JP2005242830A - Remote monitoring support system, and mobile terminal device for remote monitoring support system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal device for a remote monitoring support system enabling a worker who is patrolling and inspecting in a plant and a person who is waiting outside an operation site to share information with sufficient accuracy, capable of reducing a burden to the worker even when the worker constantly carries during operation, and having excellent convenience. <P>SOLUTION: The device is provided with an image input means 1044 for inputting on-site image data, an input operation selecting means 1045 of a pen or mouse type, a detection means for detecting whether a new image is acquired or not, a communication control means 1046 for transmitting and receiving data by radio from an external, and an input and output screen display means 1043 for displaying an input screen for inputting predetermined data. The input and output screen display means 1043 includes an image display area 401 for displaying and transmitting the image data input by the image input means, a communication state display area 405 for displaying a communication state of data to be transmitted, a communication operation area 402 selected by the input operation selecting means in starting communication, and a transmission operation area 403 selected by the input operation selecting means in transmitting the image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote monitoring support system for a power plant or the like and a portable terminal device used in the remote monitoring support system.

  Conventionally, when an on-site worker in a power plant or the like finds an abnormality in equipment or equipment at the time of work or patrol, the abnormal state is reported to the supervisor using a wireless telephone or a wired local telephone, At the same time, in order to grasp and report the appearance of abnormal facilities and equipment, it is common to bring a portable information terminal equipped with a video input device such as a video camera or digital camera from the storage location to acquire video data. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  The above-described portable information terminal is mainly composed of a notebook personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a notebook personal computer), and downloads past monitoring / inspection record data from a server computer or uploads field information to a server computer. Therefore, it is possible to centrally manage data and provide monitoring support.

In addition, various information including video data transmitted from information terminals carried by workers is relayed by a radiotelephone relay station installed at the work site in the plant, further transferred to the control room, and stored in the system controller in the control room. In addition, a system for monitoring with a display is also known (for example, see Patent Document 2).
JP 11-202904 A (page 4-6, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent No. 3106107 (page 4, FIG. 1)

  As described in Patent Document 1, a notebook personal computer serving as an information terminal that provides monitoring support while downloading or uploading monitoring / inspection record data has portability, but is too large to be used for on-site patrol inspection. In addition, there is a problem that the operability is not good.

  In other words, in order to input and operate characters using a keyboard as an input means, a notebook personal computer always has a display device (such as a 14-inch liquid crystal display) that has a resolution that can be recognized by sitting on a chair or the like. It is necessary to carry out input work using both hands while watching, and it imposes considerable restrictions on work efficiency and security, such as interruption of inspection work accompanying operation of PC and input, maintenance of posture for input, etc. Become. Therefore, it is not always appropriate to perform operations such as inputting characters and transmitting images during work on site where the user cannot sit down. If you want to use a normal portable laptop computer without sitting down, you can hold the laptop on one arm and use your other free hand to enter characters, It is necessary to take a fairly unreasonable posture, such as acquiring video by operating.

  In addition, video cameras and digital cameras used for video data acquisition work generally include a wide variety of complex functions, and multiple button operations are combined to execute one function. There are many cases. This combination of button operations not only increases the burden on the person engaged in the field work, but also reduces the efficiency of the original inspection work and reduces the reliability of the inspection work itself because the operation is deprived of consciousness. Risk of being connected and making mistakes may increase.

  On the other hand, in the system described in Patent Document 2, an information terminal carried by a worker is not configured to connect to a system controller in a control room via a local communication line such as a LAN, and intervenes a relay device. Therefore, there is a drawback that the system configuration becomes large.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to facilitate the construction of a system having a function for efficiently supporting on-site inspection work of a plant and the like, and handling during work at the site, in order to solve the above-described problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote monitoring support system that can perform more efficient and smooth inspection and inspection work and record creation by introducing a terminal device.

  Furthermore, the second object of the present invention is to share information with sufficient accuracy between a worker engaged in a patrol in the plant and a person waiting outside the work site. Therefore, it is to obtain a terminal device for a remote monitoring support system that has excellent convenience without being a heavy burden even if a worker always carries it during work.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of the remote monitoring support system according to claim 1 includes a server computer that includes an information distribution control device and an inspection / inspection record database, and records and manages the information flow of the entire system, In a remote monitoring support system comprising a mobile terminal device capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data to and from the server computer, and a communication line connecting the server computer and the mobile terminal device, at the start of on-site inspection work After starting the program of the mobile terminal device, connect the mobile terminal device to the server computer through the communication line to start a communication session, and then input an operation button displayed on the input / output screen display unit of the mobile terminal device By operating with the operation selection means, the video data of the on-site equipment / equipment can be obtained from the video input device of the mobile terminal device. When the acquired video data is new, the acquired video data is transmitted to the server computer through the communication line. After the transmission of the video data is completed, the reception confirmation information from the server computer is received and the video is transmitted. The data transmission process is completed, and the connection between the portable terminal device and the server computer is disconnected.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal device for a remote monitoring support system, wherein a video input means for inputting on-site video data, a pen or mouse type input operation selection means, and whether or not a new video has been acquired is detected. Detecting means for performing transmission, data communication control means for wirelessly transmitting / receiving data to / from the outside, and input / output screen display means for displaying an input screen for inputting predetermined data, and the input / output screen display means includes the video A video display area for displaying and transmitting video data input by the input means, a display area for displaying the communication state of the data to be transmitted, and a communication operation area selected by the input operation selection means when starting communication And a transmission operation area selected by the input operation selection means when transmitting the video.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a remote monitoring support system capable of performing more efficient and smooth inspection and inspection work and its record creation, simple data input and display on a portable terminal, and transmission and reception of data. it can.

  In addition, information gathering and communication functions can be shared between field workers and those who are waiting outside the site for patrol inspection and maintenance work. However, it is possible to provide a terminal device for a remote monitoring support system that can provide excellent convenience.

(Example 1)
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual configuration diagram of a remote monitoring support system to which a mobile terminal device of the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, a remote monitoring support system of the present invention includes a server computer 103 that includes an information distribution control device 101 and an inspection / inspection record database 102, and records and manages the information flow of the entire system. A plurality of portable terminal devices 104 to 106 that are capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data to and from the server computer 103, a desktop remote monitoring computer 107 capable of browsing fixed data, and these server computers 103, and a communication line 108 such as a LAN for connecting the terminal devices 104 to 107.

  In addition to the above terminals 104 to 107, this remote monitoring support system can be used when an on-site patrol inspection requires the presence of an outsider, or when the supervisor wants to check the state of work simultaneously. The video data transmitted from the site can be received by connecting a separate terminal to the communication line 108.

  Of the portable terminal devices 104 to 106, 104 is a portable terminal with a pen input camera called a tablet PC, 105 is a portable information terminal with a pen input camera called a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), It is a handy type that can be carried with one hand. Reference numeral 106 denotes a wearable computer, which is a portable terminal that a worker puts on clothes, etc., and can be connected to a video camera 109, an input switch mouse 110, a head mounted display 111, a mobile phone 112, and the like. Yes. Since the functions, performances, features, weights, etc. provided in these portable terminal devices 104 to 106 are different from each other, a terminal device suitable for the purpose and purpose may be selected.

  The necessary conditions for these portable terminals 104 to 106 are a calculation unit such as a CPU, a memory, an input / output screen display unit, an input operation selection unit such as a camera, a stylus pen and a mouse, and a communication control device such as a wireless LAN. Provided that it is possible to input and transmit characters and images reliably without being seated.

  Hereinafter, a tablet PC 104 will be described as a representative example of the portable terminal device in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a basic hardware configuration of the tablet PC 104. The mobile terminal device 104 includes a calculation unit 1041, such as a CPU, a memory 1042, an input / output screen display unit 1043 as a liquid crystal display device, and a camera. Video input device 1044 such as, an input operation selection means 1045 as a pen input device, and a communication control device 1046 such as a wireless LAN.

  Here, the liquid crystal display device also serves as an input device in cooperation with the stylus pen. The input device may be replaced with a handy mouse (a mouse composed of buttons and a scroll stick, which can be operated with one hand) in addition to a stylus pen.

  The PDA 105 is configured in substantially the same way as in FIG. The wearable computer 106 is described in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3417876, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the remote monitoring support system focusing on the processing flow of the mobile terminal device according to the first embodiment, which is performed by software installed in the mobile terminal that is carried. FIG. 3 will be described below assuming that the tablet PC 104 is selected as the portable terminal device for on-site patrol inspection. First, when the on-site patrol inspection work is started, the program of the portable terminal device 104 is started (step 301), and then connected to the network in which the server computer 103 exists through the communication line 108 (step 302).

  In this state, a normal mode input / output screen as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the input / output screen display unit 1043 of the portable terminal device 104. In FIG. 4, 401 is a video display area, 402 to 404 are operation buttons displayed in the operation area, and the operation button 402 displayed as “connect” is a communication operation selected when communication is started. The button 403 displayed for “shoot / send” is a transmission operation button selected when transmitting a video, and the 404 displayed for “end” is selected when the communication session is ended. Button. Reference numeral 405 denotes a communication state display area for displaying a communication state such as transmission speed (24 kbps), image quality (high), frequency (2 fps) and the like. When the communication operation button “connection” 402 is touch-operated (also referred to as a click operation) by the input operation selection means 1045 such as a stylus pen in a state where predetermined contents are displayed in each area as described above, the portable terminal device In addition to the time when 104 is connected to the server computer 103, information such as the user name, password, and connection terminal name stored in advance in the portable terminal device 104 is wirelessly transmitted from the communication control device 1046 via the communication line 108. It is transmitted to the server computer 103. Then, after the authentication procedure in the server computer 103 is processed normally, a communication session is started (step 303).

  If external inspection is required for on-site patrol inspection work, or if it is desired to check the state of work simultaneously, a terminal device required for the work confirmation is separately connected to the communication line 108 and The transmitted video data is set in a state where it can be received by the work confirmation terminal device.

  After starting the communication session, the transmission operation button “shoot / send” 403 displayed on the input / output screen display unit 1043 of the mobile terminal device 104 is touch-operated with the input operation selection means 1045 to select video transmission. Video data can be automatically acquired on a regular basis. When the transmission operation button “shoot / send” 403 is selected for the video transmission setting (step 304), the video data of the field facility / equipment is transmitted by the video input device 1044 such as a camera installed in the mobile terminal device 104. Is acquired (step 305). Next, it is detected whether or not the acquired video data is new (step 306). In the case of new video data, transmission of the video data to the server computer 103 is started through the communication line 109 (step 307).

  After the transmission of the video data from the portable terminal device 104 to the server computer 103 is completed, the server computer 103 performs reception confirmation (step 308), and then transmits the reception confirmation information to the portable terminal device 104. After the worker receives the reception confirmation information from the server computer 103 by the mobile terminal device 104, the video data transmission process is completed (step 309).

  However, in this state, since the mobile terminal device 104 is still in communication connection, the program is ended when the worker touches the operation button “end” 404 of the mobile terminal device 104 with the input operation selection means 1045. The process proceeds to the process (step 210), the communication session is terminated (step 211), and the connection with the server computer 103 via the communication line 108 is disconnected (step 212).

  Next, details of the new video data detection processing in step 306 described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This new video data detection process is also performed by software installed in the portable terminal device 104. In this new video detection process, a list of files stored in a specific folder in the memory 1042 is monitored for newly acquired video data to determine whether the video is a new video.

  Specifically, it is determined in step 501 whether there is a change in the update date / time of the specific folder. If it is determined that there is a change in the update date / time (Y), the process proceeds to step 307 assuming that a new video has been acquired. . If it is determined in step 501 that there is no change in the update date and time (N), it is determined in the next step 502 whether there is an increase in the memory storage amount. If it is determined in step 502 that the memory storage amount has increased, the process proceeds to step 307 assuming that a new video has been acquired. If it is determined in step 502 that there is no increase in memory storage (N), it is further determined in step 503 whether there is a new file having a specific extension in a predetermined video file. If it is determined that there is a new file having a specific extension, the process proceeds to step 307 assuming that a new video has been acquired. However, if a new video is not acquired (N), the process returns to the video transmission step 304.

Next, another example of the input / output screen display example of the mobile terminal device 104 will be described with reference to FIG.
4 described above is an input / output screen display example when the mobile terminal device is in the normal mode. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an input / output screen display example when the mobile terminal device is in the simple mode. In the case of FIG. 4, a plurality of operation buttons are displayed in the operation area as in 402 to 404. In the case of the display example in FIG. 6, a single operation button is provided in the operation area for the purpose of effective use of communication resources. It is trying to display.

  In the display example of FIG. 6, when a video to be transmitted is displayed in the video display area 601 in the input / output screen display screen 1043, the operation button “shoot / send” 602 is operated with the stylus pen that is the input operation selection means 1045. By touching, a series of processes from the start of communication to video acquisition, video transmission, and communication end can be performed in a simple and quick manner.

  The embodiment described above is a case where the tablet PC 104 is applied as a mobile terminal device, but it may be a PDA mobile terminal or a wearable mobile terminal. In short, it is not a large-sized computer having a keyboard input device like a laptop computer, but a minimum required calculator, memory, input / output screen display, input operation selection means such as a pen and mouse, camera, etc. The mobile terminal may be a mobile terminal that is equipped with a video input device and a communication control device such as a wireless LAN that can be combined with a server computer and can perform an input operation and a transmission operation regardless of the location.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the inspection / inspection operation during the operation more efficiently and smoothly by the selection / click operation by the input operation selection means under the preset condition and the record creation thereof Can realize simple data input and display and data transmission / reception on the portable terminal device. In addition, it is possible to share information with sufficient accuracy between the workers at the plant inspection and maintenance work site and those who are waiting outside the work site. In other words, it is possible to provide excellent convenience. Moreover, not only can video data be transmitted and received in a remote monitoring support system simply and easily, but also can be customized by workers, and a mobile terminal device for a remote monitoring support system that meets the various needs of the site is realized. It is possible.

  When this example is applied to inspection and maintenance of a nuclear power plant, the number of workers in the plant and the work time can be reduced. This has the effect of reducing and reducing the burden.

(Example 2)
In the second embodiment, a function for compressing and changing a transmission image is added to the function of the mobile terminal device described above. Although the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal device according to the second embodiment is basically the same as that in FIG. 2, the flowchart of the remote monitoring support system focusing on the processing flow of the mobile terminal device is as shown in FIG. It is slightly different from the case of.

  In FIG. 7, the basic processing flow of the second embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 3 described above, but the video transmission processing (step 704) corresponding to the video transmission processing 304 of FIG. 3 has been selected. There is a difference in that a series of processes for automatic control such as video compression is added in the subsequent processes. That is, after the video acquisition process (step 705), it is detected whether it is a new video (step 706), and information such as the capacity of the acquired video is acquired in the subsequent video capacity information acquisition process (step 707).

  Next, in the compression rate / resolution transmission time evaluation process (step 708), it is necessary to change the compression rate / resolution from the information on the required transmission time acquired in the previous video data transmission and the video capacity to be transmitted this time. Evaluate the time required for transmission. The compression rate / resolution changing algorithm will be described after the description of this flowchart.

  Based on the evaluation result in step 708, the actual change process is performed in the portable terminal device 104 in the compression rate / resolution change process (step 709), and the video transmission start process (step 710) is performed. After the server reception confirmation process (step 711) and the video transmission completion process (step 712), the transmission required time is acquired (step 313) as information when the transmission video is compressed at the next video transmission. The Subsequent communication end determination processing (step 714) is followed by communication disconnection processing similar to that shown in FIG.

Next, a method for automatically determining the video compression rate will be described below.
Now, assuming that an upper limit of the required time for transmitting one image is set to T in advance, it is assumed that a certain desired ratio f is an actual desirable average required transmission time is f · T.

When the transmission time of one image having a certain capacity m_prev is t_prev, the required time t of the current image transmission from the size m at the time of transmitting the image of the capacity m_orig acquired next time is
t = m / (m_prev / t_prev) (1)
It is represented by The condition to be satisfied is t <T or t = f · T.
The compression ratio c is
m = c · m_orig (2)
Since it satisfies
f · T = c · m_orig · t_prev / m_prev (3)
From this, the compression ratio c is
c = f · T · m_prev / t_prev / m_orig (4)
Is required.

  In the above equation, the compression rate of the video to be transmitted this time is calculated from the transmission time and capacity of the video that was transmitted immediately before. In practice, for example, this compression rate can be obtained in multiple transmissions in the past history. A method such as determining by the average value can be considered.

For example, for the transmission frequency F, the reciprocal of the transmission time t is F = 1 / t = (m_prev / t_prev) / m (5)
Is required. When this value is smaller than a certain lower limit value t_lower, correction is performed so that the compression ratio c becomes a smaller value so that F has a certain size compared to the lower limit value.

FIG. 8 is an input / output screen display example diagram in the detailed mode of the portable terminal device according to the second embodiment.
The screen configuration in the case where the set values such as the video compression rate and resolution are determined by external factors such as the necessity of the operator can be achieved by configuring as shown in FIG.

  The input / output screen display unit 1043 in FIG. 8 captures images in the past in addition to the video display area 801, the communication state display area 802 that displays the communication state, and the end selection area 806 that are also in the screen display of FIGS. A shooting video operation area 803 for selecting and transmitting a video stored in the mobile terminal device 104 and performing a shooting operation, a transmission quality selection area 804 to be clicked when directly selecting a transmission quality, and a video transmission frequency And a video transmission frequency selection area 805 that can be selected are newly displayed. With such a display configuration, the setting can be changed without disconnecting the line during connection.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the mobile terminal device of the first embodiment, the setting condition is automatically set according to the communication state, the video capacity, and the like. In addition, it is possible to change the setting values such as video compression rate and resolution by the workers as needed, so that the remote monitoring support system can send and receive video data. Not only can it be implemented simply and easily, it can also be customized by workers, and it is possible to realize a portable terminal device for a remote monitoring support system that matches various needs at the site.

1 is a configuration diagram of a remote monitoring support system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The hardware block diagram of the portable terminal device which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. The flowchart of the remote monitoring assistance system which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the input-output screen display example of the portable terminal device which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. 5 is a flowchart of new video detection according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the other example of the input-output screen display example of the portable terminal device which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. The flowchart of the remote monitoring assistance system which concerns on Example 2 of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the input-output screen display example of the portable terminal device which concerns on Example 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 ... Information distribution control device, 102 ... Inspection / inspection record DB, 103 ... Server computer, 104 ... Mobile terminal device with camera (tablet computer), 105 ... Mobile terminal device with camera (PDA), 106 ... Mobile terminal device ( Wearable PC), 107 ... Remote monitoring computer, 108 ... Communication line, 109 ... Digital camera, 110 ... Mouse with input switch, 111 ... Head mounted display, 1041 ... Arithmetic unit 1042 ... Memory, 1043 ... Input / output screen display unit, 1044 ... Video input device, 1045 ... Input operation selection means, 1046 ... Communication control device.

Claims (5)

A server computer having an information distribution control device and an inspection / inspection record database for recording and managing the information flow of the entire system, a portable terminal device capable of wirelessly transmitting / receiving data to / from the server computer, and In a remote monitoring support system composed of a server computer and a communication line connecting portable terminal devices,
After starting the program of the mobile terminal device at the start of on-site inspection work, connect the mobile terminal device to a server computer through the communication line to start a communication session, and then display on the input / output screen display unit of the mobile terminal device By operating the selected operation button with the input operation selection means, the video data of the on-site equipment / device is acquired by the video input device of the mobile terminal device and displayed in the video display area, and the acquired video data is new. In this case, the image data is transmitted to the server computer through the communication line, and after the transmission of the video data is completed, the reception confirmation information from the server computer is received to complete the video data transmission process, and the connection between the portable terminal device and the server computer Remote monitoring support system, characterized in that the system is cut off.   Video input means for inputting on-site video data; pen or mouse type input operation selection means; detection means for detecting presence / absence of new video acquisition; communication control means for wirelessly transmitting / receiving data to / from the outside; Input / output screen display means for displaying an input screen for inputting predetermined data, and the input / output screen display means includes a video display area for displaying and transmitting the video data input by the video input means, A display area for displaying a communication state of data to be transmitted, a communication operation area selected by the input operation selection means when starting communication, and a transmission operation area selected by the input operation selection means when transmitting video A portable terminal device for a remote monitoring support system.   The remote monitoring support system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a new video detection means for automatically determining the frequency of acquisition and transmission of new video data according to the capacity of the acquired video data and the communication status. Mobile terminal device.   4. The capacity of video data to be transmitted is automatically determined according to the communication status of the mobile terminal device when video data acquisition or video transmission input is detected. Mobile terminal device for remote monitoring support system. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a function of transmitting and receiving an image under a setting condition changed while maintaining communication by changing the setting by a setting operation button selected by the input operation selecting means. The mobile terminal device for a remote monitoring support system according to any one of 4.

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