FACILITY MONITORING/CONTROLLING SYSTEM AND FACILITY MONITORING/CONTROLLING METHOD

• US 20110175701A1
• Filed: 08/05/2009
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enecyber Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Enecyber Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Shouji
• Granted Patent: US 9,041,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/3.7
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A facility monitoring/controlling system and method enabling provision of a screen display function having an adequate real-time property in the range of a low rate, e.g., around 64 kbps. An on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem (10) operates/controls a controlled facility (200) by an on-site input means (14) through an on-site manipulation screen means (30) showing the visualized operating state of the controlled facility (200). A center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem (20) reproduces/displays a remote manipulation screen (30′) with the same contents as the on-site manipulation screen (30) on a center display means (22), and controls the controlled facility (200) by a center input means (23) and remotely operate/control the controlled facility (200). The site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem (10) extracts difference data by a difference data extraction unit (15) and performs data conversion using the analysis results of the periodicity of the change of the site manipulation screen (30) and analysis results of intermittence of the change of a cursor image from the difference data by a data conversion processing unit (19). The center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem (20) reversely converts the converted data by a manipulation screen reproducing/displaying processing unit, reproduces/displays the remote manipulation screen (30′) on the center display means (22), and remotely operates/controls the controlled facility (200).

Claims

1. A facility monitoring/controlling system comprising:

an on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem that includes on-site input means, on-site display means, and network communication means, and that controls operation of a facility to be controlled through an on-site manipulation screen in which an operational state of the facility to be controlled is visualized on the on-site display means; and

a center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem that includes center input means, center display means, and network communication means, transmits manipulation instruction data to the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem through a remote manipulation screen as well as performing data transmission/reception to/from the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem and reproducing/displaying the remote manipulation screen with the same content as the on-site manipulation screen on the center display means, and that remotely controls the facility to be controlled;

wherein

the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem automatically remotely manipulates the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, and includes automatic operation means of the facility to be controlled.

2. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 1, wherein the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem includes a screen call procedure file storage unit that has stored a screen call procedure file indicating a transition procedure for calling each screen of the on-site manipulation screen and the remote manipulation screen, automatically manipulates the center input means by the automatic operation means automatically according to the screen call procedure file at a predetermined time or under a predetermined condition, communicates with the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, and thereby automatically operates the facility to be controlled.

3. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 1, wherein the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem includes automatic data collection means that performs image recognition of a screen displayed on the remote manipulation screen to collect data, and automatically collects operation data of the facility to be controlled by the automatic data collection means based on the image displayed on the remote manipulation screen as well as displaying the operation data indicating the operational state of the facility to be controlled on the on-site manipulation screen of the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem and on the remote manipulation screen of the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, by the automatic operation of the facility to be controlled by the automatic operation means through the remote manipulation screen.

4. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 3, wherein by the automatic operation of the facility to be controlled by the automatic operation means through the remote manipulation screen, the operation data indicating the operational state of the facility to be controlled and environmental data related to facility operation are displayed on the on-site manipulation screen of the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem and on the remote manipulation screen of the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, and the operation data of the facility to be controlled and the environmental data of the facility to be controlled are automatically collected by the automatic data collection means based on an image displayed on the remote manipulation screen.

5. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 3, wherein the automatic operation means includes optimum operation state calculation means that calculates an optimum operation state of the facility to be controlled based on the operation data of the facility to be controlled, and the automatic operation means remotely manipulates the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem to start or stop the facility to be controlled, or to change setting of operation conditions, and thus controls the facility to be controlled to be in the optimum operation state.

6. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 4, wherein the automatic operation means includes optimum operation state calculation means that calculates the optimum operation state of the facility to be controlled based on the operation data of the facility to be controlled and the environmental data of the facility to be controlled, and the automatic operation means remotely manipulates the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem to start or stop the facility to be controlled, or to change setting of the operation conditions, and thus controls the facility to be controlled to be in the optimum operation state.

7. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 1, wherein the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem includes a manipulation procedure file storage unit that has stored a manipulation procedure file indicating an operation manipulation procedure of the facility to be controlled, and the automatic operation means automatically executes the operation of the facility to be controlled through the remote manipulation screen according to the manipulation procedure file when operating the facility to be controlled.

8. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 1, wherein the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem includes a planning file storage unit that has stored a planning file in which a changed content and a changed time of the operational state of the facility to be controlled is scheduled, and the automatic operation means automatically changes the operational state of the facility to be controlled through the remote manipulation screen according to the planning file at a predetermined time.

9. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 1, wherein the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem includes operation target value setting means that sets an operation target value for not exceeding a contracted amount calculated from a value of an amount of contracted maximum receiving power of the facility to be controlled, and the automatic operation means remotely manipulates the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, stops the facility to be controlled or restricts functions thereof, and controls the operation so that consumed power due to the operation of the facility to be controlled is within the target value when the consumed power in the operational state of the facility to be controlled exceeds the target value as compared therewith.

10. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 2, wherein the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem includes an image synthesis function that generates an image signal to be drawn on the remote manipulation screen to synthesize it on the remote manipulation screen according to a manipulation content of the center input means indicated in the screen call procedure file.

11. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 3, wherein the automatic data collection means includes a function that converts into coded data for logical operation a symbol image indicating the facility to be controlled displayed on the remote manipulation screen in a state of ON or OFF etc., to then collect the coded data.

12. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 3, wherein the automatic data collection means includes a function that converts into coded data for four arithmetic operations a numerical image indicating the state of the facility to be controlled displayed on the remote manipulation screen to then collect the coded data.

13. The facility monitoring/controlling system according to claim 1, wherein

the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem includes a difference data extraction unit that analyzes a temporal change of image data forming the on-site manipulation screen to extract difference data, and a data conversion processing unit that performs data conversion processing using an analysis result that identifies change periodicity of the on-site manipulation screen and a moved position of a cursor image from the difference data, and transmits converted data after the data conversion by the network communication means,

the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem includes a manipulation screen reproduction/display processing unit that reproduces/displays the remote manipulation screen and the cursor image on the center display means based on the on-site manipulation screen data, and the converted data of the change periodicity of the image and the moved position of the cursor image transmitted from the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, whereby it becomes possible to reduce the amount of data transmission via the network.

14. A facility remote monitoring/controlling system wherein

in a facility monitoring/controlling system comprising:

an on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem that includes on-site input means, on-site display means, and network communication means, and that controls operation of a facility to be controlled through an on-site manipulation screen in a state where an operational state of the facility to be controlled is visualized on the on-site display means; and

a center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem that includes center input means, center display means, and network communication means, transmits manipulation instruction data to the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem through the remote manipulation screen as well as performing data transmission/reception to/from the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem and reproducing/displaying a remote manipulation screen with the same content as the on-site manipulation screen on the center display means, and that remotely controls the facility to be controlled,

the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, and the network communication means are configured to be in the same apparatus, and

the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem automatically remotely manipulates the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, and includes automatic operation means of the facility to be controlled.

15. A facility monitoring/controlling method for remotely monitoring/controlling a facilities to be controlled by using an on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem that includes on-site input means, on-site display means, and network communication means, and that controls operation of the facility to be controlled through an on-site manipulation screen in which an operational state of the facility to be controlled is visualized on the on-site display means;

and a center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem that includes center input means, center display means, and network communication means, transmits manipulation instruction data to the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem through a remote manipulation screen as well as performing data transmission/reception to/from the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem and reproducing/displaying the remote manipulation screen with the same content as the on-site manipulation screen on the center display means, and that remotely controls the facility to be controlled, wherein

a screen call procedure file indicating a transition procedure for calling each screen of the on-site manipulation screen and the remote manipulation screen is stored, the center input means is automatically manipulated automatically according to the screen call procedure file at a predetermined time, the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem is communicated, the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem is automatically remotely manipulated, and then the facility to be controlled is automatically operated.

16. A facility remote monitoring/controlling method wherein

in a facility monitoring/controlling system comprising:

an on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem that includes on-site input means, on-site display means, and network communication means, and that controls operation of a facility to be controlled through an on-site manipulation screen in which an operational state of the facility to be controlled is visualized on the on-site display means; and

a center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem that includes center input means, center display means, and network communication means, transmits manipulation instruction data to the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem through a remote manipulation screen as well as performing data transmission/reception to/from the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem and reproducing/displaying the remote manipulation screen with the same content as the on-site manipulation screen on the center display means, and that remotely controls the facility to be controlled;

the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, and the network communication means are configured to be in the same apparatus,

the center facility monitoring/controlling subsystem automatically remotely manipulates the on-site facility monitoring/controlling subsystem, and includes automatic operation means of the facility to be controlled.