JP2606382B2 - Operation display panel - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a personal computer (PC),
The present invention relates to improvement of an operation display panel (POD) incorporating a programmable controller or a microcomputer (microcomputer).

[Conventional technology]

As such an operation display panel (POD), the applicant has previously proposed the one shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-801088 (WO88 / 01088) (also simply referred to as a proposed device).

 FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the proposed device.

In the figure, 11 is a microcomputer system as a CPU (central processing unit), 12 is a character generator (CG) for generating display characters, and 13 is a screen memory (EEPROM) for storing graphic data constituting the screen (above). Instead of using the CG 12, characters may be stored as graphics in the screen memory 13), and a data memory (RAM) 14 for storing quantity data and the like to be displayed on the screen (the memory 14 By storing the status for each screen, it is possible to easily restart after the power is turned off, and the memory 14 is preferably backed up by a battery so as to be a nonvolatile memory.) Reference numeral 15 denotes an internal bus, and 16 denotes a transparent touch key in which the display panel and the transparent switch are integrated. Of these, reference numeral 16a indicates a transparent switch, and reference numeral 16a indicates a display panel. 16b (16a, in Figure 10 with 16b directly not shown) and be used. The transparent switch 16a is located on the display screen of the display panel 16b, and by touching a switch item displayed on the screen via a transparent body constituting the transparent switch 16a, the transparent switch 16a A corresponding switch output is generated, and the transparent touch key 16 itself is a conventionally known one.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a key encoder (which receives the operation output of the transparent switch 16a, encodes the output and transmits it to the microcomputer system 11), 18 denotes an operation (function) switch, 19 denotes an interface bus, and 20 denotes data for screen creation. And a loader 21 for inputting and setting a sequencer. A sequencer 21 is an external operation control device. A machine (not shown), for example, an assembling machine is connected to the end of the sequencer, and the assembling machine is controlled by the sequencer in the operation procedure (program).

The sequencer 21 has a function of issuing a command to the microcomputer system 11 to select and specify the screen data stored in the data memory 14 and a key encoder 17 for transmitting the operation results of the transparent switch 16a and the operation switch 18 to the microcomputer system 11. It has a function of outputting an operation output to the above-mentioned machine connected to the sequencer 21 and switching the display screen on the display panel 16b by issuing a command to the microcomputer system 11 according to the result. I have.

22 is a display lamp, 23 is an alarm relay, and 24 is a buzzer. The display lamp 22 is arranged in the vicinity of the transparent touch key 16 as an operation display.If the display panel 16b of the touch key 16 is configured by a liquid crystal or a fluorescent display tube, for example, However, there is a problem that it is difficult to visually recognize the display lamp 22 in a distant or bright place.

Therefore, the display lamps 22 are individually lit using large lamps for alarms and the like, and the lighting control is directly performed by the microcomputer system 11. In addition, if the nameplate characters (indicating the use of the lamp and the like) arranged on the side of the display lamp 22 are configured by using a screen on the display panel 16b, the nameplate character data can be easily obtained by a command from the microcomputer system 11. Therefore, the function of the display lamp 22 can be properly used in various ways. Alarm relay 23, buzzer 24
Operates when an abnormality occurs, and notifies the outside of the abnormality.

Although not shown, if a part of the operation switch is arranged in place of the display lamp, as in the case of the display lamp, the operation switch can be changed in a number of ways by changing the nameplate character data, similarly to the transparent switch. Can be used.

Various operations such as the display lamp 22, alarm relay 23, buzzer 24 and name plate text display on the side of the display lamp 22 are performed by the sequencer 21.
The microcomputer system 11 which has received the instruction for designation via the interface bus 19 controls those operations. When the transparent touch key 16 is operated, the buzzer 24 detects the operation and sounds for a short time, so that the operator can be notified of that.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

i) The conventional POD has operation and display functions, but display data for each screen is stored in a memory,
The display is switched by specifying or selecting the No. (number). For this reason, it is necessary to register the screen in advance,
A display adapted to a new situation cannot be provided immediately. In addition, since switching is performed in units of screens, it is not possible to simultaneously display the state in which the current display has occurred, for example, even when a display occurs when an abnormality occurs.

ii) In the conventional POD, a predetermined partial “data or character” can be superimposed and displayed by incorporating it into the above-mentioned screen display. However, this superimposed display is only a partial display, and it is basically impossible to significantly change the entire screen or the screen contents.

iii) The screen display of the conventional POD is basically limited to the one designed by the loader. As a result, since there is no need to transmit display data, screen switching is performed quickly and data communication is simple.

iv) The conventional POD has a small screen, and cannot use the so-called multi-window technology. In other words, since the POD must be small and inexpensive, high-level technologies such as multi-windows cannot be used. This is because the POD is in the computerized operation panel, and the shape and price are limited.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the following points.

B) The display screen is arbitrarily created on the host computer side so that it can be displayed. However, the practicality is lost unless the display is switched quickly.

B) The predetermined operation display function can be realized by using the conventional POD. The reason is that the screen data has a large amount of memory, and the program becomes large-scale, and it takes time to send the display data.

C) Display of data newly sent from the host computer and operation display or operation state display in the conventional POD can be simultaneously executed. This is done by displaying the current display content and its cause and status at the same time,
This is in order to accurately grasp the situation and take appropriate measures.

D) Not only can the existing POD function be used,
Enable to use the OD screen as a display of the host computer. That is, the POD for operation and display is required to have high-speed response, and the program is required to be simple. Therefore, a fixed function designed in advance is used, but any screen can be used as a computer display. Since it is desirable to be able to create it by a program, it is possible to make partial changes and combine with the POD screen.

E) Consider the case where the display screen is controlled by the computer side. A) The function of the switch operation viewpoint uses the function of the POD main body.

b) The operation data as the operation result of the switch is transmitted to the host computer.

c) However, if it is within the range of the POD function screen (prestored as screen data), the function is the same as that of the conventional POD. In other words, to work as a POD,
Make a choice.

[Means for solving the problem]

In the present invention for achieving the above object, loader means for setting data for screen creation, storage means for storing switch item screen data set in advance by the loader means and designed in advance, and Display panel means for displaying a switch item on the screen in accordance with the read screen data; and when a switch operation is performed corresponding to the switch item on the screen on the display panel means, information of the item is generated and output each time the switch operation is performed. Operation switch means, an operation means for reading and encoding the operation status of the operation switch means, and a sequencer means capable of controlling the operation of an external device according to operation data from the encoding means; and And an operation display panel (POD) comprising at least a microcomputer system to be controlled. Having transmission means for transmitting and receiving screen display data to and from a host computer, and when screen display data is received from a host computer, displaying the data as it is on the display panel means, or a screen received from the host computer An operation of displaying screen display data obtained by synthesizing display data and screen data read from the storage means on the display panel means, or displaying the screen data read from the storage means as it is on the display panel means The microcomputer system is provided with a function so that any of the operations shown in FIG.

[Action]

It is possible to select whether to operate only the function as a POD, only the function as a display, or the function as a POD + display, thereby providing a flexible and versatile operation display panel.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration example of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a high-level computer which means various devices including a personal computer, a programmable controller, or a microcomputer. The host computer 1 and a plurality of operation display panels 2 (2A to 2N) are connected via a transmission line 3. This operation display panel 2 is the POD
Similarly to the above, the display device includes a display screen, transparent touch keys provided on the display screen, operation switches provided around the display screen, and the like, and operates the transparent touch keys or operation switches while referring to display contents. The operation status of this switch is sent to the host computer as needed, and is used as data to the host computer or controls the devices based on the sent data. In addition, a new display can be sent back in accordance with the control status or the like to enable a new operation based on the new status.

Next, how to send data from the host computer 1 to the operation display panel 2 will be described. The display data is stored in the operation display panel for each screen No., and the display screen can be created by reading the stored screen by designating the screen No. from the external device including the host computer, and
It has the function of reading the operation status of the transparent touch keys and the peripheral switches, similar to the proposed device. Therefore, here, how to create a new screen under such circumstances will be described.

For this reason, the host computer uses the following command (screen control command). With these commands, it is possible to specify what type of screen is to be used, and how to create the specified screen.

ESC (POD mode set): Activates the function as POD.

ESC (POD + display mode set): Activates both POD and display functions.

ESC (Display mode set): Activates the function as a display.

ESC (Screen No.): Reads out the screen data stored in advance and displays it.

ESC (Display No.): Indicates the display number of the display data sent thereafter.

ESC (Display No. + Screen No.): The screen No. stored in advance and the display data sent below are displayed in an overlapping manner.

ESC (screen clear): Clears the display screen. Screen N
Both o. and display No. are cleared.

ESC (skip one line) to ESC (skip n lines): The displayed display is left as it is for the specified line.

ESC (clear one line) to ESC (clear n lines), ESC (clear remaining display): Clears the displayed display by a specified amount.

How to create a screen using these commands will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 (a) shows a screen (b) that has already been created.
And display data (c) sent from the host computer. That is, if ESC (POD mote set), ESC (screen No.) command, etc., the screen No.
For example, the screen shown in FIG. 2 (b) stored in is displayed. However, ESC (POD + display mode set), E
When a command such as SC (display No. + screen No.) is given,
The screen of FIG. 13C is superimposed on the screen of FIG. At this time, the screen of FIG.
In the example, ESC (3 lines skipped) or ESC (1 line skipped)
Is repeated three times, the upper three rows are superimposed on FIG. 3B and the lower three rows are superimposed on FIG.

In this way, by combining controls such as clearing and skipping on the screen, the screen can be arbitrarily edited and created. In addition, since it is important for the control to know what display state the operation display panel is in on the host computer side, it is necessary to store these command data in a memory so that the state can be returned. is necessary. However, if you only need the POD function, you do not need to send it. The display data of the screen is sent from the host computer to the operation display panel in the form of character codes, and the transmission method is the same as that generally used for CRT displays or printers. Therefore, the description is omitted here.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining how an operation state of the transparent touch switch is read by a microcomputer system built in the operation display panel. this is,
In the X direction of the matrix of the transparent touch keys 16, for example, 20
It has a strobe signal generation circuit 25 for sequentially scanning the divided circuits, and a switch detection circuit 26 corresponding to the switch operating in each row according to the scanning.
Can be realized by the microcomputer system 11 reading the output. Similarly, the operation status of the operation switches near the display panel can be read by the microcomputer system 11. FIG. 3B shows an example in which four switches of the transparent touch key 16 in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows an example of operation switch information data sent from the operation display panel to the host computer. Since the data transmission method, the configuration of the transmission path, and the protocol can be freely designed, a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

In FIG. 4, since there are a plurality of operation display panels, their addresses are given, and it is indicated whether the display is on the display screen or a previously created screen is read and displayed.
If both are used for display, send both of the states as "H". In this No. (number) data, the latest display or screen number is notified. If a screen clear command is received, these numbers become "00" or "FF" or specific numbers, indicating that the display has been cleared. Also, the subsequent switch information is
A switch equivalent to the switch number that is ON at the time will be sent. The number of the switch data may be the same as the upper limit number of simultaneously operated switches. As another method, the ON / OFF status data of all the switches of the operation display panel may be transmitted, but which of these methods is better depends on how the system to be used is used. Since it is a design factor such as the degree of request for the data transmission time of switch information, it may be determined for each device to be used.

 Next, FIG. 5 shows a functional block diagram of the present invention.

In this figure, when the panel is in the operating state, it first receives an operation mode command sent from the host computer. The command is in the form of ESC (),
One of the POD mode set, POD + display mode set, and display mode set is sent in parentheses. This mode receiver S ₁ panel is either of the operation modes of the S ₂ to S _4. In this operation mode, reception is always possible. Among them, in the POD mode, the operation is performed as the already applied POD, and the detailed operation is omitted. The display mode is a part of the functions of the POD + display mode and excludes the following POD functions. Therefore, the POD + display mode will be described with reference to FIG. Since the part marked with “*” is the function of the POD, this part is removed in the display mode.

In FIG. 6, this mode is instructed by the host computer from the POD mode or the display mode according to the operating condition up to that time, or according to the operating condition such as occurrence of abnormality. First, if entering from POD mode S _10, screen No. and the operating status at that time is first held. S ₁₁ to S ₁₈ shows the treatment contents when receiving, for and received the screen control commands. For example, when receiving a screen No. of POD in S _11, calls the new screen data from the memory and displays it. At the same time, read function setting data related to Sw
Of course, it can operate as. With memory retracted to reflect the display No. in S ₁₃ the data shown in FIG. 4, a flag is set to allow receive subsequent display data it. Incidentally, when the screen No. receipt of S ₁₁ this flag is reset. Step S ₁₉ to S _28, the command to create a window in the received data, it indicates the function at the time of reception of the. Since the display data is received as a character string, for example, on a display screen having a function of 16 characters × 6 lines, the line counter is counted up every time 16 characters are received. When the sixth line or more is received, the top line is cleared and the second to seventh lines are displayed. In these screen controls, new lines are skipped and cleared for both skipping and clearing. For lines with less than 16 characters, it is assumed that data has been received. Add or skip or clear. The skip is to retain the function of the screen displayed before that, and the clear indicates that the display and the function are cleared.

In step S _29, the switch provided on the periphery of the transparent switches and a display screen on the display screen, to detect the operation based on the operation result. This operation results becomes different contents of the process depending on whether the segment operating as either or indicator operates as POD in S _30.

Whether the part is the POD part or the display part is determined as follows. If the mode has been switched from the POD mode to this POD + display mode, or if a screen number has been received, the portion of the line that was skipped when display data was subsequently received, or the display data was still received No line is POD
Mode line.

POD mode operates as shown by S ₃₁ as POD, as shown in part S ₃₂ that operates as an indicator mode, the switch data host computer are transmitted in the data structure as shown in FIG. 4 . Step S _33, if the display reception flag is "H" data is received from the host computer, sequentially displays 16 characters on one line. It is natural that this character includes a space and a special symbol.

Thus, the process ends with the display data. As shown in FIG. 5, this flow portion is always repeated including the mode reception.

In the above description, various displays are performed mainly using commands from the host computer (external device). However, when a specific screen number is received from the external device, data transmitted from the external device is displayed. You can also.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation in such a case. For example, "254" is set as a specific screen number.

Step S ₁ receives data from the external device 21 in step S ₂ in the received screen number (No.) is checked whether the "254", the flow proceeds to step S _3, if "254". Step S ₃ reads the received data that follow the screen number in the read data in step S ₄ to check whether the command data or not for display control. If the command data, and command processing such as specifying the display position proceeds to step S _5. If not command data, step
The procedure proceeds to S _6, performs display processing of the display character data. The process of step S ₇ in the reception data to determine whether all finished, the process is repeated from Step S ₃ if not over. In step S _8, regardless of the data content being displayed, and transmits the ON / OFF information of all switch to the external device. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the transparent switch 16b has 6 rows × 12 columns and the function switch 1
If there are six, all eight pieces of switch information are transmitted.

On the other hand, if the screen number (No.) is not "254",
The procedure proceeds to S _9, it is checked whether the reception of the new screen number. Clears the display at step S _10, if the new screen number, reads the screen data stored in the memory in step S _11, displayed on the flat display (transparent touch key) 16 in step S _12. In step S _13, performs switching data processing screen data being displayed.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a transmission format from an external device and a transmission format to an external device. That is, when viewed from the operation display panel, the received data is the screen number and the data to be displayed on the flat display, and the transmitted data is the screen number and the switch data.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the present invention, 1) an operation display screen can be quickly created while using a screen designed in advance, and the responsiveness of the operation panel can be improved.

2) Also, when a part of the display screen already displayed is corrected, it can be easily realized by using a dedicated command.

3) The host computer can receive the screen number and the display number indicating the display state of the operation display panel, so that the display state can be correctly recognized. In addition, a correction operation can be performed if necessary, and a highly reliable system can be configured.

4) Since data from an external device can be displayed only by specifying a specific screen number, the display content can be easily changed without increasing the number of screens.

Advantages such as are obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a specific example of a display method according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of reading a transparent switch, and FIG. 4 is an example of operation switch information transmitted to a host computer. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram for explaining the functions of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining its operation, and FIG. 7 is for explaining the operation when a specific screen number is received. Flowchart for the eighth
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of switch data transmitted in the case of FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a transmission format with an external device in the case of FIG.
The figure is a block showing the proposed device. Description of symbols 1 ... upper computer, 2 (2A, 2N) ... operation display panel,
3 ... transmission line, 11 ... microcomputer system, 12 ... character generator, 13 ... screen memory, 14 ... data memory, 15 ... internal bus, 16 ... transparent touch key, 16a ...
... Transparent switch, 16b ... Display panel, 17 ... Key encoder, 18 ... Operation switch, 19 ... Interface bus, 20 ... Loader, 21 ... Sequencer, 22 ... Display lamp, 23 ... Alarm relay, 24 buzzer, 25 strobe signal generation circuit, 26 switch signal detection circuit.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. Loader means for setting data for screen creation, storage means for storing switch item screen data set by the loader and designed in advance, and screen data read from the storage means. Therefore, display panel means for displaying switch items on the screen, and operation switch means for generating and outputting information on the items each time a switch operation is performed corresponding to the switch items on the screen on the display panel means. Encoding means for reading and encoding the operation status of the operation switch means and outputting the encoded data; sequencer means capable of controlling the operation of an external device in accordance with operation data from the encoding means; and a microcomputer system for controlling the respective means. And an operation display panel comprising at least It has transmission means for transmitting and receiving display data, and when screen display data is received from a host computer, displays the data on the display panel means as it is, or reads the screen display data received from the host computer and reads it from the storage means. The screen display data obtained by synthesizing the obtained screen data with the display panel means, or the operation of displaying the screen data read from the storage means as it is on the display panel means. An operation display panel characterized in that the microcomputer system is provided with a function so that the operation can be selectively performed.