JPH09247180A - Process LAN tap, portable computer and integrated control system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Problem] To enable maintenance of process control scattered in various places by one person. SOLUTION: A tap installed on a process LAN 13
Incorporate the transmission control module 141 into 14 and
Attach the connector 142 for connecting the transmission cable 19. A portable computer 18 equipped with a maintenance program that is simpler than the process operation monitoring device of the integrated control system can be connected to the connector of the process LAN tap using the transmission cable 19. With this, no matter where the process control 12 requiring maintenance is located, take the portable computer to the place where the process control is installed, and use it for the process LAN tap 14 and the transmission cable 19. By connecting the portable computer 18, only one maintenance person can perform the required maintenance work.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process L for connecting a process control and a process operation monitoring device.
The present invention relates to a process LAN tap that is used by being attached to an AN, a portable computer that performs online monitoring of data on the process LAN, and an integrated control system configured by a combination of these.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a steel manufacturing plant, a pulp and paper manufacturing plant, a waste treatment plant, a water and sewage management plant and other general industrial plants, a process LAN is connected between a process control and a process operation monitoring device to provide a process operation monitoring device. In the above, an integrated control system for performing centralized operation monitoring of the plant state is adopted, but such an integrated control system generally has a configuration shown in FIG.

In this integrated control system, a process operation monitoring device 11 for performing operation monitoring control of the entire plant is installed in a central control room 1, and a building at a required place of the plant, for example, a power receiving and transforming building 2 and a boiler building. 3, process control units 12, 12, ... for controlling process units in the water / drainage building 4, the product management building 5, etc., respectively.
To set up these process controls 12, 12,
... and the process operation monitoring device 11 in the main control room 1 are connected by the process LAN 13, the data of each process control 12 is transmitted to the process operation monitoring device 11 through the process LAN 13, and is displayed on the monitoring screen of the CRT display device for operation. It is a mechanism for performing monitoring and transmitting an operation command from the plant operation monitoring device 11 such as a change in control set value of necessary equipment and start / stop to the corresponding process control 12 through the process LAN 13.
The process operation monitoring device 11 and the process control 12 are connected to the process LAN 13 by taps 14.

[0004]

However, such a conventional integrated control system has the following problems. In an industrial plant, there are various buildings such as a power receiving and transforming building 2, a boiler building 3, a water / drainage building 4, a product management building 5 in various places on a vast site, so process control 12, 12, ... Although present, there is an engineer in the central control room 1 for centralized operation monitoring during normal operation, and each process control 12 is unattended.

Therefore, when maintenance of any one of the process units becomes necessary, an engineer other than the operation engineer goes to the place where the process control 12 corresponding to the process unit is installed, and a telephone or It is necessary to use the method of investigating the condition of the on-site instruments and on-site operation panel while communicating with the technician in the main control room 1 by wireless call. It is not possible to perform maintenance by only one maintenance person. There was a problem that required personnel.

In order to perform maintenance near the site, an auxiliary monitoring device 15 with a CRT as shown in the product management building 5 in FIG. 5 may be installed to carry out maintenance. C
The RT-equipped auxiliary monitoring device 15 is not always used, and since the cost increases, it can be installed only for a particularly important process unit even if it is installed. Similarly, there was a problem that it required multiple maintenance personnel.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems. A portable computer is carried to a location where a process unit requiring maintenance is installed, and a transmission cable is connected to a nearby process LAN tap. Process LAN taps, portable computers, and integrated controls that enable one maintenance person to perform the necessary work on any process unit that exists anywhere by connecting the same or installing a wireless transmission device. The purpose is to provide a system.

[0008]

According to the invention of claim 1, the process control LAN is installed on a process LAN.
A process LAN tap for distribution, which has a transmission control module for transmitting data to and from the process LAN, and a connector for connecting a transmission cable or a wireless transmission device to the transmission control module. Be prepared.

The portable computer according to the invention of claim 2 is
A maintenance program equivalent to or simplified with the function of the process operation monitoring device of the integrated control system is installed, and a data transmission function with the process LAN is provided.

The integrated control system according to the invention of claim 3 is the same as the connector of the process LAN tap according to claim 1,
The portable computer according to claim 2 is connected via a transmission cable, and online monitoring of data on the process LAN is performed by the portable computer.

According to this integrated control system, regardless of the process unit requiring maintenance, the maintenance staff holds the portable computer according to claim 2 and installs the process control for the process unit. By going to a place and connecting the portable computer to the process LAN tap according to claim 1 with a transmission cable, the data on the process LAN is taken into the portable computer, and necessary data from this portable computer is subject to maintenance. Can be sent to the process control, and only one maintenance person can perform necessary maintenance work.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the integrated control system according to the third aspect, instead of the transmission cable, a wireless transmission device is attached to a connector and a portable computer, and both wireless transmission devices are used to carry a portable type device. A computer is used for online monitoring of data on the process LAN.
This allows maintenance work to be performed online by connecting to and without having to worry about the transmission cable, and can be carried out while moving freely on site.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. An integrated control system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a plant operation monitoring device 1 in a central control room 1.
1 and the process control 12, 12, ... Installed in each of the various buildings 2-5 are the process LAN 1
3 is a system configuration in which it is connected to the No. 3 by the tap 14 in the mode shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the process operation monitoring device 11 incorporates a CRT display device 112 and a keyboard 113 for operation input in a housing 111, and signal input / output to / from the CRT display device 111 and the keyboard 113. This is a configuration in which a main control unit 114 that performs control, data processing, and communication control with the process LAN 13 is incorporated. The main control unit 114 is equipped with a software program required for process operation monitoring.

As shown in FIG. 2, the process control 12 is a main control unit 122 for controlling a process unit in the housing 121 and for transmitting data to and from the process LAN 13, and an I / O for controlling signal input / output. This is a configuration in which an / O control unit 123, a field instrument, and a terminal block unit 124 for connecting to a field device are incorporated.

The operation of this integrated control system will be described below with reference to an example. One of the field instruments,
The pressure signal from the pressure gauge 16 is sent to the terminal block unit 124 by 1
It is input as a voltage signal of ~ 5V, this voltage signal is converted by the I / O control unit 123 into a numerical value of 0-4000 counts, and further converted into an engineering value of 0.0-20.0 by the main control unit 122. , This digital data is process LAN1
3 via tap 14. Process LAN
The data sent to 13 is the process operation monitoring device 11
Is received in the CRT display device 112 and is displayed as process data 122b together with the process name 122a on the CRT display device 112, and the operator determines the operating state of the process by looking at this display.

If the operator judges that the pressure is too low, an operation command to close the valve 17 a little is issued to the keyboard 11.
Give from 3. As a result, a command to close the valve 17 is sent to the process LAN 13. And the main control unit 12 of the corresponding process control 12
If it is determined that the operation command is for itself, the operation command is received and the I / O control unit 1
23, a closing command is given to the valve 17 through the terminal block unit 124 to close the valve 17.

In such an integrated control system, the structure of a portable computer used for maintenance and a process LAN tap specially prepared for the portable computer will be described below. FIG. 3 shows a process LAN tap 14 and a portable computer 18 used by connecting to the process LAN tap 14, which are features of the present invention.

The process LAN tap 14 connects the LAN cables together with the process operation monitoring device 11.
LAN is distributed to the process control 12, and the process LAN 1 is a feature of the present invention.
3 converts the data signal on the 3 into a signal to be transmitted to the portable computer 18, and vice versa.
The transmission control module 141 for converting the signal from the signal into the data signal on the process LAN 13 side is built in, and the connector 142 for connecting the transmission cable 19 to the transmission control module 141 is externally attached. This connector 142 is usually a general-purpose R
The one for S232C or RS422 is used.

The portable computer 18 is equipped with a maintenance program and also has a data transmission function with the tap 14. This maintenance program is simpler than the operation monitoring program installed in the process operation monitoring device 11, and at the very least, the process flow display function, the names of process instruments, process equipment, and their instruments There is a function that displays the limit value, set value, process variable, etc. of the process amount measured by, the display function of the operating status of the process equipment, the function of changing the set value and the limit value of the process instrument, and the operation function of the process equipment. used.

If maintenance is required for one of the process controls 12, 12, ... Scattered at a plurality of places, the maintenance staff carries the portable computer 18 and the transmission cable 19 for maintenance. Go to the location where the required process control 12 is located and connect the transmission cable 1 to the connector 142 of the process LAN tap 14 to which the process control 12 is connected.
The portable computer 18 is connected to the process LAN 13 by connecting 9 and the maintenance program is started up. Then, process variables, limit values, set values, etc. measured by various process instruments connected to the process control 12 to be maintained are taken out from the process LAN 13 through the transmission cable 19 and displayed on the display screen of the portable computer 18, and set. Perform necessary operations from the keyboard, such as changing values and limit values, and operating / stopping the necessary process equipment.

In this way, in the process LAN tap, the portable computer and the integrated control system of this embodiment, when maintenance is required for any of various process controls scattered over a vast site. Take the portable computer 18 to the place where the process control is installed, and connect the portable computer 18 with the transmission cable 19 to the process LAN tap 14 to which the process control is connected, and execute the maintenance program. By starting up, one maintenance person can perform necessary maintenance work near the site.

The portable computer 18 is connected to the connector 142 of the process LAN tap 14 by the transmission cable 1.
Instead of connecting using 9 to perform data transmission, as shown in FIG. 4, a wireless transmission device 20a such as an infrared type or an optical type,
20b may be attached to the connector 142 and the portable computer 18, respectively, to enable wireless data transmission.

[0024]

According to the present invention as described above, claim 1
If the portable computer according to claim 2 is connected to the process LAN tap by using a transmission cable, no matter where the process control requiring maintenance exists, maintenance personnel will reach the place where the process control exists. Goes with a portable computer, connects the portable computer to the process LAN tap existing near the site using a transmission cable, and starts the maintenance program, so that at least one maintenance person can perform maintenance work. Therefore, maintenance personnel can be reduced.

Further, instead of the transmission cable, a process LAN
By attaching wireless transmission devices to the connector of the tap and the portable computer respectively, maintenance personnel can work freely in the field requiring maintenance without being restricted by the transmission cable.
Maintenance work becomes easier.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a process operation monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of process control in the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a process LAN tap and a portable computer according to the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example of the data transmission system between the process LAN tap and the portable computer in the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a system configuration diagram of a general integrated control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Process Operation Monitoring Device 12 Process Control 13 Process LAN 14 Process LAN Tap 141 Transmission Module 142 Connector 18 Portable Computer 19 Transmission Cable 20a, 20b Wireless Transmission Device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A process LAN tap installed on a process LAN for performing LAN distribution for process control, comprising a transmission control module for transmitting data to and from the process LAN, and the transmission control module. A process LAN comprising a connector for connecting a transmission cable or a wireless transmission device to the
For tap. 2. A portable computer equipped with a maintenance program that is equivalent to or simplified in function of the process operation monitoring device of the integrated control system, and has a data transmission function with a process LAN. 3. The process LAN tap connector according to claim 1, wherein the portable computer according to claim 2 is connected via a transmission cable, and the portable computer performs online monitoring of data on the process LAN. Integrated control system characterized by performing. 4. The integrated control system according to claim 3, wherein a wireless transmission device is attached to the connector and the portable computer instead of the transmission cable, and the portable computer is used by using both wireless transmission devices. An integrated control system characterized by performing online monitoring of data on the process LAN according to the above.