JPH03228104A - Man-machine interface - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a man-machine interface for a computer system for plant control, etc., and in particular, the present invention relates to a man-machine interface for a computer system for plant control, etc. The present invention relates to a man-machine interface suitable for providing operators with a suitable display format in an appropriate order and timing.

[Conventional technology] Regarding the conventional plant man-machine interface,
Various methods are known for presenting information that is easy to understand to operators. For example, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 61-233810, there is a method of recognizing keywords such as equipment names from the voice uttered by an operator and controlling diagnosis and display accordingly. Also, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-182143.

Measures the operator's brain waves to determine the operator's alertness level,
There is also a method of selecting the information to be provided accordingly. Furthermore, as shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 62-28949, there is also a method of evaluating the operator's gaze point and editing the display contents accordingly.

[The aI problem that the invention aims to solve In the command-machine interface, it is important to present accurate information to the target human being in an easy-to-understand manner with sufficient precision. Accurate information is the content that must necessarily be shown to humans depending on the state of the target system (machine), and this means that when there is information to be shown to a person, it is shown in a form that is easy for humans to understand. This is something that should be evaluated separately. To show it to humans (operators) in an easy-to-understand manner,
It is best to present the system in a form that is as close as possible to the image that the operator has in his/her head (called a mental model).

By the way, the method of the prior art is an attempt to realize an easy-to-understand presentation by selecting the given information according to the operator's request or the situation, and is somewhat effective. For example, in the first conventional technology using voice recognition, the system, equipment, etc. It only presents the configuration and data of related systems, equipment, etc. based on keywords. Furthermore, in the conventional technology of pre-memorization 2 for measuring brain waves, necessary information is only selected according to the driver's alertness level.

Further, in the third conventional technique using a gaze point, important information is displayed concentrated at the gaze point. In this way, the conventional method can be said to be a method of selecting information to be shown based on various types of information regarding the operator.

An object of the present invention is to edit information in accordance with the operator's mental model and to present accurate information to the operator in an appropriate display format.

[Means for solving 51 problems] The above purpose is to evaluate the mental model that the operator has for the target system and store it in advance in the storage means of the man-machine interface, and the man-machine interface This is achieved by using a mental model to estimate the plant status and decide on corresponding operations, and by presenting the results in a format that matches the mental model.

[For production]

In order to present accurate information to operators in an appropriate display format,
The essential solution is to adopt a form of presentation of information that matches the mental model that the operator has for the system in question.

According to the knowledge of cognitive science, when humans understand and manipulate a target system, they are thought to have their own image of the target system.

Such images are called mental models. In other words, if the target system and mental model match, it means that the target is completely understood.In order to realize an easy-to-understand man-machine interface, it is necessary to be able to see the structure and movement of the system so that it is easy to create a mental model. It is important to show this. Furthermore, it is more effective to estimate the mental model that a person has and to present the situation at that time in a form that matches that mental model.

In order to put such mental models into practice, various ideas called qualitative reasoning have been proposed in the field of artificial intelligence.

A mental model for plant operators can also be realized by applying these techniques.

In reality, it is necessary to perform simulation experiments to extract the mental model of the operator, or to refine the model through questionnaires and interviews.

In the present invention, a mental model created through the techniques and experiments described above is stored in advance in a storage means, and the stored mental model is used to understand the state of the plant according to the actual plant situation. and decide on countermeasures. At the time of presentation, this mental model is directly displayed, and the plant status and countermeasures are expressed on it. 0 As mentioned above, in the present invention, since the mental model is used for display, information can be presented in an easy-to-understand manner. can be realized.

In implementing the present invention, the screen to be displayed is such that the operator can manually select the information regarding which part of the plant he/she wishes to view using a keyboard, etc.
When an abnormality occurs in the plant, information about the abnormality is displayed. However, even in that case, the display of the part selected by the operator takes priority. In any case, the display method is made in accordance with the operator's mental model.

[Example] An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a man-machine interface based on this embodiment. The process amount of the plant 1 is taken into the data collection section 2, and the data processing section 3 selects necessary information. In the plant condition evaluation section 4, the data processing section 3
analyze the information and understand the status of the plant. A mental model corresponding to the state is retrieved from the storage device 5.

Based on the plant state and mental model, the corresponding operation determination unit 6 determines the corresponding operation.The display content selection unit 7 selects all or part of the three types of plant state, mental model, and corresponding operation to the state. Select accordingly. The output editing section 8 edits the three types of information mentioned above, centering on the mental model, and presents it on both display surfaces of the control panel 9.

FIG. 2 shows the flow of control processing from the grasped plant state to the display.

In FIG. 2, each process indicated by a numerical symbol with Roman letters a, b, and c is a process performed in each section indicated by a corresponding numerical symbol in FIG. , classify the information content (7a) and display it according to the classification, that is, determine the noteworthy display content according to the plant status (7b), or display the display content in response to a request from the keyboard (7b). Make a decision (7c). Next, select a mental model according to the plant condition5.
a), then decide on a corresponding operation based on the mental model 6a), and present it together with the mental model (7d)
.

An example of a mental model will be explained here. FIG. 3 shows the information processing process (cognitive process) that takes place inside the human brain. This diagram was proposed by Rasmussen of the Rl5O Research Institute in Denmark. In other words, after one person detects the need for processing,
Actual operation is performed after each processing step, and moving immediately from detection to operation is a so-called reflex action based on habituation. On the other hand, actions that follow the outermost arrows in the diagram to reach an operation are actions based on knowledge. If humans understand the intermediate process to some extent, short circuits are performed based on rules, as shown by the arrows inside the figure.

The information processing of the cognitive process shown in FIG. 3 is thought to use mental models stored in the brain's long-term memory, an example of which is shown in FIG. 4. This figure is a model of how humans understand the mechanism of heat exchange between the primary cooling system and the secondary cooling system (water supply system) of a pressurized wooden nuclear reactor, created by Underwood of Georgia University in the US. This is what I did. In this case, a so-called labeled directed graph is used, which is expressed by events indicated by circles and correlations indicated by labeled directed lines. Operators have a variety of such mental models, draw out mental models of the objects required in each process of information processing, and make inferences by focusing their attention on the parts needed in the processing process. ing.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a man-machine interface according to another embodiment. This embodiment selects only the necessary parts of the operator's mental model according to the information processing process. This is an example of a configuration in which functions are added to the embodiment of FIG. 1. The mental model hierarchy selection unit 10 selects a target mental model required in the state of the plant from the storage device 5 in which mental models are stored, and selects a mental model required in the process of information processing at that time from among them. Select parts of the mental model. Using this mental model, the corresponding operation determining unit 6 proceeds with reasoning and determines the corresponding operation. The flow of processing in this embodiment will be explained using FIG. 6. In Figure 6, Roman letters a, b, c
Each process indicated by a numerical symbol with an asterisk, etc. is a process performed in each section indicated by a corresponding numerical symbol in FIG. In Figure 6, processing 1 for selecting the mental model process
Starting from 0b, a new processing method is used compared to the case shown in FIG. Here, we will diagnose the cognitive process shown in Figure 3.
Item #A Settings - Procedure determination.

(1) When the mental model 10c used for diagnosis is selected, after inference using it (6b), the display content determined in process 7b, the mental model 1 selected in process 10b
0c and the diagnostic results obtained in the inference 6b are displayed (7d).

(2) If the mental model 10d used for goal setting is selected, the display content determined in 7b in the same manner as in (1),
The selected mental model 10d and the goal obtained by the inference 6c are displayed (7e).

(3) When the mental model 10e used for determining the procedure is selected, the display contents determined in 7b, the selected mental model 10e, and the procedure obtained by the inference 6d are displayed (7f).

The operator sequentially performs processing through a recognition process as shown in FIG. 3, depending on the plant situation.

Figure 4 shows an example of a mental model.

In fact, it is thought that people have various mental models depending on each situation.1 For example, in cognitive processes such as diagnosis and planning, some people process logically, others graphically. Sometimes there are. In addition, there are times when they are analyzing things and times when they are synthesizing, and they use different mental models.Furthermore, operators range from newbies to experts, and their skill levels vary. Naturally, mental models differ depending on the technical level. Also, newcomers have a smaller range of mental models to consider each time.

Figure 7 shows an example of a mental model used in accordance with the cognitive process. In the figure, "frame" is the memory of the explanation collection, "
Sufrib hJ is a falcon's memory of various procedures for realizing a plan, and ``production rules'' are a collection of rules.

As shown in the figure, each process in the cognitive process has a mental model.

When each process is performed and the process is completed, a bypass based on a so-called rule occurs.

In addition, each process may have a simple mental model and a more detailed mental model to be used if that doesn't work.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a man-machine interface in another embodiment of the invention.

This embodiment shows a configuration example in which a hierarchical mental model suitable for each cognitive process as shown in FIG. 7 is provided. The mental model storage device 5 has two types: a storage device 51 for an ideal mental model that should exist, and a storage device 52 for a mental model unique to each operator. 12 to select an appropriate mental model. The plant condition evaluation section 4 evaluates the plant condition using the plant data from the data processing section 3 and the mental model from the mental model selection section 12, and the operation margin evaluation section 11 calculates the operation margin from the plant condition. do. Furthermore, the mental model hierarchy selection unit 10 extracts the characteristics of the operator from the database 13 that stores operator data.

The level of the mental model is determined from this and the operation margin time obtained previously. Next, select a mental model of the cognitive process that corresponds to the situation within that bell. Since the mental model selected here is the optimal one in all respects of the relevant operator, operational margin time, and cognitive process, the corresponding operation determining unit 6 can determine the operation using this mental model.

FIG. 9 shows the processing procedure performed in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 above. In Figure 9, the Roman letter a.

Each process indicated by a numerical symbol with b, c, etc. is a process performed in each section indicated by a corresponding numerical symbol in FIG. As shown in Fig. 9, select a mental model of the system according to the plant state (1oa).

Calculate the operation margin time 11a, then extract the characteristics of the operator from the operator database 13 (13a), and select the cognitive process level from these two pieces of information (10b) L
, selects the required process (10c). Inference 6e is made according to the situation using the selected mental model, and the display content determined in 7b, the operation margin determined in lla, the mental model finally selected in 10c, and the inference result in 6e are collected in i. This section explains the level of mental models and the procedure for determining them. As explained in Figure 3, there are many bypasses in the cognitive process, so the paths differ depending on each situation. However, as shown in Figure 7, they can be broadly divided into knowledge-level processing, which involves the most complex processing steps, familiarity-level processing, which is the simplest and can be completed immediately, and the rule-level processing, which is in between. There is processing. This level of control is more practical both technically and from the operator's level of understanding. From this perspective, the factors that determine the level of mental models will be explained using FIG. 10.

Factors include plant conditions (machine side) and operator characteristics (
In the plant situation, there is room for maneuver that ultimately affects the operations of the operators.

The operational margin is quantitatively determined by the operational margin time and the ease of understanding accidents. On the other hand, the key characteristics of operators include their technical level, experience of the relevant event, and response time (slow and slow).
There is a sharp type, etc.). The level of mental model is determined by dividing each of these factors into three levels. '5 for Aa
A mental model is determined by a comprehensive evaluation of these five factors. To achieve this, for example, it is possible to assign points to each item and determine the level based on the total score.

By appropriately selecting a mental model that matches the operator's cognitive process, it is possible to prevent obsolete data from remaining displayed and to make it possible to display the data in an easy-to-understand manner.

The operating time varies greatly depending on the elapsed time of the accident. For this reason, by sequentially evaluating operational margin time and selecting an appropriate mental model based on the results, a simple low-level mental model can be presented immediately after an accident, and a detailed high-level mental model can be presented when there is sufficient margin. It is possible to realize a flexible interface such as presentation.

In FIG. 8, it is possible to use an ideal mental model 51 to present the best method according to the plant status, or to use a mental model 52 that corresponds to the characteristics of the operator to suggest the best method for the operator. It is also possible to present a method. For experienced operators, the best method is presented, for new operators, a method based on a mental model that matches the operator's skill level is presented, and for intermediate operators, both are presented and the operator is allowed to choose. .

Hereinafter, display examples according to embodiments of the present invention will be explained using a nuclear power plant as an example.

Figure 11 shows an example of a display when performing graphical processing in diagnosis. In this figure, a display similar to the system configuration and a display similar to the shape of a meter are used to match the operator's mental model. has been realized.

FIG. 12 shows a graphical display to support diagnosis. In other words, by plotting the two parameters necessary to determine whether or not it is necessary to cool the pool water in the event of an accident on the vertical and horizontal axes, and showing the current parameters and safety limits, the current situation and countermeasures can be summarized. It becomes clear. This kind of display is a form of processing that is always performed on a desk, so it has a strong correlation with the mental model.

FIG. 13 shows a case where the eye JfA setting (determination of the corresponding operation) is performed by graphical processing. This is a trend graph showing the results of simulating reactor water level behavior when various measures are taken using a plant simulator.

In FIG. 14, reactor water level behavior is displayed using a mental model based on qualitative reasoning so as to match the mental model during logical processing.

Figure 15 shows an example of a display to support one-graphical processing when determining a corresponding operation in the same way as Figure 13, but in this case, actual measured values and values predicted by the model are also shown. In addition, the predicted value area is the opposite of the actual value on the screen. This allows for a clear separation between the current situation and the forecast.
It becomes easier to create and modify mental models for operators.

FIG. 16 is an example of a display to assist in determining the operating procedure. This diagram is written just before detailed procedure manuals to clarify the overall flow, and is often used by operators when studying and training procedures. Therefore, since it is thought that the operator forms a mental model in this manner, it is considered that displaying in this manner is the best.

When displaying on a large screen, the display content selected from the mental model is moved at an appropriate speed from the periphery to the center of the large screen.

An effective display method that appeals to motor vision and calls the driver's attention can be considered.

Note that although the present invention has been described with reference to a man-machine interface and display method for a computer system for plant control, it can also be applied to various educational systems and training systems.6For example, the ideal system shown in FIG. Due to the difference between the mental model and the mental model of the corresponding operator,
It is possible to take measures such as pointing out in advance diagnoses, plans, operations, etc. that are prone to errors by operators. Furthermore, since education and training plans are created by narrowing down the differences between the ideal and the actual, having these two types of mental models is effective in realizing the education and training system. This is a great feature.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, the mental model that humans have regarding the target system is memorized and necessary information is presented to the operator in a form that matches that model, so that the operator can It is possible to realize a man-machine interface that presents easy-to-understand information that matches the plant characteristics and plant conditions. This results in
This has the effect of enabling operators to respond quickly and accurately.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a flowchart of its display method, Figure 3 is an image diagram of the learning process, Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a mental model, and Figure 5 is a diagram showing other examples. A block diagram of one embodiment of this, FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the display method,
Figure 7 is an image diagram of a hierarchical mental model, Figure 8 is a block diagram of another embodiment, Figure 9 is a flowchart of its display method, Figure 10 is a judgment diagram for determining the level of the mental model, and Figure 11 is a diagram of a hierarchical mental model. Figures 1 to 16 are examples of display screens according to the present invention. 1... Plans 1 to 4. Plant condition evaluation section 5.
...Mental model 6...Corresponding operation determining section 7...
Display content selection section 9...Control panel lO...Mental model hierarchy selection section 11...Operating margin evaluation section 13...Operator database Fig. 6 Fig. 10 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 figure

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Evaluating the plant state from a first storage means that stores a mental model that an operator has regarding an operation target, and from plant data and the mental model stored in the first storage means. a first calculation means that determines a corresponding operation for an operator based on the mental model stored in the first storage means and the plant state determined by the first calculation means; A man-machine interface comprising: an output means for displaying information on the plant status and the corresponding operation in a form that displays information about the plant status and the corresponding operation. 2. As the mental model that the operator has for the operation object, there is a first memory means that stores a hierarchical mental model according to the operator's cognitive process, and a second memory means that stores the characteristics of the operator. storage means; a first calculation means for evaluating a plant state from plant data and a mental model stored in the first storage means; and a mental model stored in the first storage means and the first calculation means. a third computing means for evaluating the operator's operating margin based on the plant state, and a third computing means for evaluating the operator's operating margin based on the plant state; a fourth calculation means for selecting a hierarchy of the mental model stored in the storage means, a second calculation means for determining a corresponding operation of the operator from the mental model of the hierarchy, and based on the mental model of the hierarchy, A man-machine interface comprising: output means for displaying information on the plant status and corresponding operations in a form that matches the mental model. 3. The man-machine interface according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an ideal mental model of the operator is stored as the mental model stored in the first storage means. . 4. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first storage means stores different mental models depending on the characteristics of the operator. Man-machine interface. 5. Claim 2, characterized in that mental models of different hierarchies stored in the first storage means are selected depending on when an urgent operation is required and when an operation with ample time is required. man-machine interface. 6. The man-machine interface according to claim 1 or 2, which determines the display content of obsolescence based on the mental model and erases it. 7. Claim No. 7 characterized in that the display form of correct operation is modified according to the difference between the mental model according to the characteristics of the operator stored in the first storage means and the ideal mental model. The man-machine interface according to item 3 or 4. 8 Claims characterized in that the operator's error-prone operations are presented in accordance with the difference between the mental model according to the characteristics of the operator stored in the first storage means and the ideal mental model. The man-machine interface according to item 3 or 4. 9. The man-machine interface according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display content displayed on the output means moves from the periphery to the center of the screen. 10 Among the display contents displayed on the output means, the display range of the results predicted from the mental model regarding the plant state by the first calculation means is characterized by reversing the yin and yang of the screen from the display range of the progress data. A human machine interface according to claim 1 or 2.