Operator aids: automation and supervision

摘要

The rationale for automation is to achieve an optimum solution for a manufacturing process. It is implicitly assumed that the elementary functions are correctly implemented, and it is therefore reasonable to set up a surveillance level to assess the process state at all times and thus to improve process availability and maintainability. Model-based surveillance is now a classic solution, but early fault detection is still an innovative concept in the control room. Plant status diagnostics cannot be separated from process control: the supervisory system aid must benefit the operator, assess the process and take control actions into account. A multiple viewpoint model of the control situation allows behavior models to be selected for diagnostic purposes and, more generally, constitutes an effective decision-making aid. Finally, the issue of operator aids is situated in the broader context of control of complex situations.