JPH0312A - Plant monitoring and controlling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To relieve a tension on an operator by using a chair which is vibrated, rotated and is changed in its posture in accordance with data relating to an operating condition of a plant and to mental and physiological conditions of the operator. CONSTITUTION:An operating condition of a plant 1 to be monitored and controlled is displayed on a monitor screen on a panel in front of an operator who is setting on a chair 4. Arms 5 which are incorporated to the chair are effective for stabilizing the posture of the operator, and further, suitable appliances provided to the chair are also effective for controlling the plant and for controlling the chair itself. The chair is set on a pedestal 3 so as to take motions such as vibration, rotation and the like. A computing and processing device 2 receives an operating condition of the plant and data relating to mental and physiological conditions of the operator, and delivers instructions for driving the chair in longitudinal vibration, rotation or the like. The computing an processing device 2 is arranged independently, or is disposed in the chair 4, the pedestal 3 or the front panel, similar to the monitor screen. The operating condition of the plant 1 is turned into an oscillation of the chair of the like, and accordingly, if the operator has only a bodily sensation of the rhythm of the oscillation, it is not necessary for the operator to always watch screens on the panel.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a plant monitoring and control system, particularly a man-machine system.

[Conventional technology]

Conventional plant monitoring and control equipment, as shown in the photo on page 43 of Of-IM, Vol. ) A person is sitting on a fixed chair and is monitoring a large number of screens as shown in FIG. Since large-scale targets are displayed on each device on the front panel, operators can grasp the status of a wide range of equipment, for example in the case of a power system, while sitting in the control room without having to go to the site.

The operating status of the plant is displayed on the monitor screen using trend graphs and symbols, but operators must continuously monitor multiple screens for long periods of time to check for abnormalities.

Operators are glued to the screen and sit in the same position for long periods of time.

Furthermore, since abstract displays appear on the screen, the meaning must be understood while thinking, which requires skill and can easily lead to errors.

In short, although plant monitoring and control technology has improved, there are still many areas that need improvement.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The above-mentioned conventional technology has a problem in that insufficient consideration is given to the burden on the operator and that it relies too much on the operator's conscious judgment.

The present invention aims to reduce the stress on the operator during monitoring, and further aims to provide an environment in which it is easy to make accurate judgments and operations.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention focuses on the operator's chair as an interface between the plant and the operator.

Chairs are indispensable, especially for long hours of work, and are closely related to the operator's work, as they define the posture, movements, and range of attention of the operator sitting on the chair.

The more comfortable the chair is, the more comfortable the operator will be and the more able he or she will be to endure long hours of work.However, since operators are not just sitting, it is important to monitor plant conditions and make necessary operational improvements. I think it's really comfortable to sit on.

For these reasons, the operator's chair should be able to relax the operator and at the same time provide appropriate tension depending on the state of the plant. If the operator becomes excessively nervous, it will impede proper judgment and operation.

The operator must be aware of this even when the plant is operating normally, but if the chair sways like a rocking chair depending on the plant's status, it is comfortable and at the same time allows the operator to experience the plant's normal operating status. Normally, it is difficult to assume that plants vibrate with a certain rhythm, unlike vehicles, but grasping the state of the plant based on rhythm is considered rational from the perspective of human psychology and physiology.

[Effect]

The operator's chair, which is a feature of the present invention, receives a signal of the operating status of the plant and, if the operation is normal, swings back and forth and from side to side at a certain predetermined rhythm, so the operator can experience the normal operating status as a pleasure for himself. I can understand it.

Furthermore, in order to prevent the operator from being distracted even during normal operating conditions, the operator's consciousness is monitored and the swinging motion of the chair is appropriately changed so that the operator can wake up.

If the plant's operating status is about to deviate from the normal range, the chair's rocking motion is changed to alert the operator, but if the operator's attention is deemed to be sufficient based on the monitor information about the operator, it is possible to maintain a comfortable rhythm. Get back to exercise so you can focus on essential tasks. In addition, by pointing the chair toward the screen that requires attention, it is easier to pay attention and operate the screen.

In summary, the motion of the chair is controlled based on the plant status and the operator's own status, allowing the user to experience the operating status and creating a comfortable environment in which the operator can concentrate on work.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. This is a cross-sectional view of the operator sitting on the chair. The operating state of the plant 1 to be monitored and controlled is displayed on the monitor screen on the operator's front panel. In addition,
Here, the plant 1 is shown including a control device and a measuring device. The operator is sitting on a chair 4, and if the chair is equipped with an arm 5, it will help stabilize the operator's posture, and if appropriate equipment is provided, it will be effective in operating the plant and controlling the chair itself. The chair 4 is placed on a pedestal 3 in order to perform movements such as rocking and turning. The arithmetic processing unit 2 has information on the operating status of the plant and the psychological state of the operator.
Physiological information is input, and drive commands for rocking the chair back and forth, turning, etc. are output.

The arithmetic processing unit 2 may be placed separately or housed in the front panel in the same way as the chair 4, its base 3, or a monitor screen.

According to this embodiment, the operating state of the plant 1 is summarized by the arithmetic processing unit 2 into the rocking of the chair 4, etc., so that the operator can view each screen on the panel by experiencing only the rhythm of the rocking. There is no need to watch it every time.

Of course, you can freely view the monitor screen, but by swinging the chair you can view the monitor screen straight ahead without having to overlap one after another. A method of slowing down or temporarily stopping the rocking of the chair can also be applied to screens that require special attention, as determined by plant conditions or designated in advance. It is also possible to slow down the rocking based on the operator's eye and neck movements. Of course, the chair does not have to be moving; for example, it can remain stationary at an appropriate position or posture.

There is also a method in which the amplitude is relatively large immediately after sitting down, but as the rhythm is established, the amplitude decreases and eventually stops.

This can also be done by direct instructions from the operator or by feedback of the operator's psychological and physiological state.

The psychological and physiological state of the operator can be ascertained not only from brain waves, door beats, breathing/sweating, and gaze, but also to some extent from the pressure applied to the chair 4 and arm 5. Since there are individual differences and habits, patterns are registered in the processing device 2 in advance to ensure accuracy.

The operating status to be monitored is not limited to steady operation;
It also includes recovery and startup. In steady-state operation, the problem is the deviation from the reference state or the degree of its change, but at the time of recovery or startup, the difference from the separately determined schedule becomes a problem.

The extent to which the difference is acceptable or requires attention is determined using driving standards, know-how, etc. It is also possible to set the fluctuations to determine whether the system is normal or not depending on whether it is normal or not.

An example of a simple driving pattern is shown in FIG. Operators can relax except in emergencies.

In some cases, the entire target plant is monitored;
Sometimes subsystems are the problem.

Normally, the entire system is monitored, but subsystems where problems occur or where operations are concentrated need to be investigated in detail. In such cases, the target should be switched automatically or consciously.

Some methods include using a display on a monitor panel or an announcement to let the operator know when the target is being switched, vibrating the chair when switching, or making the system correspond to body parts as shown in Figure 3. That is, the operator's attention is focused by making the swing of the corresponding part of the body relatively large.

Note that FIG. 3 represents the plant in the form of a block diagram, with squares representing functional blocks and lines representing signals.

The division into subsystems can be spatial or functional. Which one to adopt depends on the characteristics of the system and the purpose of monitoring and control.

The movements of the chair include not only rocking and two rotations of vibration, but also vertical movement and horizontal movement. The convenience of monitoring and control is further improved by moving freely in the space as needed. for example,
In the above-described embodiment, if the chair is raised in accordance with the progress of activation, it will be helpful to comprehensively understand the situation.

Effectiveness can be increased by using various stimuli such as sound, smell, wind, and heat to stimulate the operator. For example, if overheating occurs due to overload, there is a method of heating the chair by incorporating a heater inside it. In other words, it is effective to use stimuli that are relatively easy to associate with the plant situation.

There are also systems in which auxiliary stimulation is applied to enhance operator comfort, etc. rather than plant conditions. For example, occasionally sending a gentle breeze of aromatic scents can help prevent ruts and help you relax.

Since the operator sits in a chair for a long time, it is possible to monitor the operator's body movements within a range that does not interfere with driving, and to provide physical stimulation based on the operator's will to add functions such as stretching.

In such a case, it is not limited to a chair and can be freely transformed.

The method for moving the operator's chair has been described above, but there is also a method for moving the screen to be monitored. In other words, the panel moves or rotates so that it is in the proper position and orientation relative to the operator. At this time, the number of blocks of the panel is not limited to one, and may be divided into a plurality of blocks.

The panel blocks move toward or away from the operator as appropriate. The mutual arrangement of blocks should also be able to change depending on the situation.

Should I move the chair (operator) or move the people around me?
It is considered realistic to combine them appropriately.

From the operator's perspective, the control room where the plant is monitored and controlled is also a living space. Operators spend a lot of time in the control room, and often stay overnight. The operator on duty is usually in a separate room, and often comes to the control room by ringing the emergency bell. If the control room is comfortable and people can take a nap while sitting in a chair, emergency response will be improved. Of course, even if you are sleeping, you can make it vibrate depending on the situation.

It is also possible to encapsulate the space so that air conditioning and light control can be adjusted appropriately to make the space suitable for napping. The capsule may be simply replaced with a cover as shown in FIG. That is, the covers 6L and 6U cover the operator from below and above. Of course, if the cover can be stopped at any position, for example, the 6L can be kept warm to keep your legs warm, while the 6R can be kept cool to cool your head.

If you think of the operator's chair as equipment in the living space,
The chair is useful not only in control rooms, but also in urban apartments and hotels. In the future, the lifestyle of working in cities and spending weekends at home in rural areas or suburbs will increase. In a room such as an apartment, there is almost no need to move around, and if you have an ergonomically designed chair, you can sit down.
You can just let go. By making chairs well connected to, or integrated with, various home utilities, we can further reduce the space needed in apartments and other spaces, helping to solve one of the biggest problems facing cities. In addition,
In this case, when you wake up in the morning, you can reflect the situation by shaking the bed chair to wake it up.

Living spaces include not only so-called residences, but also hospitals, (long-distance) transportation seats, and cockpits.

Furthermore, from a target perspective, it is not limited to so-called industrial plants, but covers almost all human activities, including hospital nursing, crime prevention, and safety monitoring, as well as society, economy, education, and leisure.

The motion of the chair can be realized not only as the displacement of a rigid body but also as the movement of fluid. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, an air bag 7 is built inside the chair 4, and a valve 8 and an air tank 9 are operated by a drive command. The postures of the chair and the operator change depending on the degree of inflation of the air bag 7.

In the case of gases and liquids, it is possible to make subtle adjustments that would be difficult to achieve with rigid bodies, and it is also easy to make changes in temperature and texture.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, since the chair is moved according to the conditions and requests of the target plant and the operator himself, the operator can directly experience the condition of the plant as an appropriate rhythm, and there is less need to follow the monitoring screen. In addition, since you are able to tense and relax as appropriate, you can deal with long hours of work appropriately. In short, the present invention relieves operators from the stress that is newly added as automation progresses, and at the same time allows them to regain lost information and sensations.

Although the above embodiments have been shown individually, it goes without saying that even more effects can be obtained by appropriately combining them depending on the purpose and situation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram mainly showing a chair according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the operating state including starting and stopping the plant, Figure 3 is a diagram showing the plant subsystem configuration and each part of the operator's body, and Figure 4 is a cover that can be covered for naps. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a chair whose posture can be changed using fluid, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a conventional control room. 1... Target plant, 2... Arithmetic processing unit that determines how to drive the chair, 3... Chair pedestal, 4...
...Fig. 1, Fig. 4, Fig. 2, and the hour of the hour, Lq-4 Gin Mamo, the end of the first! Foam aRt Ho 1 Figure 3 Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a plant monitoring and control device consisting of a monitor screen, a control console, and an operator's chair, the chair vibrates, rotates, and deforms its posture in response to information regarding the operating status of the plant and the psychological and physiological status of the operator. A plant monitoring and control device characterized by using a chair that performs such exercises.