JPH11134086A - Monitoring device and checking method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a speedy check when any abnormality occurs by selecting a camera to photograph the object of abnormality monitor when the abnormality occurs, sending a control command to the selected camera and displaying the object of abnormality monitor while distinguishing it from other display objects of video image. SOLUTION: A control computer 102 controls a monitoring object 101 while receiving a control instruction sent from a work station 104 through a LAN 103. At the work station 104, process data from the control computer 102, data from a data base 115 and video signals from an ITV camera 107 are processed and displayed on a CRT 105. Then, a control signal is sent to the control computer 102, the monitoring object is controlled, and a camera switching signal and a camera control signal are sent to the ITV camera 107 and a switcher 110. Namely, the camera switching signal is sent to the switcher 110 and the control instruction is sent to that camera so that the object is displayed while being expanded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a monitoring system for a transportation system such as a railway and a road network, a chemical plant, a steel plant, an electric power, a gas, a water and sewage plant, and an inspection method using the same.
The present invention relates to a monitoring device suitable for performing accurate monitoring without going to the site and an inspection method using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a process control monitoring system, a method is adopted in which a monitor device is installed in a central operation room, an object to be monitored and controlled is photographed by an ITV camera, and an image thereof is displayed on the monitor device. Also, various process data obtained from the monitored and controlled objects and process control information such as input data from operators are converted by control devices such as control terminals into characters, graphs, tables, and figures, and displayed on the display. it's shown. Conventionally, the image of the ITV camera and the screen of this process control information have been displayed separately,
Alternatively, they are simply displayed on the same screen.
Therefore, for example, when operating or inspecting certain equipment,
In addition to the operation of displaying the control information of the device on the process control information screen, the operator uses the dedicated button to switch the ITV camera to view the state of the device in detail.
Zooming and panning had to be performed. That is, when performing the process monitoring control, the operator needs to perform two operations: an operation related to the screen of the process control information and an operation related to the ITV camera image.

In order to solve this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
In the CRT monitoring and control apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
An operation relating to a TV camera image is performed. This prior art uses a mouse or a keyboard to input the name of an operation inspection target on a screen of process control information displayed on a control terminal or the like, selects a figure expressing the target, or selects an operation panel. By pressing the dedicated button on the upper part, means for deciding an object to be operated and inspected, and an ITV camera image showing the decided operation and inspected object are selected and selected.
Means for sending a TV camera video selection command to the video selection device;
Means for synthesizing an ITV camera image and process data related to the subject on a process control information screen and simultaneously displaying them.

According to this prior art, by selecting an operation and inspection target on the process control screen, an image of the target can be automatically displayed on the screen, so that the labor of the operator can be saved. Was.

[0005]

However, in this prior art, it is necessary to designate a figure expressing an object to be operated and inspected with a mouse or the like, or to input a character name from a keyboard. Furthermore, when inputting an instruction to execute an operation or an inspection, or inputting an operation check or an operation check of an operation / inspection object, a menu that displays the name of the object displayed in the process control information screen is used. It is necessary to specify the target, input an operation inspection execution command, and input an operation inspection confirmation by using an object that abstracts the object, such as a figure expressing the object.

In this prior art, a specific object in a camera image is displayed from an object that abstractly represents an object such as a figure or a name. Will be displayed. When specifying an object to be operated or inspected, an abstraction of the object, such as a "name" or a "figure" that represents the object, even when it is obvious from the camera image that an abnormality has occurred. By designating and inputting, a target to be operated and inspected is specified. In this case, it is necessary to associate a specific target to be subjected to the operation check on the camera image with its abstract expression such as the name of the target and a graphic representing the target.

In general, in a process control monitoring system for a plant or the like, the number of devices to be inspected for operation and the number of graphics information screens displayed on a display for an operator to control the devices are very large. There are very many associations that the operator should memorize, such as the correspondence between the name of the user and the graphic representing the name and the specific device on the ITV camera image. For this reason, the operator needs to perform long-term training in advance to learn these associations.

Further, if an operation check command is input through such an abstract object, it is difficult to convey the state of the site. For example, at the time of maintenance inspection work of a plant or the like, it is important to work to grasp the situation at the site. In a conventional system for selecting an object using an abstract object such as graphics or inputting an operation check command, there is a possibility that an object may be incorrectly selected or an operation error may occur at the time of work. It is in a situation where it is working.

In the case where a command for executing an operation or an inspection is input or an operator inputs an operation confirmation or an inspection confirmation of an object, a confirmation or instruction of the camera image display area and figures and characters is made. If the input location is far away, it is necessary to shift the line of sight from the video when inputting. In such a case, there is a possibility that the operator may directly input a confirmation input or an operation command to the input location without looking at the camera image. As described above, the fact that the user can confirm and input a command or the like without sufficiently grasping the situation of the monitoring control target causes an operation error and an inspection error.

[0010] On the other hand, it is not practical to install a camera for projecting an object to be inspected for each device to be operated and inspected in terms of cost. doing. Therefore, as in the prior art, a target can be designated and operated and inspected, and even if it is possible to switch to a camera image showing the object, a plurality of objects that can be operation and inspection targets are displayed in the camera image. May be done.

In such a case, it becomes unclear to the operator which object is actually being operated or inspected. Similarly, when specifying an object to be operated or inspected, it is unclear to which object the camera image corresponds. Also, when confirming the operation and inspection, it is unclear on the video which object is to be confirmed. Further, the devices to be operated and inspected are not independent devices.
Some devices may be closely related to other devices.
In the case of operation and inspection, it is necessary to clearly indicate such related equipment to the operator. In addition, since additional information such as the name, handling method, inspection operation status, and process data related to the object cannot be extracted from the specific object in the camera image, such data is extracted while watching the image. If it is desired, the object must be extracted using the correspondence between the object on the video, its name, and the figure representing it as described above. In addition, if the display location of the extracted data is displayed at a location distant from the target on the video, it is difficult to simultaneously refer to the target on the video and information related to the target.

Further, in the operation and inspection, the status of the monitoring target, the timing of the operation inspection, the operation inspection, and the like, such as the periodic inspection and the inspection at the time of abnormality, the inspection performed by the person in charge of the system management and the inspection performed by the other person are performed. Depending on factors such as the operator and the group to which the operator belongs, the contents of the operation / inspection vary depending on whether the operation / inspection is performed or whether the operation / inspection is performed. Therefore, it is necessary to change the operation inspection target to be specified and the operation inspection content to be performed based on the data on the database including the status of the monitoring target, information on the person performing the operation inspection, and the like.

In summary, the prior art has the following problems.

(1) Since there are a plurality of objects that may be subjected to the operation check in the camera image, there is a possibility that the object for which the operation check is performed becomes unclear in the camera image.

(2) When specifying an object to be inspected for operation from the objects to be monitored and controlled, the object that can be specified next or should be specified is unclear in the camera image. Further, even if the operator specifies a target, it is unclear on the camera image which target has been specified.

(3) When performing an operation check, an object related to the operation check object is not specified.

(4) When performing operation and inspection, it is necessary to input operation and inspection commands through abstract objects such as characters and figures. Also, when inputting a confirmation input, such as after an operation check of a monitoring control target, confirmation is performed through characters and figures.

(5) Information related to inspection and operation and information such as process data related to the object cannot be extracted from the object on the camera image.

(6) Since the location of information related to inspection and operation of the object on the camera image and information such as process data related to the object does not take into account the position of the object on the camera image, It is difficult for workers to simultaneously refer to the object in the video and the data related to the object.

(7) When specifying an object to be inspected for operation, what is specified as a candidate must depend on data such as process data, operators, and operation histories obtained from the monitored and controlled object. Otherwise, the operator must always select an object to be inspected and operated from the same object based on the situation of the monitoring and control object.

(8) When performing an operation check, the contents of the operation check must depend on process data, operators, operation histories, and the like obtained from the monitored and controlled objects.
Otherwise, it is necessary for the operator to select and determine all the operation inspection contents.

An object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to perform an operation performed by an operator,
An object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring device having an improved inspection support function and an inspection method using the same.

[0023]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a monitoring apparatus for photographing an object to be monitored by a plurality of cameras and displaying a video image thereof on a screen. Means for selecting a camera for photographing the object to be monitored when an abnormality has occurred; means for transmitting a control command to the selected camera so as to photograph the object for abnormal monitoring; Is displayed on the screen, and means for displaying the display of the abnormality monitoring target object separately from other display objects of the video image are provided.

[0024] The above object is also achieved by an inspection method using a monitoring device having a display for displaying a video image to be monitored and input receiving means for receiving an operation input of an operator. When the operator specifies the inspection target in the display of the target object is highlighted from other display objects in the video image, and the operator performs the inspection by monitoring the highlighted video image, This is achieved by displaying the confirmation input on the screen when the operator inputs a confirmation input from the input receiving means after the inspection.

[0025]

Since the occurrence of an abnormality can be immediately known by monitoring the screen, quick inspection is possible. In addition, since the inspection target is highlighted, the inspection target is clarified, and more reliable inspection can be performed.

[0026]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 101 denotes a monitoring control target (hereinafter, referred to as a monitoring target) to be monitored and controlled in a traffic system such as a road or a railway, a power plant, a gas plant, a water and sewage system, a steel plant, and the like. A monitoring device monitors and controls this monitoring target. A data collection and monitoring target control unit (hereinafter, simply referred to as a control computer) 102 constituting the monitoring apparatus according to the present embodiment collects data (hereinafter, referred to as process data) obtained from the monitoring target 101. Control of the monitoring target. The control computer 102 transmits the process data to the LAN
The data is sent to a data display and input reception control unit (hereinafter, simply referred to as a workstation) 104 and a database 115 through the communication unit 103. The control computer 102 receives a control command sent from the workstation 104 via the LAN 103 and controls the monitoring target 101.

The database 115 stores the control computer 10
2 stores the process data input through the LAN 103, the set values of the control target 101, and the I
Data such as D, group ID, and operation history are stored. The stored data is read by a read command from the workstation 104 and sent to the workstation 104 via the LAN 103.

The ITV camera 107 transmits an image of the monitored object 101 to the cable 108, the switcher 110, and the cable 1
12 to the workstation 104. on the other hand,
The workstation 104 sends a camera switching command from the cable 113 to the switcher 110, and sends a camera control signal to the cable 113, the switcher 110, and the cable 109.
To the ITV camera 107. Switcher 110
Performs camera switching according to the transmitted camera switching command. The ITV camera 107 performs camera control such as zoom and pan according to a camera control command.

In the workstation 104, the process data sent from the control computer 102, the data sent from the database 115, the ITV camera 10
7 is processed and displayed on the CRT 105. The operator inputs various input commands to the workstation 104 using the input device 106 such as a mouse, a tablet, and a touch panel. The workstation 104 processes these input commands, changes the CRT display, sends a data read command to the database 115, and sends the data to the control computer 102 through the LAN 103.
Control signal to control the monitoring target,
A camera switching signal and a camera control signal are sent to the V camera 107 and the switcher 110.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the inside of the computer 104.
Reference numeral 201 denotes a CPU; 202, a main memory for developing a control program and process control screen data to be displayed on a CRT screen; 203, a hard disk; and 204, an input / output driver.

A video signal input from the ITV camera 107 to the input / output driver 204 through the cable 112 is
The image is digitized by the digitizer 205 and drawn in the moving image frame buffer 206.

The process data output from the control computer 102 and the data from the database 115 are stored in the cable 1.
From 11, the input command of the operator enters the input / output driver 204 from the input device 106 through the cable 114, and is sent to the CPU 201 through the bus 209 from here. The CPU 201 stores the input data in the main memory 2
02 according to the program on the above.

The hard disk 203 stores process control screen data, and the CPU 201 reads out the data when necessary.
The data is developed on the main memory 202 and written into the graphics frame buffer 207 by a CRT display command.
The blend circuit 208 blends the moving image frame buffer 206 and the graphics screen frame buffer 207 and displays them on the CRT 105.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a CRT screen configuration in this embodiment. 301 is the control computer 10
2, a process data display area for displaying the process data sent from 2, an image display area 302 for displaying an image from the ITV camera 107, a cursor 304 operated by a pointing device such as a mouse, and a button 303 for receiving an input from an operator. , 305 are menus.

There are buttons such as 303 and menus such as 305 for accepting input from the operator, but these may be displayed only when necessary. The process data display area 301 displays a trend graph 306, a bar graph, a table 307, and the like to clearly show process data to an operator. The operator sets the process data display area 301
The monitoring target 101 is monitored by viewing the data of the monitoring target 101 and the video in the video display area 302, and by pressing the operation button 303 using the cursor 304 or selecting an item of the menu 305, the operation command of the monitoring target 101 is displayed. , A control command, a display screen switching command, or the like.

Based on the system configuration and screen configuration described above,
Examples of the present invention will be described more specifically. First, in the first embodiment, the check button 303 in FIG.
By pressing (selecting) with 4, the inspection item menu 405 in FIG. 4 is displayed. In FIG. 4, a video display area 302 includes a boiler A401, a boiler B402, and a boiler C.
An ITV camera image including the 403 and the water supply 404 is displayed. By selecting the item 406 of the inspection item menu 405 using the cursor 304, the boiler A401 is operated and inspected, and the operation or inspection is performed. At this time,
In the video display area 302, a rectangle 407 surrounding the boiler A401 is drawn on the video in order to clearly show that the boiler A401 is selected, and the boiler A is emphasized. That is, the ITV being displayed
The object being inspected and operated is emphasized by drawing graphics over the camera image. As a result, even if there is a possibility that a plurality of operation inspections can be performed in the camera image, the target being inspected and operated is clearly displayed on the image, and the status of the target can be grasped more reliably. . Of course, if the operation inspection target for the specified item cannot be reflected in the displayed camera image,
Switch to the video from that camera.

As a method of emphasizing the operation and inspection objects other than the above embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG.
07, a control command is sent and remotely operated to display an operation inspection object (here, boiler A401) in an enlarged manner.
There is such a method. Alternatively, the boiler A is switched to another ITV camera that can shoot the boiler A more easily, and is remotely operated. That is, first, a camera switching signal is sent to the switcher 110, and then a control command is sent to the camera, so that the target is enlarged and displayed. That is, in the above example, the boiler A is enlarged and displayed.

Next, a method of realizing this embodiment will be described. An object 501 having a structure as shown in FIG. 7 is defined in the main memory 202 of the workstation 104. Here, the object 501 includes attribute definition contents relating to display (hereinafter referred to as display attribute definition contents for simplicity) 502, data such as process data, an event input by an operator, and an attribute definition content relating to an operation driven thereby. (Hereinafter referred to as event attribute definition contents for simplicity) 503.

FIG. 9 shows the contents of the display attribute definition contents 502. Here, the display position 621, the size 622, the shape 623, the drawing data 624 of the color, the character and the thickness of the line, etc. of the object are used to determine whether the object receives an input event from the operator (hereinafter, the state of receiving the input event). , And an inactive state when it cannot be received). At the time of display, drawing is performed according to the contents of the size 622, the shape 623, and the drawing data 624. The input event input by the operator includes input position information of the event and the display position 62 of the object defined here.
1, size 622, shape 623, object state variable 6
Sort using the value of 26.

FIG. 8 shows the internal structure of the event attribute definition contents 503. The event attribute definition contents 503 include an event index table 601 and an operation table 602 defining an operation to be executed when the event occurs.

The event index table 601 is
An event name 603 and a process data variable 604 related to the object are registered. In the event name 603, the names of all events received by the object, such as input by the operator and commands sent from other objects, are registered. The process data variable 604 is a pointer to a corresponding data storage location 611 of the process database 610. The process data obtained from the control target 102 is stored in the process database 61 in the main storage 202.
0 is placed in the corresponding data storage location 611, and each object references that data.

The operation table 602 registers an operation function to be executed when an event occurs, a display format for displaying process data, and the like. The operations to be performed when an event occurs include, for example, creating data for display on the CRT 105, sending a command to another object, sending a control command to the control computer 102, CR
For example, a control command for switching the ITV camera video 302 displayed at T105 is sent. Regarding the process data column on the operation table 602, in addition to a display format for displaying the data, an operation such as issuing a warning if the value of the data is a certain value or more is defined.

The description about such an object is
The UIDL described in "User Interface Construction Support System with Meta-User Interface" by Tani et al. In IPSJ Transactions, Vol. 30, No. 9, pages 1200 to 1210 is used. Using the object described in UIDL, the algorithm of FIG. 11 is executed. In step 701, the system is started. In step 702, the CPU 201 collects input information of the operator input from the input / output driver 204, process data from the control target 101, data from the database 115, and commands from other objects.

For input information from the operator and commands from other objects, the CPU 201 executes step 703.
In step 704, the corresponding operation in the event attribute definition contents 503 is executed.
As for the process data, the data collected in step 702 is entered into the process database 610.
In step 703, the CPU 201 causes the object referencing the input process data to refer to the data. In step 704, the CPU 201 executes an operation corresponding to the process data defined in the event attribute definition contents 503. Step 704, regarding all events and process data collected in step 702
If drawing such as screen updating is performed after repeating step 705, drawing is performed in the frame buffer 207 in step 705, and the moving image frame buffer 206 and the blend circuit 208 are drawn.
Is displayed on the CRT 105.

Using the above objects and algorithms, a graphics menu 305 and buttons 303 on the display screen shown in FIG. 3, a table 307 in the process data display area 301, a graph 306, and the like are created.
For example, the drawing of the graphics menu 305 is displayed in step 705 based on the contents defined in the display attribute definition contents 502. An event input to the graphics menu 305 by the operator using the cursor 304 is passed to the graphics menu object 501 in step 703, and an operation corresponding to an item in the menu 305 is executed in step 704. Graph 30
With regard to 6, the process data obtained from the control target is referred to in step 703, drawing data is created in step 704 according to the display format on the operation table 602, and drawing is performed in step 705.

Next, a method of recognizing an object in a video and highlighting it with graphics will be described. The objects shown in FIG. 7 are also defined for the ITV camera 107 for photographing the monitoring target, the target for performing the operation check in the video, or the target related to the target.

The contents of the display attribute definition contents 502 of the ITV camera object (hereinafter referred to as camera object) are the contents shown in FIG. The camera object is the information that the workstation 104 has
Has the content of the camera control signal to be output as an attribute. That is, a zoom value 651, a vertical angle 652, and a horizontal angle 653. In addition, the related object list 654 has a list of objects corresponding to the targets related to the operation check that the camera projects. Further, it has an object state variable 655 indicating whether or not an image from the camera is displayed in the image display area 302, and further has position information 656 indicating a place where the camera is installed.

An object defined for an operation inspection target or an object related thereto (referred to as an image object for simplicity) in a video includes a display attribute definition content 502 as follows.
It has a three-dimensional model 627 of the object. Further, the name of the camera object reflecting the object is described in the related object list 625.

In FIG. 12, position information 655, horizontal angle information 653, and vertical angle information 65 of the camera object are provided.
An image 805 is obtained by projecting the model 627 to be inspected for operation on a plane 802 determined by 2 and the zoom value 651.
At this time, the operation and inspection target in the actual ITV camera image is displayed by the position, size, and shape of the image 805. Therefore, from the projected image, the position, size, and shape of the target in the video being displayed can be determined.

The position and size of the object in the video are calculated by the algorithm shown in FIG. When the video is switched in step 701 or step 704 when the system is started, a non-display instruction is issued to the camera object up to now, and a display instruction is issued to the camera object to be newly displayed. For the camera object that has received the display instruction, the object state variable 655 becomes the display value. At the same time, a command to activate the object in the video registered in the related object list 654 is issued.

The object in the video, which has received the instruction in step 703, is activated, and thereafter, the operator can take an input event. Similarly, the camera object that has received the non-display instruction sets the object state variable 655 to a non-display value, and sets the in-video object registered in the related object list 654 to the inactive state.

When the remote control of the ITV camera 107 is executed, a command is sent to the camera object to recalculate the projected image of the object in the video. The camera object that has received the command in step 703 sends the above-described command to execute the projection image calculation to all the in-video objects registered in the related object list 654. Next, the object in the video that has received the command in step 703 recalculates the projected image from the three-dimensional model data 627 in step 704 as an operation corresponding to the command. If the zoom value is changed as shown in FIG. 12, the three-dimensional model 801 will have a corresponding plane 803,
Projected to 804, the images become 806 and 807, respectively. At this time, the projected image 806 or 8 of the three-dimensional model
07, the position 621, the size 622, and the shape 62 of the display attribute definition contents 502 of the object 501.
Register to 3. As a result, while the remote control of the ITV camera 107 is not performed, the object in the video can be handled according to the position, size, and shape registered in the display attribute content 502.

In the case of highlighting the target of the operation inspection in the video by graphics, the graphics are drawn in accordance with the position 621, size 622, and shape 623 of the object in the video. Next, a case will be described in which the operation inspection target in the video is enlarged and displayed by switching the camera or remote control to emphasize the target. In this case, the action table 602 in the event attribute definition contents 503 of the object corresponding to the target is defined in advance so that a camera switching command or a camera control signal for enlarging the target is issued to the camera object. Keep it. When the camera object receives the camera switching command in step 703, it sends a camera switching signal to the switcher 110. If a camera control signal is received,
Send it to the V camera 107. Further, a list 65 of objects in the video registered in the camera object
With reference to 4, an instruction is issued to the object in the video to recalculate the position, size, and shape.

As described above, by registering an object to be subjected to operation check in the ITV camera and the camera image and an object related thereto as an object, it is possible to recognize the position and size of the object in the ITV camera image. it can. Further, by registering the object to be projected by the camera in the related object list 654 in the attribute definition content 502 relating to the display of the camera object, the position and size of the object in the video image, such as when the camera is remotely operated, are registered. If the shape needs to be recalculated, only the objects registered in the shape need to be recalculated. Further, an operation to be executed, such as selection of the operation inspection target, is defined in the object, and the operation can be executed when an event is input. This in-video object is also described in UIDL.

In the case of the first embodiment, the following is performed.
Steps 702 and 703 when the check button 303 is pressed
The event is passed to the check button object via. In step 704, a command for display and activation is sent to the inspection item menu object as an operation corresponding to the event input. Similarly, steps 702 and 703
The inspection item menu object which has received the display and activation commands via (1) and (2) displays the inspection item menu 405 in steps 704 and 705. Inspection item menu 405
Is pressed, the event is passed to the inspection item menu object through steps 702 and 703, and an operation inspection instruction of the item selected as the corresponding operation in step 704 is sent to the control computer 102 and the selected item is Is sent to the object in the video corresponding to. The object in the image that has received the instruction for highlighting examines the state variable, and issues a command to display the image of the camera to the camera object that displays the object if it is in the inactive state. As a result, the camera is switched to the camera that shows the target. If it is in the activated state, the image of the camera showing the object has already been displayed.
7 is created, and the rectangle created in step 705 is displayed.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. When the operator presses the inspection button 303 (FIG. 3), the devices 401, 402, and 4 that can be selected or selected in the video display area 302 are the operation inspection targets.
Rectangles 407,901,90 surrounding 03,404
2, 903 is superimposed on the video and displayed. As described above, when the operator selects an object to be operated and inspected, the device to be selected is emphasized by displaying the graphics over the video. This clarifies the target on which the operation check should be performed or can be performed on the video.

The method of realizing this embodiment uses an object described in UIDL as in the first embodiment.
When the check button 303 is pressed, steps 702 and 70
An event is passed to the inspection button object in 3 and a command for rectangular display is issued to an object in the image of the ITV camera image that can be specified or should be specified as a target for performing operation inspection as a corresponding operation in step 704. The object in the video that has received the instruction through steps 702 and 703 creates rectangular data in step 704, and generates rectangular data 407, 801 and 802 in step 705, respectively.
803 is displayed on the screen.

When there are a plurality of targets that can be selected in a video as in this embodiment, a method for clarifying the targets will be described. As shown in FIG.
Is item 40 of boiler A in the operation check item menu 405
6, a rectangle 407 for highlighting the boiler A401 is drawn. This is a method in which only the operation inspection target that the operator intends to select is emphasized. Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
06, the color and the thickness of the rectangle 407 for highlighting the boiler A 401 are changed, and the rectangle is highlighted and blinked. In this method, the operation inspection target that can be selected or should be selected is clearly indicated in the video, and the operation inspection target to be selected is further emphasized and displayed.

[0059] These are also similar to the second embodiment.
Implemented using objects described in UIDL. That is, the event that the cursor 304 has moved onto the item 406 is passed to the object corresponding to the operation check item menu 405 via steps 702 and 703. In step 704, a command for highlighting is sent to the object corresponding to the boiler A401 as a corresponding operation. Boiler A that has received the command through steps 702 and 703
Objects corresponding to 401 are stored in steps 704 and 7
05, draw the rectangle 407, change the color of the rectangle 407,
Change the thickness and display blink.

Further, when specifying an object to be subjected to an operation check, by performing such highlighting using graphics, it is possible to prioritize the object to be specified on the video. That is, in FIG. 13, the operation and inspection can be performed by changing the color, line thickness, type of line, and the like of the rectangles 407, 901, 902, and 903 to be displayed, or by superimposing characters such as numbers thereon. The priority, importance, and the like when performing the operation can be clearly indicated on the video. The operator, based on the priority specified on the video,
Next, the target to be operated and inspected can be specified.

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. By displaying the rectangle 407 in the video display area 302 (FIG. 3), the boiler A 401 is highlighted. The operator brings the cursor 304 inside the rectangle 407 and inputs a confirmation input in an operation check or the like. The rectangle 407 is erased to indicate that confirmation has been made. That is, by directly inputting the confirmation input regarding the inspection and operation into the target image, the operator must always see the target image when confirming the executed operation and inspection. The grasped confirmation operation can be performed. In addition, when a confirmation input is input, by highlighting the target on the video, the confirmation operation can be performed more easily. Furthermore, the confirmation operation can be made more reliable by clearly indicating that the confirmation operation has been performed on the video in which the object is reflected. As described above, by specifying the confirmation target, the confirmation input, and the confirmation execution on the video, the operation such as the pointing and calling performed at the site such as the plant is performed while being in the operation room. be able to.

The above example is an example of confirmation in operation inspection. Similarly, when performing various operations in plant control, the operator specifies the operation inspection target to be performed.
(1) The target can be directly specified on the video, (2) the target in the video is highlighted so that the operator specifies it at the time of specification, and (3) the video is displayed when the operator specifies the target. It is possible to have a means of clearly indicating that the designation has been made above. As a result, not only can the target be specified as if at the site, but also the support of a computer that cannot be obtained at the site can be obtained.

This embodiment can also be realized by using the object described in UIDL described in the first embodiment. Information such as operation and inspection completion is sent from the control computer 102 to L
Input to the workstation 104 through the AN 103. Through steps 702 and 703, the event of the operation / inspection confirmation command is passed to the object corresponding to the object on which the operation / inspection has been executed. In steps 704 and 705, a rectangle 407 for emphasizing the object is drawn. When the operator brings the cursor 304 here and performs a confirmation input, in steps 702 and 703, the event of the confirmation input extends to the object related to the operation inspection target. As a result, the rectangle 407 is erased in step 704 as an operation corresponding to the confirmation input.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When operating and inspecting the boiler A 401, predetermined operation and inspection contents are automatically performed by selecting the operation and inspection target 401 in the video display area 302 with the input device 105 such as a mouse. Thus, the operation,
When performing the inspection, the operation and inspection are performed by directly selecting the operation inspection target on the video. The operator can use the mouse or the like to select an object to be operated or inspected by looking at the image, and direct, quick and reliable inspection and operation can be realized.

This embodiment can also be realized by using the object described by UIDL shown in the first embodiment. That is, in steps 702 and 703, an input event from the operator is fetched and passed to the object corresponding to the operation and inspection object. As a corresponding operation in step 704, an operation and inspection command to be performed on the device corresponding to the object is sent to the control computer 102 via the LAN 103. The control computer 102 performs operation and inspection according to the transmitted command.

By combining the above four embodiments, a system for supporting inspection and operation can be created as follows.
As shown in FIG. 13, when performing inspection and operation, an object to be designated by the operator as an operation and inspection target is highlighted on the video. When the operator moves the cursor to an object on which inspection and operation are desired to be performed on the image and selects the object, the operator performs predetermined inspection and operation on the object, and does not select the object as shown in FIG. The highlighting of the target disappears, and only the target whose operation and inspection are being performed is highlighted. After the operation and inspection are completed, the operator performs the operation and inspection confirmation input on the image in FIG. 14 to confirm the operation and inspection and end the highlighting. Further, after this, candidates that can be selected again as operation inspection targets are highlighted as shown in FIG. As described above, the selection of the operation / inspection target, the execution of the operation / inspection, the grasp of the operation / inspection status, and the confirmation of the operation / inspection can be directly performed by using the ITV camera image displayed on the CRT. This is the first
Since only the fourth to fourth embodiments are combined, the realizing method is as described in each embodiment.

In some operation and inspection objects,
In some cases, the operation inspection target further includes an object to be selected by the operator. For example, even if the boiler A is selected as an operation and inspection target, if it is necessary to further designate some valves included in the boiler A as an operation and inspection target, for example, the following is performed.

In FIG. 4, a boiler A 401 is selected by selecting an item 406 from a menu 405.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the image of the boiler A is enlarged, some of the operations included in the boiler A that can be performed or checked are displayed in the submenu 1106, and rectangles 1101 and 1102 are displayed. , 1103
1104 and 1105 are highlighted by drawing. In this way, by combining the zooming of the image with the camera and the emphasis with the graphics, it is possible to more clearly convey the operation and inspection target to the operator.

The implementation method for this example is as follows. When the item 406 in the operation check item menu 405 is selected, the ITV camera 10
7, an instruction to enlarge the object 401, an instruction to display the object related to the submenu 406, and an instruction to display the object in the video corresponding to the rectangles 1101 to 1105. Is defined in the operation check item menu object. For the objects corresponding to the submenu 406 and the rectangles 1101 to 1105, an operation for performing display is defined as an operation in response to a command sent. The operation defined as described above is executed when an event occurs by the algorithm shown in FIG.

Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. FIG.
In, by specifying a target on the video using the cursor 304, related information 1201 relating to the operation and inspection of the target is displayed. At this time, the target displaying the related information is emphasized by drawing a rectangle 407 on the video. The related information includes, for example, the name of the operation / inspection target, the inspection content at the time of inspection, the manual display of the inspection operation procedure, the operation / inspection status, and the related process data.

At this time, for example, as shown by 1201,
Related information is displayed immediately next to the selected object. By doing so, it is possible to refer to the relevant information of the target without keeping an eye on the target on the video. Alternatively, avoid areas such as the selected object and its related objects, and parts that clearly indicate process data, etc., and display related information over the parts that indicate information that is not directly related to the selected object. . In this way, various data of the selected object is clearly specified, and the operator can refer to all of them.

As described above, various related information can be extracted from the object on the video, and the operator can perform operation and inspection while referring to various information. Also,
By highlighting the target displaying the related information on the video, it is possible to clarify to which target in the video the information is related.

Also in this embodiment, the realization method is the first method.
The object described in the UIDL described in the embodiment is used.
That is, in steps 702 and 703, an event is sent to the object in the video selected by the operator, and
At step 04, drawing data is created by reading related information related to the object from the hard disk 203, processing the process data sent from the monitoring target 101 for display, or reading it from the database 115. . The display location is determined using the display position 621, size 622, and related object list 625 of the object in the video, and step 705 is performed.
Display with.

Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. This embodiment is an extension of the second embodiment. Operation inspections that can be selected or can be selected based on process inspection data output from the control target 101, operation inspection history, data related to operation inspections such as operator IDs and group IDs. Determine the target and
It is designed to be highlighted on a TV camera image.

As already described in the first and second embodiments, when the operator designates an object to be operated and inspected in FIG. Operation check target 401 of item 406
Is highlighted by drawing a rectangle 407 on the video. Here, by specifying the item 406 in the menu 405 using the cursor 304, the operation / inspection object 4
Choose 01. If the process data related to this object is not a normal value, as shown in FIG. 15, the objects 1101 to 1105 which are present in the selected object 401 and which should be designated by the operator are displayed as images. Highlight above.
On the other hand, at the time of normal operation and inspection, designation of such a fine target can be omitted.

Further, depending on the value of the process data,
It is necessary to carry out the operation and inspection of the target as soon as possible.
In this case, when selecting the operation inspection target, the other objects are not highlighted, and only the object requiring the operation inspection immediately is highlighted, or when the operation inspection target is highlighted as indicated by 407 in FIG. Using a rectangle color change, line thickness change, blink display, etc., the degree of emphasis is made higher than that of other objects.

At this time, in particular, when an image of a target whose process data value indicates an abnormality is not displayed, the camera is switched to a camera that can display the target, and the target is displayed by remotely operating the camera. It is also possible to highlight the target.

Thus, when the system is started or when the process data sent from the control computer 102 to the workstation 104 is an abnormal value, the operator highlights the details of the output target of the process data on the video. It is possible to designate an operation / inspection target while looking at the target, or to preferentially designate a target outputting the abnormal process data.

In FIG. 17, reference numeral 1301 denotes a group ID and user ID input unit. The operator uses the input device 1
Use 06 to enter the ID here. An operation inspection target that can be specified or specified by the operator based on the input ID is determined. When the operator designates the operation and inspection target, only the operation and inspection target is highlighted on the ITV camera image. As a result, only the inspection and operation target determined for each individual operator or group are highlighted, so that the inspection and designation of the operation target are simplified, and operation errors and inspection errors due to unfamiliar operation inspection are prevented. be able to.

At this time, as indicated by reference numeral 407 in FIG. 6, by using a rectangular color for highlighting, changing the line thickness, blinking display, etc., the operator can preferentially operate the part. It is possible to have them inspected, or to indicate to the operator that the part should be carefully inspected.

The implementation method according to this embodiment also uses the UI
Use the object described in DL. Control computer 10
2 is sent to the workstation 104 and the process data sent from the database 115
02 is stored in the process database 610. When an instruction to designate an operation / inspection target is sent to the object to be subjected to operation / inspection in steps 702 and 703, the data 611 in the process database 610 is referred to as a corresponding operation in step 704, and the data value is set. In order to allow the operator to specify over the details of the operation and inspection target as described above, to send a display command to the object corresponding to the detailed target or to specify the target preferentially , Etc., are performed.

On the other hand, the operator enters the user ID input section 1301
Is passed to the object corresponding to the user ID input unit 1301 through steps 702 and 703. In step 704, this user ID is held in the display attribute definition contents 502. In step 704, the object in the video that has received the instruction to perform highlighting to specify the operation inspection target is the user ID held by the object corresponding to the user ID input unit.
To determine whether or not highlighting is to be performed, and the object to be checked for operation is highlighted.

Next, a seventh embodiment will be described. This embodiment is an extension of the fourth embodiment. The system according to the fourth embodiment uses process data output from the control target 101 or data relating to the control target such as the operator ID and group ID, and the operator who performs operations and inspections. Is to determine the contents of inspections and operations to be performed.

For example, referring to FIG. 14, by designating an operation / inspection target 401 of a target on the video with the cursor 304, when the target is operated or inspected, if the process data relating to the target has an abnormal value. Is
The system performs detailed operation and inspection of the target. If not, do it easily. With this, ITV
When an abnormality is found while looking at the camera image, an operation and an inspection corresponding to the abnormality are automatically performed by designating the target. Further, the input operation of the operator can be simplified.

In FIG. 17, when the operator inputs an ID to the user ID input section 1301, the inspection and operation to be executed when the operator specifies the operation inspection target are determined. By specifying the device highlighted on the video, the operation to be performed and the inspection content are determined by the group ID and the ID input to the user ID input unit, thereby sharing the tasks of the inspection and operation in the group. can do. In addition, erroneous operation and inspection operation can be prevented by partially restricting the execution of the inspection operation content depending on the operator.

The method of realizing this embodiment is almost the same as the method of realizing the sixth embodiment. In step 702, the process data is stored in the process database 610. When an event for executing an operation check is received in steps 702 and 703, the data 611 of the process database 610 is referred to as a corresponding operation, the value of the data is evaluated, and the operation to be executed and the check contents are determined and executed. Are performed in step 704. Similarly, the user ID input by the operator to the user ID input unit 1301 is passed to the object corresponding to the user ID input unit 1301, and the user ID is stored in the display attribute definition content 502 in step 704. When performing the operation check, an operation of determining and executing the operation check contents with reference to the user ID held by the object corresponding to the user ID input unit is executed in step 704.

In the same manner as in the sixth and seventh embodiments, the fifth embodiment can be extended as follows. That is, the content of the related information to be extracted by the operator selecting an object on the video is determined by the value of the process data, the operator ID, and the like. As a result, the operation check procedure, the operation check manual, and the like depend on the target situation at the time of reference and the referenced operator, and necessary information can be obtained more easily.

Next, an eighth embodiment will be described. This embodiment is an extension of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 18, by specifying the item 406 using the cursor 304, when operating and inspecting the boiler A 401, the operation / inspection target is not only displayed and highlighted on the video but also displayed as a rectangle 407. Highlighting is performed by changing the color of the process data 1401, 1402, 1403 related to the target among the process data in the middle or making the process data blink. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, at the time of operation and inspection, not only the operation / inspection target is highlighted on the video but also the target related to the target. For example, in FIG. 6, the boiler A401 is set as a target of operation and inspection, and the boiler B402 and the boiler C403 are highlighted as related devices. Here, the operation inspection target and the related target can be distinguished by the color of the rectangle to be highlighted, the thickness of the line, the blink, the highlight display, and the like. As described above, when performing the operation and inspection, not only the operation and inspection target in the video, but also the process data related thereto and the target in the relevant video are highlighted,
The operation and inspection target can be comprehensively shown to the operator in detail.

According to the method of realizing these embodiments, in the first embodiment, the related object in the video and the related process data are displayed on the operation table 602 which defines that the operation / inspection target is highlighted. An operation of sending a command for performing the above-mentioned highlight display to a graph object, a table object, or the like is added. When this operation is performed in step 704, a command for highlighting is sent to the related in-video object, graph object, and table object. This command is executed in step 7
The objects are distributed to the respective objects at 02 and 703, and at step 704, the respective objects are highlighted as described above.

The ninth embodiment is an extension of the second embodiment in the same manner as the eighth embodiment. That is, in FIG. 18, when designating an operation inspection target, the operator
On the item 406, the operation / inspection target 401 is not only emphasized by displaying a rectangle 407 on the video, but also the process data 1401 and 1402 related to the target among the process data being displayed. , 1403
Is highlighted by changing the color or blinking.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when designating an operation / inspection target, not only highlighting the target on which the operation / inspection can be performed or should be performed, but also specifying the target related to the target. I will emphasize it. For example, in FIG.
The boiler A401 is set as an operation inspection target to be or can be specified by the operator, and the boiler B402 and the boiler C403 are highlighted as related devices. Here, the target that can or should be subjected to the operation check can be distinguished from the target related thereto by the color of the highlighted rectangle, the thickness of the line, the blink, the highlight display, and the like. Thus, when specifying the operation and inspection target, it is possible to specify the target in which the operation inspection can be performed or should be performed in the video, the target in the video related thereto, the related process data being displayed, and the like.

In this embodiment, as in the eighth embodiment, a related object in a video and related process data are stored on an operation table 602 which defines that a target that can be inspected or to be performed is highlighted. An operation of sending a command to highlight the displayed graph object or table object is added. Step 70
When this operation is performed in step 4, an instruction for highlighting is sent to the related in-video object, graph object, and table object. This command is issued in steps 702 and 7
03 and distributed to each object, step 7
At 04, the respective objects are highlighted as described above. This can be realized by combining the realization methods of the eighth embodiment and the second embodiment.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when operating and inspecting a monitored and controlled object, the object under operation inspection and the object that can or should be inspected are displayed on the video. Emphasis, prevention of target selection mistakes,
It is possible to clarify the operation and inspection targets. The operator is able to select the operation and inspection target after sufficiently understanding the situation at the site, and to fully understand the status of the target for which the operation and inspection is currently being performed.

By designating an operation check target on the video, the operation check of the target can be performed. In this way, if an abnormality can be seen by looking at the video, it may be designated as an operation and inspection target using a pointing device such as a mouse. In addition, it is important for the operator to check the operation and inspection, but by performing this check on the video image of the monitoring target, the user can check the situation at the site.

With these realizations, the operator can perform operations and inspections as if he were on site while staying in the operation room.

Further, by deciding the contents of operations and inspections to be performed at that time according to the situation of the control object, and by deciding what can be selected as the object, appropriate operations or inspections can be performed. In this case, the operator can specify only the object to be inspected on the image, or change the highlighting method according to the importance and priority of the operation and inspection, so that the operator can specify the target more accurately. Can be.

Further, by specifying an object on the video,
Information such as the operation check status, the operation check procedure, the operation check contents, other relevant process data, and other objects in the relevant video can be extracted. In addition, by displaying these display positions in the immediate vicinity of the target on the video, it becomes easy to simultaneously refer to the target in the video and its data. Also, the data already displayed in trend graphs and tables, as well as the entire plant diagram, etc., can be used for comprehensive monitoring,
Operation can be realized.

[0098]

According to the present invention, it is possible to quickly perform an operation check when an abnormality occurs. In addition, since the inspection target is highlighted, the inspection target is clarified, and a more reliable inspection can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the inside of a data display and input reception computer (workstation) shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a display.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an inspection item menu.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of highlighting.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of highlighting.

FIG. 7 is an object configuration diagram.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of event attribute definition contents.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of display attribute definition contents.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of display attribute definition contents of a camera object.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the monitoring apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for creating a three-dimensional model of the operation and inspection target possessed by the ITV camera control information and the object and a position and a size of the operation and inspection target to be placed in the video from the model.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of highlighting.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing still another example of highlighting.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing still another example of highlighting.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing still another example of highlighting.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of an ID input screen.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing still another example of highlighting.

[Explanation of symbols]

101: control and monitoring target, 102: data collection and monitoring target control unit (control computer), 104: display and operator input receiving computer (workstation), 105:
CRT, 106: Operator input receiving device, 107: ITV
Camera, 115 database, 301 process data display area, 302 camera image display area from ITV camera, 304 cursor, 305 trend graph,
405: operation and inspection item menu, 401: operation and inspection target (boiler A).

Continued on front page (72) Inventor Koichiro Tanigoshi 4026 Kuji-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Atsuhiko Nishikawa 5-2-1 Omikacho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside Omika Plant, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Atsuhiko Hirota 5-2-1 Omikacho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Co., Ltd. Hitachi, Ltd. Omika Plant

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A monitoring apparatus for capturing an image of a monitoring target with a plurality of cameras and displaying a video image on a screen, a means for determining whether there is an abnormality in output data of each monitoring target, Means for selecting a camera for photographing the object to be monitored, means for sending a control command to the selected camera to photograph the abnormal object to be monitored, display of a video image by the camera on a screen, Means for distinguishing and displaying the display of the monitored object from other displayed objects of the video image. 2. A monitoring apparatus for photographing an object to be monitored by a plurality of cameras and displaying an image photographed by the camera on a display. A surveillance device comprising means for selecting a camera that is taking a picture and displaying an image of the selected camera on the display. 3. An inspection method using a monitoring device having a display for displaying a video image to be monitored and an input receiving means for receiving an operation input from an operator, the inspection method using an operator on the video image displayed on the display. Designates the inspection object, the display of the object is highlighted from other display objects in the video image, and the operator performs the inspection by monitoring the highlighted video image. An inspection method using a monitoring device, wherein the confirmation input is displayed on a screen when an operator inputs a confirmation input from the input receiving means.