Plant operating and monitoring apparatus

• US 5,777,896 A
• Filed: 06/09/1997
• Issued: 07/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sato, Hideyuki, Arita, Setsuo, Ito, Tetsuo, Kudo, Mitsuru, Ohga, Yukiharu, Higashikawa, Yuichi, Murata, Fumio, Yamasawa, Yuuzi
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stamber, Eric W.
• Application Number:
  US08/871,548
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 364/550, 364/492, 364/494, 364/188, 364/191, 340/726, 340/716, 340/717, 340/718, 340/825.16, 340/825.17, 395/153, 395/155, 395/161, 376/716, 376/245, 345/1, 345/2, 345/3
• US Class Current: 702/185
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/028 using expert systems only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31469 Graphical display of process as function of detected alarm signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31472 Graphical display of process
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31478 Display all processes together or select only one
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32414 Workstation has two displays, for process control and for general applications
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0216 Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user

Abstract

In an apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant, a manipulating device provides the plant with manipulation signals for operating the plant. In response to information supplied from the plant and a manipulating signal of the manipulating device, a first display data producing device produces first display data needed for the operation of the plant changing every moment. On the basis of data supplied from the first display data producing device, a first display device displays information relating to the operation of the plant. In response to information supplied from the plant and a manipulating signal of the manipulating device, a second display data producing device produces data needed for monitoring the plant. On the basis of data supplied from the second display data producing device, a second display device displays information relating to the monitoring of the plant on a larger display screen than that of the first display device. Information displayed by the first display device and information displayed by the second display device complement each other and make it possible to accurately operate and monitor the plant.

Claims

1. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant, comprising:

manipulating and monitoring panel means, including manipulating means and a first display device, for operating the plant which includes a plurality of systems;

first display data producing means for displaying on said first display device plant information needed for an operator to perform manipulation or monitoring of components constituting the plant by said manipulating means;

second display device, placed behind said manipulating and monitoring panel means and having a display screen whose size is larger than a size of a display screen of said first display device, for displaying a general configuration diagram of the plant and process variables indicative of operation states of said components of the plant;

abnormality decision means for determining, when an abnormality occurs in the plant, a system wherein the abnormality has occurred; and

second display data producing means controlling a display content of said second display device,

wherein said second display data producing means controls said second display device in a manner that, when the plant is in a normal state, said second display device displays said general configuration diagram of the plant and said process variables, and when an occurrence of an abnormality in the plant is determined by said abnormality decision means, said second display device displays an alarm for each of said systems in which an abnormal condition has occurred in addition to said general configuration diagram of the plant and said process variables.

2. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant according to claim 1, wherein said second display data producing means controls said second display device in a manner that, when the occurrence of abnormality in the plant is determined by said abnormality decision means, said second display device displays detailed information relating to the abnormality of said plant in addition to the alarm for each of said systems in which an abnormal condition has occurred, said general configuration diagram of the plant and said process variables.

3. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant according to claim 2, wherein said second display data producing means controls said second display device in a manner that said second display device displays said detailed information relating to the abnormality of said plant in an area formed on said display screen of said second display device resulting from a reduction in size of said general configuration diagram of the plant being displayed when the abnormality has occurred.

4. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant according to claim 1, wherein said second display data producing means controls said second display device in a manner that said second display device further displays predetermined important alarms.

5. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant according to claim 1, wherein said second display data producing means controls said second display device in a manner that said second display device further displays an operation state message corresponding to an operation state of said plant such as a manipulation by an operator operation state, a start operation state, a shutdown operation state and an output change of said plant operation state.

6. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant according to claim 1, wherein said second display data producing means controls said second display device in a manner that said second display device displays said general configuration diagram of the plant indicating an operation plan of monitoring parameters of said plant and said general configuration diagram of the plant indicating an operation result of monitoring of said monitoring parameters of said plant.

7. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant according to claim 1, wherein said second display device includes a plurality of second display portions each having a display screen with a size larger than a size of said display screen of said first display device, said second display data producing means controls said second display device in a manner that one of said plurality of second display portions displays said general configuration diagram of the plant by reducing in size information now being displayed on said plurality of second display portions, and the other of said plurality of second display portions display monitoring image information selected by image selecting means.

8. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant according to claim 1, wherein said second display device includes a variable information display area and a fixed information display area, said second display data producing means controls said second display device in a manner that said variable information display area displays various kinds of variable information in accordance with a varying state of said plant and said fixed information display area continually displays various kinds of fixed information including said general configuration diagram of the plant, said process variables, said alarms for said plurality of important alarm being defined as alarms which are important for monitoring the plant and each of said alarms for said plurality of systems being defined as an alarm which is indicative of occurrence of at least one alarm in each of said systems.

9. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant according to claim 8, wherein said second display data producing means controls said second display device in a manner that said variable information display area further displays at least one of detailed plant state information and a detailed configuration diagram of the plant indicating an abnormal state of the plant.

10. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant according to claim 8, further comprising:

means for changing contents of said variable information display area in response to voice commands.

11. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant according to claim 1, wherein said second display device includes a first display portion and a second display portion, said second display data producing means controls said second display device in a manner that said second display device displays said general configuration diagram of the plant and said process variables on said first and second display portions at a time of normal operation of the plant, and said second display device displays said general configuration diagram of the plant on said first display portion by reducing in size said general configuration diagram of the plant and displays said detailed information relating to the abnormality of the plant on said second display portion when an abnormality has occurred.

12. An apparatus for operating and monitoring a plant according to claim 1, further comprising:

safety backup panel means, including manipulation means for manipulating said plant to conduct surveillance test, for testing safe operation of safety control equipments capable of conducting principle manipulation relating to safety of the plant; and

normal backup panel means, including manipulation means for manipulating said plant to conduct surveillance test, for testing a normal operation of said control equipments capable of conducting principal manipulation relating to normal operation of the plant.

13. An apparatus for operating and monitoring plant according to claim 1, further comprising:

a maintenance diagnostic device for making a maintenance diagnosis on the plant, said maintenance diagnostic device including voice input means for inputting voice information from an operator, input means for inputting manipulation information by manual manipulation by an operator and input composition analyzing means for recognizing as a character train said voice information and said manipulation information during a diagnosis performing process and causing the display screen of at least one of said first and second display devices to be changed to a desired state.

14. An apparatus for operating and monitoring plant according to claim 1, wherein said second display data producing means control said second display device in a manner that, when an occurrence of an abnormality in the plant is determined by said abnormality decision means, said second display device simultaneously displays a detailed analysis diagram of the system in which an abnormality condition has occurred as well as said alarm for each of said systems, said general configuration diagram of the plant and said process variables.

15. An apparatus for operating and monitoring plant according to claim 1, wherein said first display data producing means displays, on said first display device, detailed alarm information of an alarm which occurred in said system in which the abnormality condition has occurred as said plant information in a manner that said alarm for each of said systems displayed on said second display device and said detailed alarm information displayed on said first display device are displayed in a hierarchical expression manner.