JP3240162B2 - Screen display method and man-machine interface device in process control system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention outputs various information necessary for an operator such as a process execution status to a display device in a batch process control based on a sequence control.
Further, by providing the display device with an input device,
The present invention relates to a man-machine interface device that can simultaneously monitor and execute a process with the same device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A batch process is realized by a sequence control in which the devices of the process are sequentially started and stopped in accordance with a control procedure.

[0003] Batch process control based on sequence control is realized by controlling a plurality of hierarchies having different levels from top to bottom. FIG. 7 shows a structure of a hierarchical control method having three layers in the conventional batch process control.

[0004] FIG. 7A shows the highest hierarchy (hereinafter referred to as the first hierarchy).
Hierarchy) defines the entire batch. Normally, a process from the start to the end of control of a process is referred to as a batch. As can be seen from the figure, one batch is composed of a plurality of steps. A process is a unit of macro control. In the example shown, it corresponds to "preparation", "raw material preparation", "heating", "reaction", and "recovery". I do. This is the first level, which controls the order of each process.

FIG. 7B shows a layer (hereinafter referred to as a second layer) for controlling each step defined in FIG. 7A, and a module for starting and stopping an apparatus corresponding to each step. Activated unit sequence (hereinafter, unit sequence) is activated. For example, the execution sequence of the unit sequence is defined by a combination of blocks such as “condition check”, “header open”, “abc preparation”,... Corresponding to the “raw material preparation” step in FIG. I do.

FIG. 7 (c) shows the lowest level (hereinafter, the third level) for accessing individual valves and pumps in the process, and controls detailed information of the process. For example, as shown in the figure, the opening and closing of the valve, the flow rate, and the like are actually controlled.

Next, a conventional process status in such a hierarchical control method of a batch process is displayed.
Graphic CRT that is a man-machine interface
The screen format and the operation method will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the entire batch (first layer) is displayed on one screen, and a process is selected by pointing to a touch panel. Expands to a screen that displays detailed process information for the department. In order to display detailed process data other than the display location necessary for the operator to execute the process, the image is moved and displayed by scrolling as shown in FIG.

The operator executes the process while checking the execution status of the process on each of the screens shown in FIGS. 8 (a), 8 (b) and 8 (c).

[0010] Such a conventional technique is disclosed in Hitachi Review V.
ol. 70, no. 5, pp. 69-75, entitled "Computer Control System in Equipment Industry" by Kawaguchi et al.

[0011] Further, as a known technique relating to display for plant operation monitoring and the like, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-101811 is disclosed.
JP-A-63-282806, JP-A-1-1124
10 and JP-A-2-214902.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the case of process control,
The role of the operator is mainly to perform monitoring work, and is to recognize a trouble that may occur in the control process by monitoring, and to determine an operation procedure accompanying a change in operating conditions. Therefore, information indicating the process status provided to the operator is important so that the process can be executed flexibly and appropriately by the operator. In a batch process, a control system that is easy to understand for an operator, easy to execute, and easy to use is desired because of its various operation modes and management of a large number of brands. In particular, a man-machine interface for accurately distributing information between a process (equipment or the like) and an operator is indispensable.

The operator determines process constraints based on changes in plant load (process data), changes in the date, time, etc., or changes in the plant operation status due to changes in the production plan, etc. The operator manually changes the constraint value. Therefore, in the man-machine interface that performs batch process control, the current progress status of the production process and the status of the current or previous process can be easily grasped, and further, information necessary for work is displayed when necessary. It is important to be able to change control procedures, constraints, and the like with simple operations.

However, as described above, there are the following problems in the conventional CRT screen format and screen development for displaying the process status.

As described above, the entire batch (first
Layer) and further display of a part of each process (detailed process data) (third layer)
It is necessary to develop the screen by pointing on the RT screen. As described above, since the entire batch or the process data is separately displayed, when displaying the process data, the operator cannot see the entire batch and cannot grasp the entire batch. To view the process data of processes other than the currently displayed process, return to the screen displaying the entire batch once,
That process must be selected and expanded to a screen that displays process data. Furthermore, if the required process data portion is outside the screen, the image must be scrolled until the data is inside the screen.

Further, conventionally, only data specified in advance is displayed. Therefore, for example, when processing is required according to an abnormal state that has occurred urgently, such as in the case of an abnormal state of a process, the normal state is displayed. It is not possible to flexibly respond to information other than the information to be displayed according to the state and change the display information.

As described above, in the conventional screen display method for displaying the operation status, there are many operations such as screen development, scrolling, etc., so that the operator can grasp the overall status and the easiness of the process execution operation. No consideration has been given. Therefore, the burden on the screen operation for the operator is large,
It is difficult to quickly respond to fluctuations in the operating conditions of the plant, and particularly, when the frequency of changes is increased, setting errors are likely to occur, and there are problems in operability and reliability.

The object of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and not only outputs the status of a process but also automatically changes in accordance with a change in an operation plan, the status of a process, and the progress of a process. By updating the display to the operator, the operator can grasp the situation accurately and immediately,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a display method and a man-machine interface device capable of simultaneously performing monitoring and batch process control with a process monitor screen as it is by providing an input device to a CRT and reducing the burden on an operator.

[0019]

A process system according to the present invention.
The screen display method in the control system is a
Displays the entire batch information of a batch process consisting of several processes.
The entire batch area to be displayed, and one of the plurality of processes.
A process area for displaying a plurality of sub-processes to be formed;
Simultaneous with the detail area that displays the detailed information of a part of the area
Screen in a process control system
In the screen display method, the current
Automatically determine the running process and configure the running process
Displaying a plurality of sub-processes in the process area,
Change the display attributes of the running process in the entire
It is characterized by

[0020]

[0021]

In the batch process control, by displaying a plurality of areas (windows), it is possible to obtain, from one screen, the latest overall process to detailed process information according to the process status and progress. Therefore, the execution status of the process can be grasped instantaneously and accurately, and further, by enabling the input instruction on the process monitoring screen, it is possible to easily change the process constraints and the control procedure. Therefore, it is not necessary to expand and scroll the screen as in the related art, so that the time loss can be reduced, the execution operation can be performed quickly, and the process can be executed flexibly.

Further, it is possible to prevent erroneous operations that are likely to occur by unskilled persons, and to perform the operation while grasping the execution status of the entire batch. Can reduce the psychological burden of

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a batch process control device to which the present invention is applied. The batch process control device 1 includes a display (CRT) 2, an operation unit 3, a process control processing device 4, a controller 6, a process input / output device 5, and a plant database 7.

When executing a batch process, process signal 1
1 is collected by the process input / output device 5, and the analog data is converted into an engineering value by the process control processing device 4. The data converted into the engineering values is converted into process data, that is, tag data, in a plant database (PDB).
7 is stored.

On the other hand, the controller 6 stores the tag data to be output in the PDB 7 in order to provide various information to the operator.
And display it on CRT2.

The operator observes the execution status of the process displayed on the CRT 2 and checks the operation unit 3 installed near the CRT 2.
Input constraints and the like for executing the process. That is, the operator determines the execution state of the process 8 displayed on the CRT 2 after checking it, and outputs an operation signal 9 from the operation unit 3 to the controller 6. Controller 6
Outputs a control command signal 12 for executing the process 8 to the process input / output device 5 in response to the input of the operation signal 9. The process input / output device 5 receives the control command signal 12 and outputs a device control signal 10 to the process 8. The data stored in the plant database 7 is output as an output value from the control processing device 4 to the plant 8 via the process input / output device 5 by the processing of the controller 6. In this way, the batch process is executed by sequentially starting and stopping the devices of the process.

Representative examples of the operation unit that outputs the operation signal 9 to the controller 6 include a light pen, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, and the like.

FIG. 2 shows a screen format of the embodiment according to the present invention. In this case, the information displayed on the screen is composed of three types of information: batch overall information, process information, and detailed information. As an arrangement of an area (or a window) for displaying each information, 2 (a) and (b) in FIG.
Here is an example. In the example of FIG. 3A, the screen is first divided into two areas on the left and right, and the left area is further divided vertically into two areas, thereby dividing the entire screen into three. In the three display areas 21, 22, 23 obtained in this way,
Batch overall information, process information, and detailed information are assigned to each. In the example of FIG. 3B, the entire screen is divided into three parts by first dividing the screen into two areas vertically and then further dividing the upper area into two parts left and right. The three display areas 24, 25, 26 thus obtained
, The entire batch information, the process information, and the detailed information are assigned. Either one of the area arrangements may be fixedly adopted, but the adopted area arrangement may be changed according to the application. The specific display contents of each area are as follows.

(1) Whole batch area 21 (24) In this area, each production process of a product produced by batch control is displayed in a box for each process. Each box with its process name is displayed (For example, change the color, or the like to blink inverted) the batch process to change the display attribute of whether the execution or non-execution state of the process by, or The operator is notified by a message output such as execution start, execution, and execution end.

By referring to this information, the operator can grasp the outline process from the start of the production of the product to the end of the production, the production method thereof, and the outline of the execution state.

(2) Process area 22 (25) In this area, detailed information of the process represented by one box in the whole batch area is represented by a sub-process box and a connection line (arc). In this area, as well as the whole batch information, the execution of the batch processing of the box is performed so that the progress of the sub-process can be grasped.
The unexecuted state is performed by changing the display attribute or outputting a message.

The boxes used here are of several box types, such as a unit sequence activation box, a status judgment box, a setting output box,
It consists of a timer box, an inquiry input box, a message output box, a jump box, a token delete box, a user built-in processing box, a return box to a normal MS, an abnormal processing WAIT box, an abnormal declaration box, and the like.

(3) Detail area 23 (26) This area is an area for displaying detailed information obtained by enlarging a part in the process area including one box being executed in the process area. In this area, the processing of each box such as the unit sequence activation box and the timer box described above is displayed with symbolized marks. In the processing of one box in the process area 22, a sequence program corresponding to the box type is executed. In these processes, the set timer time and elapsed time are simultaneously displayed for the timer box. In the boxes for other processes, the detailed area 23
Can be expanded (open a new window) to a screen (not shown) for directly displaying the parameters (tag data, equipment data, etc. used for processing) of the sequence program, and the parameter can be changed on this screen. Can also be performed.

As described above, a plurality of pieces of information (entire batch, each process, details of the execution status) of different hierarchies are displayed on one screen, and according to the execution status, types such as “before execution”, “being executed”, “completed execution”, etc. By changing the display attribute by using the above method, the operator can grasp the current progress in the production process.

Further, by monitoring the process on the screen shown here and performing an input instruction from the input device as needed, it is possible to change the constraint conditions and the control procedure on the same screen.

As shown in FIG. 3, the entire batch area 21
By changing the display attribute of the box corresponding to the process displayed in the process area 22, the relationship between the two layers can be clearly displayed on the screen. Alternatively, related boxes may be connected by lines as shown. Further, by enclosing a portion in the process area 22 corresponding to the display range in the detail area 23 with a box of a broken line (or a solid line), it is possible to identify and display the correspondence between information in both areas. The hatched boxes in the process area 22 and the detail area 23 indicate the currently executed sub-process.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which the relations in the respective layers are clarified by outputting a message indicating the execution state as shown in the figure.

While grasping the status of the process from the process monitoring screens shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the display 2 shown in FIG.
The process can be directly controlled on the same screen as the monitoring screen by the operation unit 3 installed in the vicinity of. For example, it is checked whether or not the valve VO1 of the process is in a "close" state in the step of executing the detailed screen shown in FIG. 4, and if the condition is not satisfied, an operation message to the operator is output as an operation guide. The operator changes the state (VO1 open) of the current process (VO1 open) by selecting the vicinity of the operation guide by touching or the like.
ose), tags and the like are directly controlled. In this way, the control procedure can be controlled on the same screen while monitoring the process during the execution of the process.

Referring to FIG. 5, on the screen displaying the same batch, process, and details, the execution state of the process is automatically determined, and the box being executed is displayed preferentially. However, a method of automatically selecting and displaying the entire batch, the process, and the details automatically in accordance with the transition of the process execution state without sequentially selecting the processes by operations such as pointing and scrolling will be described.

In order to define the position of the box in the process area by coordinates, as shown in FIG. 5A, the x-axis is set from left to right in the horizontal direction, and the y-axis is set from top to bottom in the vertical direction. Thereby, each box is specified by the coordinates (x, y).

FIG. 5B shows the selection logic of the display box. First, at the time of calling the screen, it is determined whether a batch process is being executed. If not, do not display the screen. During execution, the x and y coordinates are changed from (1, 1) to
(1, 2), (1, 3), ..., then (2, 1),
It is determined in the order of (2, 2)...
In that order, the range in which the currently running box is located is displayed on the screen with priority. That is, in this example, the priority of the box in the younger determination order is higher. As shown in FIG. 5A, the boxes being executed are (1, 3),
In the case of (3, 1), when the screen is called, a display is made so as to always include the box of (1, 3). Assuming that the box of (1, 3) is completed and (3, 1) is still being executed, (3, 1) is displayed with priority.

FIG. 6 shows a display example in a case where the information in each area cannot be stored in the area on one screen. This shows a state where the entire batch information does not fit in the area 21 and the process information does not fit in the area 22. Even in such a case, during the batch process, the status of the boxes is determined in order, and the display contents are automatically updated in sequence, so that the latest process necessary for the operation can be performed without operator screen operation. Provide information, etc.

As described above, according to the CRT man-machine interface in the batch process control according to the present embodiment, the entire process from the process to the detailed data is displayed on one screen, and furthermore, they are displayed in the execution state. Automatic selection scrolling and the latest information are displayed, so that monitoring and control can be performed without operating the screen.

[0045]

As described above, according to the display method of the present invention, it is possible to automatically display from the entire batch to detailed process data in accordance with the execution state of the process on one screen. Because the process can be controlled directly on the screen, the execution status of the batch process can be grasped instantaneously and accurately, speeding up the execution operation, and significantly reducing the burden on the operator such as screen operations, preventing erroneous operations, As a result, the psychological pressure of the driver can be reduced,
The plant can be operated smoothly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a batch process control device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a screen format of an execution status display CRT in batch process control according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of details of a screen format of an execution status display CRT in the batch process control according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a screen format of another execution status display CRT in the batch process control according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of logic for automatically updating the display on the CRT for execution status display in the batch process control according to the present invention in accordance with the execution status.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of processing for automatically updating the display according to the process execution status on the execution status display CRT in the batch process control according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a control method using a hierarchical structure in batch process control.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a screen format of a CRT for displaying an execution status in a conventional batch process control.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Batch process control apparatus, 2 ... Display, 3 ... Operation part, 4 ... Control processing apparatus, 5 ... Process input / output apparatus, 6 ...
Controller, 7: plant database, 8: process, 9: operation signal, 10: device control signal, 11: process status signal,

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-63-241605 (JP, A) JP-A-3-60333 (JP, A) JP-A-2-277104 (JP, A) JP-A-1- 112410 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G05B 23/02 G05B 19/048

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A batch comprising a plurality of steps to be executed sequentially
Batch-wide area that displays process-wide batch information
And a plurality of sub-steps constituting one of the plurality of steps
Process area to be displayed and detailed information of a part of the process area
And a detail area for displaying
In the screen display method in the process control system , the currently executing process in the entire batch area is automatically set.
Discriminate and advance a plurality of sub-processes constituting the process being executed.
Displayed in the process area, and the
Characterized by changing the display attribute of the process being executed
Screen display method in the process control system. 2. The currently executing sub-process in the process area.
Automatically determines the sub-process
The detailed information of the part including the process is displayed in the detail area,
Identify and display the range corresponding to the above part in the process area.
The process control system according to claim 1, wherein
Screen display method in the system. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the process area and the detail area are small.
In at least one area,
2. The display attribute according to claim 1, wherein the display attribute is changed.
Screen display method in a process control system. 4. A currently executing sub-process in the process area.
If there is more than one,
Special priority is given to sub-processes with a high priority.
3. The process control system according to claim 2, wherein
Screen display method. 5. A process status in the detailed area.
An operation that shows an operation message to the operator according to the
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a guide is displayed.
Screen display method in the process control system. 6. The whole batch area and the process area.
At least one of A, the entire display content area
If it does not fit, the section containing the running process or sub-process
Automatic scrolling of images to show minutes
The process control system according to claim 1, wherein
Screen display method. 7. When monitoring a process on said one screen,
Also, depending on the execution status of the process,
Input of at least one of the constraints and control procedures
2. The process system according to claim 1, wherein
Screen display method in your system. 8. A batch comprising a plurality of steps to be executed sequentially
Man-machine interface in process control system
Source device, a display device having a display screen, an operation unit for inputting instruction information of an operator, a process currently being executed and sub-processes in the process are determined,
Displaying the whole batch information on the display screen of the display unit
The entire batch area and the process currently being executed
A process area for displaying a plurality of sub-processes constituting the process,
The sub process being executed among the plurality of sub processes in the process area
Provide a detailed area to display the enlarged part including the process
Put the process control system characterized by comprising a controller and a
Man-machine interface device.