JP2023168048A - Remote operation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To actualize operations on a console panel, which are required if energy supply facilities get out of order, efficiently at low cost without visiting the field.SOLUTION: At an operation direction part 52, a smart switch 34 is directed for a resetting operation through radio communication. The smart switch 34 directed for the resetting operation has an operation part 34B actuated to touch a resetting operation region 32 on a display screen 16A with its tip. The smart switch 34 can be used to let the operation part 34B face the resetting operation region 32 at a predetermined fixed position, and then touch the resetting operation region 32 through a remote operation from a remote monitor center 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention is used for energy supply equipment equipped with an operation panel and a control unit that controls the supply of energy to a facility based on instruction items received on the operation panel, and is used in a remote control unit that remotely executes operations on the operation panel. This relates to an operating device.

Energy services provided by equipment monitoring parties have built remote monitoring systems to collect operational data on energy supply equipment and check for failures.

When a failure occurs, depending on the severity of the failure, employees of the manufacturer or the equipment monitoring party may request the customer who has installed the energy service to check on-site conditions and perform a reset operation on the control panel without being dispatched to the site. There is.

In particular, when it comes to fault resets that require a quick response, the customer is forced to bear the burden of rushing to the site, checking the situation at the site, and performing the reset operation on the operation panel.

As a technology related to resetting, Patent Document 1 describes an electronic device that can be connected to a remote control, with the aim of making it possible to recover even if the device is hung up without having to perform complicated tasks such as removing the battery from the main body of the device. In the device, it is described that the remote control side is provided with a simultaneous press detection circuit that generates a reset signal when detecting simultaneous presses of the operation members of the operation section.

In Patent Document 1, a reset circuit that controls a power supply circuit section so that a CPU performs a reset operation in response to reception of a reset signal is provided on the device main body side. The remote control and the main body of the device are connected by a dedicated reset line that guides the reset signal generated from the simultaneous press detection circuit to the reset circuit.

Further, as a technology related to retrofit switches, etc., Patent Document 2 discloses a smart switch having a communication section, a control section, and a contact section, or a smart outlet having a communication section, a control section, and a receptacle, which is installed at a building location. A smart power distribution system is described that is characterized by having a structure that can be replaced with an existing switch or an existing outlet.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-109158 JP2017-212817A

In particular, when asking a customer to perform a reset operation on the operation panel, the customer may not know how to operate the touch panel on the operation panel, and the equipment monitoring party or the manufacturer may have to provide operational support over the phone, which takes a lot of time. There is a concern that operation errors may occur.

It is possible to reduce the above effort by having the equipment monitoring party or the manufacturer operate the control panel remotely on behalf of the customer, but it is necessary to change the control panel so that the control panel can receive operating instructions remotely. There is a problem in that remodeling and on-site wiring work incurs a large amount of cost.

Patent Document 1 assumes that the internal device is designed or programmed to have a reset function in advance, and cannot be applied to devices that require an external operation for the reset operation. In other words, it is essential to improve the operation panel to provide a new reset function.

Patent Document 2 has a function of switching a switch or the like at a pre-fixed position or cutting off a signal line (power supply, etc.), which is possible if the reset position is fixed, but Installation may not be possible depending on the position of the reset operation. Furthermore, in an operation panel that combines a panel with a switchable display and a pressure-sensitive switch, if there is no display that allows a reset operation, an erroneous operation may occur.

Therefore, even if the reset technique of Patent Document 1 and the external operation technique of Patent Document 2 are combined, it is difficult to reliably perform the reset operation remotely on the operation panel by so-called retrofitting.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a remote control device that can inexpensively and efficiently realize operations on a control panel that are necessary in the event of a failure of energy supply equipment without having to go to the site.

A first aspect of the remote control device according to the present invention includes a display section that displays a plurality of areas in which instruction items are each set, and a selection made by selectively operating the plurality of areas displayed on the display section. an operation panel including an operation section that accepts the instruction item set in the area where the operation has been performed, and a control section that controls the supply of energy to the facility based on the instruction item received on the operation panel. A remote control device that is used in an energy supply facility equipped with the equipment and remotely performs operations on the operation panel, the remote control device being attached to the operation panel and facing a predetermined specific area among the plurality of areas, The actuator includes an actuator that performs an operation equivalent to the selective operation on the specific area on the specific area by converting the received electrical signal into a physical movement.

According to the first aspect, when the actuator is attached to the operation panel, the operating part of the actuator is made to face a predetermined specific area within the area, and the electric signal received by remote control is converted into physical movement. By converting, the operation section is caused to perform an operation equivalent to the manual operation on the specific area.

Thereby, it is possible to inexpensively and efficiently perform a reset operation on the operation panel, which is necessary in the event of a failure of the energy supply equipment, without having to go to the site.

In a second aspect of the remote control device according to the present invention, in the first aspect, the remote control device is installed at a location remote from the site where the energy supply equipment is installed, and is configured to monitor the operating status of the energy supply equipment and the operation status of the energy supply equipment. The device further includes a monitoring device that monitors the operating state of the energy supply equipment by collecting trend data including confirmation of whether an abnormality has occurred, and the monitoring device receives the electrical signal via a communication device. The present invention is characterized in that a transmitter for transmitting data to the actuator is provided.

Existing monitoring equipment is installed in locations that are remote from the energy supply equipment. The monitoring device can collect trend data including the operating status of the energy supply equipment and confirmation of the occurrence of abnormalities during operation. By providing a transmitter in this existing monitoring device and transmitting the electric signal to the actuator via a communication device, remote control of a specific area becomes possible in conjunction with normal monitoring.

A third aspect of the remote control device according to the present invention is that in the first aspect or the second aspect, the display screen of the display unit can be switched to a plurality of pages, and the display screen of each page has the same area. The present invention is characterized in that it further includes an information acquisition unit that acquires information that allows determining the presence or absence of the specific area in the switched page when the specified area functions as a different instruction item.

It becomes possible to determine the presence or absence of a specific area in the page switched by the information acquisition unit, and it is possible to prevent erroneous operations.

In a fourth aspect of the remote control device according to the present invention, in the third aspect, the information acquisition unit is a camera that photographs the display screen of the display unit, and based on the image photographed by the camera, It is characterized by determining the presence or absence of a specific area.

The information acquisition unit is a camera, and the presence or absence of the specific information can be determined based on an image taken by the camera.

A fifth aspect of the remote control device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the first to fourth aspects, the instruction item for the specific area is an instruction to reset the control unit.

The instruction item in the specific area is an instruction to reset the control unit, and the reset operation can be performed more quickly than if the user goes from a remote location and performs the reset operation.

In a fifth aspect of the remote control device according to the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the actuator is moved on a two-dimensional plane facing the display screen of the display unit at a specified x - It is characterized in that it further includes a moving mechanism section that is movable based on the y coordinate.

The range of operation by the actuator can be expanded to cover the entire display screen.

As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to inexpensively and efficiently perform operations on the operation panel that are necessary in the event of a failure of energy supply equipment without having to go to the site.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an energy supply equipment management system that manages energy supply equipment according to the present embodiment. It is an equipment operation panel concerning this embodiment, (A) is a front view, and (B) is a right view. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of remote operation control, which is executed by the main controller of the remote monitoring center according to the present embodiment, and is specialized for operation of the reset operation area of the display screen of the equipment operation panel. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of remote operation control specialized for operation of the reset operation field of the display screen of the equipment operation panel concerning this embodiment. It is a front view of the equipment operation panel concerning a modification.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an energy supply equipment management system 12 that manages energy supply equipment 10 according to the present embodiment.

The energy supply equipment 10 includes a terminal 14 dedicated to equipment management. Furthermore, an equipment operation panel 16 for instructing the operation of the energy supply equipment 10 is connected to the equipment management dedicated terminal 14 .

The equipment management dedicated terminal 14 collects information regarding the operating status of the energy supply equipment 10 sent from the equipment operation panel 16, and performs maintenance of the energy supply equipment 10, such as regular equipment maintenance and measures against sudden equipment failure. monitor the situation.

The equipment management dedicated terminal 14 is connected to a management server 22 of an energy supply equipment manufacturer 20 that manufactured and installed the energy supply equipment 10 via a network 18 such as the Internet. The management server 22 cooperates with the equipment management dedicated terminal 14 and monitors the energy supply equipment 10 from the standpoint of the equipment manufacturer/installer.

Further, the equipment management dedicated terminal 14 is connected to a remote monitoring center 24 via a network 18. The remote monitoring center 24 has the role of an energy supplier that supplies necessary energy (fuel gas, etc.) to the energy supply equipment 10 and a party monitoring the equipment.

The remote monitoring center 24 cooperates with the equipment management dedicated terminal 14 (including the management server 22 of the energy supply equipment manufacturer 20) and monitors the energy supply equipment 10 from the standpoint of the equipment monitoring party.

The remote monitoring center 24 includes a main controller 26, a user interface (UI) 28, and a center-side wireless communication terminal 30. The main controller 26 performs the following tasks including options.

(1) 24-hour, 365-day monitoring The remote monitoring center 24 is staffed with energy supply equipment experts who monitor the operating status of each energy supply equipment 10 on the customer side in real time.

(2) Speedy response to problems In the event of a problem, we will immediately analyze the data, investigate the cause, and work to restore the system. It may also collaborate with the support system of the energy supply equipment manufacturer 20.

(3) Preventing failures Measures are taken to prevent problems by extracting points that require inspection based on analysis of operational data of each energy supply facility 10.

(4) Energy-saving operation advice Analyzes the operating status of each energy supply facility 10, performs an energy-saving diagnosis, and provides advice on improvements in operation.

Here, if a malfunction occurs in the energy supply equipment 10 and adjustment work or repair work that requires on-site work is required, the energy supply equipment manufacturer 20 or the equipment monitoring party (remote monitoring center 24) will naturally The necessary personnel will be dispatched to carry out troubleshooting work.

In this case, if it is clear that the problem can be resolved by performing a reset operation (touch operation in a predetermined area in the case of a touch panel) on the equipment operation panel 16, the energy supply equipment manufacturer 20 or the equipment monitoring party (Remote Monitoring Center 24) sometimes made requests to customers without dispatching personnel.

However, the customer does not know how to operate the touch panel of the equipment operation panel 16, and as a result, the energy supply equipment manufacturer 20 or the equipment monitoring party (remote monitoring center 24) provides operational support over the phone, etc., and the customer is unfamiliar with troubleshooting. In this case, an operational error may occur.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a smart switch 34 is attached to a part of the display screen 16A of the equipment operation panel 16 (a position facing the reset operation area 32 (see FIG. 2)), and the smart switch 34 is installed on a part of the display screen 16A of the equipment operation panel 16 (a position facing the reset operation area 32 (see FIG. 2)), and The above touch operations can now be executed.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the display screen 16A of the equipment operation panel 16 is a touch panel type operation panel, and a reset operation area 32 is set in a part of the display screen 16A. It is preferable that this reset operation area 32 is always set at the same position (same coordinate position) on each page even if the display screen can be switched over a plurality of pages.

A main body 34A of the smart switch 34 is attached near the reset operation area 32 on the guide plate 35 around the display screen 16A of the equipment operation panel 16.

The main body 34A of the smart switch 34 is provided with an arm-shaped operating section 34B, the tip of which faces the reset operation area 32 of the display screen 16A.

The tip of the operating section 34B has a function equivalent to a touch operation using a human finger. That is, if the structure of the touch panel is a pressure sensitive type, it is pressed with a predetermined pressure. Furthermore, if the touch panel has a capacitive structure, static electricity is absorbed from the contact area.

As shown in FIG. 2(B), the operating portion 34B has a structure in which the tip portion comes into contact with or separates from the reset operation area 32 of the display screen 16A when rotated by a drive system (not shown) of the main body 34A. It has become.

As shown in FIG. 1, the smart switch 34 is connected to an equipment-side wireless communication terminal 36. The drive system of the main body 34A operates based on an operation instruction signal received from the remote monitoring center 24 via the wireless base station 38, and performs a touch operation on the reset operation area 32 of the display screen 16A at the tip of the operating section 34B. That is, the reset operation of the energy supply equipment 10 is possible.

Further, a camera 40 is installed near the equipment operation panel 16 in the energy supply equipment 10. In FIG. 1, the energy supply equipment 10 is installed on the ceiling surface, and the display screen 16A of the equipment operation panel 16 is within the photographing area of the camera 40. Note that the camera 40 only needs to have the display screen 16A, such as a side wall or a direct equipment operation panel, within the photographing area of the camera 40.

The camera 40 is connected to the equipment side wireless communication terminal 36. Images taken by the camera 40 (either still images taken at regular intervals or moving images) are received by the remote monitoring center 24 from the equipment side wireless communication terminal 36 via the wireless base station 38.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of remote operation control, which is executed by the main controller 26 of the remote monitoring center 24 and is specialized for operating the reset operation area 32 of the display screen 16A of the equipment operation panel 16.

Note that each block shown in FIG. 3 does not limit the hardware configuration of the main controller 26, and some or all of the functions may be processed by a computer using a remote control program.

An operation data collection unit 42 is connected to the network 18 . The operation data collection unit 42 collects data regarding the operation status of the energy supply equipment 10 from the equipment management dedicated terminal 14 (see FIG. 1).

The operation data is trend data that includes the operation status of the energy supply equipment 10 and confirmation of the occurrence of abnormalities during operation, but it also includes equipment specifications, various setting values during operation, etc. of the energy supply equipment 10. May include.

The operation data collection section 42 is connected to a failure occurrence determination section 44 . The failure occurrence determination unit 44 determines whether or not a failure has occurred in the energy supply equipment 10 based on the operation data acquired from the operation data collection unit 42 . Note that the failure occurrence determination unit 44 in FIG. 3 determines whether or not a failure has occurred among various failures of the energy supply equipment 10, focusing specifically on a failure that can be recovered by a reset operation.

When the failure occurrence determination unit 44 determines that a failure that can be recovered by a reset operation has occurred, the failure occurrence determination unit 44 instructs the wireless communication establishment unit 46 to establish wireless communication between the center side wireless communication terminal 30 and the equipment side installed in the energy supply equipment 10. A communication protocol is established between the terminal 36 and the terminal 36. Once the communication protocol is established, information can be exchanged between the center-side wireless communication terminal 30 and the equipment-side wireless communication terminal 36 by the transmitting/receiving section 48.

The transmitting/receiving section 48 is connected to a camera photographing information acquisition section 50 and an operation instruction section 52 .

The camera photography information acquisition unit 50 instructs the center side wireless communication terminal 30 to acquire photography information from the camera 40 installed in the energy supply facility 10 via the transmission/reception unit 48 .

The photographing information of the camera 40 received by the transmitting/receiving section 48 is sent to the camera photographing information acquisition section 50, and the photographed image is displayed on the monitor 54 of the user interface 28.

The operator of the remote monitoring center 24 who is monitoring the monitor 54 can visually check the relationship between the reset operation area 32 on the display screen 16A of the equipment operation panel 16 and the smart switch 34 using the image taken by the camera 40. Check and determine whether the reset operation is possible.

Note that the photographed image of the camera 40 itself has a role as a discrimination function, but the photographed image is further analyzed to automatically determine the position of the reset operation area 32, and the operator is notified by color change, flashing, etc. Is possible.

When the operator operates an input device 56 (keyboard, mouse, key dedicated to reset operation, etc.) of the user interface 28, the operation information is sent to the operation instruction section 52.

The operation instruction unit 52 is capable of instructing the smart switch 34 to perform a reset operation via wireless communication.

When the smart switch 34 receives the instruction for the reset operation, the operating section 34B operates and the tip of the smart switch 34 performs a touch operation on the reset operation area 32 of the display screen 16A.

The operation of this embodiment will be explained below according to the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of remote operation control, which is executed by the main controller 26 of the remote monitoring center 24 and is specialized for the operation of the reset operation area 32 of the display screen 16A of the equipment operation panel 16.

In step 100, operation data is collected, and then the process moves to step 102 to perform failure determination.

In the next step 104, it is determined whether a failure has occurred based on the failure determination in step 102. If a negative determination is made in step 104, it is determined that no failure has occurred due to the reset operation, and the process returns to step 100.

Further, if an affirmative determination is made in step 104, it is determined that a failure that can be recovered by a reset operation has occurred, and the process proceeds to step 106, where the equipment in which the failure has occurred is identified.

In the next step 108, based on the identified failure occurrence equipment, it is determined whether or not the failure determination in step 102 is a failure that can be recovered by a reset operation among various failures of the energy supply equipment 10, and that a reset is necessary. do.

If a negative determination is made in step 108, it is determined that the reset operation is unnecessary, the process moves to step 126, another failure recovery process is instructed, and the process returns to step 100.

If an affirmative determination is made in step 108, the process moves to step 110, and a process for establishing wireless communication is executed. That is, a communication protocol is established between the center-side wireless communication terminal 30 and the equipment-side wireless communication terminal 36 installed in the energy supply equipment 10, and the transmission/reception unit 48 communicates between the center-side wireless communication terminal 30 and the equipment-side wireless communication terminal 36. It enables information to be exchanged with the communication terminal 36.

In the next step 112, photographing information of the camera 40 is acquired, and then the process moves to step 114, where the acquired image is displayed on the monitor 54.

Based on the image displayed on the monitor 54, the operator of the remote monitoring center 24 visually confirms the relationship between the reset operation area 32 on the display screen 16A of the equipment operation panel 16 and the smart switch 34, and determines whether the reset operation is possible. do.

When the operator determines that a reset operation is possible, he executes a reset instruction by operating the input device 56.

In the next step 116, it is determined whether or not there has been a reset instruction. If the determination is negative, the process moves to step 118, and it is determined whether or not there has been a cancel instruction. If a negative determination is made in step 118, the process returns to step 112, and steps 112, 114, 116, and 118 are repeated until a positive determination is made in step 116 or step 118.

Here, if an affirmative determination is made in step 118, it is determined that the reset operation will not be performed (cancellation has been made), the process proceeds to step 126, another failure recovery process is instructed, and the process returns to step 100.

On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made in step 116, it is determined that a reset instruction has been given, and the process proceeds to step 120, where the remote operation of the smart switch 34 is instructed, and the process proceeds to step 122.

In step 122, it is determined whether the reset operation was successful, and if the determination is affirmative, the process returns to step 100 and the above steps are repeated.

If the determination in step 122 is negative, the process proceeds to step 124, where it is determined whether a predetermined number of reset operations have been attempted. If a negative determination is made in this step 124, the process returns to step 112, and if an affirmative determination is made, it is determined that the reset operation could not be performed, and the process proceeds to step 126. In step 126, other failure recovery processing is instructed, and the process returns to step 100.

(Modified example)
In this embodiment, the smart switch 34 is used, and the operating part 34B is made to face the failure reset operation area 32 at a predetermined fixed position, and the reset operation area 32 can be touched by remote control from the remote monitoring center 24. performed the operation.

In contrast, in the modified example, touch operation of the operating section 34B is enabled over the entire area of the display screen 16A of the equipment operation panel 16.

As shown in FIG. 5, the equipment operation panel 16 according to the modified example is provided with an xy table mechanism 58.

A pair of x-axis rails 60 are attached to the guide plate 35 of the equipment operation panel 16 along the horizontal sides of the display screen 16A. Furthermore, a y-axis rail 62 that is movable along the x-axis rails 60 is spanned over the pair of x-axis rails 60 by a drive mechanism (not shown).

Further, a moving block 64 is attached to the y-axis rail 62 and is movable along the y-axis rail 62 by a drive mechanism (not shown).

A smart switch 66 is arranged on the moving block 64. The smart switch 66 has basically the same structure as the smart switch 34 shown in FIG. It has become.

Note that when the y-axis rail 62 is positioned at the home position (solid line position in FIG. 5), the operating section 66B of the smart switch 66 is opposed to the guide plate 35, so the normal worker's display screen is It does not interfere with the operation of 16A.

In addition to the reset operation area 32, the display screen 16A is provided with a pair of page switching areas 68 and 70 (one for forward-turning instructions and the other for reverse-turning instructions). That is, the display screen 16A of the modified example assumes that the reset operation area 32 is set to a specific page screen.

When a reset operation is required and a page in which the reset operation area 32 is not set is displayed, the reset operation may not be performed using the fixed smart switch 66, as shown in FIG. 2, for example.

In contrast, in the modified example, by moving the moving block 64 along the x-axis rail 60 and the y-axis rail 62, in addition to the reset operation area 32, the operation section 66B is placed in the pair of page switching areas 68 and 70. can be confronted.

Therefore, in the remote monitoring center 24, page switching and resetting operations can be performed by remotely controlling the operation of the xy table mechanism 58 based on the image taken by the camera 40.

Although the specific area of the display screen 16A is designated as the reset operation area 32, the instruction item is not limited to the reset operation instruction as long as it requires remote operation, such as emergency stop of the device, gas It may also be an instruction for an urgent operation such as emergency closing of a valve in a piping line.

Further, in the present embodiment (including the modified example), a determination is made to determine whether or not the smart switch 34 (66) is facing the reset operation area 32 displayed on the display screen 16A (in the modified example, the page ), but the display control information of the display screen 16A is obtained from the control unit of the equipment operation panel 16, and the confrontation is determined based on the display control information. You may go.

10 Energy supply equipment 12 Energy supply equipment management system 14 Equipment management dedicated terminal 16 Equipment operation panel 18 Network 20 Energy supply equipment manufacturer 22 Management server 24 Remote monitoring center 26 Main controller (monitoring device)
28 User Interface (UI)
30 Center side wireless communication terminal (transmission section)
32 Reset operation area 16A Display screen 35 Guide plate 34 Smart switch (actuator)
34A Main body 34B Operating unit 36 Equipment side wireless communication terminal 38 Wireless base station 40 Camera (information acquisition unit)
42 Operation data collection unit 44 Failure occurrence determination unit 46 Wireless communication establishment unit 48 Transmission/reception unit 50 Camera shooting information acquisition unit 52 Operation instruction unit 54 Monitor 56 Input device 58 xy table mechanism (moving mechanism unit)
60 x-axis rail 62 y-axis rail 64 moving block 66 smart switch 66A main body 66B operating section 68, 70 page switching area

Claims (6)

a display unit that displays a plurality of areas in which instruction items are each set; and the instructions set in an area where a selective operation is performed by selectively operating the plurality of areas displayed on the display unit. Used in energy supply equipment that includes an operation panel that includes an operation section that accepts items, and a control section that controls the supply of energy to the facility based on the instruction items received on the operation panel, A remote control device that remotely executes operations,
It is attached to the operation panel, is faced to a predetermined specific area among the plurality of areas, and converts the received electrical signal into a physical movement to perform an operation equivalent to a selective operation to the specific area. A remote control device that includes an actuator that includes an operation section that performs operations on the specific area. The energy supply equipment is installed in a location remote from the site where the energy supply equipment is installed, and trend data including confirmation of the operating status of the energy supply equipment and the occurrence of abnormalities during operation is collected. It further has a monitoring device that monitors the operating status of the equipment,
The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is provided with a transmitter that transmits the electric signal to the actuator via a communication device. When the display screen of the display unit can be switched to multiple pages and the same area of the display screen on each page functions as a different instruction item, information that can determine the presence or absence of the specific area on the switched page. The remote control device according to claim 1, further comprising an information acquisition unit that acquires the information. The remote control device according to claim 3, wherein the information acquisition unit is a camera that photographs the display screen of the display unit, and determines whether or not the specific area exists based on the image photographed by the camera. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction item for the specific area is an instruction to reset the control unit. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, further comprising a moving mechanism section that can move said actuator based on specified xy coordinates on a two-dimensional plane facing a display screen of said display section.