JP2007093960A - Screen creation device, screen creation program, recording medium which records the program, programmable display unit, control program and recording medium which records the program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily display a screen saver screen on a programmable display unit. <P>SOLUTION: A screen saver screen management part 73b provides a created screen with attributes as the screen saver screen, sets display conditions such as time for shifting from a normal screen to the screen saver screen and sets a switch of the whole screen to detect a touch operation on the normal screen. Also, an HMI processing part 21 of the programmable display unit 2 operates a timer function when it is recognized that there is the touch operation by a function for monitoring presence/absence of the touch operation to the normal operation and makes a screen saver screen display function display the screen saver screen when there is no further touch operation within prescribed time. In addition, the display conditions of the screen saver screen are changed even at an online state by providing the HMI processing part 21 with a function for setting the display conditions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a screen creation device that creates a screen saver screen to be displayed on a programmable display, and a programmable display that displays the screen saver screen.

  Conventionally, for example, a programmable display is widely used as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a control system. The programmable display communicates with a programmable logic controller (PLC) that controls the device to display / control the state of the device. The operation for displaying the device state on the screen and the operation for controlling the device state in accordance with the operation are displayed on a previously created screen. Such a screen is created by a computer in which screen creation software (drawing software) is installed and downloaded to a programmable display.

  The programmable display device includes a touch panel that enables input on a display as an input device so that it can operate normally even in a poor environment. Based on the display of the programmable display, the operator grasps the state of the device to be controlled and operates the touch panel to input a control instruction to the device to the programmable display.

  Since the programmable display is normally used as a control panel in a mechanical device, it is configured to be thin. Therefore, a flat display such as an LCD is used as a display device for the programmable display.

  A general personal computer uses a similar display, and the display is becoming thinner. Such a personal computer has a function of displaying a screen saver screen when there is no operation of a keyboard or a mouse for a time set for preventing burn-in of the display or extending the life of the LCD backlight (for example, Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, the programmable display displays the screen saver screen by stopping the power supply to the LCD backlight and the display itself when the touch operation is not performed for the set time, and blacking out the display. It is replaced with.
JP 2000-163034 A (released on June 16, 2000)

  As described above, since the programmable display device does not have a function of displaying a screen saver screen, there is a sense of incongruity for a user who is used to using a personal computer. In addition, since the display suddenly blacked out, it was sometimes indistinguishable from a failure.

  In addition, the user can create a program and incorporate it into the programmable display to display the screen saver screen on the programmable display, but the user must develop a program for displaying the screen saver screen. In addition, if you try to change the display condition of the screen saver screen, you must change the program settings, so you must cut off the communication from the online state where the programmable display and the external device such as PLC are communicating and go to the offline state. I must. For this reason, there is an inconvenience that the operation of the system is stopped.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to easily display a screen saver screen on a programmable display.

  A screen creation device according to the present invention is a screen creation device that creates a screen displayed on a programmable display that accepts a touch operation on a display surface. In order to solve the above-described problem, the screen creation device is a screen saver screen. Attribute assigning means for providing an attribute, and transition time setting means for setting a display transition time required for transition of display from a normal screen to the screen saver screen in the programmable display device.

  In the above configuration, the attribute assigning unit gives the screen to be created an attribute as a screen saver screen, so that it can be handled separately from a normal screen on the programmable display. Moreover, since the display transition time is set for the screen saver screen by the transition time setting means, the programmable display device manages the transition of the display from the normal screen to the screen saver screen based on the display transition time. Can do. As described above, since the screen saver screen is created by the screen creation device, the screen saver screen can be displayed by providing an environment in which the screen saver screen can be created in the programmable display.

  The screen creation device preferably includes an operation speed setting means for setting an operation speed of an object that is dynamically displayed on the screen saver screen. Thereby, the screen saver screen can be displayed so that the object moves at a desired movement speed.

  The screen creation device designates whether or not to display the screen saver screen on the programmable display device, and when it is designated to display, the switch for resetting the time of the display transition time by a touch operation is provided. It is preferable to provide display permission / non-permission specifying means for setting the entire area of a normal screen displayed on the programmable display. Thereby, it is possible to determine whether or not the created screen saver screen can be displayed according to the situation. Moreover, since the switch is set on the entire surface of the normal screen displayed on the programmable display by the display enable / disable setting means, when these screens are displayed on the programmable display, the operator touches the screen. Then, the time of display transition time is reset by the touch operation, and the time measurement is restarted. Further, since the switch is set on a normal screen, the user can omit the work of setting such a switch on each screen.

  The screen creation program of the present invention is a program for operating any one of the screen creation devices, and causes a computer to function as each means. The screen creation program is provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Thereby, the display of the screen saver screen on the programmable display can be facilitated.

  The programmable display device of the present invention is a programmable display device that displays a screen created by the screen creation device, and determines whether or not a touch operation on the display surface has not occurred during the display transition time. An operation determination unit; and a display control unit that switches the screen display to the screen saver screen when it is determined by the touch operation determination unit that the touch operation on the display surface has not occurred during the display transition time. It is characterized by that.

  In the above configuration, when the touch operation determining unit determines that the touch operation has not occurred during the display transition time, the display control unit switches the screen display from the normal screen to the screen saver screen. Thus, an environment for displaying the screen saver screen created by the screen creation device is provided, so that the screen saver screen can be easily displayed.

  Further, another programmable display device according to the present invention is a programmable display device that displays a screen created by a screen creation device provided with the display enable / disable specifying unit, and the touch operation on the display surface is the display transition. Touch operation determining means for determining whether or not the time has not elapsed, and when the touch operation determining means determines that the touch operation on the display surface has not occurred during the display transition time, the screen display is Display control means for switching to a screen saver screen, and display condition setting means for setting display conditions for the screen saver screen including the display transition time, the operation speed, and the display availability are provided.

  In the above configuration, the screen saver screen can be easily displayed by the touch operation determination unit and the display control unit, as in the previous programmable display. Furthermore, since the display conditions of the screen saver screen are set by the display condition setting means, even if the screen saver screen is displayed on the programmable display device under the display conditions set by the screen creation device, the display is not displayed in the desired display state. Furthermore, the display conditions can be changed with a programmable display. Thereby, the operation | work which transfers the screen saver screen which reset the display conditions with the screen creation apparatus to a programmable display is unnecessary.

  The control program of the present invention is a control program for operating the programmable display device, and causes a computer to function as each means. The control program is provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Thereby, the display of the screen saver screen on the programmable display can be facilitated.

  The screen creation device according to the present invention sets attribute transition means for giving an attribute as a screen saver screen to a screen to be created, and a display transition time required for transition of display from a normal screen to the screen saver screen in the programmable display device Transition time setting means. Thus, since the screen saver screen is created by the screen creation device, the screen saver screen can be displayed by providing an environment in which the created screen saver screen can be created in the programmable display.

  In order to provide the above environment, the programmable display according to the present invention includes a touch operation determination unit that determines whether or not a touch operation on the display surface has occurred during the display transition time, and the touch operation determination. Display control means for switching the screen display to the screen saver screen when it is determined by the means that the touch operation on the display surface has not occurred during the display transition time. The programmable display further includes a display condition setting means for setting a display condition of the screen saver screen including the display transition time, the operation speed, and the display availability, and the screen saver in which the display condition is reset by the screen creation device. There is no need to transfer the screen to a programmable display. Therefore, the display condition can be changed efficiently.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control system 1 according to this embodiment includes a programmable display 2, a PLC 3, a device 4, and a serial cable 5.

  The programmable display 2 is connected to a personal computer 7 via a screen transfer cable 6. The screen transfer cable 6 is a cable for transferring screen data created by the personal computer 7 to the programmable display device 2 as will be described later, and a USB cable or the like is used. The personal computer 7 has screen design software installed and is connected to the programmable display 2 via the screen transfer cable 6 when transferring screen data created as described later. 2 and PLC 3 are disconnected from the programmable display device 2 during operation of the control system 1.

  On the other hand, the programmable display 2 and the PLC 3 are connected via a serial cable 5. The serial cable 5 is a cable that can perform communication using a communication protocol unique to the PLC 3. The communication protocol is often different for each PLC 3 model, such as for each manufacturing company, or for each product even if it is the same company, because the PLC 3 has been developed from a sequencer.

  The PLC 3 captures output data output from the input device 4 via the input unit according to a sequence program (such as a ladder program) created by the user, and gives control data to the output device 4. As the input device 4, devices such as sensors (temperature sensors, optical sensors, etc.) and switches (push button switches, limit switches, pressure switches, etc.) are used. As the output device 4, an actuator, a relay, a solenoid valve, a display, or the like is used. These devices 4... Are arranged in required parts of various target systems such as a production line. The device 4 may be a specific area in the memory unit 22 to be described later for storing data manually input from an input device such as a touch panel 24 to be described later. The device 4 may be a specific area in the memory 3a in the PLC 3.

  The memory 3a (device memory) in the PLC 3 stores data (word data or bit data) indicating the state of the device 4 (output value from the device 4 or set value to the device 4) in an area specified by the device address. Storing. In the memory 3a, the word device is set as an area for storing word data such as numeric values as input / output data, and is designated by a word address (device address). The bit device is set as an area for storing bit data such as an on / off state, and is set by a bit address (device address). With such a setting, it is possible to control the devices 4... By simply accessing any word device or bit device in the memory 3 a by specifying the device address, or to individually retrieve information relating to the state.

  In the following description, the device address is appropriately referred to as an address.

  The programmable display 2 is provided with an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU, and is a dedicated computer that realizes an operation function and a display function unique to the programmable display by displaying input operation and display screen data created by the user. is there. The programmable display 2 that is preferably used as the HMI of the control system 1 is based on screen data determined by combining processing instructions (tags) to be described later. The operation for controlling the state of the device 4 according to the operation on the screen is specified. The programmable display 2 acquires the state of each device 4 that displays the state on the display screen via the PLC 3 by communicating with the PLC 3 via the serial cable 5. For example, the programmable display 2 displays the state of each device 4 on the display 24 described later. It has a function to display the status. The programmable display 2 has a function of instructing the device 4 to control the state of the device in response to an operation on the touch panel 23 described later.

  The acquisition / change of the state of the device 4 may be instructed each time, or a cache is prepared in the programmable display 2 and the cache is accessed at the time of acquisition / change, and at predetermined time intervals or at predetermined intervals. Communication may be performed for each event to synchronize with the address entity.

  The programmable display device 2 includes an HMI processing unit 21, a memory unit 22, a touch panel 23, a display 24, and interface units (I / F in the figure) 25 and 26 in order to realize the above functions. Hereinafter, each main part of the programmable display device 2 will be described in detail.

  The touch panel 23 is an input device provided for performing input on the display screen of the display 24. As the display 24, a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display, an EL display, or a plasma display is preferably used in order to make the programmable display device 2 thin.

  The interface unit 25 is a communication control unit for the programmable display device 2 to communicate with the personal computer 7, and is connected to the screen transfer cable 6. On the other hand, the interface unit 26 is a communication control unit for the programmable display 2 to perform serial communication with the PLC 3, and is connected to the serial cable 5.

  The HMI processing unit 21 performs processing such as user screen display control described later, input operation control via the user screen, and communication control with a connected device such as the PLC 3. These processes will be described in detail later.

  The memory unit 22 includes memories such as a DRAM 22a, a FEPROM (Flash Erasable and Programmable ROM) 22b, and an SRAM 22c.

  The DRAM 22a is mainly used for work during arithmetic processing such as display control, and is also used for temporary storage of data exchanged with the PLC 3. In particular, the DRAM 22a exchanges data indicating the state of the device 4 stored in an area specified by an address in the memory 3a of the PLC 3 (hereinafter, this data is referred to as “address contents”) with the memory 3a. A state memory area.

  Note that storing the data is not limited to the memory 3a of the PLC 3. For example, if the programmable display 2 has a PLC control function, naturally, the data is stored in any region of the memory unit 22 of the programmable display 2.

  The SRAM 22c is used for logging data obtained from the PLC 3, and for storing setting value data (recipe data) to be given to the PLC 3.

  The FEPROM 22b is a rewritable read-only flash memory, and plays the role of a hard disk drive in a general personal computer. A flash memory does not have a movable part and is resistant to impacts, and thus operates stably even in a poor ambient environment.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the FEPROM 22b has areas for storing an HMI processing program, a communication protocol, and screen data, respectively.

  The HMI processing program (control program) is a program for realizing basic functions for operating the programmable display 2 such as display control, input operation control, and communication control. Functions realized by the HMI processing program in the HMI processing unit 21 will be described in detail later.

  The communication protocol is a protocol used in communication processing with the PLC 3, and is uniquely determined according to the model (manufacturer) of the PLC 3. This communication protocol includes a command code that instructs reading of data to the PLC 3. By combining this command code with an address associated with the control function of the PLC 3, data regarding a desired control function can be transmitted to the PLC 3.

  The screen data is data of a screen (user screen) displayed on the programmable display 2 and includes a base screen to be displayed on the display 25, component data, a processing instruction word W assigned to each component, and the like. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, the processing instruction word (tag) W included in the screen data is created for each event to be executed on the base screen. The processing instruction word W basically includes the file number F of the base screen on which the display control operation is to be executed, the event name T for specifying the operation content to be executed on the base screen, and the execution event for each execution event. A set of reference information I including one or a plurality of data to be referred to is provided.

  In the programmable display device 2 according to the present embodiment, a display tag, a touch input tag, and the like are defined as the tag.

  The display tag indicates an association between an area (display range) on the base screen and an address corresponding to display in the area. The touch input tag indicates an association between an area (input range) on the screen and an address corresponding to a touch input to the area. Furthermore, in this embodiment, each tag can be associated with at least one of a plurality of unit screens.

  The display tag can display a predetermined object (display element) at a corresponding position on the base screen in conjunction with the occurrence of an event (event) such as a change in address contents. That is, the display tag includes the file number of the base screen as the file number F, includes the event name specifying the display of the object to be displayed as the event name T, the display coordinate range to be displayed as the reference information I, the display to be called It contains a file number that identifies the target and an address that is referenced when displaying the display target.

  The touch input tag, for example, inverts the bit device set at a predetermined address in the state memory area provided in the DRAM 22a in conjunction with the touch operation on the touch panel 23, or writes the value of the word device. To change. That is, the touch input tag includes the file number of the unit screen as the file number F, includes the event name that identifies the operation of the touch panel 23 as the event name T, and inputs that validate the input operation from the touch panel 23 as the reference information I The coordinate range and the address at which data should be rewritten in conjunction with the touch operation of the touch panel 23 are included.

  The screen data is created by a screen editor unit 73 described later, transferred to the programmable display device 2, and stored in the FEPROM 22b in a file format in the FEPROM 22b. This screen file includes graphic data and address data. The graphic data includes graphic data such as circles and rectangles, component data, character strings, processing instruction words W, and the like. The address data includes comments corresponding to the addresses and addresses set in the screen editor unit 73 for data associated with addresses such as part data and processing instruction word W in the graphic data.

  The comment includes an event name such as the operating state of the device 4, a code corresponding to the device 4 such as SW corresponding to the switch and the lamp, and an operation instruction.

  The HMI (Human Machine Interface) function of the HMI processing unit 21 displays screen data, sets various data on the user screen, transmits the set data to the PLC 3, and displays the data received from the PLC 3 on the user screen. Etc. Such a function is realized as a system control unit 21a shown in FIG. 4 by causing an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU provided in the programmable display 2 to execute the above-described HMI processing program.

  The system control unit 21a extracts display tags related to the unit screen currently being displayed from the screen data, and designates the contents of addresses related to the display tags at predetermined intervals for the display tags. Then, it reads out from the memory 3a of the PLC 3, and displays the parts in the expression format designated by the display tag in the designated area on the screen in a form corresponding to the read contents. On the other hand, when receiving an input operation on the touch panel 23, the system control unit 21a searches the screen data for a touch input tag corresponding to the currently displayed unit screen and matches the input operation, and indicates the address indicated by the touch input tag. Is rewritten in accordance with the input result by designating an address in the memory 3a. As a result, the programmable display 2 displays the state of the device 4 indicated by the screen data at the display position (parts etc.) indicated by the screen data in the expression format indicated by the screen data. Device, graph display, etc.), display using objects (display elements) such as figures, graphs, etc., and change the state of device 4 according to input operations via objects for operations such as parts on the displayed screen I can do it.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the HMI processing unit 21 includes a touch operation monitoring unit 21b, a screen saver display control unit 21c, a timer 21d, and a display condition setting unit 21e.

  The touch operation monitoring unit 21b reads a display transition time described later included in the screen saver screen data from the FEPROM 22b and sets it in the timer 21d in advance. Further, the touch operation monitoring unit 21b notifies the system controller 21a that the touch operation has been performed on the display surface of the display 24 on which the normal screen is displayed (touch operation detection state of the touch panel 23) (touch). When the notification is received, the timer 21d is activated. In addition, the touch motion monitoring unit 21b as the motion determination unit determines whether or not the next touch motion has been performed even after the timer 21d has been set in advance (display transition time) (touch from the system control unit 21a). The presence or absence of notification) is determined.

  At this time, the touch operation monitoring unit 21b resets the timer 21d and operates it again when the next touch operation is performed before the timer 21d reaches the display transition time. If the next touch operation is not performed when the time measured by the timer 21d reaches the display transition time, the touch operation monitoring unit 21b gives an instruction to display the screen saver screen to the screen saver display control unit 21c. When the touch operation monitoring unit 21b gives an instruction to display the screen saver screen and further performs a touch operation, the touch operation monitoring unit 21b gives the screen saver display control unit 21c an instruction to stop the display of the screen saver screen.

  That the touch operation has been performed is detected by a touch operation detection switch that is set to a normal screen and that covers the entire surface of the screen. The touch operation detection switch is a switch component in which the touch input tag is set and has a function equivalent to that of a bit switch component that sets (ON) a bit by a touch operation, but activates (ON) the timer 21d. It is different in that it is provided. The touch input tag set in the touch motion detection switch includes the timer 21d as a reference information I to be reset in conjunction with the touch motion. When the touch operation detection switch is turned on by the user's touch operation on the display surface, the system control unit 21a instructs the touch operation monitoring unit 21b to reset the timer 21d based on the reference information I of the touch input tag. . The touch operation monitoring unit 21b operates the timer 21d in response to an instruction from the system control unit 21a.

  Further, in a state where the touch operation detection switch is not set on the displayed screen, the touch operation cannot be detected even if the operator touches the display surface. The timer 21d cannot be operated. Therefore, in this case, the screen saver screen is not displayed. Alternatively, when it is specified by the display condition setting unit 21e described later that the screen saver screen is not displayed, the touch operation monitoring function by the touch operation monitoring unit 21b is invalidated, so that the touch operation detection function set on the displayed screen is detected. Even if the touch action is detected by the switch, it cannot be recognized. Therefore, also in this case, the screen saver screen is not displayed.

  When receiving the above instruction to display the screen saver screen from the touch operation monitoring unit 21b, the screen saver display control unit 21c as a display control unit reads the screen saver screen data from the FEPROM 22b and the screen on which the screen saver screen data is currently displayed. An instruction is given to the system control unit 21a so as to display the screen saver screen. The screen saver display control unit 21c receives the above instruction for stopping the display of the screen saver screen from the touch operation monitoring unit 21b when the operator touches the display surface while the screen saver screen is displayed. An instruction is given to the system control unit 21a to stop the display of the screen.

  Further, the screen saver display control unit 21c forcibly displays the screen saver screen when an alarm is generated due to a trouble in communication with the PLC 3 or a trouble in the display 24 (for example, the backlight is turned off) while the screen saver screen is displayed. Cancel the display. Specifically, when an alarm occurs in the PLC 3 or the programmable display 2, the system control unit 21 a changes the alarm detection bit provided in the memory 3 a of the PLC 3 or the memory unit 22 of the programmable display 2. Is received and an alarm is generated, the screen saver display control unit 21c is notified that the touch operation has been received. Thereby, the screen saver display control unit 21c gives an instruction to the system control unit 21a to stop the display of the screen saver screen on the assumption that there is a touch operation when an alarm occurs.

  The display condition setting unit 21e inputs a user in order to set the display conditions (including the above-described display transition time) for the screen saver screen on the programmable display 2, and the programmable display 2 communicates with the PLC 3. Accept in online status. Specifically, the display condition setting unit 21e provides a screen saver setting screen 51 for setting the display condition of the screen saver screen shown in FIG. 5 as a user interface. The screen saver setting screen 51 has a display transition time setting field 52, a speed setting field 53, a display permission button 54, and a display prohibition button 55.

  The display transition time setting field 52 is provided for setting a display transition time from when the above-described touch operation is performed by the user until the screen saver display control unit 21c executes display processing of the screen saver screen. The display transition time setting field 52 is configured so that, for example, the display transition time can be specified in minutes using a spin box.

  The speed setting field 53 is provided for setting the speed of movement of the dynamic display element (the above-described parts or the like) on the screen saver screen. The speed setting column 53 has, for example, a speed adjustment knob 53a, and the user touches the speed adjustment knob 53a and drags it to the left (slow side) and right (fast side). And the speed adjustment knob 53a is set to a speed for setting a stationary position.

  The display permission button 54 is a button operated when displaying the screen saver screen. On the other hand, the display prohibit button 55 is a button operated when the screen saver screen is not displayed. The display condition setting unit 21e accepts only the operation of either the display permission button 54 or the display prohibition button 55 as the latest setting. Further, when the display condition setting unit 21e receives an operation of the display prohibition button 55, the display condition setting unit 21e invalidates the touch operation monitoring function by the touch operation monitoring unit 21b.

  The display condition setting unit 21e as display condition setting means reads the display conditions included in the screen saver screen data from the FEPROM 22b and displays them on the screen saver setting screen 51 in order to set the display conditions of the screen saver screen. The display condition setting unit 21e determines the display condition newly set by the user on the screen saver setting screen 51 by operating the OK button, and stores the display condition in the FEPROM 22b as a new display condition of the screen saver screen data. Further, the display condition setting unit 21e displays the screen saver setting screen 51 when the user touches the screen saver setting screen changeover switch 62 provided on the normal screen 61 as shown in FIG.

  The HMI processing unit 21 is a functional block part realized by an HMI processing program (control program) stored in the FEPROM 22b being executed by an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU. The HMI processing program can be recorded on a recording medium configured to be separable from the programmable display 2 and may be installed in the programmable display 2 from the recording medium.

  The above recording media (program media) include magnetic tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disk systems such as flexible disks and hard disks, optical disk systems such as CD-ROM, MO, MD, and DVD, and IC cards (memory cards). A card system such as an optical card is suitable. In addition, the program medium may be a medium that carries a fixed program including a semiconductor memory such as a mask ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash ROM, or the like.

  Further, if the control system 1 is configured to be connectable to a communication network including the Internet, the control system 1 may be a medium that dynamically carries the program so as to download the program from the communication network.

  Next, the personal computer 7 will be described. The personal computer 7 includes a CPU, a memory (RAM, ROM, etc.), an external storage device (hard disk drive, MO drive, etc.), a display device and an input device (keyboard, mouse, etc.). As shown in FIG. 1, the personal computer 7 includes a control unit 71, an interface unit (I / F in the figure) 72, a screen editor unit 73, and a data storage unit 74.

  The interface unit 72 is a communication control unit for performing communication with the programmable display device 2, and is connected to the screen transfer cable 6.

  The control unit 71 is a part that performs arithmetic processing realized by hardware (CPU, memory, etc.) and software (operating system, etc.). Further, the control unit 71 implements the screen editor unit 73 by executing drawing software that is an application program. The screen editor unit 73 is recorded on a recording medium configured to be separable from the personal computer 7 and can be installed in the personal computer 7 from this storage medium. Further, the personal computer 7 functions as a screen creation device by including the screen editor unit 73.

  The above-mentioned recording medium (program medium) is a computer-readable recording medium, such as a tape system such as a magnetic tape or a cassette tape, a magnetic disk system such as a flexible disk or a hard disk, CD-ROM, MO, MD, DVD, etc. A card system such as an optical disk system, an IC card (including a memory card), or an optical card is suitable. In addition, the program medium may be a medium that carries a fixed program including a semiconductor memory such as a mask ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash ROM, or the like.

  Further, if the personal computer 7 is placed in an environment that can be connected to a communication network including the Internet, it may be a medium that fluidly carries the program so as to download the program from the communication network. However, when the program is downloaded from the communication network in this way, the download program may be stored in the personal computer 7 in advance or installed from another recording medium.

  The screen editor unit 73 can create a user screen that is a user's own screen, such as switches, lamps, numeric keys, various displays (for example, a numerical display, a meter display, and a graph display), It has a tag setting function, a drawing function, a text input function, and the like. As components, not only components having a single function but also components having a plurality of functions such as a composite switch, a counter, and a timer are prepared. Parts as display elements are registered in a library format so that the user can easily select them, and input tags, display tags, and the like corresponding to the functions of the parts are assigned in advance. The drawing function draws line figures (display elements) of straight lines and curves, draws basic figures (display elements) such as various graphs (display elements), circles, rectangles, and triangles, and the specified colors and patterns in the figure It is a function for performing painting by.

  When creating a user screen using such a screen editor unit 73, the user designates the position of the component on the base screen displayed on the display according to a predetermined operation procedure, so that the component is displayed on the base screen. Will be placed.

  The screen editor unit 73 includes a screen saver screen creation unit 73a and a screen saver screen management unit 73b.

  When the screen creation / editing mode is selected from a menu screen (not shown), the screen editor unit 73 displays a drawing window 101 as shown in FIG. Further, when “New creation” is selected from a menu bar (not shown) in the drawing window 101, the screen editor unit 73 displays a drawing window serving as a screen creation area. The user creates a screen using the above function provided by the screen editor 73 in this drawing window. When “New” is selected from the menu bar, the screen editor unit 73 displays a dialog box (not shown) for selecting a screen type (base screen, keyboard screen, text screen, screen saver screen, etc.). To do.

  The screen saver screen creation unit 73a provides a screen saver screen creation environment in the same manner as the normal screen creation as described above. For this reason, when the screen saver screen creation unit 73a selects the screen saver screen as the screen type by the user, the screen saver screen window 201 is displayed as the drawing window. Further, the screen saver screen creation unit 73a as an attribute assigning unit provides a screen creation environment in which the screen created by the screen saver screen window 201 is given an attribute of a screen type as a screen saver screen and distinguished from a normal screen. Thereby, a screen saver screen can be created with the same operability as a normal screen creation using a drawing window.

  The screen saver screen management unit 73b as a transition time setting unit, an operation speed setting unit, and a display permission / inhibition designation unit sets and manages an attribute called a display condition on the screen saver screen. For this purpose, the screen saver screen management unit 73b provides a dialog box 301 for setting attributes for the screen saver screen as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B as a user interface. Further, the screen saver screen management unit 73b assigns the setting content of each item input through the dialog box 301 to the screen saver screen created in the screen saver screen window 201 as the attribute (display condition) of the screen saver screen.

  As illustrated in FIG. 9A, the dialog box 301 includes a display transition time setting field 302, a speed setting field 303, and a display permission / inhibition designation field 304 on the “information” tab.

  The display transition time setting field 302 is provided for setting the above-described display transition time, similarly to the display transition time setting field 52 of the screen saver setting screen 51. The display transition time setting field 302 is configured so that, for example, the display transition time can be specified in minutes using a spin box.

  Similar to the speed setting field 303 of the screen saver setting screen 51, the speed setting field 303 is provided for setting the speed of movement of the dynamic display element described above. This speed setting field 303 also has a speed adjustment knob 303a similar to the speed adjustment knob 53a of the speed setting field 53, and the user drags the speed adjustment knob 303a to the left (slow side) right (fast side) with the mouse. By doing so, the speed adjustment knob 303a is slid to the left and right to set the speed at which the position where the speed adjustment knob 303a is stationary is set.

  The display permission / prohibition designation column 304 is provided for setting whether or not to display a screen saver screen. This display permission / prohibition setting designation field 304 is composed of two radio buttons for designating either one of display and non-display. The display permission button 54 is a button operated when displaying the screen saver screen.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, the dialog box 301 has an object designation field 305, a text input field 306, and a motion pattern designation field 307 on the “motion” tab.

  The object designation field 305 is provided for designating an object that moves on the screen saver screen. As the object, text and parts can be selected. However, the object is not limited to these, and may include a basic figure (for example, a circle, a rectangle, or a triangle). The object designation field 305 includes radio buttons for selecting one of them.

  The text input field 306 is provided for inputting text. The text input field 306 accepts text input when text is selected as an object in the object designation field 305.

  The movement pattern designation field 307 is provided for designating the movement pattern of the object. The movement pattern can be selected from random, rotation and up / down / left / right, but is not limited to these. The movement pattern designation field 307 includes radio buttons for selecting one of these.

  When text is specified as an object, the movement pattern is fixedly specified so as to flow from the right side to the left side of the screen.

  When the OK button of the dialog box 301 is touched by the user, the screen saver screen management unit 73b gives the display conditions set in the dialog box 301 as attributes to the screen saver screen. Further, when the screen saver screen management unit 73b is designated to display the screen saver screen by the display permission / inhibition designation column 304, the above-described touch operation detection switch that covers the entire surface of the entire normal screen is provided. Paste (set). Specifically, the screen saver screen management unit 73b reads all screen data from the data storage unit 74, sets a touch operation detection switch for each of these screen data, and displays the set screen as a screen saver. Save with saving screen. On the other hand, when the screen saver screen management unit 73b is designated to display the screen saver screen, the screen saver screen management unit 73b does not paste the touch operation detection switch on all of the normal screens already created.

  The screen saver screen management unit 73b has a function of setting a screen saver screen using a screen saver screen prepared in advance. For this reason, when the “screen saver screen list” is selected from the above-described menu bar or the like, the screen saver screen management unit 73b displays the screen saver screen list 401 on the drawing window 101 as shown in FIG. . In this screen saver screen list 401, a plurality of registered screen saver screens are displayed in advance. These registered screen saver screens are prepared (registered) in the screen editor 73 in advance, like the components. In addition, default display conditions are assigned to these screen saver screens in advance.

  When one of the registered screen saver screens in the screen saver screen list 401 is dragged and dropped on the drawing window 101 by the user, the screen saver screen management unit 73b opens the screen saver screen window 201 as shown in FIG. The registered screen saver screen that has been opened and dragged and dropped is displayed as the screen saver screen SS. Since the screen saver screen SS is provided with display conditions in advance as described above, it is not necessary to set display conditions using the dialog box 301.

  The screen saver screen management unit 73 b has a function of registering the screen saver screen SS created in the screen saver screen window 201.

  When the screen saver screen registration mode is selected in the drawing window 101, the screen saver screen management unit 73 displays the registration display area 102 as shown in FIG. The user performs an operation of dragging and dropping the screen saver screen SS in the screen saver screen window 201 to the registration display area 102 with a mouse or the like. Then, the screen saver screen management unit 73b displays a reduced image of the screen saver screen SS in the registered display area 102, and displays the screen saver screen SS in a screen saver screen library provided in a predetermined area in the work memory 71a of the control unit 71. sign up.

  When the screen saver screen data created in the screen saver screen window 201 is saved in the data storage unit 74, the screen saver screen library created in the work memory 71a is saved in the data storage unit 74 as screen saver screen registration data together with the screen saver screen data. The The saved screen saver screen registration data is reduced and displayed in the registration display area 102 by reading the screen saver screen library into the work memory 71a. The registered screen saver screen displayed here can be reused. When the user drags and drops the desired registered screen saver screen SS to the screen saver screen window 201, the screen saver screen SS is displayed on the screen saver screen window 201. Is displayed.

  Note that the screen saver screen registered in the screen saver screen library can be added to the screen saver screen list 401 described above.

  The data storage unit 74 is a storage device that stores the screen data created by the screen editor unit 73 and the screen saver screen. The data storage unit 74 is configured by a mass storage device such as a hard disk device. The screen data and the screen saver screen stored in the data storage unit 74 are transferred to the programmable display device 2 and stored in the FEPROM 22b for downloading to the execution environment.

  Here, the operation of creating the screen saver screen in the personal computer 7 configured as described above and the operation of displaying the screen saver screen in the control system 1 in the programmable display device 2 will be described.

  First, a drawing window 101 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on a display (not shown) of the personal computer 7, and a screen saver screen window 201 is displayed (opened) in the drawing window 101. The user creates the screen saver screen SS by arranging parts or the like in the same way as when creating a normal screen in the screen saver screen window 201. Further, the user may copy and paste the created screen displayed on the drawing window for creating a normal screen opened on the drawing window 101 to the screen saver screen window 201. Thereby, the already created screen can be used as the screen saver screen SS.

  The user uses the dialog box 301 to set display conditions for the screen saver screen SS created on the screen saver screen window 201. The display condition setting is completed, and the setting is confirmed by operating the OK button. When the screen saver screen SS is displayed on the programmable display device 2, it is essential to specify that the screen saver screen SS is to be displayed as a display condition (designation by the display availability specification column 304). By designating that the screen saver screen SS is to be displayed, the touch operation detection switch is set for all of the normal screens already created.

  When the screen saver screen list 401 is used, when the user selects one registered screen saver screen from the screen saver screen list 401 and performs a drag-and-drop operation on the drawing window 101, the screen saver screen window 201 is displayed on the selected registered screen saver screen. Open with a screen saver screen SS displayed. Since the screen saver screen SS has display conditions set in advance as described above, if the user can accept the set display conditions, the screen saver screen SS can be stored as it is. Further, if the user desires to change the display condition set on the screen saver screen SS, the user changes a desired setting item using the dialog box 301.

  When the screen saver screen SS is created using the screen saver screen list 401, the display operation is not specified by the display permission / inhibition designation column 304, so that the touch operation detection switch is not set for all the normal screens as described above. It will be. For this reason, when the screen saver screen management unit 73b opens the screen saver screen window 201 in a state where the screen saver screen SS is displayed, the screen saver screen management unit 73b also performs the same operation as when the display is specified by the display enable / disable specification column 304. The touch motion detection switch is set on all the normal screens that have already been created.

  When the save operation is performed by the user, the screen editor 73 saves the screen saver screen SS in the data storage unit 74. Further, the screen saver screen SS saved in the data storage unit 74 is transferred as screen saver screen data to the programmable display 2 together with the screen data in which the touch operation detection switch is set, and is stored in the FEPROM 22b.

  On the other hand, in the programmable display device 2 in the online state, the touch operation detection switch is set on the displayed screen as described above. Therefore, when the operator performs a touch operation on the display surface of the display 24, the touch is detected. The operation monitoring unit 21b is notified from the system control unit 21a that the touch operation has been received, and thereby resets and operates the timer 21d. If the operator performs the next touch operation before the timer 21d completes the preset display transition time measurement, the touch operation monitoring unit 21b receives the notification from the system control unit 21a and resets the timer 21d. Then activate again. If the operator does not perform the next touch operation even after the timer 21d completes the preset display transition time measurement, the touch operation monitoring unit 21b displays the screen saver screen SS on the screen saver display control unit 21c. Instruct to display.

  When the screen saver screen SS is displayed, the object moves at the speed and pattern set as the display conditions on the screen saver screen SS. For example, when the object is text, the object is moved and displayed so as to flow from the right side to the left side of the screen.

  When the operator performs a touch operation on the display surface in this state, the touch operation monitoring unit 21b is notified that the touch operation has been received from the system control unit 21a, thereby resetting and operating the timer 21d. The screen saver display control unit 21c is instructed to stop the display of the screen saver screen SS. Upon receiving this instruction, the screen saver display control unit 21c stops the display of the screen saver screen SS. If the operator does not perform the next touch operation even when the timer 21d completes the display transition time, the touch operation monitoring unit 21b displays the screen saver screen SS on the screen saver display control unit 21c in the same manner as described above. As a result, the screen saver screen SS is displayed.

  Further, when an alarm is generated in the PLC 3 or the programmable display 2 in a state where the screen saver screen SS is being displayed, if the alarm is generated from the system control unit 21a as a notification that the touch operation has been received, the screen saver The display control unit 21c switches from the display of the screen saver screen SS to the display of the normal screen. Thus, when an alarm is generated, the display of the screen saver screen SS is stopped, so that it is possible to check the alarm occurrence information displayed on the normal screen.

  When the operator touches the screen saver setting screen change switch 62 provided on the screen 61 shown in FIG. 6, the screen saver setting screen 51 is displayed. The operator uses the screen saver setting screen 51 to change any one of display transition time, operation speed, and display availability and touches the OK button. Thereby, the display condition setting unit 21e rewrites the display conditions of the screen saver screen SS. Therefore, after that, the screen saver screen SS is displayed under the changed display condition. Thus, by using the screen saver setting screen 51, the display condition of the screen saver screen SS can be changed also in the programmable display device 2.

  As to whether or not display is possible, if it is specified not to display, the touch motion monitoring function of the touch motion monitoring unit 21b is disabled as described above, and thus the screen saver screen SS is not displayed.

  As described above, the personal computer 7 according to the present embodiment includes the screen editor unit 73 having the screen saver screen management unit 73b, so that a screen saver screen is prepared as a screen type, and the created screen is used as a screen saver screen. Since the attribute is given, the screen saver screen can be created in substantially the same manner as the general screen creation procedure. Therefore, a user-specific screen saver screen can be easily created. In addition, when the screen saver screen is displayed on the programmable display, the touch operation detection switch is automatically set on all normal screens, so the operator can touch the display surface while any screen is displayed. The timer 21d is reset and operated by the touch operation. When a screen saver screen display program created by the user is used, for example, setting of the switch screen such as the touch operation detection switch as described above must be performed by the user for each screen. Therefore, it takes a lot of trouble. On the other hand, as described above, by automatically setting the touch motion detection switch on each screen, the switch setting work by the user becomes unnecessary, so that the burden on the user can be greatly reduced.

  The programmable display device 2 of the present embodiment can be provided with a screen saver screen display function by providing the touch operation monitoring unit 21b, the screen saver display control unit 21c, and the timer 21d. As a result, the user can display the screen saver screen on the programmable display 2 without creating a program for displaying the screen saver screen, so that the display surface of the display 24 is baked in the same manner as a general personal computer. Prevention can be easily realized.

  Moreover, the programmable display 2 can set the display conditions of a screensaver screen also in the programmable display 2 by providing the display condition setting part 21e. As a result, when the screen saver screen is displayed on the programmable display device 2 under the display conditions set by the screen editor unit 73, when the desired display state cannot be obtained, the display conditions are reset by the drawing editor unit 73. The screen saver screen data does not need to be transferred again to the programmable display device 2, and a desired display state can be obtained. In addition, since the display conditions can be set in the online state, the communication between the programmable display 2 and the PLC 3 is cut off as in the case of resetting the display conditions when a screen saver screen display program is used. State). As a result, the display condition of the screen saver screen can be changed in the operating state of the control system 1.

  In the present embodiment, the number of screen saver screens to be used is not particularly limited. However, when preparing a plurality of screen saver screens, it is necessary to define that one of them is displayed. For example, when the screen saver screen is created, the screen saver screen management unit 73b designates the screen saver screen having the smallest screen number assigned to each screen saver screen as a screen saver screen to be displayed by default. The screen saver screen to be displayed may be switched accordingly. Specifically, the display condition setting unit 21e displays a list of registered screen saver screens (stored in the FEPROM 22b) on the screen saver setting screen 51, and allows the operator to select one of them. Designate the screen saver screen to display the selected screen saver screen.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately changed within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  Since the screen creation device of the present invention creates a screen saver screen using the screen creation function and also sets the display condition of the screen saver screen, the screen saver screen can be easily displayed on the programmable display. It can be suitably used to protect the display of the programmable display device from burning.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control system and personal computer which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the program structure stored in FEPROM of the programmable display in the said control system. It is a figure which shows the basic format of the instruction | indication processing word contained in the screen data of the user screen displayed with the said programmable display. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the principal part containing the HMI process part which is the center of control of the said programmable display. It is a figure which shows the screen saver setting screen for setting the display conditions of the screen saver screen displayed on the said programmable display. It is a figure which shows the screen containing the switch for switching a display to the said screen saver setting screen. It is a figure which shows the drawing window of the state where the said screen editor part opened the screen saver screen window for screen saver screen creation. It is a figure which shows the drawing window of the state registered by the operation which drags and drops the screen saver screen displayed on the said screen saver screen window to a registration display area. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the dialog box which the said screen editor part prepares for the display condition setting of a screensaver screen. (A) shows a drawing window in a state where a screen saver screen list including a screen saver screen prepared in advance is displayed, and (b) shows a screen saver screen window created by dragging and dropping one screen saver screen from the screen saver screen list. It is a figure which shows the drawing window of the open state.

Explanation of symbols

2 Programmable display 3a Memory 7 Personal computer (screen creation device)
21 HMI processing unit 21a System control unit 21b Touch motion monitoring unit (motion determination means)
21c Screensaver display control unit (display control means)
21d timer 21e condition setting section (display condition setting means)
51 Screen saver setting screen 73 Screen editor (screen creation program)
73a Screen saver screen creation part (attribute assigning means)
73b Screensaver screen management unit (transition time setting means, operation speed setting means, display availability designation means)
301 Dialog box SS Screen saver screen

Claims (9)

In a screen creation device that creates a screen displayed on a programmable display that accepts a touch operation on the display surface,
Attribute assigning means for giving an attribute as a screen saver screen to the screen to be created;
A screen creation apparatus comprising transition time setting means for setting a display transition time required for transition of display from a normal screen to the screen saver screen in the programmable display.   The screen creation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation speed setting unit that sets an operation speed of an object that is dynamically displayed on the screen saver screen.   Specifying whether or not to display the screen saver screen on the programmable display, and displaying the switch on the programmable display to reset the display transition time by a touch operation when the display is specified The screen creation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display availability designation unit that sets the entire screen.   A screen creation program for operating the screen creation device according to claim 1, 2 or 3 for causing a computer to function as each means.   The computer-readable recording medium which recorded the screen creation program of Claim 4. A programmable display for displaying a screen created by the screen creation device according to claim 1, 2 or 3,
Touch operation determining means for determining whether or not a touch operation on the display surface was not performed during the display transition time;
And a display control unit that switches the screen display to the screen saver screen when it is determined by the touch operation determination unit that there is no touch operation on the display surface during the display transition time. Programmable display. A programmable display for displaying a screen created by the screen creation device according to claim 3,
Touch operation determining means for determining whether or not a touch operation on the display surface was not performed during the display transition time;
Display control means for switching the screen display to the screen saver screen when it is determined by the touch action determining means that there is no touch action on the display surface during the display transition time;
A programmable display comprising: display condition setting means for setting display conditions of a screen saver screen including the display transition time, the operation speed, and the display availability.   A control program for operating the programmable display according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the computer functions as each of the means.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the control program according to claim 8 is recorded.

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