to this embodiment from the storage device 1, loads it into the RAM 33, and executes it. Note that the arithmetic unit 3 may include a processing unit such as an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) instead of the CPU 31. Variables and parameters generated during the calculation process by the CPU 31 are temporarily written to the RAM 33.

Furthermore, the arithmetic unit 3 includes an evaluation information input processing unit 34, an evaluation information recording processing unit 35, a search processing unit 36, and a display processing unit 37.

The evaluation information input processing unit 34 outputs the evaluation information of the plant's operation, entered by the user via the evaluation information input screen Sc1 (see Figure 3) displayed on the input device 2, to the evaluation information recording processing unit 35. Alternatively, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 may obtain the evaluation information entered into the evaluation information input processing unit 34 from reports such as daily reports containing evaluation information.

The evaluation information recording processing unit 35 records the evaluation information input from the evaluation information input processing unit 34 in the operation data DB 11, associating it with the operation data that was the subject of the evaluation.

The search processing unit 36 acquires sensor values for N samples prior to the time the search is performed. Based on the acquired information on the trend of sensor values (hereinafter also referred to as "actual trend"), it predicts the trend of sensor values for M future samples (hereinafter also referred to as "future trend"). The sensor values for M future samples correspond to the predicted rainfall amount for the period corresponding to those M future samples.

The value of "N" in the N samples that define the acquisition range for the historical trend, and the value of "M" which is the number of samples to include in the future trend, can be set to values such as "6" to "12" if the sampling rate for sensor value acquisition is 10 minutes. Note that the values of "N" and "M" can be set to any arbitrary value.

The search processing unit 36 can use any known algorithm to predict future trends from past trends. For example, the search processing unit 36 may predict future trends using a multiple regression model with time-series sensor values (an example of time-series data) for N past samples as explanatory variables and future inflow as the dependent variable, or it may use a machine learning algorithm. In other words, any algorithm capable of predicting future trends from past time-series sensor values is acceptable.

The search processing unit 36 searches the operation data DB 11 for and extracts past performance trends similar to the predicted future trend. Extracting past performance trends similar to the predicted future trend can be achieved, for example, by using the waveforms of the predicted water flow rate trend and the pump well water level trend as reference pattern data, and performing pattern matching on past time-series sensor values of water flow rate and water depth.

Known methods can be used for pattern matching. For example, the search processing unit 36 sets the time width of the future trend waveform as the matching window width and calculates the difference or similarity for each sample point within the window width of past performance trends. The search processing unit 36 can then extract those with low difference or high similarity as the pattern matching results. Difference can be calculated as SAD (Sum of Absolute Difference) or SSD (Sum of Squared Difference), and similarity can be calculated as NCC (Normalized Cross Correlation).

Furthermore, the search processing unit 36 may calculate the degree of difference or similarity by sliding the calculation window for past performance trends from the past to the present, and then extract several matching candidates in order of highest similarity.

The search processing unit 36 outputs the predicted future trend data, the actual trend data referenced when predicting the future trend, and the evaluation information associated with the actual trend to the display processing unit 37.

The display processing unit 37 displays various data, etc., input from the search processing unit 36 on the screen of the display device 4, based on the user's input to the input device 2. The screens displayed by the display processing unit 37 on the display device 4 include, for example, the evaluation information input screen Sc1 (see Figure 3) or the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 (see Figure 4). The evaluation information input screen Sc1 will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 3, and the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 4.

(Display device)
The display device 4 is, for example, a monitor composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and displays evaluation information input screen Sc1 (see Figure 3) and similar performance trend display screen Sc2 (see Figure 4). The display device 4 may be integrated with the housing of the equipment operation support system 100. The display device 4 may also be formed as a touch panel and integrated with the input device 2. Furthermore, the display device 4 may be composed of a wearable display device such as VR (Virtual Reality) glasses or AR (Augmented Reality) glasses.

[Configuration of the operating data database]
Next, the configuration of the operation data DB 11 will be described with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the operation data DB 11.

As shown in Figure 2, the operation data DB11 contains the following items: "Date and Time," "Inflow Rate," "Water Depth," "Number of Pumps in Operation," "Evaluation Period ID," and "Perfect/Fail Evaluation Score."

The "Date and Time" field stores information about the date and time the sensor values of the sensors (not shown) were acquired.
The "Inflow Rate" field stores information on the inflow rate of rainwater ( ^m³ /min) into the plant, and the "Water Depth" field stores information on the water depth (m) of the pump well where the rainwater is stored.

The "Number of Pumps in Operation" field stores information about the number of pumps that were in operation at that time, i.e., the pumps being controlled.
The "Evaluation Period ID" field stores information about the evaluation period ID that identifies each period subject to evaluation. Each period identified by the evaluation period ID is defined by its start date and time and its end date and time.

The "Performance Rating" field stores a value (Performance Rating) indicating the quality of the driving, represented by either 0 or 100 points. A "Good" rating indicates desirable driving that the driver would like to refer to in the future, while a "Bad" rating indicates undesirable driving that the driver would not want to refer to. The values used for the Performance Rating are not limited to these. For example, the rating may be represented by three or more numerical values or letters. Furthermore, for driving that has not yet been evaluated, the value "-32768" is stored to indicate that evaluation has not yet been performed.

In this embodiment, the plant for which the equipment operation support system of the present invention provides operational support is shown as a plant operating in a rainwater pumping station. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the target plant may be a plant operating in a water treatment plant. In that case, the sensor values detected by the sensor would be the water intake amount, the sedimentation tank water level, etc., and the equipment to be controlled would be an agitator, etc.

Furthermore, while this embodiment uses 10 minutes as an example sampling rate for sensor value acquisition, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sampling rate may be set to other values such as 1 minute or 5 minutes, or a variable sampling rate that fluctuates between 1 and 30 minutes may be used.

[Configuration of the evaluation information input screen]
Next, the configuration of the evaluation information input screen Sc1 will be explained with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the evaluation information input screen Sc1.

As shown in Figure 3, the evaluation information input screen Sc1 includes an operation period setting unit 41, a search button 42, a trend graph display unit 43, an operation quality evaluation input unit 44, an OK button 45, and a cancel button 46.

The operating period setting unit 41 is an interface that accepts input of the operating period as a condition for identifying the operating data to be evaluated. The operating period setting unit 41 includes a start date and time input unit 411 and an end date and time input unit 412. The start date and time input unit 411 is an interface that accepts input of the start date and time of the operating period, and the end date and time input unit 412 is an interface that accepts input of the end date and time of the operating period.

In this embodiment, an example was given where the operating period was specified by the start and end dates and times, but the present invention is not limited to this. Other conditions may be input as long as they allow for the identification of the operating data to be evaluated. For example, the conditions for identifying the operating data may be upper and/or lower limits of sensor values such as inflow rate, or information related to the controlled object, such as the number of pumps in operation.

The search button 42 is a button pressed by the user at the time of execution of a search. When the search processing unit 36 (see Figure 1) detects that the user has pressed the search button 42, it searches the operation data DB 11 for operation data that matches the conditions entered in the operation period setting unit 41 of the evaluation information input screen Sc1, and outputs the search results to the display processing unit 37. The display processing unit 37 then generates a trend graph of the operation data retrieved by the search processing unit 36 and displays this trend graph on the trend graph display unit 43 of the evaluation information input screen Sc1.

The trend graph display unit 43 displays a trend graph. The vertical axis of the trend graph shows the water flow rate ( ^m³ /min), water depth (m), and the number of pumps in operation (units), while the horizontal axis shows the date and time.

The trend graph shown in Figure 3 consists of line graphs representing the actual trends in water flow rate, water depth, and the number of pumps in operation. The water flow rate trend is shown by a solid line graph, the water depth trend by a line graph including triangular markers, and the number of pumps in operation by a line graph including circular markers. By reviewing the trend graphs, users can determine whether the operation during the operating period was appropriate.

The driving performance evaluation input unit 44 is an interface into which the driving performance evaluation results shown on the trend graph are input. It comprises an evaluation result input unit 441, an evaluation date and time input unit 442, a driver name input unit 443, and an evaluator name input unit 444.

The evaluation result input unit 441 consists of radio buttons that allow the input of an evaluation result of "good" or "poor".
The evaluation date and time input unit 442 is an interface that accepts input information about the date and time when the evaluator performed the evaluation.

The operator name input unit 443 is an interface into which the name of the operator who controlled the operation of the plant is entered. Note that the operator name in the operator name input unit 443 may not be entered by the evaluator, but rather the operator's name associated with the performance trend may be automatically displayed.
The evaluator name input section 444 is an interface into which the name of the evaluator who evaluated the driving performance is entered.

Furthermore, the evaluation information input screen Sc1 includes an OK button 45 and a Cancel button 46.
The OK button 45 is a button that the user presses when they want to confirm the input content to the operation quality evaluation input unit 44.
The cancel button 46 is a button that the user presses when they want to cancel the input to the driving performance evaluation input unit 44.

If the user presses the OK button 45, the evaluation information recording processing unit 35 (see Figure 1) records the evaluation information entered into the operation quality evaluation input unit 44 in the operation data DB 11, associating it with the operation data that was the subject of the evaluation. If the user presses the Cancel button 46, the display processing unit 37 cancels the content entered into the operation quality evaluation input unit 44.

[Configuration of the Similar Performance Trend Display Screen]
Next, with reference to Figure 4, the configuration of the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 will be explained. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the similar performance trend display screen Sc2.

As shown in Figure 4, the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 comprises a similar performance trend selection unit 51, a trend graph display unit 52, and an operation quality evaluation display unit 53.

The Similar Performance Trend Display Screen Sc2 is an interface that accepts the selection of performance trends similar to the predicted future trend based on the most recent historical performance trend (similar performance trend: an example of similar performance operating data), and is composed of a drop-down list. In the example shown in Figure 4, the drop-down list of the Similar Performance Trend Display Screen Sc2 displays information such as the degree of similarity and the operating period as information to identify the similar performance trend.

The trend graph display unit 52 displays a trend graph. The vertical axis of the trend graph shows the water flow rate ( ^m³ /min), water depth (m), and the number of pumps in operation (units), while the horizontal axis shows date and time information. The horizontal axis of the trend graph shows future date and time information, starting from the date and time at the time the search is being performed. In other words, the time axis shown on the horizontal axis of the trend graph corresponds to the time axis in the line graph of future trends included in the trend graph.

Figure 4 shows an example where the time axis on the horizontal axis of the trend graph corresponds to the time axis in the line graph of future trends, but the present invention is not limited to this. The horizontal axis of the trend graph may correspond to both the date and time corresponding to the line graph of future trends and the date and time corresponding to the line graph of similar past trends.

Alternatively, the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 may be provided with a display switching button that allows switching the date and time on the horizontal axis of the graph. The display processing unit 37 may, in response to the pressing of the display switching button, switch between displaying the date and time corresponding to the similar performance trend line graph and the date and time corresponding to the similar performance trend line graph.

In the trend graph display unit 52, the line graph showing the actual trend of water flow rate is shown as a bold solid line, and the line graph showing the future trend of water flow rate is shown as a bold dashed line. The line graphs of similar actual trends include similar actual trend graphs for water flow rate, similar actual trend graphs for water level, and similar actual trend graphs for the number of pumps in operation. The similar actual trend graph for water flow rate is shown as a dashed line graph, the similar actual trend graph for water depth is shown as a line graph with triangular markers, and the similar actual trend graph for the number of pumps in operation is shown as a line graph with circular markers.

By checking the trend graph displayed on the trend graph display unit 52, the user can understand the trends in water depth of pump wells and the number of pumps in operation in past performance data where rainfall patterns were similar to those expected in the future, as similar performance trends. Then, using the information shown in the similar performance trend graph as a reference, the user can determine the current control settings.

The driving performance evaluation display unit 53 displays the results of the driving performance evaluation, which are shown in the trend graph. The driving performance evaluation display unit 53 includes an evaluation result display unit 531, an evaluation date and time display unit 532, a driver name display unit 533, and an evaluator name display unit 534.

The evaluation result display unit 531 displays the evaluation result, either "Good" or "Poor," corresponding to the actual trend shown in the trend graph, based on the value selected by the radio button. The user can determine the current control settings by referring only to information on similar actual trends where the evaluation result displayed on the evaluation result display unit 531 is "Good."

Furthermore, the evaluation result display unit 531 may only display characters indicating the evaluation result, such as "Good" or "Poor." Alternatively, the evaluation result display unit 531 may display symbols such as "○" or "×" indicating the evaluation result, or symbols or numerical values indicating the evaluation rank.

The evaluation date and time display unit 532 displays information about the date and time the evaluator performed the evaluation.
The operator name display unit 533 displays the name of the operator who controlled the operation of the plant.
The evaluator name display unit 534 displays the name of the evaluator who evaluated the driving performance.

Furthermore, the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 is equipped with an exit button 54.
The exit button 54 is a button that the user presses when they want to end the display of the similar performance trend display screen Sc2.

In the example shown in Figure 4, similar performance trends based on performance trends with an evaluation result of "Poor" are also displayed as options in the similar performance trend selection unit 51. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. The similar performance trend selection unit 51 may also display only similar performance trends based on performance trends with an evaluation result of "Good" as options.

[Methods for supporting equipment operation using equipment operation support systems]
Next, with reference to Figure 5, a method for supporting equipment operation by the equipment operation support system 100 according to the first embodiment of this embodiment will be described. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for equipment operation support processing by the equipment operation support system 100.

First, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 (see Figure 1) performs the operation evaluation input process (step S1), which is the process of receiving input for evaluation of the plant's operation. Details of the operation evaluation input process will be described in detail with reference to Figure 6.

Next, the evaluation information recording processing unit 35 performs an evaluation information recording process (step S2), which involves recording the driving evaluation information received in step S1 in association with the driving data being evaluated.

Next, the search processing unit 36 performs a search (step S3). Details of the search process will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 7. Next, the display processing unit 37 performs a display process (step S4), which involves displaying the search results obtained based on the search process in step S3 on the screen of the display device 4. Details of the display process will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 8.

[Driving evaluation input processing]
Next, with reference to Figure 6, the operation evaluation input process performed in step S1 of Figure 5 will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation evaluation input process procedure.

First, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 receives input from the user on the evaluation information input screen Sc1 (see Figure 3) to specify the conditions for identifying the driving data to be evaluated (step S11). The evaluation information input screen Sc1 is displayed on the display device 4 based on the user's operation on the input device 2.

Next, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 outputs the information of the conditions received as input to the search processing unit 36. Then, the search processing unit 36 searches for operating data that matches the input conditions (step S12). The search processing unit 36 outputs the operating data found in step S12 to the display processing unit 37.

Next, the display processing unit 37 displays the driving data matching the conditions found in step S12 on the evaluation information input screen Sc1 of the display device 4 (step S13). Next, the display processing unit 37 accepts input for the driving evaluation (step S14). Next, the display processing unit 37 accepts input for the driver's name (step S15). Next, the display processing unit 37 accepts input for the name of the evaluator who performed the evaluation (step S16). After outputting the information entered in steps S14 to S16 to the evaluation information recording processing unit 35, the display processing unit 37 terminates the driving evaluation input process.

[Search process]
Next, with reference to Figure 7, the search process performed by the search processing unit 36 in step S3 of Figure 5 will be described. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the search process performed by the search processing unit 36.

First, the search processing unit 36 predicts future trends based on the actual trends of the operating data up to the present (step S21). The actual trends of the operating data up to the present include, for example, time-series data of sensor values from a point N samples back in the past to the present.

Next, the search processing unit 36 extracts past performance trends similar to the future trend predicted in step S21, i.e., similar performance trends, from the operation data DB 11 (step S22). Then, the search processing unit 36 extracts the operation evaluation results associated with the similar performance trends from the operation data DB 11 (step S23). After processing in step S23, the search processing by the search processing unit 36 is completed.

[Display Processing]
Next, with reference to Figure 8, the display processing performed by the display processing unit 37 in step S4 of Figure 5 will be described. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for display processing by the display processing unit 37.

First, the display processing unit 37 displays the driving data retrieved in step S3 of Figure 5 on the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 (see Figure 4) of the display device 4 (see Figure 1) (step S31). Next, the display processing unit 37 accepts the selection of a similar performance trend (step S32). The user can select a similar performance trend to use as a reference for control by opening the pull-down list of the similar performance trend selection unit 51 (see Figure 4) on the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 and selecting one of the lists.

Next, the display processing unit 37 displays the current performance trend and the future trend predicted by the search processing unit 36 as a line graph on the trend graph display unit 52 of the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 (step S33). Then, the display processing unit 37 displays the similar performance trends extracted by the search processing unit 36 as a line graph on the trend graph display unit 52 (step S34).

Next, the display processing unit 37 displays the evaluation result associated with the similar performance trend selected in step S32 on the operation quality evaluation display unit 53 of the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 (step S35). After the processing in step S35, the display processing by the display processing unit 37 is completed.

The equipment operation support system 100 according to the first embodiment described above comprises an operation data DB 11, a search processing unit 36, and a display processing unit 37. The operation data DB 11 stores plant operation data and evaluation information regarding the quality of plant operation in association with each other. The search processing unit 36 predicts future operation data, searches the operation data DB 11 for similar past operation data that is similar to the predicted future operation data, and outputs the retrieved similar operation data and the evaluation information associated with that similar operation data. The display processing unit 37 displays the similar operation data and evaluation information input from the search processing unit 36 on the display device 4.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the user can selectively refer to driving data from highly-rated and properly executed driving.

Furthermore, the similar operational data displayed on the display device 4 includes time-series data of sensor-detected values for the amount of rainwater input to the plant, and time-series data of sensor-detected values for the amount of rainwater managed by the pump well as the controlled equipment. Therefore, the user can confirm the correlation between the information on the amount of rainwater input to the plant and the rainwater management status of the controlled equipment.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, information on past performance trends similar to the predicted future trend is displayed on the display device 4. Therefore, the user can determine the control content of the equipment by referring to past performance trends where rainwater input volume has progressed under conditions similar to the predicted trend.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the display processing unit 37 displays similar performance trends, evaluation information associated with similar performance trends, and future trends on the display device 4. Therefore, the user can determine the content of equipment control while confirming the similarities and differences between the similar performance trends (past operating data) and the predicted future trends.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the performance trend displayed on the display device 4 includes information on the number of rainwater pumps in operation. Therefore, the user can determine the control settings for the equipment while also confirming the control settings for the number of rainwater pumps in operation in the past.

<Second Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, the equipment operation support system evaluates the quality of operation based on measurement data related to the operator's actions during plant operation control. The measurement data related to the operator's actions is data measured by a body-worn measuring device such as a wearable device worn by the operator. The equipment operation support system according to the second embodiment and the equipment operation support system 100 according to the first embodiment differ in the content of the operation evaluation input processing performed in step S1 of Figure 5.

[Configuration of the Equipment Operation Support System]
First, with reference to Figure 9, the configuration of the equipment operation support system 100A according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 9 is a diagram showing a schematic example of the equipment operation support system 100A.

As shown in Figure 9, the equipment operation support system 100A includes a storage device 1, an input device 2, a calculation device 3, a display device 4, and a body-worn measuring device 5. Since the configurations of the storage device 1, input device 2, calculation device 3, and display device 4 are the same as those of the equipment operation support system 100 according to the first embodiment, their descriptions are omitted here.

The body-worn measuring device 5 is a wearable device worn by the operator (Op) who controls the plant. In this embodiment, the body-worn measuring device 5 includes a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, wearable glasses with functions for measuring eye movement and acceleration, and a microphone for measuring the volume of the operator's (Op) speech. While this embodiment provides an example where the body-worn measuring device 5 includes all of these sensors and devices, the present invention is not limited to this, and the body-worn measuring device 5 may be composed of any one or more of these sensors and devices.

The body-worn measuring device 5 transmits the measurement data of the operator Op obtained via a wired or wireless network to the computing device 3. The CPU 31 of the computing device 3 then records the operator Op measurement data received from the body-worn measuring device 5 in the operation data DB 11, associating it with the operation data. If the body-worn measuring device 5 has a wireless connection function, it may also connect to the storage device 1 using the wireless connection function and directly transmit the operator Op measurement data.

The evaluation information input processing unit 34 of the calculation unit 3 compares the measurement data measured by the body-worn measurement device 5 with previously recorded measurement data and evaluates the quality of the operation based on the comparison results. The evaluation information input processing unit 34 acquires measurement data that is associated with past performance trends (similar performance trends) that are similar to the current performance trend, as the past measurement data to be compared.

The evaluation information input processing unit 34 then lowers the evaluation value if the measurement data value measured by the body-worn measuring device 5 is greater than (higher than) the measurement data value measured in the past. For example, if the evaluation value consists of two values, the worse evaluation value is recorded. If the evaluation value is shown as a stepped numerical value, it is set to a value lower than the evaluation value recorded in the past.

During plant operation, if an abnormal situation occurs that cannot be handled by, for example, automatic control algorithms, it is expected that the operator's (Op) heart rate, blood pressure, eye movement, acceleration of eye movement, speech frequency, and speech volume will be significantly higher (higher, more frequent) than under normal conditions. Furthermore, operation based on control systems implemented under such circumstances is considered unsuitable as a reference for future control systems.

In this embodiment, by setting a low evaluation value for an operation based on control performed under such circumstances, the operation data of that operation can be excluded from the list of candidate operation data to be used as a reference for control. Exclusion from the list of candidates is achieved, for example, by a user viewing the evaluation value on the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 (see Figure 4) not referring to the information of similar performance trends with low evaluation values. Note that the exclusion of operation data with a low evaluation value from the list of candidates may also be performed by the evaluation information input processing unit 34.

[Driving evaluation input processing]
Next, with reference to Figure 10, the operation evaluation input processing by the evaluation information input processing unit 34 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for operation evaluation input processing.

First, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 (see Figure 9) acquires the operator's measurement data measured by the body-worn measuring device 5 (step S41). Specifically, in step S41, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 acquires measurement data for the operator's heart rate, blood pressure, eye movement, and eye movement acceleration.

Next, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 searches the operation data DB 11 for similar performance trends that are similar to the current performance trend (step S42).

Next, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 acquires past measurement data associated with the driving data included in the similar performance trend (step S43). Then, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 determines whether the current driver's heart rate or blood pressure, included in the measurement data acquired in step S41, is higher than the past heart rate or blood pressure acquired in step S43 (step S44). The measurement data compared in step S44 may be either heart rate or blood pressure, and both measured values may be compared against each other.

If, in step S44, it is determined that the current driver's heart rate or blood pressure is higher (i.e., step S44 is determined to be YES), the evaluation information input processing unit 34 lowers the evaluation value (step S45).

On the other hand, if step S44 determines that the current driver's heart rate or blood pressure is not higher than past measurement data (i.e., step S44 results in a "NO" determination), the evaluation information input processing unit 34 increases the evaluation value (step S46). However, if the current driver's heart rate or blood pressure is approximately the same as the driver's heart rate or blood pressure in the past, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 does not increase or decrease the evaluation value.

After processing in step S45 or step S46, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 determines whether the current amount of eye movement or acceleration of movement of the operator, included in the measurement data acquired in step S41, is greater than the past amount of eye movement or acceleration of movement acquired in step S43 (step S47). The measurement data compared in step S47 may be either the amount of eye movement or the acceleration of movement, and both measured values may be compared against each other.

If, in step S47, it is determined that the current amount of eye movement or acceleration of movement is greater (i.e., step S47 is determined to be YES), the evaluation information input processing unit 34 lowers the evaluation value (step S48).

On the other hand, if step S47 determines that the current amount of eye movement or acceleration of movement of the operator is not significantly greater than that of past measurement data (i.e., step S47 is determined to be NO), the evaluation information input processing unit 34 determines whether the current amount of eye movement or acceleration of movement of the operator being measured is constant for a predetermined period (step S49).

If the current driver's eye movement or acceleration during measurement remains constant for a predetermined period, i.e., there is no movement, it is assumed that the driver is not concentrating on control due to drowsiness or other reasons. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the current driver's eye movement or acceleration during measurement remains constant for a predetermined period (i.e., step S49 results in a YES determination), the evaluation information input processing unit 34 proceeds to step S48 and sets a lower evaluation value for the driving.

If step S49 results in a NO determination, that is, if the current amount of eye movement or acceleration of movement of the operator is not significantly greater than past measurement data, and there is movement in the current amount of eye movement or acceleration of movement of the operator during measurement, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 increases the evaluation value (step S50).

After processing in step S48 or step S50, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 determines whether the current speech frequency and speech volume included in the measurement data acquired in step S41 are greater than or greater than the speech frequency and speech volume acquired in step S43 (step S51).

If, in step S51, it is determined that the current operator's speaking frequency is higher and the speaking volume is higher (i.e., step S51 is determined to be YES), the evaluation information input processing unit 34 lowers the evaluation value (step S52).

On the other hand, if step S51 determines that the current operator's speaking frequency is neither high nor high (i.e., step S51 is determined to be NO), the evaluation information input processing unit 34 increases the evaluation value (step S53). If the current operator's speaking frequency and volume are approximately the same as those in past measurement data, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 does not increase or decrease the evaluation value. After processing in step S52 or step S53, the operation evaluation input processing by the evaluation information input processing unit 34 ends.

The evaluation information input processing unit 34 of the equipment operation support system 100A according to the second embodiment described above determines the evaluation value of the plant operation based on the values of measurement data related to the actions of the operator controlling the plant operation. It is believed that the measurement data related to the actions of the operator controlling the plant operation reflects the operator's feelings during control monitoring and intervention operations, and that there is a correlation between this measurement data and the quality of the operation. Therefore, according to this embodiment, evaluation information can be generated without requiring the user to input the operation evaluation information.

Figure 10 shows an example where each judgment on multiple measurement values included in the measurement data is performed in a time-series order, but the present invention is not limited to this. Each judgment on multiple measurement values may be performed in parallel in time.

<Third Embodiment>
In the third embodiment, the equipment operation support system evaluates the quality of operation based on measurement data related to the operator's actions during plant operation control, similar to the second embodiment. The difference between the equipment operation support system according to the third embodiment and the equipment operation support system 100A according to the second embodiment is that the operator's measurement data is acquired from a stationary measurement device 7 installed in the room.

[Configuration of the Equipment Operation Support System]
Figure 11 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of the equipment operation support system 200 according to the third embodiment. As shown in Figure 11, the equipment operation support system 200 includes equipment operation support system 100Ba and equipment operation support system 100Bb. Equipment operation support system 100Ba is configured as a server, and equipment operation support system 100Bb is configured as a client. Equipment operation support systems 100Ba and 100Bb are connected via a network N, such as the Internet.

Figure 11 shows an example where the equipment operation support system 100Ba, configured as a server, and the equipment operation support system 100Bb, configured as a client, are each configured as a single unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. Multiple units of the equipment operation support system 100Ba and the equipment operation support system 100Bb may be configured.

In the third embodiment, the evaluation information input processing unit 34, evaluation information recording processing unit 35, search processing unit 36, and display processing unit 37 of the arithmetic unit 3 of the equipment operation support system 100 according to the first embodiment are distributed between the arithmetic unit 3Ba within the equipment operation support system 100Ba and the equipment operation support system 100Bb.

The equipment operation support system 100Ba comprises a storage device 1a, an arithmetic unit 3Ba, and a communication device 6a. The arithmetic unit 3Ba includes a CPU 31a, a ROM 32a, a RAM 33a, an evaluation information recording processing unit 35, and a search processing unit 36. The storage device 1a stores the operation data DB 11. Since these devices and functional units of the equipment operation support system 100Ba are identical to those in the equipment operation support system 100 according to the first embodiment, their descriptions are omitted here.

The communication device 6a is composed of, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) and transmits and receives various data with the equipment operation support system 100Bb, which is connected via the network N.

The equipment operation support system 100Bb includes a storage device 1b, an input device 2, an arithmetic unit 3Bb, a display device 4, a communication device 6b, and a stationary measuring device 7. Since the storage device 1b, input device 2, and display device 4 of the equipment operation support system 100Bb are identical to those in the equipment operation support system 100 according to the first embodiment, their descriptions are omitted here.

The arithmetic unit 3Bb includes a CPU 31b, a ROM 32b, a RAM 33b, an evaluation information input processing unit 34, and a display processing unit 37.

The stationary measuring device 7 includes, for example, a surveillance camera that photographs the inside of the control room where the equipment operation support system 200 is installed, a web camera installed on the screen of an operation control computer (hereinafter also referred to as the operation control PC) (not shown), and operation recording software such as a key logger stored in the operation control PC.

The field of view of the surveillance camera is set to capture the driver control PC and the driver operating the PC. The surveillance camera acquires information about the driver's posture using image recognition-based skeletal recognition technology. A known method can be used for image recognition-based skeletal recognition; for example, skeletal recognition using the OpenPose library may be employed.

The webcam's field of view is set to capture the face of the operator operating the control PC, and the webcam captures the operator's eye movements. However, if the operator is wearing wearable glasses capable of capturing eye movements as a body-worn measurement device 5, a webcam may not be required.

The operation recording software acquires information on the operator's switching speed on the operation screen displayed on the operation control PC, as well as the frequency of operation.

During plant operation, if an abnormal situation occurs that cannot be handled by, for example, an automatic control algorithm, it is assumed that the body movements indicated by changes in the operator's posture, eye movements, and the frequency of switching between operation screens will be significantly (more frequent) than under normal conditions. In this embodiment, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 within the arithmetic unit 3Bb sets a low evaluation value for operations based on control performed under such circumstances.

The measurement data from the stationary measuring device 7 is stored in the storage device 1b of the equipment operation support system 100Bb. Subsequently, this measurement data is read by the arithmetic unit 3Bb and transmitted via the communication device 6b to the equipment operation support system 100Ba through the network N. The measurement data is then stored in the operation data DB 11 within the storage device 1a of the equipment operation support system 100Ba.

Furthermore, the evaluation information for the plant's operation received by the evaluation information input processing unit 34 is transmitted via the communication device 6b to the equipment operation support system 100Ba through the network N and stored in the operation data DB 11 in the storage device 1a.

The search processing unit 36 of the equipment operation support system 100Ba has acquired the past performance trend, the future trend predicted from the performance trend, similar performance trends to the future trend, and evaluation information associated with similar performance trends. This information is then transmitted via the communication device 6a to the equipment operation support system 100Bb through the network N. The display processing unit 37 of the equipment operation support system 100Bb then displays this information on the similar performance trend display screen Sc2 (see Figure 4) of the display device 4.

[Driving evaluation input processing by the evaluation information input processing unit]
Next, with reference to Figure 12, the operation evaluation input processing by the evaluation information input processing unit 34 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for operation evaluation input processing. Figure 12 shows an example in which the evaluation information input processing unit 34 performs operation evaluation input processing based on measurement data from the stationary measuring device 7.

Since the processes in steps S61 to S63 in Figure 12 are identical to the processes in steps S41 to S43 in Figure 10, their explanation is omitted here.

In step S63, after obtaining evaluation values associated with similar performance trends, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 (see Figure 11) determines whether the current amount of eye movement or posture change of the operator, included in the measurement data obtained in step S61, is greater than the amount of eye movement or posture change included in the past measurement data obtained in step S63 (step S64). The measurement data compared in step S64 may be either eye movement or posture change, and both measurement values may be compared against each other.

If, in step S64, it is determined that the current amount of eye movement or posture change is greater (i.e., step S64 is determined to be YES), the evaluation information input processing unit 34 lowers the evaluation value (step S65).

On the other hand, if step S64 determines that the current amount of eye movement or posture change of the operator is not large compared to past measurement data (i.e., step S64 is determined to be NO), the evaluation information input processing unit 34 determines whether the current amount of eye movement or posture change of the operator being measured is constant for a predetermined period (step S66).

If step S66 is determined to be NO, that is, if the current amount of eye movement or posture change of the operator is not large compared to past measurement data, and there is movement in the amount of eye movement or posture change of the operator during measurement, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 increases the evaluation value (step S67). On the other hand, if step S66 is determined to be YES, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 performs the process of step S65, that is, it decreases the evaluation.

After processing in step S65 or step S67, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 determines whether the current operator's screen switching frequency and number of operation counts, included in the measurement data acquired in step S61, are greater than the screen switching frequency and number of operation counts included in the past measurement data acquired in step S63 (step S68).

If, in step S68, it is determined that the current frequency of switching between operation screens and the number of operation operations are higher (i.e., step S68 is determined to be YES), the evaluation information input processing unit 34 lowers the evaluation value (step S69).

On the other hand, if step S68 determines that the current driver operation screen switching frequency and number of operation operations are not greater than those of the current driver (i.e., step S68 is determined to be NO), the evaluation information input processing unit 34 increases the evaluation value (step S70). After processing in step S69 or step S70, the evaluation information input processing unit 34 terminates the driver evaluation input processing.

According to the third embodiment described above, measurement data regarding the operator's movements during plant operation control can be acquired without requiring the operator to wear a body-worn measuring device 5. Therefore, compared to the second embodiment described above, the burden on the operator can be further reduced.

Furthermore, in the third embodiment described above, in addition to the stationary measuring device 7, a body-worn measuring device 5 may also be provided.

The embodiments described above are intended to clearly illustrate the present invention by detailing the configuration of the apparatus and system, and are not necessarily limited to those comprising all the configurations described.

Furthermore, the control lines or information lines indicated by arrows in Figures 1, 9, and 11 are those deemed necessary for explanatory purposes and do not necessarily represent all control lines or information lines in the actual product. In practice, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected.

Furthermore, in this specification, processing steps describing chronological processing include not only processing performed chronologically in the order described, but also processing that is not necessarily performed chronologically but is executed in parallel or individually (e.g., parallel processing or processing by objects).

Furthermore, each component of the system according to the above-described embodiment may be implemented on any hardware, as long as the respective hardware can send and receive information from each other via a network. Also, the processing performed by a certain processing unit may be implemented by a single piece of hardware, or by distributed processing using multiple pieces of hardware.

1, 1a, 1b…Storage device; 2…Input device; 3, 3Ba, 3Bb…Calculation unit; 4…Display device; 5…Body-worn measuring device; 7…Stationary measuring device; 11…Operation data DB; 34…Evaluation information input processing unit; 35…Evaluation information recording processing unit; 36…Search processing unit; 37…Display processing unit; 100, 100A, 100Ba, 100Bb, 200…Equipment operation support system

Claims (11)

An equipment operation support system for a plant having controlled equipment in which control is performed according to the detected value of the input amount of a substance input to the plant by a sensor,
An operating data database in which the actual operating data of the plant and evaluation information on the quality of the plant's operation are stored in association,
A search processing unit predicts future operating data, which is the trend of detected values by the sensor over a predetermined period in the future; searches the operating data database for similar past operating data that is similar to the predicted future operating data; and outputs the searched similar operating data and the evaluation information associated with the similar operating data.
A facility operation support system comprising a display processing unit that displays similar performance operation data and evaluation information input from the search processing unit on a display device. The equipment operation support system according to claim 1, wherein the similar performance operation data includes time-series data of detected values of the input amount of a substance input to the plant and time-series data of detected values of the amount of the substance managed by the controlled equipment. The equipment operation support system according to claim 2, wherein the search processing unit predicts the future operation data based on the actual operation data from a past point in time a predetermined period prior to the time the search is performed up to the time the search is performed. The equipment operation support system according to claim 3, wherein the display processing unit causes the display device to display the similar actual operation data, the evaluation information associated with the similar actual operation data, and the future operation data. The equipment operation support system according to claim 3, wherein the actual operation data further includes information on the number of operating units of the controlled equipment. The plant further comprises an evaluation information input processing unit that receives input of evaluation information regarding the quality of the plant's operation and records it in the operation data database.
The equipment operation support system according to claim 3, wherein the input of the evaluation information to the evaluation information input processing unit is performed via an operation input unit into which user operations are input, or by linking with a report containing the evaluation information. The plant further comprises an evaluation information input processing unit that receives input of evaluation information regarding the quality of the plant's operation and records it in the operation data database.
The equipment operation support system according to claim 3, wherein the evaluation information input processing unit determines the value of the evaluation information based on the value of measurement data relating to the actions of an operator who controls the operation of the plant. The equipment operation support system according to claim 7, wherein the measurement data relating to the operator's actions consists of one or more of the operator's heart rate, blood pressure, eye movement, acceleration of eye movement, change in posture, speech voice, speech frequency, screen switching frequency of the operation screen referenced by the operator when controlling the operation of the plant, and frequency of input of operations to the operation screen. The equipment operation support system according to claim 7, wherein the evaluation information input processing unit sets a lower value as the evaluation value when the value of the measurement data at the time of measurement is higher, larger, more frequent, or more frequent than the value of past measurement data. The equipment operation support system according to claim 7, wherein the past measurement data that the evaluation information input processing unit compares with the measurement data at the time the measurement was performed is measurement data associated with the similar actual operation data. A method for supporting the operation of a plant in an equipment operation support system that provides operational support for a plant having controlled equipment in which control is performed according to the detected value of the input amount of a substance input to the plant by a sensor,
A procedure for storing the actual operating data of the plant and the evaluation information regarding the quality of the plant's operation in an operating data database, in association with each other.
A procedure for predicting future operating data, which is the trend of detected values by the sensor over a predetermined period in the future; searching the operating data database for similar past operating data that is similar to the predicted future operating data; and outputting the searched similar operating data and the evaluation information associated with the similar operating data.
A procedure for displaying the outputted similar performance data and evaluation information on a display device,
A method for supporting the operation of equipment, which includes the following.