Facilities control system and method of controlling facilities

• US 20050010460A1
• Filed: 08/10/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kumano, Shintaro, Mizoguchi, Masanobu
• Application Number:
  US10/914,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20050010460A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

In an aspect of the present invention, a facilities control system includes a simulation section which carries out a simulation of a time change of a status of an object of a target based on a status data showing the target status in the facilities by using a facilities model; and a display section which displays a simulation result. The facilities model includes a plurality of nodes, in each of which a process is carried out the target based on a first condition, which is set to the node to determine a throughput of the process in the node. A plurality of links, each of which connects between two of the plurality of nodes, and in each of which a process is carried out the target based on a second condition, which is set to the link to determine a throughput of the process in the link.

Claims

1. A facilities control system comprising:

a simulation section which carries out a simulation of a time change of a statusof an object of a target based on a status data showing said target status in said facilities by using a facilities model; and

a display section which displays a simulation result,

wherein said facilities model comprises;

a plurality of nodes, in each of which a process is carried out said target based on a first condition, which is set to the node to determine a throughput of the process in the node, and

a plurality of links, each of which connects between two of said plurality of nodes, and in each of which a process is carried out said target based on a second condition, which is set to the link to determine a throughput of the process in the link.

2. The facilities control system according to claim 1, wherein said simulation section carries out said simulation over all of a plurality of said objects while said target is changed among said plurality of objects.

3. The facilities control system according to claim 1, wherein said first condition set to at least one of said plurality of nodes contains a function of time to indicate a time change of said throughput.

4. The facilities control system according to claim 1, wherein said first condition set to at least one of said plurality of nodes contains a time stayed in said at least node.

5. The facilities control system according to claim 1, wherein said second condition contains a selection probability of one of said links connected with one of said plurality of nodes.

6. The facilities control system according to claim 2, further comprising:

an evaluation section; and

a countermeasure database storing countermeasures to an extraordinary situation,

wherein when said extraordinary situation occurs, said throughput of the process in a specific node of said plurality of nodes is decreased in said simulation, and

said evaluation section compares said statues of said objects and a first threshold, selects one of said countermeasures when said statues of said objects indicate exceeding said first threshold, displays the selected countermeasure on said display section, and drives said simulation section again.

7. The facilities control system according to claim 6, wherein when there are said countermeasures to said extraordinary situation, a priority level is allocated to each of said countermeasures, and

said evaluation section selects one of said countermeasures based on said priority levels.

8. The facilities control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a simulation database which stores a set of each of said plurality of nodes and said first condition and a set of each of said plurality of links and said second condition,

wherein said facilities model is set based on a plurality of said processes to said target in said plurality of nodes and links of said facilities, and said simulation database.

9. The facilities control system according to claim 2, wherein said facilities is an airport, and

a plurality of said processes in said plurality of nodes and links is either of a set of processes when passengers as said targets board an airplane, a set of processes when baggages of said passengers as said targets is loaded into the airplane, a set of processes when said passengers as said targets get off an airplane, and a set of processes when baggages of said passengers as said targets is unloaded into the airplane.

10. The facilities control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a model database storing said facilities mode and another facilities model; and

an evaluation section, which evaluates whether said throughput of the process in a specific node of said plurality of nodes is sufficient to said target based on said status of said target in a simulation result, and adds said another facilities model when it is determined to be insufficient, and drives said simulation section again,

wherein said simulation section carries out said simulation by using said facilities model and said another facilities model.

11. The facilities control system according to claim 2, wherein said facilities is an airport,

the facilities control system further comprises:

a flight schedule database storing flight data of departure and arrival airplanes and passengers and baggages of the departure and arrival airplanes, and

a number of said objects is changed based on said flight data during said simulation.

12. A method of controlling facilities, comprising:

simulating a time change of a status of an object of a target based on a status data showing said target status in said facilities by using a facilities model; and

displaying a simulation result,

wherein said facilities model comprises;

a plurality of nodes, in each of which a process is carried out said target based on a first condition, which is set to the node to determine a throughput of the process in the node, and

a plurality of links, each of which connects between two of said plurality of nodes, and in each of which a process is carried out said target based on a second condition, which is set to the link to determine a throughput of the process in the link.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said simulating comprises:

simulating over all of a plurality of said objects while said target is changed among said plurality of objects.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein said first condition set to at least one of said plurality of nodes contains a function of time to indicate a time change of said throughput.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein said first condition set to at least one of said plurality of nodes contains a time stayed in said at least node.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein said second condition contains a selection probability of one of said links connected with one of said plurality of nodes.

17. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

decreasing said throughput of the process in a specific node of said plurality of nodes in said simulation when an extraordinary situation occurs;

comparing said statues of said objects and a first threshold;

selecting one of countermeasures when said statues of said objects indicate exceeding said first threshold;

displaying the selected countermeasure on said display section; and

driving said simulating step again.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein when there are said countermeasures to said extraordinary situation, a priority level is allocated to each of said countermeasures, and

said selecting comprises:

selecting one of said countermeasures based on said priority levels.

19. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

setting said facilities model based on a plurality of said processes to said target in said plurality of nodes and links of said facilities, and a simulation database which stores a set of each of said plurality of nodes and said first condition and a set of each of said plurality of links and said second condition.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein said facilities is an airport, and

a plurality of said processes in said plurality of nodes and links is either of a set of processes when passengers as said targets board an airplane, a set of processes when baggages of said passengers as said targets is loaded into the airplane, a set of processes when said passengers as said targets get off an airplane, and a set of processes when baggages of said passengers as said targets is unloaded into the airplane.

21. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

evaluating whether said throughput of the process in a specific node of said plurality of nodes is sufficient to said target based on said status of said target in a simulation result;

reading and another facilities model from a simulation database and adding said another facilities model to said facilities model when it is determined to be insufficient; and

simulating the time change of the status of said target by using said facilities model and said another facilities mode.

22. The method according to claim 13, wherein said facilities is an airport, and

changing a number of said objects during said simulation based on said flight data indicative of departure and arrival airplanes and passengers and baggages of the departure and arrival airplanes.

23. A computer-executable software product for achieving the functions of:

simulating a time change of a status of an object of a target based on a status data showing said target status in said facilities by using a facilities model; and

displaying a simulation result,

wherein said facilities model comprises;

a plurality of nodes, in each of which a process is carried out said target based on a first condition, which is set to the node to determine a throughput of the process in the node, and

a plurality of links, each of which connects between two of said plurality of nodes, and in each of which a process is carried out said target based on a second condition, which is set to the link to determine a throughput of the process in the link.

24. The computer-executable software product according to claim 23, wherein the function of simulating comprises:

a function of simulating over all of a plurality of said objects while said target is changed among said plurality of objects.