JP2013077134A - State display/instruction input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a state display/instruction input device for reducing time to be spent on input.SOLUTION: A programmable display unit 100 for accepting state display of an external device 102 and instruction input to the external device 102 includes: a display part 12 for displaying a plurality of GUI components corresponding to the instruction to the external device 102; an input part 11 for accepting a selecting operation to each of the plurality of GUI components displayed at the display part 12; a data storage part 22 for storing operation order information showing the order of the selecting operation to each of the GUI components; a centralized processing part 20 for, when the selecting operation is performed, detecting the GUI components to which the selecting operation should be performed next on the basis of the operation order information stored in the data storage part 22; and a display generation part 21 for making the display part 12 perform intensified display of the GUI components detected by the centralized processing part 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a status display / instruction input device that receives status display of an external device and an instruction input to the external device.

  Conventionally, as a method of reducing the input time in the operation of the status display / instruction input device such as a programmable display, there is a method of changing the display mode of the menu item according to the frequency of use, and the selection frequency is displayed on the screen dedicated to the user. The transition items to the high screen are displayed at the top several points (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  Another method to reduce the input time in the operation of the status display / instruction input device is to display previously selected items on a dedicated screen, so that multiple items can be selected on one screen. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

  Further, as a conventional method for improving the operability of software, the operation order is registered in advance, and GUI parts to be operated next are conspicuously displayed on the screen (for example, see Patent Document 3). .)

JP 2004-178363 A (paragraph 0022, FIG. 4) Japanese Patent No. 3521147 (paragraph 0033, FIG. 7) Japanese Patent No. 3633415 (paragraph 0033, FIGS. 5 and 6)

  In the conventional method for reducing the input time described above, items selected in the past are displayed in a list on the dedicated screen, so the order of operations is not clear. For this reason, there is a possibility that an operation order specification error occurs.

  In addition, there is a problem that the time required for the operation varies between users due to the difference in proficiency level.

  Furthermore, by displaying the dedicated screen, the area for displaying other information is reduced.

  Further, in the conventional method for improving the operability of software, it is necessary to sequentially describe a list for each operation in order to create one list for each operation. For this reason, the amount of work becomes enormous and it is difficult to verify the completeness.

  Also, it does not function when the GUI is changed due to the improvement of the function of the corresponding software, or when the user unintentionally sets it to the non-display setting.

  Furthermore, only the designer of the GUI control software can realize the function, and the user who actually uses it cannot be changed arbitrarily.

  Furthermore, in the conventional operation input method, in order to prompt the user to perform a series of operations, it is necessary to create another medium other than the screen, such as an operation manual, and a new design man-hour is generated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a state display / instruction input device capable of reducing the time required for input.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a status display / instruction input device that displays the status of an external device and receives an instruction input to the external device, and provides an instruction to the external device. A display unit that displays a plurality of GUI components corresponding to the input unit, an input unit that receives a selection operation for each of the plurality of GUI components displayed on the display unit, and operation order information that indicates the order of the selection operation for each of the GUI components. A data storage unit for storing, a general processing unit for detecting a GUI component to be selected next based on operation order information stored in the data storage unit when a selection operation is performed, and a general processing unit And a display generation unit that highlights the GUI component detected by the display unit on the display unit.

  According to the present invention, since it is possible to clearly guide the order of operations, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of selection errors.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a programmable display device as a first embodiment of a state display / instruction input device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the input guiding operation of the programmable display. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a display for guiding the next operation on the programmable display. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method of using the programmable display according to the second embodiment.

  Embodiments of a status display / instruction input device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a programmable display device as a first embodiment of a state display / instruction input device according to the present invention. The programmable display device 100 is a device that displays the status of the external device 102 and receives an instruction input to the external device 102. The programmable display device 100 includes an input unit 11, a display unit 12, an external device connection interface (I / F) 13, an overall processing unit 20, a display generation unit 21, and a data storage unit 22. The external device 102 is a control device such as a programmable logic controller (PLC), a microcomputer, or a personal computer.

  The display unit 12 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The input unit 11 is a touch panel installed on the display unit 12 so as to overlap. Here, a case where the input unit 11 is a touch panel is taken as an example, but a pointing device such as a mouse can be applied as the input unit 11. The external device connection I / F 13 is used for exchanging information (such as the rise and fall of bits and data (a list of numerical values)) that is the basis of the screen displayed on the display unit 12 by wired or wireless communication with the external device 102. Interface. The overall processing unit 20 controls the overall operation of the programmable display device 100. Further, a series of operations having a high occurrence frequency is determined based on a history of operations input in the past, and a GUI component to be input next in the operation order is detected. The display generation unit 21 generates screen data to be displayed on the display unit 12. The data storage unit 22 stores an operation history and an operation order determined in advance as operation order information. For example, if GUI parts A, B, and C have been input in this order in the past, information indicating the order of A → B → C is stored in the data storage unit 22 as operation order information. Even if the input operation in this order has not been performed in the past, the operation can be stored in the data storage unit 22 as the operation order information by the operation via the input unit 11.

  In the programmable display 100, the instruction input from the operator 101 is detected, and the function assigned to the input is executed. When the instruction input from the operator 101 corresponds to the operation order indicated by the operation order information stored in the data storage unit 22, the GUI component to be input next is searched, and the corresponding GUI is displayed in the display generation unit 21. Make the part blink.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the input guiding operation of the programmable display device 100. When the input guidance operation is started, the overall processing unit 20 monitors an input operation from the operator 101 via the input unit 11 (step S101). When there is no input operation (step S101 / No), monitoring of the input operation is continued (step S101). On the other hand, when there is an input operation (step S101 / Yes), the overall processing unit 20 executes a function assigned to the performed operation (step S102).

  After executing the function assigned to the operation, the overall processing unit 20 refers to the operation sequence information stored in the data storage unit 22, and the currently performed operation procedure corresponds to the operation sequence indicated by the operation sequence information. It is determined whether or not to perform (step S103). When it does not correspond to the operation order indicated by the operation order information (step S103 / No), the overall processing unit 20 ends the input guiding operation. When a plurality of operation order information is stored in the data storage unit 22, the overall processing unit 20 ends the input guidance operation when none of the operation orders indicated by the stored operation order information is applicable. You may do it. When it corresponds to the operation order indicated by the operation order information (step S103 / Yes), the overall processing unit 20 searches for a GUI component used in the next operation in the operation order information (step S104). Then, the overall processing unit 20 instructs the display generation unit 21 to change the frame color of the GUI component used in the next operation (step S105). The display generation unit 21 causes the display unit 12 to display a GUI component whose frame color has been changed (step S106). Thereafter, the process returns to step S101, and the input operation is monitored.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a display for guiding the next operation on the programmable display device 100. In FIG. 3, GUI parts 301, 303, and 304 other than the GUI part 302 used in the next operation are unframed, and only the GUI part 302 used in the next operation is displayed with a frame. Therefore, when an operation for selecting the GUI component 301 is performed, the frame 302 a of the GUI component 302 is displayed on the display unit 12.

  Note that the change in the frame color by the display generation unit 21 may be displayed by blinking the GUI component, or may be relatively highlighted by reducing the brightness of the other GUI component. Further, the GUI parts used for the next operation may be highlighted by combining them.

  According to the present embodiment, after the first input is detected, the GUI component to be input next (the GUI component that is frequently input next) is displayed to the user until the operation history or the selected operation order is deviated. On the other hand, since the display is changed so as to be noticeable, the input can be guided and the time required for the input can be reduced. In addition, since the input order can be easily identified, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of selection mistakes by the operator. Moreover, it is possible to shorten the time required for input regardless of the skill level of the operator. In addition, in order to highlight the GUI component to be input next on a general-purpose screen by a method such as blinking of the component, change in the frame color, or reducing the brightness of other GUI components to make the GUI component stand out relatively, The amount of information displayed on the screen does not decrease.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
The configuration of the programmable display as the second embodiment of the state display / instruction input device according to the present invention is the same as that of the programmable display 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, in the present embodiment, the external device connection I / F 13 has a function of exchanging files with the external device 102. The file received via the external device connection I / F 13 is stored in the data storage unit 22 by the overall processing unit 20.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method of using the programmable display device 100 according to the second embodiment. An operation sequence in which the computer 200 is operated using a pointing device such as a mouse, a pointer is clicked on the GUI component 301, and then the GUI component 301 is clicked with the pointer positioned on the GUI component 302. A file 400 is created. In the programmable display device 100 according to the second embodiment, an operation order file 400 that records the type and order of GUI parts selected by the simulation function of the screen creation software of the computer 200 is input, and the operation order file 400 is the operation order. Information is stored in the data storage unit 22 as information. The overall control unit 20 performs the same input guidance operation as that of the first embodiment based on the operation order file 400 stored in the data storage unit 22.

  According to the present embodiment, since the operation order can be easily determined, the work time required for creation can be shortened. In addition, a separate medium such as an operation manual is not required. Furthermore, it is possible to create functions for each operation scene.

  As described above, the state display / instruction input device according to the present invention is suitable for a programmable display or a display input terminal with many setting items and changes.

11 Input unit 12 Display unit 13 External device connection I / F
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 General processing part 21 Display production | generation part 22 Data storage part 100 Programmable display 101 Operator 102 External apparatus 200 Computer 301-304 GUI components 400 Operation order file

Claims (3)

A status display / instruction input device for receiving an external device status display and receiving an instruction input to the external device,
A display unit for displaying a plurality of GUI parts corresponding to instructions to the external device;
An input unit that receives a selection operation for each of the plurality of GUI parts displayed on the display unit;
A data storage unit for storing operation order information indicating the order of the selection operation for each of the GUI parts;
When the selection operation is performed, based on the operation order information stored in the data storage unit, an overall processing unit that detects the GUI component to be subjected to the selection operation next;
A display generation unit that highlights the GUI component detected by the overall processing unit on the display unit;
A state display / instruction input device characterized by comprising:   The status display / instruction input device according to claim 1, wherein the data storage unit stores a history of selection operations for each of the plurality of GUI components as the operation order information. Having an interface for communication with the computer,
The status display / instruction input device according to claim 1, wherein the operation order information is received from the computer via the interface.

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