JP4755908B2 - Method for setting backlight color of liquid crystal display screen, small display and personal computer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a backlight color setting for a liquid crystal display screen in which a monochrome liquid crystal display portion of a small display such as a programmable display device is illuminated from the back and the backlight (background) color of the liquid crystal display screen is set to a color other than black and white. The present invention relates to a method, the above small display, and a personal computer.

  An example of a control system using a programmable display will be described. The plurality of programmable displays are commonly connected to a personal computer via a network. Each of the plurality of programmable displays is connected to the PLC via a network. Control devices (input devices such as sensors and output devices such as motors) are connected to the PLC.

  In this control system, the control device is controlled by the PLC, the state of the control device is displayed on the display screen by the programmable display, and the control device is operated and controlled through the PLC in accordance with the touch panel operation on the operator's display screen. Can do. Such a control system is proposed in patent documents and the like without needing to give examples.

  On the other hand, the programmable display in the above control system is generally small, and when the liquid crystal display section is in monochrome display (monochrome display), the backlight color of the liquid crystal display screen is displayed in a color other than monochrome. It has been broken.

  However, none of the displays used in such a control system can change or select the backlight color according to the state of the control system or by a user operation.

In addition, a portable small display is provided with a liquid crystal display unit, and as a backlight display of the liquid crystal display unit, the emission luminance is adjusted by variously setting the drive pulse widths of the red, green and blue colored light emitting diodes. A technique has been proposed in which various backlight colors can be selected according to user preferences (see Patent Document 1). However, the backlight color cannot be changed according to the state of the control system.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-266295

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to be used in the control system described above, and in a small display having a monochrome liquid crystal display unit, the backlight system of the display screen of the monochrome liquid crystal display unit is controlled not only by the user operation but also by the control system. It is to be able to set even according to the state of.

  The backlight color setting method for a liquid crystal display screen according to the first aspect of the present invention is a backlight color setting method for illuminating a monochrome liquid crystal display portion of a small display from the back to color the backlight color of the liquid crystal display screen. A small display is provided with a backlight panel that can illuminate the light emitted from a plurality of different colored light emitting diodes, and each of the colored light emitting diodes can be individually driven to emit light. The backlight color selection menu screen can be displayed on the screen by operation, and the small display unit receives the selection of the backlight color from the above backlight color selection menu screen, and each colored with on / off duty corresponding to this selection Each of the light emitting diodes is driven to emit light.

  The colored light emitting diode includes at least two light emitting diodes that can emit light in colors such as red, green, blue, and white.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a user calls a backlight color menu screen on a personal computer and selects a desired backlight color from the menu screen by a tool operation. Since the light color can be set, the target backlight color can be easily set.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, while there are at least two colored light emitting diodes, the on / off duty is controlled, and the liquid crystal display screen is illuminated with three or more backlight colors by mixing the light emitting colors from the colored light emitting diodes. can do.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, for example, in the case of two colored light emitting diodes of red and green, in addition to red and green, depending on the setting of on / off duty, typically, lime, yellow, orange, Other fine backlight colors can be obtained, and current consumption in the light emission drive circuit in this case can be suppressed.

  In the backlight color setting method according to the second aspect of the present invention, the backlight color of the liquid crystal display screen is colored by illuminating the monochrome liquid crystal display unit included in the small display connected to the PLC via the network from the back. In the backlight color setting method, the light emission colors of a plurality of different colored light emitting diodes can be mixed in a small display, and a plurality of different colored light emitting diodes can be individually driven to emit light on the backlight panel that illuminates the liquid crystal display screen. A soft switch that drives each colored light emitting diode to emit light is displayed on the liquid crystal display screen with an on / off duty corresponding to a desired backlight color.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the backlight color of the liquid crystal display screen can be switched and displayed only by operating the soft switch displayed on the liquid crystal display screen of the small display. The state, the state of the control device controlled by the PLC, and the like can be displayed by the backlight color, and the convenience of the control operation of the operator in the control system can be improved. For example, by displaying the value of the PLC register and setting the backlight color corresponding to that value, the state of the PLC can be immediately confirmed without particularly checking the detailed value of the register. It is preferable for an operator to easily handle a control system equipped with a PLC.

  In the above case, it is preferable to display a plurality of soft switches corresponding to a plurality of backlight colors so as to be individually operable. Since the operation content of each soft switch can be set variously and the backlight color can be set corresponding to the operation of this soft switch, it is preferable for the operator to easily handle the control system equipped with the PLC.

  In the above case, it is preferable to use a single soft switch and change the backlight color of the liquid crystal display screen every time the single soft switch is operated. Each time the same soft switch is operated, the backlight color is switched, and the operation content of the soft switch can be confirmed by the backlight color, which makes it easier for the operator to handle a control system equipped with a PLC.

  According to the present invention, the backlight color of the display screen of the monochrome liquid crystal display unit included in the small display can be set to an arbitrary backlight color according to the tool operation of the personal computer and the state of the control system.

  Hereinafter, a backlight color setting method, a small display, and a personal computer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a control system that implements the backlight color setting method, and FIG. 2 shows a detailed block diagram of a programmable display in the control system. 3 is an external perspective view of the programmable display, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view around the liquid crystal display portion of the programmable display, FIG. 5 is a light emission drive circuit of a colored light emitting diode in the backlight panel, and FIG. Circuit drive timing chart, FIG. 7 shows a backlight color menu screen of a personal computer and an example of selection of a backlight color of a programmable display by this menu screen operation, and FIGS. 8 and 9 show backlights by a soft switch operation of the programmable display. An example of color selection is shown.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the control system is a system that controls the state of an output device 2 such as a motor and an input device 4 such as a sensor. For this control, the control system includes a personal computer 8 connected to the common network 6, a plurality of programmable displays 10 connected to the personal computer 8 via the common network 6 and operated by an operator, A plurality of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) 12 individually connected to each programmable display 10 via a dedicated network such as RS232C.

  The personal computer 8 includes a main body 8a including a CPU, a memory (RAM, ROM, etc.), a display unit, an external storage device 8b such as a hard disk drive and an MO drive, and an input device 8c such as a keyboard and a mouse.

  The personal computer 8 can perform a data communication process with the programmable display 10 via the common network 6 and a process of transferring screen data created by the drawing editor 8 d to the programmable display 10. .

  The PLC 12 performs calculation processing of control data to be given to the output device 2 based on a signal input from the input device 4 according to the control sequence. 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 2, an actuator, a relay, a solenoid valve, a motor, or the like is used. The input device 4 and the output device 2 are arranged in required parts such as a production line.

  In the configuration of the control system described above, the programmable display 10 operates in accordance with a control program stored in advance, communicates with the PLC 12, displays the status of the devices 2 and 4, and the device 2 in accordance with an operator instruction. , 4 is communicated to the PLC 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the programmable display 10 includes a program memory 10a, a data memory 10b, a CPU 10c, a monochrome liquid crystal display unit 10d, a touch panel 10e, and communication interfaces 10f and 10g. The programmable display 10 can perform various types of data processing in order to perform display screen display control, protocol conversion, and data distribution processing in the built-in CPU 10c. The programmable display 10 can be drawn on the liquid crystal display screen 10 h shown in FIG. 3 by screen data transferred from the personal computer 8. Display components and tags are combined as image blocks on the liquid crystal display screen 10h. On the liquid crystal display screen 10h, display components and tags move according to the operation of the input / output device, and the operation status of the input / output devices 2 and 4 is visualized.

  The programmable display 10 analyzes the address of the transmission destination included in the screen data of the personal computer 8 transmitted from the common network 6 and, if the address is its own, the command included in the data from the personal computer 8 Reading and display operations can be performed corresponding to the screen data. The programmable display 10 stores a program for executing a number of functions such as a display control program, display processing of characters and graphics, input reception processing on a touch panel, menu display, and the like in the program memory 10a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the black-and-white liquid crystal display unit 10d seals black-and-white liquid crystal on both sides of a transparent substrate provided with transparent electrical wiring, and pastes polarizing plates on both sides of the transparent substrate to provide a light-transmissive black-and-white liquid crystal. It is configured as a display plate. The monochrome liquid crystal display unit 10d is configured to display the image block in black and white (monochrome display) by applying a display signal to the transparent electrical wiring.

  A transparent touch panel 10e is provided on the front side of the monochrome liquid crystal display unit 10d. The black-and-white liquid crystal display unit 10d can perform a display operation in response to an operation on the touch panel 10e and output an electrical signal corresponding to the operation.

  Since the relationship between the black-and-white liquid crystal display unit 10d and the touch panel 10e is well known, detailed description thereof is omitted. In the embodiment, only an example of the configuration of the black and white liquid crystal display unit 10d is shown, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

  A backlight panel 14 is provided on the back side of the monochrome liquid crystal display unit 10d. The backlight panel 14 includes a light guide plate 14a fixed to the back surface of the black-and-white liquid crystal display unit 10d, a reflection plate 14b fixed to the back surface of the light guide plate, and a colored light emitting diode installed on the side of the light guide plate. It is composed of two colored light emitting diodes 14c and 14d of red and green. In the embodiment, only an example of the configuration of the backlight panel 14 is shown, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

  Each of these colored light emitting diodes 14c and 14d serves as a backlight light source and emits red and green light by applying a light emission driving signal, and the emitted light is guided by the light guide plate 14a of the backlight panel 14, and the reflecting plate 14b. The light enters the front of the black and white liquid crystal display unit 10d while being reflected, and becomes the backlight color of the liquid crystal display screen.

  The red and green colored light emitting diodes 14c and 14d are driven to emit light by a light emission driving circuit 16 including transistors 16a and 16b as shown in FIG. A drive signal for red light emission (hereinafter referred to as a red drive signal) and a drive signal for green light emission (hereinafter referred to as a green drive signal) are applied to the bases of both transistors 16a and 16b. .

  Each of the colored light emitting diodes 14c and 14d is driven to emit light by on / off duty control of a red driving signal and a green driving signal described below. A combination of the on / off duty of each of the red and green drive signals will be described with reference to FIG. Here, “ON” means an on-duty in which the light emitting diode is driven to emit light, and “OFF” means an off-duty in which the light emitting diode stops emitting light.

  FIG. 6A shows a first combination in which the red drive signal is 100% off (0% on) and the green drive signal is 100% on (0% off), and the backlight color is “green”.

  FIG. 6B shows a second combination in which the red drive signal is 50% on, 50% off, and the green drive signal is 100% on (0% off), and the backlight color is “lime”.

  FIG. 6C shows a third combination in which both the red drive signal and the green drive signal are 83% on and 17% off, and the backlight color is “yellow”.

  FIG. 6D shows a fourth combination in which the red drive signal is 100% on (0% off), the green drive signal is 50% on, and 50% off, and the backlight color is “orange”.

  FIG. 6E shows a fifth combination in which the red drive signal is 100% on (0% off) and the green drive signal is 100% off (0% on), and the backlight color is “red”.

  In the above combination, the personal computer 8 can display the menu screen 8e on which the first to fifth backlight colors can be selected by operating the tool, as shown in FIG. It is like that. In this menu screen 8e, C1 is a “green” command menu for setting the backlight color of the liquid crystal display screen of the programmable display 10 to “green”, and C2 is a “lime” command for setting the backlight color to “lime”. C3 is a “yellow” command menu for setting the backlight color to “yellow”, C4 is an “orange” command menu for setting the backlight color to “orange”, and C5 is the backlight color. This is a “red” command menu for setting “red” to “red”.

  The personal computer 8 gives a corresponding backlight color selection execution command to the programmable display 10 by a user operation on the backlight color selection menu screen 8e. When the programmable display 10 receives this selection execution command, it inputs a drive signal shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D to the light emission drive circuit 16 in response to the command. Accordingly, the red and green colored light emitting diodes 14c and 14d are driven to emit light, and the liquid crystal display screen 10h of the liquid crystal display unit 10e is set to a target backlight color.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the user-operated soft switch 10i is displayed on the display screen 10h of the programmable display 10, and the backlight color is changed by operating these soft switches 10i. You may be able to. In the case of FIG. 8, five soft switches 10i1 to 10i5 are displayed corresponding to the above five colors. By selecting and operating any one of the soft switches 10i1 to 10i5, the backlight color of the display screen 10h can be set to 10h1 to 10h5. In the case of FIG. 9, by displaying only one soft switch 10i and sequentially operating this soft switch 10i, the backlight color of the display screen 10h can be sequentially changed to 10h1 to 10h5.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example in which the embodiment of the present invention is applied to a control system. FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a programmable display in the control system of FIG. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the programmable display of FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a peripheral configuration including a liquid crystal display section of the programmable display of FIG. FIG. 5 is a light emission drive circuit diagram of a red light emitting diode and a green light emitting diode. FIG. 6 is a timing chart of light emission drive signals of the red light emitting diode and the green light emitting diode. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a backlight color selection menu screen of a personal computer and a backlight color screen of a programmable display corresponding to the menu screen. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example of the backlight color selection soft switch on the display screen of the programmable display. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another display example of the backlight color selection soft switch on the display screen of the programmable display.

Explanation of symbols

2 Output equipment 4 Input equipment 6 Common network 8 Personal computer 10 Programmable display 12 PLC

Claims (9)

In the backlight color setting method for making the backlight color of the liquid crystal display screen colored by illuminating the black and white liquid crystal display part of the small display from the back,
A first step of providing a backlight panel for illuminating the liquid crystal display screen by allowing the light emission colors of a plurality of different colored light emitting diodes to be mixed in a small display, and individually setting each colored light emitting diode to be capable of light emission driving When,
A second step in which a backlight color selection menu screen can be displayed on the screen by a tool operation in a personal computer;
The small display device receives the selection of the backlight color from the backlight color selection menu screen, and a third step of driving each colored light emitting diode to emit light with an on / off duty corresponding to the selection;
A method for setting a backlight color of a liquid crystal display screen. In a backlight color setting method for illuminating a monochrome liquid crystal display unit provided in a small display connected to a PLC via a network from the back thereof so that the backlight color of the liquid crystal display screen is colored,
A first step of setting a plurality of different colored light-emitting diodes individually to be capable of light emission driving in a backlight panel for illuminating the liquid crystal display screen by allowing the light emission colors of a plurality of different colored light-emitting diodes to be mixed in a small display;
A second step of operably displaying a soft switch for driving each colored light emitting diode to emit light with an on / off duty corresponding to a desired backlight color on the liquid crystal display screen;
A backlight color setting method comprising:   3. The backlight color setting method according to claim 2, wherein, in the second step, a plurality of soft switches are displayed corresponding to the plurality of backlight colors so as to be individually operable.   3. The backlight color according to claim 1, wherein, in the second step, a single soft switch is used, and a backlight color of the liquid crystal display screen is changed every time the single soft switch is operated. Setting method. In a small display comprising a black and white liquid crystal display and a backlight panel for illuminating the black and white liquid crystal display from the back with a color other than black and white,
The backlight panel includes a plurality of different colored light-emitting diodes, and includes a configuration capable of performing the illumination so that the emission colors of each of the colored light-emitting diodes can be mixed,
A compact display device characterized in that each of the colored light emitting diodes can be individually driven to emit light by an on / off duty corresponding to a tool operation of a personal computer. In a small display comprising a monochrome liquid crystal display unit and a backlight panel for illuminating the monochrome liquid crystal display unit from the back with a color other than monochrome, and connected to a PLC for sequence control of a control device via a network ,
The backlight panel includes a plurality of different colored light emitting diodes, and has a configuration capable of performing the illumination with a backlight color obtained by mixing the light emitting colors of the colored light emitting diodes. In addition, the backlight panel receives data input from the PLC. A small-sized display characterized in that each of the colored light emitting diodes can be driven to emit light with a corresponding on / off duty to set a backlight color of a liquid crystal display screen. A monochrome liquid crystal display unit, a touch panel that is provided on the liquid crystal display screen of the monochrome liquid crystal display unit and can be operated by a touch panel, and a backlight panel that illuminates the monochrome liquid crystal display unit from the back with a color other than monochrome In the small display equipped,
The backlight panel includes a plurality of different colored light emitting diodes, and has a configuration capable of performing the illumination with a backlight color obtained by mixing the light emitting colors of these colored light emitting diodes,
A small-sized display, characterized in that a soft switch for driving each colored light-emitting diode to emit light can be displayed on the liquid crystal display screen with an on-off duty corresponding to a desired backlight color.   8. The small display according to claim 7, wherein a backlight color of the liquid crystal display screen can be changed by sequentially operating the soft switches. A personal computer connected to the small display according to any one of claims 5 to 8 via a network.
The personal computer can display a menu screen capable of selecting a plurality of backlight colors on the screen by a tool operation, and can transmit a command corresponding to the selection to the small display. A personal computer characterized by that.

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