Patents by Inventor Nobuaki Ema

Nobuaki Ema has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10922858
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes: an operation input device configured to designate a data range of an observed value; an analysis condition setting device configured to determine an analysis range or an analysis parameter of the observed value, corresponding to the number of samples included in the data range; a computation device configured to analyze a waveform or a trend of the observed value on the basis of the analysis range or analysis parameter; and a display screen generation device configured to cause a display device to display a waveform or a straight line as a computation result of the computation device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sho Fujita, Kimikazu Takahashi, Nobuaki Ema
  • Patent number: 10890886
    Abstract: An input-output apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a lower-level layer interface connected to a field device, a higher-layer interface connected to a controller, a maintenance interface connected to a setting apparatus, a switch, and a control device. The switch switches between a first connection and a second connection. The control device, in an engineering mode, permits the switch to transition freely between the first connection and the second connection, and in an operation mode, controls the switch to switch to the first connection and prohibits communication through the maintenance interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Hashiguchi, Kenji Torigoe, Nobuaki Ema, Naruaki Shimizu
  • Patent number: 10812359
    Abstract: A service providing device included in a process control system in a plant, the service providing device includes a communicator configured to perform communication via a network, a service provider configured to provides a service via the communicator by exclusively assigning first identification information to one of the service providing device and an alternative service providing device, the first identification information being common to the alternative service providing device which provides the service instead of the service providing device, and a heartbeat transmitter configured to transmit heartbeat information for notifying that the service is normal to the alternative service providing device via a relaying device by using second identification information which is different from the first identification information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Ohno, Nobuaki Ema
  • Publication number: 20200326693
    Abstract: To improve a working efficiency in a dynamic simulation of a plant, an apparatus, a method, a program and a simulation system are provided, the apparatus including a result acquiring unit configured to acquire a simulation result of a static model indicating a steady state of a plant, and an initial state generating unit configured to generate an initial value of a state parameter of a dynamic model that is a model calculating a dynamic state of the plant based on the simulation result. The initial state generating unit may generate an initial value of a state parameter of at least one device in the dynamic model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Inventors: Yuuri KIMURA, Tatenobu SEKI, Nobuaki EMA
  • Publication number: 20200326694
    Abstract: To manage a generation history of a dynamic model for performing a dynamic simulation of a plant to efficiently generate the dynamic model, an apparatus, a method, and a program are provided, the apparatus including a model acquiring unit configured to acquire a first dynamic model, a second dynamic model and a third dynamic model that are models calculating dynamic states of a plant, a first difference extracting unit configured to extract at least one first difference being at least one difference between the first dynamic model and the second dynamic model, and a second difference extracting unit configured to extract at least one second difference being at least one difference between the first dynamic model and the third dynamic model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Inventors: Yuuri KIMURA, Tatenobu SEKI, Nobuaki EMA
  • Patent number: 10788820
    Abstract: A plant state displaying apparatus displaying information representing a state of a plant includes a generator that: acquires plant information from at least one of devices, apparatuses, and facilities installed in the plant; calculates a state value representing the state of the plant using the plant information; and generates a plant state diagram in which at least one of a color and a density of at least one of devices, apparatuses, and facilities from which the plant information is acquired is changed according to magnitude of the state value; and a display that displays the plant state diagram generated by the generator as the information representing the state of the plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatenobu Seki, Mitsuhiro Yamamoto, Yoshihisa Hidaka, Nobuaki Ema
  • Publication number: 20200257277
    Abstract: To easily generate a dynamic model for performing a dynamic simulation of a plant, an apparatus, a method and a program are provided, the apparatus including a static model acquiring unit configured to acquire a static model indicating a steady state of the plant, a piping and instrumentation diagram data acquiring unit configured to acquire piping and instrumentation diagram data of the plant, and a matching unit configured to match a device included in the static model with a device included in the piping and instrumentation diagram data to identify a device-to-device correspondence relation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Yuuri KIMURA, Tatenobu SEKI, Nobuaki EMA
  • Publication number: 20200201285
    Abstract: An engineering support system that supports engineering of a process control system, includes: a storage; and a processor connected to the storage and that: transforms design drawings into semantic models and outputs the semantic models to the storage; and generates a combined semantic model by combining the semantic models based on a degree of similarity among the semantic models and outputs the combined semantic model to the storage, wherein each of the semantic models is expressed by first information indicating elements included in the design drawings and second information indicating a relationship between the elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Isao Hirooka, Tatenobu Seki, Takahiro Kambe, Yuta Machida, Yuri Kimura, Masato Annen, Nobuaki Ema
  • Patent number: 10585423
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes an acquisition circuit that acquires time-series data comprising a plurality of values observed in a plurality of channels at a plurality of points in time; a change trend calculation circuit that calculates a change trend of the observed values at each of the points in time on a channel-by-channel basis; a memory that stores a plurality of judgment tables each indicating a change trend of previous values at each of the points in time within a predetermined time period up to the current point in time; a comparison circuit that compares change trend data comprising a set of change trends of the observed values for each of the channels within the predetermined time period with the judgment tables; and a notification output circuit that outputs a notification related to a temporal change in the observed values on the basis of a result of the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sho Fujita, Kimikazu Takahashi, Nobuaki Ema
  • Publication number: 20200019902
    Abstract: An engineering assistant system 1 includes: an engineering server 10 that issues a work list including information related to work necessary for performing the engineering of a process control system 100; and an at least one engineering client 20 that grants work authority for each worker based on the work list issued by the engineering server 10 and makes it possible to perform work on a constituent apparatus that constitutes the process control system 100 within a range of granted work authority.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Publication date: January 16, 2020
    Inventors: Hiroshi MORI, Nobuaki EMA
  • Patent number: 10534352
    Abstract: A processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a provider configured to provide a process to a first device connected to a network of a process control system in a plant, an acquirer configured to acquire a live list generated by the first device based on diagnostic communication packets transmitted from the first device at predetermined time intervals, the live list comprising information indicating whether communication between the first device and another processing device that provides a process to the first device is norma, the processing device and the another processing device constituting a redundant pair 1, and a switch configured to switch a state of the provider from a standby state in which the provider is on standby to provide the process to the first device to an active state in which the provider provides the process to the first device based on the acquired live list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Ohno, Nobuaki Ema
  • Patent number: 10520934
    Abstract: A plant performance evaluation apparatus includes a first storage storing a first static model indicating a model of a first steady state in a plant, a second storage storing a first dynamic model indicating a model of a dynamic state of the plant, a model converter configured to convert the first dynamic model to a second static model indicating a model of a second steady state of the plant, and to store the second static model into the first storage, the first steady state indicating a steady state of the plant temporally before the second steady state, a comparator configured to compare parameters included in the first static model with parameters included in the second static model and to output a comparison result, and a display configured to display the comparison result output from the comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tatenobu Seki, Mitsuhiro Yamamoto, Yoshihisa Hidaka, Nobuaki Ema
  • Publication number: 20190384240
    Abstract: An evaluation apparatus includes a storage unit that stores a model modeling a state of a facility provided in a plant, a simulator that adjusts a parameter that is set in the model so that a difference between an actual measurement value based on a process value of the facility in a first state and a first simulate value calculated by using the model is equal to or less than a threshold, and an estimation unit that estimates a first estimated operating point that indicates an operation state of the facility in the first state based on the adjusted parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Inventors: Tatenobu SEKI, Nobuaki EMA, Yoshihisa HIDAKA
  • Patent number: 10429828
    Abstract: A plant simulation device includes a first storage that stores a model that models a state of a facility in a plant, a first parameter that is fixed at a start operation of the plant, and a second parameter that is varied during an operation of the plant, the first parameter and the second parameter being set in the model, and a simulator that compares a process value of the facility with a simulated value calculated using the model and that adjusts the first parameter and the second parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatenobu Seki, Mitsuhiro Yamamoto, Yoshihisa Hidaka, Nobuaki Ema
  • Patent number: 10394736
    Abstract: Provided is an I/O module including: a first interface including connectors each of which is connected to a field device; a second interface connected to a controller that controls the field device; a third interface connected to an external setting device that outputs a setting instruction; and a setting adjustor configured to set tag information, which identifies each of the connectors, to each of the connectors based on the setting instruction input from the setting device via the third interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mori, Nobuaki Ema
  • Patent number: 10339018
    Abstract: A redundancy device which is configured to communicate with a redundancy opposite device and perform a redundancy execution, the redundancy device includes receivers configured to receive individually HB signals transmitted from the redundancy opposite device, a calculator configured to calculate a number of normal communication paths among communication paths of the HB signals based on a reception result of the receivers, a comparator configured to compare a calculation result of the calculator with a predetermined threshold value, and a changer configured to change the redundancy device from a standby state to an operating state, or change the redundancy device from the standby state to a not-standby state in which the redundancy execution is released, based on the calculation result of the calculator and a comparison result of the comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Ohno, Nobuaki Ema
  • Publication number: 20190121309
    Abstract: An input-output apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a lower-level layer interface connected to a field device, a higher-layer interface connected to a controller, a maintenance interface connected to a setting apparatus, a switch, and a control device. The switch switches between a first connection and a second connection. The control device, in an engineering mode, permits the switch to transition freely between the first connection and the second connection, and in an operation mode, controls the switch to switch to the first connection and prohibits communication through the maintenance interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Applicant: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro HASHIGUCHI, Kenji Torigoe, Nobuaki Ema, Naruaki Shimizu
  • Patent number: 10248606
    Abstract: An I/O module includes a base plate, a plurality of universal circuits, and an option module. The base plate includes a plurality of connection terminals. A plurality of field devices is electrically connectable to the connection terminals. The universal circuits correspond to the connection terminals. The universal circuits are provided on the base plate, and configured to perform an input of analog signals from the field device, an output of analog signals to the field device, an input of discrete signals from the field device, and an output of discrete signals to the field device. The option module is detachably provided in the base plate. The option module is provided between a first connection terminal of the connection terminals and a first universal circuit of the universal circuits. The option module includes a first circuit configured to performing transmitting and receiving of signals between the first connection terminal and the first universal circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazunori Tanimura, Ikutomo Watanabe, Mamoru Tamba, Nobuaki Ema, Takaaki Matsuda
  • Publication number: 20190066019
    Abstract: An engineering support system that supports engineering of a process control system, the engineering support system includes: a server device that creates a work list including work order information that specifies a work order of work included in the process control system; and at least one client device that gives work authority to each worker based on the work list issued by the server device and that enables work on devices included in the process control system within a scope of given work authority to be implemented in the work order.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Applicant: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mori, Nobuaki Ema
  • Patent number: 10209694
    Abstract: An input-output apparatus which is used in a process control system is provided. The input-output apparatus includes a first interface to which a lower-level apparatus is connected; a second interface to which a higher-level apparatus is connected; a third interface to which an external setting apparatus is connected; a switcher which switches between a connection of the second interface to the first interface and a connection of the third interface to the first interface; and a control device which, when in a first state in which the second interface is connected to the first interface by the switcher and the connection of the third interface to the first interface is permitted, controls the switcher to cause transitioning to a second state in which the third interface and the first interface are connected when a connection request to the first interface is input through the third interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Hashiguchi, Kenji Torigoe, Nobuaki Ema, Naruaki Shimizu