INTEGRATED MONITORING CONTROL DEVICE AND INTEGRATED MONITORING CONTROL SYSTEM

An integrated monitoring/control device includes a processing correspondence definer to define, for a category ID included in a state information item indicating a state of monitoring/control devices monitored by the monitoring/control devices, an integrated monitoring/control device (60a), and another integrated monitoring/control device, category ID-corresponding processing that is processing executed using the state information item, a receiver to receive the state information item transmitted by the monitoring/control devices, a state information item transmitter to transmit the state information item managed by the integrated monitoring/control device to the other integrated monitoring/control device, a state information item receiver to receive the state information item transmitted by the other integrated monitoring/control device and managed by the other integrated monitoring/control device, and a processing controller to perform control so that the category ID-corresponding processing is executed on the state information item.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an integrated monitoring/control device and an integrated monitoring/control system in which multiple monitoring/control devices configured by computers or the like are connected via a network such as a LAN or WAN and state information items received from the monitoring/control devices are collectively processed.

BACKGROUND ART

As an example of a large-scale control system, a satellite control ground system that is a control system on the ground side for monitoring/controlling a satellite has to monitor whether various devices, such as a device for transmitting/receiving radio waves to/from the satellite, a device for controlling the antenna, and the like are normally operating using monitoring/control devices and execute controls depending on the situation using the monitoring/control devices. Many monitoring/control devices are installed depending on various devices to monitor the situation and execute necessary controls. Moreover, in order to integrate information items of the dispersed monitoring/control devices so as to know the situation of a satellite or the ground system controlling the satellite, a dedicated computer for executing proper controls is installed as an integrated monitoring/control device to execute processing for the entire satellite control ground system. Examples of such processing include acquiring an event that is the occurrence of a failure and/or a current state information item through data communication via a network and then displaying the acquired event and/or the current state information item on a monitor.

Moreover, a monitoring/control system that is not allowed to stop operating has to continue the system operation even if some device has a failure. Thus, such a monitoring/control system includes multiple sub-monitoring/control systems having the same function and is configured to be able to continue the operation using another subsystem even if one subsystem has a failure. Integrated monitoring/control devices used in such a sub-monitoring/control system have to mutually exchange state information items that enable grasping of the states of both of the sub-monitoring/control systems in the individual sub-monitoring/control systems constituting a redundant system so as to minimize the stoppage of the function while the systems are switched.

In a control system having the above configuration, the integrated monitoring/control device is required to have functions including acquiring the state information items of the monitoring/control devices, checking the state information items, and displaying a screen, and the like. Furthermore, a configuration allowing multiple operators in charge of different tasks to use these functions is required. Therefore, it is desirable that the state information items are customized and provided in a different format for each operator. However, in consideration of cooperation of the operators, it is required that the state information items should be consistent and unified even if different operators receive individual state information items customized in different formats. Furthermore, capability of dealing with equipment change such as replacement and addition of devices due to failure, functional expansion, functional change, or the like is required. Attempts to develop a control system meeting all the above requirements lead to significant load on the system development. In order to facilitate the system development, techniques of configuring an integrated monitoring/control system that can acquire information items regarding the states of many monitoring/control devices of different kinds and provide unified and consistent state information items that are each in a format meeting various requirements are necessary.

As a solution to the above problem, for example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2004-334576,FIG. 1(see Patent Literature 1) describes an integrated monitoring/control device that executes various kinds of processing on acquired state information items of different kinds in which acquired electronic information items are grouped and processed under rules different by group.

Moreover, Japanese Patent No. 5077826,FIG. 1(see Patent Literature 2) describes an integrated monitoring/control device that executes various kinds of processing on acquired state information items of different kinds in which correspondence between plant data and software for processing the plant data. Upon selection of the plant date, corresponding software is extracted.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

According to the disclosure in Patent Literature 1, the integrated monitoring/control device classifies acquired electronic information items into groups and processes the electronic information items under rules different by group. However, the classification of electronic information is rated only within the integrated monitoring/control device. This results in a problem in that multiple integrated monitoring/control devices cannot apply the same classification to individual information items received from the monitoring/control devices shared by multiple integrated monitoring/control devices, and thus cannot flexibly compose processing on each information item.

According to the disclosure in Patent Literature 2, correspondence between the plant data and the software for processing the plant data is defined. For processing plant data, registered software corresponding to the plant data is selected. To extract the software, all target plant data have to be preregistered at the integrated monitoring/control device, and this cannot be applied to information items regarding the states of many monitoring/control devices of different kinds handled by the integrated monitoring/control device.

The present disclosure has been made for solving the above technical problems and an objective of the disclosure is to obtain aa integrated monitoring/control device and an integrated monitoring/control system capable of easily performing processing in a form corresponding to requirements for each of state information items of monitoring/control devices including state information items of monitoring/control devices managed by another station in a system that performs monitoring/control using monitoring/control devices of multiple stations.

Solution to Problem

The integrated monitoring/control device according to the present disclosure is an integrated monitoring/control device for monitoring/controlling multiple monitoring/control devices, comprising a processing correspondence definer to define, for a category ID included in a state information item indicating a state of the monitoring/control devices, devices monitored by the monitoring/control devices, the integrated monitoring/control device, and anther integrated monitoring/control device different from the integrated monitoring/control device, category ID-corresponding processing that is processing executed using the state information item; a receiver to receive the state information item transmitted by the monitoring/control devices; a state information item transmitter to transmit the state information item managed by the integrated monitoring/control device to the other integrated monitoring/control device; a state information item receiver to receive the state information item transmitted by the other integrated monitoring/control device and managed by the other integrated monitoring/control device; and a processing controller to perform control so that the processing defined by the processing correspondence definer for the category ID included in the state information item is executed for the state information item.

The integrated monitoring/control system according to the present disclosure is an integrated monitoring/control system comprising multiple monitoring/control devices and multiple integrated monitoring/control devices for monitoring/controlling the multiple monitoring/control devices, wherein the multiple monitoring/control devices are to generate a state information item indicating a state of a device to be monitored or their own state and including a category ID and transmit the generated state Information item to the integrated monitoring/control devices, and the multiple integrated monitoring/control devices include a processing correspondence definer to define, for a category ID included in a state information item indicating a state of any of the monitoring/control devices, devices monitored by the monitoring/control devices, and the integrated monitoring/control device of its own station or another station, category ID-corresponding processing that is processing executed using the state information item; a receiver to receive the state information item from the monitoring/control devices; a state information item transmitter to transmit the state information item managed by the integrated monitoring/control device of its own station to the integrated monitoring/control device of the other station; a state information item receiver to receive the state information item transmitted by the integrated monitoring/control device of the other station and managed by the integrated monitoring/control device of the other station; and a processing controller to perform control so that the state information item of the processing defined by the processing correspondence definer for the category ID included in the state information item.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The present disclosure provides an integrated monitoring/control device and an integrated monitoring/control system that can easily perform processing in a form corresponding to requirements for each state information item of monitoring/control devices including state information of monitoring/control devices managed by another station.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1is a conceptual diagram illustrating operation of a satellite control ground system that is an example of an integrated monitoring/control system according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. InFIG. 1, the reference number1denotes a man-made satellite to be controlled, and an operation station1000aand a backup station1000bare each a ground station that communicates with the man-made satellite1and performs management such as monitoring, control and the like of the state of the man-made satellite1. In control systems that are not allowed to stop operating as represented by, for example, control of man-made satellites, multiple geographically distant ground stations configured by various devices connected by a network are provided for controlling the same control target. As just stated, with multiple ground stations being provided, any of the ground stations can continue to perform monitoring/control even if a large-scale disaster, social infrastructure failure, or the like occurs. The operation station1000amonitors and controls the control target during normal operation. The backup station1000bdoes not control the control target and only monitors the control target, similar to the operation station1000aduring normal operation. When control by the operation station1000ais disabled, the backup station1000bcontrols the control target instead of the operation station1000a. The operation station1000aand the backup station1000bare connected to each other. In Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, the operation station1000ais also referred to as one station (its own station) and the backup station1000bis also referred to as another station (the other station). Moreover, when the backup station1000bis switched to operate as the operation station and the operation station1000ais switched to operate as the backup station, the backup station1000btakes the position of one station (its own station) and the operation station1000atakes the position of another station (the other station).

FIG. 2is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the integrated monitoring system according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. A state information item indicating the status and the like of a device constituting a monitoring/control system1000athat is the operation station is transmitted to integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,61a). The integrated monitoring/control device60ais referred to as a primary system and the integrated monitoring/control device61ais referred to as a secondary system. With the primary system and the secondary system, the monitoring/control system1000athat is the operation station has a further redundant configuration. Similarly, a state information item indicating the status and the like of a device constituting the backup station1000bis transmitted to integrated monitoring/control devices (60b,61b). The integrated monitoring/control device60bis referred to as a primary system and the integrated monitoring/control device61bis referred to as a secondary system. With the primary system and the secondary system, a monitoring/control system1000bthat is the backup station has a further redundant configuration. Of the primary system and the secondary system, the system executing monitoring/control is referred to as a running system and the other system is referred to as a standby system. The standby system is in the state of being ready for immediately operating as the running system when the running system has a failure. However, the standby system only receives and stores the state information items transmitted by the monitoring devices, and does not process the state information items. Data generated by the running system through processing are saved also in a corresponding storage region of the standby system. The following description will be made on the assumption that the primary system is the naming system.

The operation station1000aincludes, for example as illustrated inFIG. 2, a device10a,a monitoring/control device20a,a monitoring/control device30a,a monitoring/control device40a,a primary system integrated monitoring/control device60a,a secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61a, and a display terminal50a, which are connected by a network70a.The device10ais a device to be monitored and controlled such as a communication device, and is monitored and controlled by the monitoring/control device20a.Although not illustrated, the monitoring/control device30aand the monitoring/control device40aeach monitor and control a device as the monitoring/control device20adoes. The monitoring/control device20a, the monitoring/control device30a,and the monitoring/control device40aeach transmit a state information item indicating the status and the like of a device they monitor and control as well as a state information item indicating the stains and the like of the monitoring/control device itself to the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60aand the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61avia the network70a. The display terminal50ais connected to the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60aor the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61a,displays state information items received by the connected integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a) via the network, and receives control input from the operator. Here, when the display terminal50ais connected to the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61a, the operator cannot perform control.

The primary system integrated monitoring/control device60aand the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61areceive and store the same state information items from all monitoring/control devices (20a,30a,40a) on the network70aso that the display terminal50acan continue to display the state information items even if the connection destination is switched from the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60ato the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61aand vice versa.

Specifically, the monitoring/control device20a,the monitoring/control device30a,and the monitoring/control device40atransmit the same state information item indicating the status and the like to the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60aand the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61a. Furthermore, the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60aand the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61aeach also store the state information item indicating their own status and the like in addition to state information items of the monitoring/control device20a,the monitoring/control device30a,the monitoring/control device40a,and the like, and transmit, mutually between the integrated monitoring/control devices. The state information item of the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60ais transmitted to the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61a, and the state information item of the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61ais transmitted to the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60a.The state information items of the integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,61a) each include an operation state indicating whether its own station is the operation station1000aexecuting controls on the monitoring/control devices (20a,30a,40a), a control state indicating whether the integrated monitoring/control device (60a,61a) is the running system or the standby system, and a running state indicating whether the integrated monitoring/control device (60a,61a) is operating normally. The state information items of the integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,61a) may each include other kinds of information items.

The backup station1000bhas a configuration similar to that of the operation station1000aand includes, for example as illustrated inFIG. 2, a device10b, a monitoring/control device20b, a monitoring/control device30b, a monitoring/control device40b, a primary system integrated monitoring/control device60b,a secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61b,and a display terminal50b,which are connected by a network70b.Although not illustrated, the monitoring/control device20b,the monitoring/control device30b,and the monitoring/control device40beach transmit a state information item of a device they monitor and control and the monitoring/control device itself to the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60band the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61bvia the network70b.The display terminal50bis connected to the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60bor the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61b,displays the state information items received by the connected integrated monitoring/control device (60bor61b) via the network, and receives control input from the operator. The backup station1000bcannot execute controls to send instructions to the satellite. Moreover, when the display terminal50bis connected to the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61a,the operator cannot perform control.

The primary system integrated monitoring/control device60band the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61breceive and store the same state information item from all monitoring/control devices and the integrated monitoring/control devices on the network70b.This enables the display terminal50ato continue to display the state information items even if the connection destination is switched from the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60ato the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61aand vice versa.

FIG. 2illustrates the state of the integrated monitoring/control system during normal operation, andFIG. 3illustrates the state of the integrated monitoring/control system during the occurrence of a failure in the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60aof the operation station. During normal operation, as illustrated inFIG. 2, the display terminal50ais connected to the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60aand displays the state information items received from the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60a.When the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60ahas a failure, the secondary system that was the standby system turns into the running system and as illustrated inFIG. 3, the display terminal50ais connected to the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61a. The primary system and the secondary system of the backup station similarly operate when the primary system that is the running system has a failure.

In the case of monitoring/control systems such as the operation station1000aand the backup station1000bthat constitute a multiplexed system, the continuity of control has to be assured before and after control is switched from the operation station1000ato the backup station1000bor from the backup station1000bto the operation station1000a.To do so, the operator of the operation station1000amonitors not only the state information item mainly managed by the operation station1000abut also the state information item mainly managed by the backup station1000bon the display terminal50aof the operation station1000a.Moreover, the operator of the backup station1000bmonitors not only the state information item mainly managed by the backup station1000bbut also the state information item mainly managed by the operation station1000aon the display terminal50bof the backup station1000b. Therefore, the integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,61a) of the operation station1000aand the integrated monitoring/control devices (60b,61b) of the backup station1000bare mutually connected by a network or the like that is established for the link between the operation station1000aand the backup station1000band is different from the network70awithin the operation station1000aand the network70bwithin the backup station1000b.

To mutually monitor the state information items in the operation station1000aand the backup station1000b,the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60aof the operation station1000atransmits the acquired state information item of the operation station1000ato the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60band the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61bof the backup station1000b.Moreover, the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60bof the backup station1000btransmits the acquired state information item of the backup station1000bto the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60aand the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61aof the operation station1000a. In this way, the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60aof the operation station and the backup station share the state information item of the operation station1000aand the state information item of the backup station1000b. The secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61athat is the standby system of the operation station may transmit the state information item of the operation station1000a. Moreover, the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61bthat is the standby system of the backup station may transmit the state information item of the backup station1000b.

The configurations illustrated isFIGS. 2 and 3are presented only by way of example. In this integrated monitoring/control system, any number and any kind of monitoring/control devices that monitors/controls any number and any kind of devices are connected to the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60a(60b) and the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61a(61b) by a network and each transmit state information items. Moreover, the number of integrated monitoring/control devices receiving state information items is not limited to two, that is, the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60a(60b) and the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61a(61b), and any number of integrated monitoring/control devices may be used depending on operational requirements.

Moreover,FIGS. 2 and 3each illustrate an example where the network70ais an infernal network of the operation station1000aand is established by connecting, using a router, a network (NW-1) to which the monitoring/control device20ais connected, a network (NW-2) to which the monitoring/control device30aand the monitoring/control device40aare connected, and a network (LAN) to as which the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60aand the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61aare connected. This is a non-limiting example, and another network configuration may be used as long as the individual monitoring/control devices (20a,30a,40a), the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60a,and the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61aare mutually connected. The same applies to the network70bthat is an internal network of the backup station1000b, and another network configuration may be used as long as the individual monitoring/control devices (20b,30b,40b), the primary system integrated monitoring/control device (60b,and the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61bare connected.

FIG. 4illustrates a format of a state information item transmitted by the individual monitoring/control devices (20a,30a,40a) and the integrated monitoring/control devices of the backup station1000bto the integrated monitoring/control devices of the operation station1000a. State information items are classified into categories based on the type of information required by the operator and are each transmitted along with an ID indicating the classification (hereafter, the category ID). InFIG 4, a character string within brackets is a state information item indicating the status and the like of an individual device or a monitoring/control device, and “SITE1_SYS1_AA” outside the brackets is a category ID that specifies the classification of the state information item.

The “time:,” “name:,” “value:,” and “event:,”, within brackets each represent the type of data provided to and included in a state information item that is classified into a category specified by the category ID “SITE1_SYS1_AA.” The segment, “20140101 12:34:56:123”, is data indicating a particular time for “time:.” The “FREQUENCY” is data for “name:.”The segment, “1.234”, is data for “value:.”The message, “SUCCESSFULLY TRANSMITTED”, is data for “event:.” In other words,FIG. 4illustrates a state information item that is classified into a category specified by the category ID “SITE1_SYS1_AA” and involves data indicating the occurrence of an event in which the data having a “FREQUENCY” of “1.234” has been “SUCCESSFULLY TRANSMITTED” at the time of “20140101 12:34:56:123.”

FIG. 5illustrates an example of a structure of a category ID to be transmitted along with a state information item. The category ID, “SITE1_SYS1_AA” (2000), includes “SITE1” (a hierarchy level 1 (2010a)), “SYS1” (a hierarchy level 2 (2010b)), and “AA” (a hierarchy level 3 (2010c)). The hierarchy level 1, the hierarchy level 2, the hierarchy level 3, and the like are each referred to as a hierarchy level ID and each represent an attribute of the state information item to be transmitted classified based on the type of the information item, the purpose of the information item, and the like. With the hierarchy level IDs being concatenated from the top hierarchy level, the category ID has an attribute of new subdivided classification including the attributes of multiple classes at a time. The category ID “SITE1_SYS1_AA,” (2000) illustrated in the example ofFIG. 5is a concatenation of attributes of three hierarchy levels, “SITE1” (2010a), “SYS1” (2010b), and “AA” (2010c), and means that a state information item having this category ID has multiple attributes of the hierarchy level 1, the hierarchy level 2, and the hierarchy level 3.FIG. 5illustrates an example of the category ID defined by concatenating three hierarchy level IDs. In general, however, any number of hierarchy level IDs may be concatenated to create a category ID as long as the number is one or more.

For the state information item having the category ID (2000) illustrated inFIG. 5, the integrand monitoring/control devices (the primary system integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,60b) and the secondary system integrated monitoring/control devices (61a,61b)) define, for each category ID (2000), processing to provide the state information item such as display of the state information item, alarm by the state information item, tabulation of the state information item, and the like. In doing so, individually different processing may be defined for each category ID (2000). Moreover, category IDs may also be classified by the attribute of one of the hierarchy levels (the hierarchy level 1 (2010a), the hierarchy level 2 (2010b), the hierarchy level 3 (2010c)) included in each category ID (2000), and then corresponding processing may be defined for state information items having the classified category IDs. In such a case, the processing is defined for state information items having respective category IDs each including the hierarchy level ID of the same attribute (examples of such category IDs (2000) include “SITE1_SYS1_AA,” “SITE2_SYS1_AA,” “SITE1_SYS2_AA,” and the like each including the hierarchy level ID (2010c) of the hierarchy level 3, “AA”).

Category IDs may be classified by the attributes of multiple hierarchy level IDs included in each category ID (2000), and corresponding processing may be defined or state information items having the classified category IDs. In such a case, the integrated monitoring/control devices (the primary system integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,60b) and the secondary system integrated monitoring/control devices (61a,61b)) define processing for state information items having respective category IDs (2000) each including the specific hierarchy level IDs of the specific attributes (examples of such category IDs (2000) include “SITE1_SYS1_AA,” “SITE1_SYS1_AB,” “SITE1_SYS1_BB,” and the like each including a combination of the hierarchy level ID (2010a) of the hierarchy level 1 and the hierarchy level ID (2010b) of the hierarchy level 2, “SITE1_SYS1”). Furthermore, the same processing may be defined for multiple category IDs, such as “SITE2_SYS1_AA,” “SITE1_SYS2_AB,” and the like, independent of whether or not the same hierarchy level ID is included.

FIG. 6illustrates examples of a list of state information items and category IDs included in the state information items transmitted to the integrated monitoring/control devices of the operation station1000aand the backup station1000b. In the examples illustrated inFIG. 6, the state information items have respective category IDs that are each created by concatenating the hierarchy level 1 (classification by distinction as to whether the integrated monitoring/control device that receives the state information belongs to the operation station or the backup station), the hierarchy level 2 (classification by distinction as to whether the integrated monitoring/control device that receives the state information item is the primary system or the secondary system), and the hierarchy level 3 (classification by the device to be monitored and controlled), the state information items being classified based on such category IDs, according to the configuration of the monitoring/control system inFIG. 2. With such category IDs, the state information items can efficiently be classified using structural classification such as the position on the network, distinction between the operation station and the backup station, distinction between the primary system and the secondary system, the device to be monitored and controlled, and the like.

Additionally, for the hierarchy level ID, any classification, including classification based on an information item required by the same operator, classification based on an information item relating to a specific operation, and classification regarding maintenance and adjustment of a device, may be employed. For example, in regard to the state information item of “AA” indicated by the category ID “SITE1_SYS1_AA,” when “AA” includes two components “AA1” and “AA2” and “AA1” and “AA2” have to be referred to in separate situations, the hierarchy level ID of the hierarchy level 4 may further be added to the category ID included in the state information item to change the category ID to “SITE1_SYS1_AA_AA1” and “SITE1_SYS1_AA_AA2.” The category IDs changed as above are added to the state information items to be transmitted by the monitoring/control device, and the integrated monitoring/control devices define, for each of the category IDs “SITE1_SYS1_AA_AA1” and “SITE1_SYS1_AA_AA2,” different processing for providing the state information item. With the category ID having the structure as described above, even when the configuration of the integrated monitoring/control system is changed in part, classification of the state information items can flexibly be modified simply by changing, only in the part subjected to change in configuration, a category ID to be included in a state information item to be transmitted by a monitoring/control device to the integrated monitoring/control devices or generated within the integrated monitoring/control devices.

Moreover, for example for the same “AA,” it is possible to handle the case in which the configuration becomes different between the operation stations due to replacement of a piece of equipment or the like. For example, when “AA” for the operation station1000includes the components “AA1” and “AA2” and “AA” for the backup station1000bincludes the components “AA3” and “AA4,” a category ID including “SITE1” that represents the classification of the operation station1000aand a category ID “SITE2” that represents the classification of the backup station1000bmay be changed so as to further subdivide the configuration of “AA” into “SITE1_SYS1_AA_AA1” and “SITE1_SYS1_AA_AA2” for the operation station1000a,and “SITE2_SYS1_AA_AA3” and “SITE2_SYS1_AA_AA4” for the backup station1000b, for monitoring and controlling. When changes are made so that the information items are classified using new category IDs, the monitoring/control devices and the integrated monitoring/control devices have only to change the category ID to be included in the state information item as well as the processing to be executed for the category ID.

As examples of the above “AA,” “AA1,” “AA2,” and the like, for example, it is assumed that the operation station1000ais a Tokyo station located in Tokyo and the backup station1000bis an Osaka station located in Osaka. The Tokyo station and the Osaka station each include two integrated monitoring/control devices named MAIN and SUB. In such a case, the MAIN corresponds to the primary system integrated monitoring/control device (60a,60b) and the SUB corresponds to the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device (61a,61b). In such a case, the Tokyo station astd the Osaka station are each equipped with machinery such as a communication device (COM) that transmits state information items to the integrated monitoring/control device MAIN and the integrated monitoring/control device SUB. The category IDs of such state information items are expressed by “TOKYO_MAIN_COM,” “TOKYO_SUB_COM,” OSAKA_MAIN_COM,” and the like. In this example, AA is “COM.” Moreover, when the communication device (COM) in the Tokyo station includes a transmission device (TX) and a reception device (RX), the category IDs of the state information items transmitted by the communication device (COM) in use Tokyo station are “TOKYO_MAIN_COM_TX” and “TOKYO_MAIN_COM_RX.” In this example, AA1 is “TX” and AA2 is “RX.” Furthermore, when the communication device (COM) in the Osaka station includes a wireless device (RF) and a baseband device (BB), the category IDs of state information items transmitted by the communication device (COM) in the Osaka station are expressed by “OSAKA_MAIN_COM_RF,” “OSAKA_MAIN_COM_BB,” and the like. In this example, AA1 is “RF” and AA2 is “BB.”

The integrated monitoring/control devices (the primary system integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,60b) and the secondary system integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,61b)) define, for respective category IDs having the above-described structure, processing to be executed for state information items having the respective the category IDs.

FIGS. 7A and 7Billustrate examples of results of processing defined by the integrated monitoring/control devices (the primary system integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,60b) and the secondary system integrated monitoring/control devices (61a,61b)) based on the state information items having the category IDs of the structure as illustrated inFIG. 6. That is,FIGS. 7A and 7Beach illustrate an example of a screen for checking the status of the operation station1000aand the backup station1000b. Since state information items each have a category ID created by concatenating the hierarchy level 1 (classification by distinction between the operation station and the backup station), the hierarchy level 2 (classification by distinction as to whether the integrated monitoring/control device that receives the state information item is the primary system or the secondary system), and the hierarchy level 3 (classification by the device to be monitored and controlled), the state information items can be displayed separated for the running system (the primary system) and for the standby system (the secondary system) of each ground station (the operation station1000aor the backup station1000b) as illustrated inFIG. 7A, or can be displayed for each device to be monitored and controlled as illustrated inFIG. 7B.

For example, assuming a case in which the state of the entire system including the operation station1000aand the backup station1000bwill be checked, state information items for the entire system including the operation station1000aand the backup station1000bare displayed on a single monitoring screen3000, as illustrated inFIG. 7A. Furthermore, state information items mainly managed by the operation station1000aare displayed in a display area3010, and state information items mainly managed by the backup station1000bare displaced in a display area3020. Moreover, as the state information items received by the primary system integrated monitoring/control device60a, all of the state information items having respective category IDs (“SITE1_SYS1_AA,” “SITE1_SYS1_AB,” and the like) each starting with the “SITE1_SYS1” are collected and displayed in a display area3011for the primary system. As the state information items received by the secondary system integrated monitoring/control device61a, all of the state information items having respective category IDs (“SITE1_SYS2_AA,” “SITE1_SYS2_AB,” and the like) each starting with the “SITE1_SYS2” are collected and displayed in display area3012for the secondary system. Moreover, failure histories included in state information items of the operation station1000aand starting with “SITE1_” are displayed as a list in a display area3013. Failure histories included in state information items regarding the backup station1000band starting with “SITE2_” are displayed as a list in a display area3023.

Moreover, for example, assuming a case in which a specific device or specific state information items will be checked, state information items of the operation station1000aare collected on a monitoring screen3100and state information items of the backup station1000bare collected on a monitoring screen3200, so that only the state information item of the system to which a specific device of interest or a specific state information item belongs can be displayed, as illustrated inFIG. 7B. Moreover, the monitoring screen3100is divided into a display area3110where an information item regarding “AA” that is a specific device or a specific state information item is displayed, a display area3120where an information item regarding “AB” is displayed, and the like, and state information items regarding “AA” are displayed in a display area3111by collecting state information items having respective category IDs (“SITE1 —SYS1_AA” and “SITE1_SYS2_AA”) each including “SITE1” and “AA”. Moreover, events extracted by collecting the state information items having the category IDs (“SITE1_SYS1_AA” and “SITE1_SYS2_AA”)each including “SITE1” and “AA” are displayed as a list in a display area3112. The same applies to “AB” that is a specific device or a specific state information item. State information items regarding “AB” are displayed in a display area3121by collecting state information items having respective category IDs (“SITE1_SYS1_AB” and “SITE1_SYS2_AB”) each including “SITE1” and “AB”. Moreover, events extracted by collecting the state information items having the category IDs (“SITE1_SYS1_AB” and “SITE1_SYS2_AB”) each including “SITE1” and “AB” are displayed as a list in a display area3122.

The monitoring screens illustrated inFIGS. 7A and 7Bare each displayed in a switched manner or displayed simultaneously. Moreover, the monitoring screens illustrated inFIGS. 7A and 7Bare non-limiting examples, and a monitoring screen can be configured by combining various kinds of state information items in accordance with the operation. Moreover, not only for provision of state information items on monitoring screens but also in notification of state information items by voice or alarm sound output, state information items customized for each operator are provided by defining the details of processing for the sound output, for each category ID or for each specific set of multiple category IDs.

Moreover, both of the monitoring screens illustrated inFIGS. 7A and 7Bcan be created by using the state information item including the category ID distinguishing a specific device presented by the state information item or distinguishing the configuration of a monitoring/control system such as “SITE1_SYS1_AA” as illustrated inFIG. 6. For such a monitoring screen, specific processing may be defined, and data for the pressing may also be defined. For example, as the hierarchy level 4, “ALARM” when an alarm has to be issued, “DTLW” for displaying the received state information item in a detail window, “EVNT” for displaying the received state information item in an event window, and the like may also be defined respectively based on the contents of the received state information item. For example, a state information item indicating that an alarm to be issued from the communication device in the Tokyo station located in Tokyo can be expressed by “TOKYO_MAIN_COM_ALARM” and the like, and a state information item that is from the communication device in the Osaka station located in Osaka and to be displayed in a detail window can be expressed by “OSAKA_MAIN_COM_DTLW” and the like.

The individual configurations of the operation station1000aand the backup station1000bare described below.FIG. 8is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of the monitoring/control device20a.Although the monitoring/control device20ais described here, the monitoring/control devices (30a,40a) within the same operation station are absolutely the same in configuration and operation. Moreover, the monitoring/control devices (20b,30b,40b) within the backup station are also absolutely the same in configuration and operation. The monitoring/control device20aincludes a state information item generator210that generates the state information item, an ID adder220that adds a category ID to the generated state information item, and a state information item transmitter230that transmits to the integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,61a) the state information item to which the category ID is added by the ID adder220.

The state information item generator210generates the state information item indicating the state of the device10and the monitoring/control device20a.Then, the ID adder220adds the category ID to the state information item generated by the state information item generator210. The category ID is determined based, for example as illustrated inFIG. 6, on the distinction between the operation station and the backup station, the distinction as to whether the integrated monitoring/control device to which monitoring data are transmitted is the primary system or the secondary system, and the type of status included in monitoring data.

FIG. 9is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the display terminal50a.Although the display terminal50ais described here, the display terminal50bis the same in configuration and operation. The display terminal50aincludes a connector510that connects to the integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a), a monitoring information item receiver520that receives from the connected integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a) a monitoring information item in which a state information item is in a format of a control signal for controlling display or sound for being pro vided to the operator, a screen display530that displays the monitoring information item on a monitoring screen determined by the integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a), and a sound outputter540that outputs sound including an alarm with regard to monitoring data.

FIG. 10is a flowchart of the operation of the display terminal50a.As the display terminal50ais activated, the connector510connects to the integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a) (S101) and the display terminal50astarts to receive the monitoring information item. The monitoring information item receiver520receives from the integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a) connected to the connector510(S102) the monitoring information item in which the state information item is in a format of a control signal of display and/or sound for being provided to the operator. The screen display530displays the monitoring information item received by the monitoring information item receiver520on a screen (S103). The sound outputter540sound-outputs the monitoring information item received by the monitoring information item receiver520(Step S104). Here, the semen display530and/or the sound outputter540is also referred to as a monitoring information item outputter. Whether or not a correct state information item can be received from the integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a) within a prescribed time is determined, and it is determined that the reception within a prescribed time is unsuccessful if, for example, the connector510detects timeout of the data reception of the monitoring information item from the connected integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a) or if the monitoring information item receiver520determines that there are abnormal reception data in the monitoring information. Based on such determination, the integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a) is determined to/have a failure (S105). If no failure is detected in the integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a) connected thereto (No in S105), the display terminal50acontinues to receive monitoring information items. If a failure is detected in the integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a) connected thereto (Yes in S105), the display terminal50adisconnects the connector510from the integrated monitoring/control device (S106) and starts the operation again from the beginning step of connecting to the integrated monitoring/control device (60aor61a) (S101).

FIG. 11is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the integrated monitoring/control device60aand the integrated monitoring/control device61aof the operation station1000a.The integrated monitoring/control device60ais described here, and the configuration and operation of the integrated monitoring/control device60bare absolutely the same as those of the integrated monitoring/control device60a.Moreover, the configuration and operation of each of the integrated monitoring/control device60band the integrated monitoring/control device61bof the backup station1000bare also absolutely the same as those of the integrated monitoring/control device60a.

InFIG. 11, the integrated monitoring/control device60aincludes a state information item acquirer610that acquires state information items for the individual monitoring/control devices (20a,30a,40a) and the integrated monitoring/control device60aitself installed in the operation station1000aand state information items for the individual monitoring/control devices (20b,30b,40b) and the integrated monitoring/control device60binstalled in the backup station1000b, a state information item sorter620that classifies the acquired state information items based on category ID, a category ID-based state information item storage630that stores the state information items classified based on category ID, a state information item transmitter640that transmits the acquired category ID-based state information item to the integrated monitoring/control device60bof the backup station1000b,a processing correspondence definer650that defines, for each state information item, the correspondence between the category ID of the state information item and processing to be executed for the state information item, and a processing controller660that controls the processing defined by the processing correspondence definer and determined based on category ID to be executed for the state information item.

The state information item acquirer610includes a receiver611that receives state information items from the individual monitoring/control devices (20a,30a,40a) of the operation station1000a,a state information item receiver612that acquires from the integrated monitoring/control device60bthe state information items for the individual monitoring/control devices (20b,30b,40b) and the integrated monitoring/control device60bof the backup station1000b,and a state definer613corresponding to the receiver611, and a state definer614corresponding to the state information item receiver612. The state definer613and the state definer614check the data format and data consistency of the state information item received by the receiver611and the state information item receiver612, respectively. Furthermore, the state information item acquirer610includes an own device state information item acquirer615that acquires the state information item of the integrated monitoring/control device60aitself.

The state information item sorter620classifies the state information items acquired by the state information item acquirer610based on category IDs added to the state information items and stores the state information items in the category ID-based state information item storage630. Here, state information items regarding the backup station1000bare received after sorted by the state information item sorter620of the integrated monitoring/control device (60bor61b) installed in the backup station1000bas described later, and thus, the state information items of the backup station1000bare directly stored in the category ID-based state information item storage630without classification based on category IDs by the state information item sorter620of the integrated monitoring/control device60a.

The category ID-based state information item storage630includes an own-station storage631that stores state information items of the operation station1000aacquired by the receiver611and the own-device state information item acquirer615, and an other-station storage632that stores state-information items of the backup station1000bacquired by the state information item receiver612. In the integrated monitoring/control device (60a(61a),60b(61b)) of each of the operation station1000aand the backup station1000b,state information items stored in the own-station storage631is the state information hems mainly managed by its own station.

Upon a new state information item being stored in the own-station storage631of the category ID-based state information item storage630, the stored state information item is controlled by the processing controller660so that the processing defined by the processing correspondence definer650is executed. In synchronous with that, the state information item newly stored in the own-station storage631is periodically transmitted by the state information item transmitter640to the integrated monitoring/control device60b(61b) of the backup station1000b.The transmitted state information item is received by the state information item receiver612of the integrated monitoring/control device60b(61b), checked for the data format and data consistency by the processing definer614of the integrated monitoring/control device60b(61b), and stored in the category ID-based state information item storage630of the integrated monitoring/control device60b(61b).

With the same configuration, the same applies to the state information items acquired by the integrated monitoring/control device60b(61b) of the backup station1000bfrom the monitoring/control devices (20b,30b,40b) and the integrated monitoring/control device60bof the backup station1000b.The state information items acquired from the monitoring/control devices (20b,30b,40b) of the backup station1000bare received by the receiver611, checked for the data format and data consistency by the state definer613, and are then classified by the state information item sorter620. The state information item acquired by the own device state information item acquirer615that acquires the state information of the integrated monitoring/control device60bitself is also classified by the state information item sorter620, stored in the category ID-based state information item storage630, and then transmitted by the state information item transmitter640to the integrated monitoring/control device60a(61a) of the operation station1000a.The state information items of the backup station1000btransmitted as described above are the state information items received by the above-described state information item receiver612.

The processing correspondence definer650defines category ID-corresponding processing that is executed using a state information item for the category ID included in the state information item or for a combination of category IDs. As for the correspondence between the category ID and the processing, different individual processing may be assigned to each category ID, or category IDs are classified by the attributes of one or multiple hierarchy levels constituting a category ID and different individual processing may be assigned to each classified category ID, as described above. Examples of the processing definition include the following cases: for the category ID including three hierarchy levels illustrated inFIG. 5, processing to be executed for state information items each having a category ID including the third hierarchy level (2010c) of “AA” is defined; processing to be executed for state information, items each having a category ID including “SITE1_SYS1” as the combination of the first hierarchy level (2010a) and the second hierarchy level (2010b) is defined, and the like. Moreover, processing may be assigned to each group formed by selecting any category IDs or processing may be assigned to a category ID to which a specific hierarchy level is added. When processing assigned to a category ID by the processing correspondence definer650is to display a screen to the operator, the processing correspondence definer650defines the details of the processing such as display including monitoring screen display, sound output, and or the like for each category ID.

The processing controller660performs control so that the processing defined by the processing correspondence definer650for each category ID is executed for the state information items classified based on category IDs. The processing controller660includes a state determiner661that determines whether a state information item of each category ID falls into a predetermined state such as failure, alarm, and/or the like, a display/sound controller662that generates, based on the state determined by the state determiner661, control signals for display output and/or sound output of the state information items at the position of a display area defined by the processing correspondence definer650, and a display-sound transmitter663that transmits to the display terminal50amonitoring information items that are the control signals generated by the sound controller662.

In the examples ofFIGS. 7A and 7B, for a state information item having the category ID “SITE1_SYS1_AA,” display in the display areas301and3013inFIG 7Aand display in the display areas3111and3112inFIG. 7Bare defined by the processing correspondence definer650. The state determiner661and the display/sound controller662perform control so that each processing defined by the processing correspondence definer650is executed for the state information items. The state determiner661determines a specific event such as the occurrence of a failure or the like based on state information items accumulated under the category ID. Then, the display/sound controller662generates control signals for displaying the state information items on the display terminal50ausing a display component determined for each category ID, for example, as illustrated inFIGS. 7A and 7Bat the determined position of a display area. Here, for example, a display attribute such as blinking in response to the occurrence of a failure or the like may be set for each display component based on the results of determination by the state determiner661. Moreover, when a display item is a start button, whether or not a button is already present for the same device in the display area corresponding to the category ID may be determined and if absent, additional display may be performed. Moreover, a display component may be determined for each category ID, or a hierarchy level ID of a hierarchy level indicating a display component to a category ID so that the category ID itself indicates the display component.

Furthermore, the display/sound controller662creates, for each category ID, an instruction to make the display terminal50aexecute the details of processing details such as display, sound output, and the like based on the processing results of the processing correspondence definer650and the state determiner661. The processing correspondence definer650defines and presents processing corresponding to a category ID for all category IDs under which the state information items are accumulated in the category ID-based state information item storage630. The processing controller660executes operations of the state determiner661and the display/sound controller662for all category IDs under which the state information items are accumulated in the category ID-based state information item storage630. The control signals generated by the display/sound controller662are grouped in units of processing of simultaneous display or sound output such as based on monitoring screen, and are transmitted by the display/sound transmitter663to the display terminal50a.

As described above, in the integrated monitoring/control system according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, state information items each having a category ID indicating an attribute that is multiply-classified by multiple classifications are transmitted by a monitoring/control device, and the integrated monitoring/control device defines processing correspondingly for each category ID or for each combination of multiple category IDs to provide the state information items, whereby the state information items can be provided flexibly in accordance with the operation of the integrated monitoring/control device.

Moreover, in the integrated monitoring/control system according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, the category ID added to the state information item includes the hierarchy level IDs of hierarchy levels classifying the position of a configuration the state information item relates to in the entire monitoring/control system such as the operation station, the backup station, or the like each constituting a multiplexed system, whereby when the configuration is changed, in part, it is sufficient to modify the category ID to include the hierarchy level ID of a hierarchy level including the configuration of the changed part. In other words, it is possible to obtain an integrated monitoring/control device and an integrated monitoring/control system capable of easily performing processing in a form corresponding to requirements for each state information item including a state information item managed by another station in a system that performs monitoring and control using the integrated monitoring/control devices of multiple stations.

Furthermore, the integrated monitoring/control system according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is configured to synchronize the state information items acquired by the integrated monitors monitoring/control devices therebetween, whereby the illustrated state in formation items are consistent and unified state information items are provided on any of the integrated monitoring/control devices.

Moreover, in the above description, an example is described in which the processing correspondence definer650is used to define the correspondence between the category ID included its state information item and the processing of display and/or sound output executed for the state information item, and the processing controller660executes the process of display and/or sound output defined and presented by the processing correspondence definer650. The processing defined by the processing correspondence definer650and controlled for execution by the processing controller660is not limited to display and/or sound output, and is applicable to, for example, processing to treat the state information item by tabulation, analysis, and the like.

FIG. 12Ais diagram illustrating as example of the hardware configuration of the monitoring/control device and12B is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the integrated monitoring/control device according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The monitoring/control device and the integrated monitoring/control device of the present disclosure can each be implemented by programs on a computer.FIG. 12Ais an example of the configuration of the monitoring/control device. A monitoring/control device20(20a,20b) includes a device interface4010that is connected to a device10(10a,10b). and detects the state of the device10(10a,10b), a network interface4020connected to a network (70a,70b), a nonvolatile storage4030that stores programs, a processing unit4040that executes the programs stored in the nonvolatile storage4030, and a volatile storage4050used by the processing unit4040during execution of the programs. The nonvolatile storage4030stores state information item generation processing4031, ID addition processing4032, and state information item transmission processing4033, which are steps of a program and are loaded on a processing unit memory4051of the volatile storage4050and executed by the processing unit4040so as to realize the functions as the state information item generator210, the ID adder220, and the state information item transmitter230, respectively.

FIG. 12Bis an example of the configuration of the integrated monitoring/control device. The integrated monitoring/control device60(60a,60b) and the integrated monitoring/control device61(61a,61b) each include a network interface4110connected to a network (70a,70b), an other-station interface4120connected to another station, a display terminal interface4130connected to a display terminal, a nonvolatile storage4140that stores programs, a processing unit4150that executes the programs stored in the nonvolatile storage4140, and a volatile storage4160used by the processing unit4040during execution of the programs. The other station is the backup station1000bfrom the viewpoint of the operation station1000a,and is the operation station1000afrom the viewpoint of the backup station1000b.The nonvolatile storage4140stores state information item acquisition processing4141, state information item sorting processing4142, state information item transmission processing4143, state correspondence definition processing4144, and processing control processing4145, which are steps of a program and are loaded on a processing unit memory4161of the volatile storage4160and executed by the processing unit4150so as to realize the functions as the state information item acquirer610, the state information item sorter620, the state information item transmitter640, the processing correspondence definer650, and the processing controller660. Category ID-based state information items obtained by classifying the state information items received by the integrated monitoring/control device based on category IDs are stored in a category ID-based state information item4162of the volatile storage4160, respectively. Moreover, a display/sound output notifier660, a state change detector670, an output tuning adjuster680, and an NTP time synchronizer690of the integrated monitoring/control device in Embodiments 2, 3, and 4 described later are each stored as a program in the nonvolatile storage4140and executed by the processing unit4150. Here, the configurations illustrated inFIGS. 12A and 12Bare illustrative examples and any changes and modifications can be made.

In Embodiment 1, the integrated monitoring/control device60a(61a) that is the operation station transmits the state information items of the operation station1000ato the integrated monitoring/control device60b(61b) that is the backup station1000b, and the integrated monitoring/control device60b(61b) that is the backup station transmits the state information items of the backup station1000bto the integrated monitoring/control device60a(61a) that is the operation station, thereby sharing the state information items. Although the state information items are shared, inconsistency may occur between the state information items being displayed on the display terminal50aof the operation station and the state information items being displayed on the display terminal50bof the backup station because of the timing of transmission by the display/sound transmitter660so the display terminal (50a,50b).

In Embodiment 2, in addition to the sharing of the state information items by the respective integrated monitoring/control devices (60a(61a),60b(61b)) of the operation station1000aand the backup station1000b,the timing of display output to the display terminal (50a,50b) is synchronized so that the provided state information items are consistent between the display terminal50aof the operation station1000aand the display terminal50bof the backup station1000b.In Embodiment 2, the operation station1000aincludes integrated monitoring/control devices (60c,61c) of the operation station1000ain place of the integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,61a) according to Embodiment 1 and the backup station1000bincludes integrated monitoring/control devices (60d,61d) of the backup station1000bin place of the integrated monitoring/control devices (60b,61b) according to Embodiment 1.

FIG. 13is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) of the operation station according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. InFIG. 13, the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) of the operation station1000a(its own station) includes an inter-integrated monitoring/control device communicator680that transmits receives information items to/from the integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) of the backup station1000b(the other station and a display/sound output notifier664athat notifies the integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) of the backup station1000b(the other station) by means of the inter-integrated monitoring/control device communicator680to the effect that display/sound is output when the control signals generated by the display/sound controller662are output to the display/sound transmitter663. The integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) has the same configuration as the integrated monitoring/control device60a(61a) according to Embodiment 1 except for including the display/sound output notifier664aand the inter-integrated monitoring/control device communicator680. The display/sound output notifier664ais a processing state transmitter that transmits a processing state notice that indicates the state of processing at its own station to the integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) of the other station by means of the inter-integrated monitoring/control device communicate680.

FIG. 14is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) of the backup station according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. InFIG. 14, the integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) of the backup station1000b(its own station) includes an inter-integrated monitoring/control device communicator680that transmits/receives information items to/from the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) of the operation station1000a(the other station), and a display/sound output notice receiver664bthat, in synchronous with the notice from the display-sound output notifier664aof the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) that is received by means of the inter-integrated monitoring/control device communicator680, outputs to the display-sound transmitter663the control signals generated by the display/sound controller662. The integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) has the same configuration as that of the integrated monitoring/control device60b(61b) according to Embodiment 1 except for including the display/sound output notice receiver664band the inter-integrated monitoring/control device communicator680. The display/sound output notice receiver664bis a processing-state waiting processor that waits for a processing state notice from the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61d) of the other station and executes processing as the processing state notice is received by means of the inter-integrated monitoring/control device communicator680.

Moreover, although not illustrated inFIGS. 13 and 14, the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) of the operation station1000aalso includes the display/sound output notice receiver664band the integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) of the backup station1000balso includes the display/sound output notifier664a.This is because the roles of the operation station1000aand the backup station1000bare switched in the event that the control by the operation station1000ais disabled due to a disaster or the like; therefore, the operation station1000ais required to also have the functions of the backup station1000band the backup station1000bis required to also have the functions of the operation station1000a.While the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) is the operation station, the display/sound output notifier664aoperates and the display/sound output notice receiver664bis on standby or at rest. When the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) shifts to the backup station, the display/sound output notifier664astops operating and becomes on standby or at rest and the display/sound output notice receiver664boperates.

FIG. 15illustrates operation of the display/sound output notice receiver664bof the integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) of the backup station1000b. Operation of the display/sound output notice receiver664bof the integrated monitoring/control device60dis described below; however the same applies to the display/sound output notice receiver664bof the integrated monitoring/control device61d. The display/sound output notice receiver664bdetermines the state of the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) of the operation station1000a(S201) and if determining that there is an abnormality (the branch “ABNORMAL” of S201), the display/sound output notice receiver664boutputs to the display/sound transmitter663the control signals generated by the display/sound controller662as they are (S204). If the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) of the operation station1000ais determined to be normal (the branch “NORMAL” of S201), the display/sound output notifier664bwaits for a notice of display/sound output from the display/sound output notifier664aof the integrated monitoring/control device60c(S202and the branch “No” of S203). As the notice is received from the display/sound output notifier664aof the integrated monitoring/control device60cby means of the inter-integrated monitoring/control device communicator680(the branch “Yes” of S203), the display/sound output notice receiver664bof the integrated monitoring/control device60dinstructs through the display/sound transmitter663the display terminal50bto perform screen display/sound output.

The sound/display output to the display terminal50bfrom the display/sound transmitter663in the integrated monitoring/control devices60dand61dis executed in time with a notice transmitted by the display/sound output notifier664aof the integrated monitoring/control devices60cand61cin synchronous with the sound/display output to the display terminal50a.Thus, the display on the display terminal50aand the display on the display terminal50bcan be updated in synchronous with each other. This enables the display terminal50aof the operation station1000aand the display terminal50bof the backup station1000bto provide the state information items in a unified manner including the display timing and in a format customized in accordance with the operation.

Here, in the above example, the display/sound output notifier664aof the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) of the operation station1000anotifies the integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) of the backup station1000bof the state of processing in time with the display/sound output executed by the processing controller660. However, in regard to the state for which the processing controller660of the integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) of the backup action1000bshould execute processing in synchronous, the display/sound output notifier may notify the integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) of the backup station1000bof a state of something other than processing as a processing state notice. For example, if the processing controller660is periodically activated, the activation timing may be notified.

In Embodiment 2, in order for the display to be updated with the same timing on the display terminal50aof the operation station1000aand on the display terminal50bof the backup station1000b,a notice of is given by the integrated monitoring/control device60c(61c) of the operation station1000atransmits a notice for display/sound output to the integrated monitoring/control device60d(61d) of the backup station1000b.However, if significantly high speed communication is available between the operation station1000aand the backup station1000b, the display on the display terminal50aof the operation station1000aand the display on the display terminal50bof the backup station1000bcan be updated at the same timing by transmitting the category ID-based state information items transmitted from the operation station1000ato the backup station1000bor from the backup station1000bto the operation station1000a.

In Embodiment 3, the operation station1000aincludes integrated monitoring/control devices (60e,61e) of the operation station1000ain place of the integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,61a) according to Embodiment 1 and the backup station1000bincludes integrated monitoring/control devices (60f,61f) of the backup station1000bin place of the integrated monitoring/control devices (60b,61b) according to Embodiment 1.

FIG. 16is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the integrated monitoring/control device60e(61e) of the operation station1000aaccording to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. In the integrated monitoring/control device60e(61e), for the state information items stored in the own-station storage631of the category ID-based state information item storage630(the state information items each having a category ID starting with “SITE1_”), a state change detector670detects the presence/absence of change in the state information items for each category ID. Only when the state change detector670detects change in a state information item, the integrated monitoring/control device60e(61e) transmits the state information items of the category ID under which there is change in the state information items to the integrated monitoring/control device60f(61f) of the backup station1000bby means of the state information item transmitter640. Moreover, for the category ID under which change in the state information item is detected, a notice of the change in the state information item is given to the processing controller660in synchronous with transmission of the state information item.

For the state information item stored in the own-station storage631of the category ID-based state information item storage630(the state information item having the category ID starting with “SITE1_”), when change in the state information item is notified by the state change detector670, a processing correspondence definer650apresents definition of process details, such as display including monitoring screen display and sound output, corresponding to the notified category ID. Moreover, for the state information item stored in the other-station storage632of the category ID-based state information item storage630(the state information item having the category ID starting with “SITE2_”), as a new state information item received by the state information item receiver612is stored, the processing correspondence definer650apresents definition of process details, such as display including monitoring screen display and sound output, corresponding to the category ID of the state information item newly received and stored. For the state information item stored in the own-station storage631and subjected to change and the sent state information item of the other station (the backup station1000b), for which corresponding processing is presented by the processing correspondence definer650a,the control processor660controls execution of the processing presented by the processing correspondence definer650a.

InFIG. 16, the above operation is described with regard to the integrated monitoring/control device60e(61e) of the operation station1000a.Exactly the same applies to the integrated monitoring/control device60f(61f) of the backup station1000b. in the integrated monitoring/control device60f(61f), for the state information item stored in the own-station storage631of the category ID-based state information item storage630(the state information item having the category ID starting with “SITE2_”), the state change detector670detects the presence/absence of change in the state information item based on category ID. Only when there is change in the state information item, the state information item of the category ID under which there is change in the state information item is transmitted by the state information item transmitter640to the integrated monitoring/control device60e(61e) that is the operation station1000a.Moreover, for the category ID under which change in the state information item is detected, a notice of change in the state information item is given to a processing correspondence definer650bin synchronous with transmission of the state information item.

For the state information items stored in the own-station storage631of the category ID-based state information item storage630(the state information items each having a category ID starting with “SITE2_”), when a notice of change in the state information item is provided by the state change detector670, the processing correspondence definer650bpresents the definition of processing details, such as display including monitoring screen display, sound output, and the like corresponding to the notified category ID. Moreover, for the state information items stored in the other-station storage632of the category ID-based state information item storage630(the state information items each having a category ID starting with “SITE1_”), upon a new state information item received by the state information item receiver612being stored, the definition of processing details, such as display including monitoring screen display, sound output, and the like corresponding to the category ID of the state information item newly received and stored is presented. For the state information item stored in the own-station storage631and subjected to change and the transmitted state information item of the other station (the operation station1000b), for which corresponding processing is presented by the processing correspondence definer650b,the control processor660performs control so that the processing presented by the processing correspondence definer650bis executed.

In regard to the state information items of the operation station1000a,as the state change detector670of the integrated monitoring/control device60e(61e) detects change, the integrated monitoring/control device60e(61e) and the integrated monitoring/control device60f(61f) each update display regarding the category ID under which the change is detected, and thus unified state information items updated with the same timing can be provided on the display terminal50aof the operation station1000aand the display terminal50bof the backup station1000b.

In regard to the state information item of the backup station1000a,as the state change detector670of the integrated monitoring/control device60f(61f) detects change, the integrated monitoring/control device60f(61f) and the integrated monitoring/control device60e(61e) each update display regarding the category ID under which the change is detected, whereby the state information item is updated with the same timing on the display terminal50aof the operation station1000aand the display terminal50bof the backup station1000b. Thus, it is possible to provide unified state information items on the display terminals (50a,50b) of all integrated monitoring/control devices.

FIG. 17is a diagram illustrating the entire integrated monitoring/control system according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure in Embodiment 4, the operation station1000aincludes integrated monitoring/control devices (60g,61g) of the operation station1000ain place of the integrated monitoring/control devices (60a,61a) according to Embodiment 1 and the backup station1000bincludes integrated monitoring/control devices (60h,61h) of the backup station1000bin place of the integrated monitoring/control devices (60b,61b) according to Embodiment 1. InFIG. 17, the integrated monitoring/control devices (60g,60h,61g,61h) are each connected to an NTP server80that provides time information.

FIG. 18is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the integrated monitoring/control devices60g(61g) and60h(61h)l according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. The integrated monitoring/control devices60g(61g) and60h(61h) are each time-synchronized with the NTP server80. The same timing is transmitted by an NTP time synchronizer690to output timing adjusters665in all integrated monitoring/control devices at times such as just on every second. In other words, the time managed by the NTP server80is the reference time and the integrated monitoring/control devices (60g,60h,61g,61h) each have a reference time clock outputting the synchronized reference time.

Upon receiving of control signals for the display terminal (50a,50b) from the display/sound controller662, the output timing adjuster665once stores the control signals in the internal butter without outputting the control signals as they are to the display/sound transmitter. The output timing adjusters665of all integrated monitoring/control devices (60g,60h,61g,61h) are in the state of being time-synchronized the NTP time synchronizer690, and transmit the control signals for the display terminals (50a50b) to the display/sound transmitter663. In this way, the display is updated on the display terminals (50a,50b) with the same timing from each of the integrated monitoring/control devices (60g,60h). In this way, unified state information items updated with the same timing can be provided on the display terminal50aof the operation station1000aand the display terminal50bof the backup station1000b.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

210State information item generator

230State information item transmitter

520Monitoring information item receiver

610State information item acquirer

612State information item receiver

615Own device state information item acquirer

620State information item sorter

630Category ID-based state information item storage

640State information item transmitter

664bDisplay/sound output notice receiver

670State change detector

2010a,2010b,2010cHierarchy level ID

4120Other station interface

4130Display terminal interface