JPH11328243A - Plant design support system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To test the operating state of a plant by performing three-dimensional CG display of contents of the plant design. SOLUTION: This plant design support system includes a storage means 13 which stores the contents of a plant design, the storage means 11, 14 and 15 which store the operating procedure manual/human attribute data, the means 8 and 22 which display the contents of plant design by means of a three- dimensional CG, a plant simulator 1 which outputs a prescribed plant event with simulation, a means 4 which changes the plant design contents based on the simulated output data of the simulator 1 and generates the behavior of a virtual operator according to the change of the plant design contents and based on the operating procedure manual/human attribute data, a decision means 5 which decides whether a prescribed operation of the plant design contents is completed based on the behavior of the virtual operator, and a design evaluation means 6 which evaluates the plant design contents based on the behavior of the virtual operator and the decision result of the means 5 and according to an evaluation standard.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plant design support system which expresses plant design contents by three-dimensional computer graphics (CG) and is used for plant design support including plant training.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, after a plant is designed, the design plant is evaluated in terms of monitoring performance and monitoring work efficiency of the designed plant. Conventionally, when evaluating various plant design contents, several methods have been considered. The plant design here includes the system design of the plant. (1) One of them is to design a supervisory control system such as a central control room of a plant. First, a design drawing of the supervisory control system is drawn on a drawing, and an outline operation state of the plant assumed from the design drawing is described. Confirm. Next, based on the system design on the drawing, a mock-up system for simulation verification as a full-scale model is manufactured. In the verification of the simulation of the mock-up system, the mock-up system and the simulator are linked, and while the subject actually performs the operation, the operation status of the system design, the monitoring work efficiency, and the like are verified. (2) In recent years, although the technical field is different, a method of visualizing the contents of architectural design using three-dimensional CG has been introduced in architectural design. This visualization method is a product in which a subject is viewed from various viewpoints while walking in a building represented by a three-dimensional CG, or a head-mounted display or a data glove is worn, and the subject is represented by the CG. This is a way to check the architectural design state as if you were inside the building. Here, the head-mounted display is attached to the front of the subject's face, displays an image calculated by a computer on a display unit in front of the screen, and utilizes the parallax of the subject's left and right eyes to create a three-dimensional virtual space. A three-dimensional image is projected inside. The data glove is worn on a subject's hand, has a role as a manual operation detection device that detects the position and movement of the hand and finger and inputs operation information.

[0003] Such a visualization method is also applied to a plant control panel design support method and apparatus (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6 (1999)).
-314318). This plant control panel design support method confirms the design of a plant control panel through a virtual experience using virtual reality. (3) Next, for a plant education and training system, a CAI system for individuals and a training system performed at an operation training center are available.

[0004] In recent years, the CAI system provides easy-to-understand teaching materials using media such as CG and sound. Link the simulator to this CAI system,
There has also been proposed one that can input an operation signal to a plant and check the response. (4) Furthermore, the operation training center for nuclear power plants aims to conduct training in an environment close to the actual situation. Some cooperate to simulate plant operation.

[0005]

In the above-described method for confirming the system design, the following various problems have been pointed out. The method of manufacturing a mock-up system and confirming the system design as in the above (1) is as follows.
Although it is possible to perform highly accurate verification by producing a system close to the real thing, but in the case of a large system such as a plant monitoring and control system, the production cost of the mock-up system is high and found a defect Even in such cases, it is practically difficult to change the system and retest. In addition, even in the case of evaluating the drivability, there is a problem that there is a time limitation because a real person is a subject, and that a sufficient simulation cannot be performed or a verification range is limited to a narrow range.

Next, in the verification of the system design using the three-dimensional CG and the virtual reality as in the above (2), the (1)
Although the problem caused by the problem can be solved, the method of confirming with the subject is adopted as described above, so that the verification range is limited, and there is a problem that the system design is evaluated by the subject's subjectivity. In addition, since evaluation of the appearance, layout, sense of distance, and the like of the system becomes mainstream, there remains a problem in evaluating an operation situation that requires real-time response such as plant operation. In any case, this verification method can confirm the system design through a simulated experience using virtual reality, but the display state of the control panel and the cooperative work status of multiple operators according to changes in the operating conditions of the plant Etc. cannot be confirmed.

[0007] Furthermore, the plant education and training system as described in (3) above is basically constructed in consideration of the relationship between the individual learner and the plant to which knowledge is to be acquired and the supervisory control system. It does not support training in situations where multiple operators cooperate to operate the plant.

[0008] Further, in the case of simulating the operation of a plant using a control panel and a simulation equivalent to the actual machine as in the above (4), the equipment becomes large-scale and cannot be used easily by an individual. There are difficulties above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a plant design support system for realizing automatic verification of a plant design. It is another object of the present invention to provide a plant design support system that enables objective evaluation instead of human subjective evaluation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a plant design support and evaluation system suitable for education and training, which can easily learn plant operation in a more realistic plant situation.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a plant design support system for expressing plant design contents using three-dimensional CG. A storage means for storing a plant design content storage means for storing, an operation procedure manual describing an operation procedure and human attribute data relating to the behavior of the virtual operator, and a storage means for storing the plant design content using three-dimensional CG. Display control means for displaying the stored plant design contents; a plant simulator for simulating and outputting a predetermined plant event using a plant model; and a plant for displaying the three-dimensional CG based on simulated output data of the plant simulator. In order to change the design contents and perform predetermined operations on the plant design contents with this change An action generation processing unit that generates and controls the behavior of the virtual operator based on the driving procedure manual and the human attribute data, and further includes: It is determined whether a predetermined operation of the plant design content has been completed based on the behavior control of the virtual operator. If the operation has not been completed, the process returns to the behavior generation processing means and performs another operation of the virtual operator. And a design evaluation processing unit that evaluates the plant design content according to a predetermined evaluation criterion when it is determined that the predetermined operation has been completed by the behavior determination unit. A system that captures and saves data necessary to reproduce a simulation case at the time of a plant simulator simulation. It is a plant design support system provided with Interview configuration data storage means.

[0012] By taking the above measures, 3 based on the simulated output data of the plant simulation.
When a certain part of the plant design content represented by the dimension CG changes, the action generation processing means automatically or in accordance with an instruction from an input device, when it becomes necessary to operate a predetermined device, an operation procedure manual. In accordance with the operation procedure described in the above, further, using the human attribute data related to the operator, in order to operate the predetermined device, to generate and control the behavior of the virtual operator corresponding to the operator, and perform the operation. There is no need to build a full-size mockup system like
The user can experience the operation in a simulated manner with virtual reality, thereby reducing the cost and easily trying the test again. Further, since the operation can be performed while generating the actions of the virtual operators corresponding to the plurality of operators, the plurality of operators can experience the operation of the plant while cooperating.

[0013] Further, after operating or operating a predetermined device, the design evaluation processing means evaluates the plant contents in accordance with a predetermined evaluation criterion, or based on the lighting design data of the plant, the viewpoint position of the virtual operator. Judgment of the presence or absence of the reflection of the lighting from the display on the display, and the location of the reflection can be specified, so that it can be appropriately used in plant design, and there are multiple routes when the virtual operator operates. Choose the shortest route,
Since the presence or absence of obstacles including other virtual operators is checked, it can greatly contribute to plant design.

Further, the simulation data storage means fetches and stores data required during the simulation of the plant simulator, so that the simulation case can be reproduced later, which is useful when examining the quality of the plant design. be able to.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a plant design support system according to the present invention.

This plant design support system includes a plant simulator 1 capable of reproducing a plant condition required for system design evaluation, an input device 2 for inputting an operator's request, an input processing means 3, an action generation processing means 4, an action determination. Means 5, design evaluation processing means 6, simulation data storage means 7, display control means 8, and output device 9, as well as database groups 11 to 1 for storing various data relating to the generation and evaluation of behavior of virtual operators in plant design.
9, 21 to 24 are provided.

Further, each of the above components will be described in detail. The plant simulator 1 reproduces a plant condition necessary for design evaluation using a dynamic characteristic model of the plant, and can simulate a desired plant event by using the dynamic characteristic model of the plant. Plant process data required for display and evaluation of a plant design represented by three-dimensional CG can be output.

The input device 2 is used by an operator to input a request necessary for a design evaluation of a plant design. In general, a keyboard is used.
A pointing device such as a mouse and a joystick, a device usable in virtual reality such as a data glove and a data suit, and a voice input / output device are used.

The input processing means 3 converts input data from the plant simulator 1 or the input device 2 into data suitable for a predetermined process, for example, a subsequent process, or performs an event process required in response to an operation request of the input device 2. Has the role of calling.

The action generation processing means 4 has a function of determining the action of the virtual driver represented by a three-dimensional CG model in the three-dimensional CG. Based on plant process data of the plant simulator 1 and input data of the operator input from the input device 2, the operation contents of the virtual operator are stored in various databases 11 to 16, 21 to 24 according to a predetermined action generation program. Necessary data among the data is taken in, the behavior of the virtual operator is generated, and the process proceeds to the next behavior determination processing, and further displayed on the output device 9 via the display control means 8.

That is, the action generation processing means 4 fetches the plant design data of the database 13 and uses the three-dimensional CG data of the database 22 or the like to express the plant design contents on the output device 9 in three-dimensional CG. When there is a change in some kind of event in the process data from the plant simulator 1 and the operator performs some operation while looking at the corresponding display part of the process, the database 1
1 according to the operation procedure data and the database 14
The data of ~ 16 are used to determine how and in what order the virtual operator will operate what equipment. That is, the corresponding part of the designed plant is changed in accordance with the process data from the plant simulator 1, or the behavior of the virtual operator in the plant design represented by three-dimensional CG is generated, and Is moved so as to perform the above operation.

The action generation processing means 4 will be described later in detail. The action determination means 5 determines whether the action is good or bad using the data of the plant design database 13 and the operation procedure database 11 with respect to the action generation processing data by the action generation processing means 4, and generates the action according to the determination result. It has a function of feeding back to the processing means 4, the plant simulator 1, and further to the input processing means 3 to encourage regeneration.

The design evaluation processing means 6 evaluates the generation behavior in accordance with the data of the plant design database 13, the data of various HI (human interface) design guidelines 18, and the evaluation criteria and evaluation methods of the design evaluation model 17. The details will be described later.

The simulation data storage means 7 stores a series of plant process data, virtual operator behavior data, input data input by an operator, display screen data at the time of simulation, evaluation results, and the like in a simulation data storage database 19. Has the ability to

FIG. 2 shows an output example of the plant design support evaluation system shown in FIG.
A central control room 30 represented by three-dimensional CG is displayed on a T display, a head mounted display, or the like. In the central control room 30 represented by the three-dimensional CG,
For example, a console 31, control panels 32 of various plants,... And a virtual operator (simulated simulated operator) 33 that operates necessary operation switches of the console 31 while monitoring the control panels 32,. ing.

The information displayed on a display device such as an instrument or a CRT on the control panel 32 represented by the three-dimensional CG is linked to the process data of the plant simulator 1, and is changed according to the change of the process data. Instruments and C
The display of RT changes. When an operating device on the control panel 32 is operated, an operating signal is transmitted to the plant simulator 1.
And the state of the plant and the state of the monitoring and control device change.

The virtual operator represented in the three-dimensional CG is, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse or a joystick, or a virtual device such as a data glove or a data suit, in addition to the touch keys, based on the action generating means 4 described above. In accordance with an external operation command such as a device used in the real world, a voice input device, etc., it performs operations such as walking, checking a CRT, operating, and the like, and furthermore, a position and a gaze of a virtual operator from a data glove. The operation data such as the direction of the camera can be collected from the input device 2.

FIG. 3 is a layout diagram of a central control room as an example of a reference model for explaining the action generation processing, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating a specific example of the behavior generation processing means 4 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, a control panel 32 and three desks 35 to 37 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the central control room 30, and a plurality of displays 38 are provided on the control panel 32, for example.
a, 38b and an operation switch 39 are provided.
An operator is sitting on the desk 37. This operator corresponds to the virtual operator 33 in the system of the present invention.

In this state, assuming a situation in which the plant state changes and the operator operates the operation switch 39 on the control panel 32 to request the operation of confirming the information on the display 38a, the action generation processing means 4 Will be described.

The action generation processing means 4 executes a series of processing as shown in FIG. 4 when a plant state as shown in FIG. 3 occurs. That is, the plant state determination means 41
Upon receiving the process data from the plant simulator 1, based on an event change of the process data, a judgment item as shown in FIG. 5 is selectively output from the operation procedure database 11, and a plant state necessary for selection and execution of the plant operation is displayed. judge. This state determination is performed using the determination logic described in the plant state determination model 12.

As shown in FIG. 5, the operation procedure manual database 11 expresses the conditions and operation items determined from the process data in an operation flow diagram, or lists the operation contents in a list format for each assignment of the operator. Is expressed. The operation procedure database 11 describes detailed operation procedures for each operation operation item.

For example, when there is a description that the pump is finally started when the water level, which is the process data, drops, the following operation procedure is required as each of the operation operation items.

Operation procedure 1: Check the water level and flow rate. Operating procedure 2: Open the valve. Operating procedure 3: Start the pump.

Operational procedure 4: Check the water level and flow rate. Therefore, the plant state determination unit 41 determines the plant state using the judgment model output from the plant state judgment model 12 according to the conditions and operation procedures that appear in the operation flow of the operation procedure database 11.

Subsequently, the driving operation deriving means 42 is executed. The driving operation deriving means 42 extracts an operation procedure according to whether or not a condition is satisfied according to the operation flow shown in FIG.
Here, when a plurality of operation procedures are derived, the priority order of the operations is determined by the priority operation determination unit 43, and the order in which the operations are to be performed is determined. The criteria for determining the priority at this time are also described in the plant state determination model 12 in advance.

When the priority order for performing the operation is determined as described above, the operation procedure deriving means 44 derives the operation procedure to be operated with the highest priority, and further derives the operation procedure according to whether or not the condition is satisfied. , To the operation data deriving means 45.

Each time the operation data deriving means 45 receives the operation procedure derived by the operation procedure deriving means 44,
For example, the operation of the virtual operator is derived based on the current position data of the virtual operator, operator status data such as which direction the user is looking at, and data of the plant design database 13 and the human model database 14. Here, the evaluation operation database 16 is not used. The database 11 is used when the operator evaluates the appearance as described later.

The operation data deriving means 45 will be described with a specific example. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the virtual operator 33 sits in front of the desk 37 and monitors the control panel 32, the process data changes. In order to execute the operation procedure derived in the above-described series of processing steps 41 to 44 on the basis of the above, the operation switch 39 on the control panel is operated from the sitting position, and on the display 38a based on the operation result. When confirming the state of the process data appearing in the above, the virtual operator derives the following operation data.

1. 1. Stand while pulling a chair. 2. Walk up to the operation switch 39 3. Operate the operation switch 39. Confirmation of Display 38a The above-mentioned operation data is derived from the state data of the virtual operator at that time (for example, the position, posture, and operation of the virtual operator), and the data (for example, FIG. 3 based on the design data of the plant equipment including the positional relationship shown in FIG. 3, operation methods such as pressing / turning operation switches, etc., and the height, arm length, walking speed, etc. of the virtual operator from the human model database 14. I do. Here, if the operation switch 39 is within the reach of the hand, the operation switch 39 is operated by extending the hand as it is, but when the distance is long, a walking operation is added.

When the movement of the virtual operator occurs, the shortest route to the destination is searched. When the virtual operator is at the position shown in FIG. 3, there is an obstacle when moving to the place where the operation switch 39 is located. That is, when there is an obstacle such as a desk between the target and the target, the robot moves to the end of the obstacle and repeatedly approaches the target until the obstacle disappears in the operation.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a search result of a route that can be moved by the virtual operator with respect to the plant design data shown in FIG. 3, and four routes p1, p2, p3, and p4 are derived. The shortest one route is selected from these four routes, and the moving route is determined. If the route cannot be searched, an error flag indicating that the route cannot be moved is set.

A plurality of displays, for example, 38a,
When confirming the information displayed on 38b, which display to use depends on the position of the virtual operator at that time. When there are a plurality of means for realizing such an operation, a display which is most easily operated or monitored is selected from the position of the virtual operator, and operation data is derived.

When the operation data is derived as described above, the action control means 46 controls the virtual operator to actually act according to the operation data. That is, the behavior control means 46 performs the plant design database 1 based on the operation data derived from the operation data derivation means 45.
3. Based on the human model data and the behavior pattern data such as the human model database 14 and the behavior pattern database 15, the behavior is controlled so that the virtual operator moves on the three-dimensional CG. For example, with respect to the walking motion, the right and left legs are alternately put out from the behavior pattern database 13 or at the same time, the basic behavior pattern such as swinging the opposite arm forward is referred to and output via the display control means 8. It is displayed on the device 9.

Accordingly, the behavior of the virtual operator is controlled and displayed through a series of processes as described above. At this time, for example, when a plurality of operators operate the plant in cooperation with each other, According to the role, as shown by a dashed line in FIG.
4 'and the plant state determination means 41' to the behavior control means 46 'are prepared, and a series of processes similar to those described above are executed.
That is, the above-described series of processing is performed in parallel and separately for each operator.

Further, if necessary, when the operator inputs data specifying the operation of the virtual operator from the input device 2, the request interpreting means 47 interprets the input data, and then performs the same processing. The behavior of the virtual operator can be controlled according to the processing procedure. For example, when the operation switch 35 on the three-dimensional CG is selected by the input device 2 and a request to press the start button is input, the request interpretation unit 47 interprets that the operation procedure has been designated, and the request interpretation unit 47 shows a dotted line (a) in the figure. Thus, the processing after the derivation of the operation data is executed.

On the other hand, when the operator selects an evaluation mode irrelevant to the plant, such as an external appearance evaluation showing the state of viewing the central control room 30, for example, the operation data derivation 45 of the virtual operator causes the operation database for evaluation to be used. The operation data is determined by using 16 evaluation operation data. The evaluation operation database 16 previously stores state data of the central control room when the operator looks at the central control room while walking, that is, state data at the time of movement.

The action of the virtual operator is determined by the action generation means 4.
Is displayed on the display device 9 via the information display control means 8 in a three-dimensional CG state so that the virtual operator moves. Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the operation content of the virtual operator is dynamically derived. The selected action pattern may be selected.

Further, the operator can directly use the input device 2 such as a data glove, for example, without using the virtual operator.
When the mode for operating the device on the dimension CG is selected, the behavior control of the virtual operator is bypassed.

Next, the action judging means 5 shown in FIG. 1 judges the completion of the operation based on the operation procedure performed by the action generation processing means 4. Here, for example, when the virtual operator is installed at a position where it cannot be reached even when reaching the operation switch 46 to be operated, even if the virtual operator performs action control according to the operation data, Does not mean that the operation has been completed. Also, depending on the condition of the plant,
There is a case where the device does not operate even if the switch of the plant device is operated.

In view of the above situation, the action determining means 5 determines whether or not the operation has been reliably completed using the data for determination criteria set in the plant design database 13 and the operating procedure manual database 11 in advance. If it is determined whether or not the operation has not been completed, the process returns to, for example, the operation procedure deriving unit 44 or the operation data deriving unit 45 of the action generation processing unit 4 to newly generate operation data and execute the operation. . At this time, the following three strategies can be cited.

(1) Change to operation data that enables the virtual operator to operate. For example, when the virtual operator cannot reach, the data is changed to operation data for executing an operation such as moving the location of the virtual operator. This change in the operation data is dealt with by assuming the type of malfunction in the operating procedure manual database 11 and registering possible operation procedures for each malfunction.

(2) Search for and execute another operation procedure.
For example, when the water supply pump does not start, the output of the plant is reduced. It is desirable to use this strategy as a response to actual plant operation. Since most of this correspondence is described in the driving procedure manual, the operation returns to the driving operation deriving means 42.

(3) Further, the fact that the operation cannot be performed is reported or recorded, and the operation proceeds to the next operation procedure. Therefore,
The action determining means 5 determines which of the above three strategies to select from the following selection items. This selection item is: If you want to evaluate the operation procedure manual itself, refer to “1. If it is desired to confirm the actual driving situation, the above-mentioned “2” c. When it is desired to evaluate ergonomically, the above-mentioned “3” or the like is used.

As described above, when the virtual operator or the operator executes, for example, a switch operation of the plant equipment, the operation data is transmitted to the plant simulator 1 by the action generation processing means 4 or the action determination means 5, and furthermore, the simulation is performed. The data is stored in the data storage database 19.

Further, the design evaluation processing means 6 performs a design evaluation process corresponding to each evaluation item. The evaluation items include a static evaluation that does not depend on the plant state and a dynamic evaluation that depends on the plant state. In the static evaluation, data from the plant simulator 1 is not particularly necessary. Evaluation of behavior control by members is performed.

That is, the design evaluation is based on various HI (human interface) design guidelines 18 and the evaluation criteria and evaluation method for each evaluation item are set in the design evaluation model 17 in advance. A design evaluation process corresponding to each evaluation item is performed based on the evaluation method. The data used for this evaluation is stored in the plant design database 13, for example, from the plant design data such as the layout design data of each device arranged in the central control room, the screen design data of the display, the lighting design data, and the plant simulator 1. Of the virtual operator output from the action generation processing means 4 (position data, posture data such as standing and sitting, eye-gaze data seen by the virtual operator, operation items / monitoring items performed, etc.). is there.

Hereinafter, an example of the design evaluation processing by the design evaluation processing means 6 will be described. At present, the design of a monitoring control system such as a plant central control room requires a quick response to various plant conditions.

One of the indices for that purpose is that the moving distance of the virtual operator at the time of responding to a situation change is appropriate, that the information can be easily confirmed, and the like. Therefore, as the design evaluation here, the movement trajectory (flow line) of the virtual operator during each simulation and the focus movement (sight line) during information confirmation
Are collected, and after the simulation, the respective trajectories, per unit time, and the total moving distance are confirmed. at the same time,
With regard to the movement of the line of sight, data on where and what information was confirmed, data on when the plant operation was performed, and data on which operation were performed can be collected and confirmed.

FIG. 7 is an output example of the evaluation data as described above. FIG. 3A shows an example of a CG display of the plant monitoring and control system and a display example of a movement route (b) of the virtual operator viewed from above, and FIG. 2B shows information of the virtual operator with respect to time from the left side of the figure. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the number of monitoring operations, the number of control operations, etc. with respect to confirmation / operation execution, the movement locus (c) and time of a virtual operator. The illustration (c ') shows a state where the virtual operator is stopped for information confirmation and the like.

The trajectory (flow line) of the virtual operator is
The coordinates of the virtual operator in the three-dimensional CG can be stored and obtained from the history. In addition, the orientation of the virtual operator's face is determined from the relationship between the position of the face and the position of the object being viewed,
Gaze movement can be defined from the history of instructions on where to look.

The design and evaluation of the conventional plant monitoring and control system uses a method in which a mock-up system is created, a subject is operated, and data at that time is collected. Is possible, but the number of verification cases is limited in that it requires subjects.

In the system of the present invention, the behavior control of the virtual operator can be automatically performed by generating the behavior. Therefore, by automatically switching the plant simulation case, it is possible to collect data for a long time, and to verify the mop-up. Can compensate for the disadvantages. In addition, even the data such as the position and the line of sight of the virtual operator, which requires a human measuring instrument, can be easily collected by the system of the present invention, and in addition, the behavior model is clearly defined based on the behavior pattern database 15. Because it is possible, objective evaluation becomes possible.

Further, as another example of the design evaluation, for example, as shown in FIGS.
When 8a and 38b are installed, reflection of illumination on the display becomes a problem.

The reflection of the illumination is simply determined by a geometrical arrangement between the luminaire and the display, and is specifically obtained by an illumination calculation used by a three-dimensional CG such as a ray tracing or a radio city. be able to. The lighting calculation uses materials (light transmittance, light reflectance, etc.) such as a floor, a board, and a display. The reflection obtained here is a result when viewed from the position of the virtual operator who monitors the display, and the position of the eyes of the virtual operator must be specified. However, in actual operation, the operator is moving, and which display to view from which position differs depending on the condition of the plant.

For such a situation, a method of selecting a typical place and confirming the reflection from the place is conventionally used. Originally, the reflection of the lighting on the display is necessary when confirming information on the screen, and it can be said that sufficient evaluation cannot be performed in the case of a method in which evaluation is performed independently of the information confirmation operation.

On the other hand, in the system of the present invention, since the behavior of the virtual operator is automatically controlled and the position for monitoring the display in each driving condition can be identified, the reflection of the virtual operator from each position can be obtained. It is possible to evaluate, and it is possible to evaluate in which driving situation the reflection occurs.

The items for evaluating the appearance in accordance with the movement of the virtual operator in this way include, in addition to the reflection of the proof,
The readability of the information displayed on the output device 9 is mentioned. When viewing the large display device in common from each operator's position, the display may be in the way from the sitting position, or the information may not be confirmed due to the presence of another operator.
Therefore, when an operation for confirming information occurs during the simulation, it is determined whether there is an object such as a person or a display on a line connecting the position of the driver's eyes and the target to be viewed. In this evaluation, the target changes in accordance with the position of the monitoring operator's eyes, the position of the object, and the driving situation.

When confirming characters and symbols to be displayed on the output device 9, a certain size is required.
The size of the character or symbol differs depending on the viewing position. FIG.
Is an explanatory diagram of the evaluation for the display character size, and shows the vertical angle occupied by the character when viewed from the confirmation position X;
That is, the elevation angle is evaluated as an evaluation index. This elevation angle θ is
It can be obtained from the actual size a of the display character, the horizontal distance b between the eye and the display position, and the height difference c from the horizontal position of the eye to the display position. Then, whether the elevation angle θ satisfies the value described in the HI design guideline 18 is evaluated. Similarly, the occupation angle (viewing angle) in the horizontal direction is evaluated. Then, based on such an evaluation, the virtual operator is moved, the values of the elevation angle / viewing angle for the displayed characters from the moving position are obtained, and the values are similarly compared with the values of the guideline to appropriately evaluate. it can.

Next, the simulation data storage means 7
Will be described. In the storage unit 7, in addition to a series of plant process data output from the plant simulator 1, state data based on the behavior control of the virtual operator, input data from the input device 2 operated by the operator,
Display screen data at the time of simulation, design evaluation result data, and the like are stored. Note that the display screen data includes three-dimensional CG data and audio output data used for display.

The data stored during the simulation among the data stored by the data storage means 7 is time-managed in chronological order according to the simulation time.
The simulation case can be reproduced later.
Other data is managed for each simulation case.

Further, the display control means 8 shown in FIG. 1 sequentially displays information obtained by the above-described series of processing on the output device 9 based on an operator's request. This output device 9
As described above, not only a normal display but also a head mount display and a sound output device can be used. In the display, in addition to the plant design data and the information expressing the movement of the virtual operator in a three-dimensional CG, the evaluation result, the related information of the display information in the three-dimensional CG, the system operation panel, etc. are displayed on a separate window or another display. Will be displayed. Databases 21 to 21 used for display
The data 24 is created and stored in advance from plant design data in the database 13 and human model data in the database 14. Further, as the sound output, operation sound and alarm sound of a device for giving a sense of realism, conversation of a virtual operator at the time of simulation, and the like are output.

On the three-dimensional CG, plant equipment which is three-dimensionally modeled in the database 22, 23 or the like is defined by a display object displayed as one object, or information accompanying the equipment is set in advance. In addition, when selected by using a mouse or the like, the information is read out and can be easily displayed. Conversely, when checking where a device is located, a relationship between the device name and the device placement position is set in advance, and only by specifying the device name, the corresponding position on the three-dimensional CG can be determined. Can be recognized by changing the display of the object. At this time, the device name may be input using voice input. Further, when a plant information display device such as a display is represented in the three-dimensional CG, the contents of the screen displayed on the display device are updated in accordance with the plant process data in the same manner as in operation in an actual plant.

By the way, as examples of performing plant design evaluation by the system of the present invention, for example, the following four use forms are considered. 1. When checking the appearance of visualized design information and equipment layout. 2. When checking evaluation data after simulation. 3. When confirming the movement of the plant system and operators during the simulation. 4. When participating in plant operation during a simulation to check the operation and operability of the plant system.

In case (1) above, the appearance of the shape, color, layout, etc. of the plant system designed in a static state without simulation is checked.
The evaluator is provided with evaluation information on a function for changing colors and arrangements, a display switching function such as a walkthrough, a related information display function for confirming design contents, and the like.

In the case of the above 2, the display contents are not confirmed during the simulation, but the evaluation data is confirmed after the simulation is completed. Since the simulation itself has a mechanism that can be automatically controlled, the operator is released during the simulation, and the simulation case can be flowed continuously day and night, and the verification range of the design evaluation can be expanded. In addition, by comparing evaluation data between simulation cases, for a simulation case in which a failure is detected, a state display at the time of the simulation is reproduced afterward to check the movement, thereby shortening a design failure confirmation time. .

In the case of the above 3, the evaluator confirms the movement of the plant system and the operator at each time with respect to a specific simulation case. A function for displaying data and evaluation data in real time and a function for notifying by voice the operation details performed by the virtual operator are provided. Here, when the central control room or the like is represented by three-dimensional CG, the display and alarm display represented therein are small, and the evaluator may not be able to confirm the status of the plant.

Therefore, a screen for displaying the plant process data is provided in another window or display. Further, in order to confirm which screen is displayed on the display of the plant system at the time of the simulation, a display of a display screen which is switched in conjunction with the display of the simulated display of the three-dimensional CG can be provided in another window or display.

In the case of the above 4, the evaluator himself has a three-dimensional C
For operating the plant system represented by G, an input / output device for virtual reality, such as a data glove or a head-mounted display, may be used to give a sense of realism. Here, the evaluator can take two positions, the observer's position and the plant operator described in the above 3, and a human interface for both is provided.

For plant operation, 3
The plant equipment represented by the dimension CG can be operated. In addition, when performing plant operations, it is better to give the operator himself the feeling of being in a plant environment represented by three-dimensional CG. For this purpose, an evaluator in a space represented by three-dimensional CG is required. Is found, and a visual field image when viewed from that position is displayed. Further, when the evaluator performs the plant operation together with the virtual operator, the role of the virtual operator is set and controlled.

Further, a process is provided in which the evaluator and the virtual operator can interact with each other by voice. That is, voice output data such that the virtual operator responds to the evaluator's questions and instructions in the database 21 is stored in advance, and when a question or instruction is received from the evaluator, the corresponding audio output data is stored. Then, the virtual operator performs an operation such as outputting a voice so that the virtual operator answers or turning around the question or instruction from the evaluator. Such a use form can be applied, for example, when used in an education and training system.

Next, an embodiment in the case where the present invention is applied to an education and training system will be described. As an education and training system, by using the system described above, one learner can drive a plant displayed in 3D CG by himself / herself, or learn in a cooperative manner with a virtual operator. it can.

Here, as an example of a new use mode, an example will be described in which display devices for expressing a plurality of three-dimensional CGs are connected, and a plurality of learners cooperate to learn a driving operation. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration example diagram of the education and training system.

That is, this system comprises a plant simulation 1 shown in FIG. 1, a database group 51 having various databases shown in FIG. 1, and elements excluding the plant simulation 1 and the database group 51 from FIG. A plurality of three-dimensional CG display devices 52
are connected by a network 53, and a learner for learning a driving operation is assigned to each of the three-dimensional CG display devices 52a, 52b,..., and these learners are connected to the devices 52a, 52b. The learning is performed while operating the input devices 54a, 54b,.

The database group 51 stores the three-dimensional CG
May be taken into a computer that controls the display devices 52a, 52b,... In this system, each learner performs a driving operation from a different place with a different viewpoint position for the same plant system.
The three-dimensional CGs displayed at a, 52b,... are represented as viewed from different positions. Then, for each learner, a virtual operator is individually generated and controlled so that the virtual operator operates according to the instruction of the learner.

Since the images viewed from different viewpoint positions are displayed on each of the display devices 52a and 52b, the virtual operator displayed in the three-dimensional CG is generally only the virtual operator of the other party. Therefore, each learner operates the plant with the virtual operator controlled by the other learner as a partner. In addition, each learner is provided with a voice input / output device, and when talking to the virtual driver of the other party, the image of talking to the virtual driver is displayed on the display device of the other learner, and it is as if virtual driving The voice is output from the voice input / output device of the other party as if the staff members spoke.

Therefore, by activating the plant simulator 1 and performing the driving operation in the above environment, the same learner as the education and training using the mock-up system performs the driving operation in cooperation. In this case, the learners may be away from each other, and the learning partner can be flexibly selected. In addition, the driving operation performed by the learner can be taken into the system as control data of the corresponding virtual driver, and various operation data of the virtual driver can be managed and collected. Highly reliable learning evaluation supported by abundant data becomes possible.

[0088]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operation status of the plant system can be repeatedly and easily and automatically verified at low cost based on the plant design contents.

Further, in the system of the present invention, it is possible to give an objective evaluation instead of a subjective evaluation by a human, and not only the external appearance of the plant system, but also the response and operation of the system according to changes in the plant situation. The operation status can be confirmed, and the system design can be efficiently evaluated. This contributes greatly to the modification of the plant design contents, and realizes a highly reliable plant system design.

Further, in the system of the present invention, the virtual operator and the operator or the operators can cooperate with each other to operate the plant, and can simulate a flexible response according to the actual situation. The operation of the plant can be learned effectively in a more realistic plant situation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a plant design support system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example in which plant design contents are displayed using three-dimensional CG.

FIG. 3 is a layout diagram of a central control room shown for a route search.

FIG. 4 is a functional configuration diagram illustrating an example of an action generation processing unit illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining an operation procedure manual in the operation procedure manual database shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for selecting one from a plurality of routes.

FIG. 7 is an output example diagram of a design evaluation result for a plant design content.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of evaluating a display character size.

FIG. 9 is a system configuration diagram when applied to an education and training system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Plant simulator 2 ... Input device 4 ... Behavior generation processing means 5 ... Behavior determination means 6 ... Design evaluation processing means 7 ... Simulation data storage means 9 ... Output device 11 ... Operating procedure database 13 ... Plant design database 14 ... Human model Database 15: Behavior pattern database 17: Design evaluation model 18: HI design guidelines

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A plant design support system for expressing a plant design content using a three-dimensional CG, comprising: a plant design content storage means for storing a plant design content in which virtual operators are arranged; Display control means for displaying plant design contents stored in the plant design content storage means; and behavior generation processing means for generating and controlling behavior of the virtual operator based on an operation instruction input from an input device. A plant design support system characterized by: 2. A plant design support system for expressing plant design contents using three-dimensional CG, comprising: plant design contents storage means for storing plant design contents in which virtual operators are arranged; Storage means for storing text and human attribute data relating to the behavior of the virtual operator; display control means for displaying plant design contents stored in the plant design content storage means using three-dimensional CG; And a plant simulator that simulates and outputs a predetermined plant event by using the same. The plant design contents displayed by the three-dimensional CG are changed based on the simulated output data of the plant simulator. To perform a predetermined operation based on the driving procedure manual and the human attribute data Plant design support system is characterized in that and a behavior generation processing means for generating control the behavior of the virtual operator. 3. The plant design support system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operation of the plant design content is completed based on the behavior control of the virtual operator generated by the behavior generation processing unit. Action determining means for determining whether or not the operation has not been completed, and returning to the action generation processing means to generate another action of the virtual operator if the operation is not completed; and the virtual generation generated by the action generation processing means. A plant design support system, comprising: a design evaluation processing unit that evaluates the plant design content according to a predetermined evaluation criterion based on a behavior of an operator or a determination of completion of operation of the behavior determination unit. 4. The plant design support system according to claim 2, wherein a predetermined operation of the plant design content is completed based on the behavior control of the virtual operator generated by the behavior generation processing unit. When the operation has not been completed, the action determining means returns to the action generation processing means to generate another action of the virtual operator, and when the action determining means determines that the predetermined operation has been completed. Design evaluation processing means for evaluating the plant design contents in accordance with a predetermined evaluation criterion; and simulation data storage means for capturing and storing data necessary for reproducing a simulation case during simulation of the plant simulator. A plant design support system characterized by the following. 5. The action generation processing means stores identification data of display objects of various switches and instruments, which are a part of the plant design contents expressed in a three-dimensional CG, and an operation procedure manual describing operation procedures. Storage means and an input device for specifying the identification data are provided, and a virtual operator corresponding to the operator executes and displays the operation procedure according to the operation procedure manual based on the specification of the identification data from the input device. Claims 1 to 4 characterized by the following:
The plant design support system described in any one of the above. 6. An operation procedure document in which when a virtual operator corresponding to a plurality of operators performs a predetermined operation of plant design contents, an operation procedure according to a role of each operator is described in advance. Is provided, and an input device and a display device corresponding to each operator are provided. When an instruction from the input device is received, the behavior of each virtual operator is separately generated and controlled according to the corresponding operation procedure manual. The plant design support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information is displayed on the display means. 7. A voice input device or a voice input / output device is provided as the input device, and necessary for the virtual operator including a conversation output of the virtual driver according to the conversation content input from the voice input device. The plant design support system according to claim 5, wherein the action is generated and controlled, and further, voice is output from the voice output unit as needed. 8. The evaluation output of the design evaluation processing means is provided with position detection means for detecting the position of the virtual operator and the position of a target object viewed by the virtual operator. The moving trajectory of the virtual operator and the moving trajectory of the viewpoint of the virtual operator are displayed based on the detection signal.
The plant design support system described in (1). 9. The design evaluation processing means, when a display having a plant monitoring screen is displayed in the plant design contents expressed using three-dimensional CG, lighting design data, display specification data, and display specification data of the entire plant. Using the material data of the plant equipment displayed in the three-dimensional CG, it is determined whether or not illumination is reflected on the display when the display is viewed from the viewpoint position of the virtual operator, and based on the determination result, The plant design support system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the position of the reflected light is displayed. 10. The design evaluation processing means according to claim 2, wherein when a plurality of routes exist for executing a predetermined operation, a route operated by a shortest movement is selected and executed. 4. The plant design support system according to any one of 4. 11. The design evaluation processing means, when the virtual operator confirms and operates an object having a plant design content displayed by three-dimensional CG, operates another object when viewing the object from the confirmed position. The plant design support system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein an interference check is performed to determine whether there is an obstacle including a virtual operator. 12. The design evaluation processing means has means for storing character size data of character information described in a plant design content represented using three-dimensional CG and interface design guidelines relating to the character size, and virtual operation. Determining whether the character information violates a guideline when viewed from the position of the operator when the operator executes the information confirmation procedure, and determines and displays a defect in the character information expression. Any one of claim 2 to claim 4
The plant design support system described in (1). 13. The design evaluation processing means is provided with a voice input / output means, and when a voice data instruction input from the outside is a status confirmation of plant design contents, performs a status confirmation operation and outputs a confirmation result by voice. The plant design support system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein: 14. The method according to claim 1, wherein:
In the plant design support system described in (1), a means for operating the plant equipment by an external input operation is provided for the plant equipment in the plant design content expressed using three-dimensional CG, and a virtual operator and an external A plant design support system, wherein the operation of the plant equipment is performed in parallel with the input operation from the user. 15. A plant design support system for expressing a plant design content using three-dimensional CG, wherein a plant simulator capable of reproducing a predetermined plant situation and a plant simulator are excluded. Multiple 3D CG with one component
A display device that can be represented by is connected via a network, a virtual operator corresponding to each operator is set on each display device, and the operation of the virtual operator is controlled according to an instruction from the corresponding input device, A plant design support system characterized by displaying a visual image of a corresponding virtual operator on each display device.