JP7345378B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electronic device having a communication function and setting value information that can be remotely controlled.

In general, many sensors and actuators in industrial electronic equipment have some kind of set value, such as a threshold value or timer time. It has long been known that each of these electronic devices has its own unique operating method, and uses built-in buttons and displays to communicate with external host devices using communication commands to read and write setting values. (For example, Patent Document 1).

When setting the settings for each device, you may want to go to the location where the device is installed and operate it directly, or you may prepare a program to access the settings using communication commands on the host device. (For example, Patent Document 2).

Further, the setting values of each device are accessed using a designated setting value number, and each value often has a unique meaning.

JP2018-146588A Patent No. 2698685

However, the above conventional technology has the following problems. FIG. 4 shows a state in which a device sends a communication command to a higher-level device based on data regarding setting values during remote control. For example, if the read command is number 22, the write command is number 33, and setting value number 15 is the display language setting, setting value 0 means the display language is English, 1 is Japanese, 2 is German, etc. There is. In this example, the transmission data is 22, 15, and the response data is set to Japanese with a setting value of 1. This setting value is displayed with a specific name on the display unit installed in the device to make it easier for the operator to understand, but when accessing the setting value through external communication, it is necessary to use the setting value number. It is necessary to convert the value into a numerical value of the setting value, and either program the setting value information in the host device, transfer the data and have the meaning interpreted, or the operator converts it while looking at the document. The setup work was complicated.

Furthermore, even when programming setting value information or transferring data, the device version and setting value information must match. In Figure 5, the data regarding setting values is for version 1 with setting values 1 to 100 and timer time 1ms to 100ms, whereas for version 2 it is setting values 1 to 1000 and timer time 0.1ms to 100.0ms. be. In this way, if the setting values differ depending on the version, incorrect information will be displayed or written to the device, so it is necessary to perform the above setting work every time the version is changed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide an electronic device that can be easily remotely controlled by reading out setting value information of the device from the outside.

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device according to the present invention is one or more devices that communicate setting value information with a host device, and the electronic device includes settings for setting functions built into the device in the setting value information. A table that stores a list of values, character strings written in international standard character codes that explain their contents, and setting value numbers for reading and writing setting values, a device display that displays the character strings, and device operations. The setting value information of the device is obtained by reading out the table by a host device, accessing the setting value using the setting value number stored in the table, and based on the setting value number. The character string explaining the content of the set value is read out and displayed on the host device, thereby remotely controlling the device.

According to this configuration, setting values, character strings written in international standard character codes, and setting value numbers for reading and writing setting values are stored in advance in the device as a list table, and setting value information from the host device is stored in advance. Since the character string is read out based on the setting value number stored in the device and the device is remotely operated, the device can be easily remotely controlled by using a common user interface. This eliminates the need to program the setting value information for each device on the host device side or to transfer and convert the data individually as in the past, making it easy to read the setting value information from the outside and remotely control the device. becomes possible.

Preferably, in the remote control, the device operation button has a function equivalent to press information of an operation button of a host device, and the device display displays the same character string as the display of the host device. Therefore, the device can be remotely controlled more easily.

Preferably, when a language of the setting value information that is not included in the character strings in the list is selected, the setting value information is set by responding with the character string in English. In this case, even if an unsupported language is selected, it can be set in English.

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily read setting value information from the outside and remotely control a device.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a list stored in the electronic device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a conventional device sends a communication command to a higher-level device based on data regarding setting values. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting values that differ depending on the version.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device 1 communicates setting value information with the host device 10 via the transmitter/receiver 4 and the transmitter/receiver 14 of the host device 10 . In the setting value information, the setting value 3 that sets the built-in function of the device 1, the character string 5 written in the international standard character code that explains the content, and the setting value number 2 for reading and writing the setting value 3 are included. It has a table 6 that is stored as a list. Furthermore, it has a device display 7 that displays the character string 5, device operation buttons 8, and a control section 9 that controls each section. The device 1 has a plurality of devices 1 to n, each of which is connected through communication.

The host device 10 is a known electronic device and includes a transmitting/receiving section 14, a display 17, operation buttons 18, and a control section 19. The description of other configurations will be omitted. A touch panel having a liquid crystal display and touch switches is preferably used for each display and each operation button described above.

The setting value information of the device 1 is obtained by reading out the table 6 by the host device 10, accessing the setting value 3 using the setting value number 2 stored in the table 6, and setting the setting value 3 based on the setting value number 2. By reading out the character string 5 explaining the content and displaying it on the display 17 of the host device 10, remote control from the host device 10 to the device 1 becomes possible.

In remote control by the host device 10, the device operation button and press information of the host device's operation button have equivalent functions. By sending this press information, a character string is read from the list. Further, the same character string is displayed on the device display 7 and the display 17 of the host device 10.

In the present invention, even conventional equipment can be applied to remote control according to the present invention by storing a list of setting value numbers.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the electronic device 1 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. In this figure, for example, four devices 1 (1-1 to 1-4) are each connected to a host device 10 through communication. On the display 7 of each device, for example, the display language for device 1-1 is Japanese, the timer time for device 1-2 is 10 seconds, the operating time for device 1-3 is 150 days, and the language for device 1-4 is Language, English. , and the display 17 of the host device 10 displays the timer time of 10 seconds for the device 1-2.

As an example of setting value information reading, a setting value information read command number 122 is used in addition to the conventional setting value information read command number 22, and the number of the setting value to be read is read.
Transmission data: 122, 15
Response data: "Display language, English, Japanese, German"

In this case, the response string is separated by commas (","), starting with the name of the setting value, followed by a string explaining the meaning of setting value 0, followed by the meaning of setting values 1, 2, etc. followed by a string explaining the For example, as in device 1-1 in FIG. 2, the display language setting value 1 is set to Japanese.

In addition, as another example of reading setting value information, the same read command number 22 as in the conventional method is used to uniformly add a specified value, for example 1000, to the setting value number and read it out.
Transmission data: 22, 1015
Response data: "Display language, English, Japanese, German"

Additional information such as lower and upper limits of set values, units, data formats, calculation coefficients, and decimal point positions may be added to this response data.
Transmission data: 22, 1016
Response data: "Timer time, 0,1000,ms, UINT16,1,1"

Here, the meaning of each character string separated by commas is, from the beginning, the setting value name (timer time), lower limit value (0), upper limit value (1000), unit notation (ms), data format (UINT16: code (16-bit integer), operation coefficient (1), and decimal point position (1).

In order to know what kind of setting values are present in the device 1, a table 6 listing setting value numbers is prepared and readable. That is, the user interface is standardized using a list of setting value numbers of the device 1 having the above-described configuration.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a list table 6 stored in the device 1. In this figure, a setting value access table a, language number b, system command function c, etc. are defined for each setting value number, and setting information is also defined in the bottom column, which also includes additional information d.

To read the list of setting value numbers, a dedicated read command, for example number 222, may be provided, or a designated unique setting value number, for example number 0, may be used.
Transmission data: 222
Response data: 15, 16, 20, 21, 100, 101

In this case, by sending read command number 222, a list of valid setting value numbers is returned as a response. From the response shown here, it can be seen that setting values 15, 16, 20, 21, 100, and 101 exist.

Transmission data: 22, 0
Response data: 15, 16, 20, 21, 100, 101
In this example, setting value number 0 is an example in which the setting value list is read out.

Using the list of setting value numbers read here, for example, the value of setting value No. 15 is read out, and then, in order to read out the setting value information, No. 1015, which is the result of adding 1000 to No. 15, is read out.
Transmission data: 22, 15
Response data: 1
Transmission data: 22, 1015
Response data: "Display language, English, Japanese, German"
From this response data, it can be seen that the name of the setting value is "display language" and the character string corresponding to the read setting value 1 is "Japanese".

Furthermore, the character string of this setting value information can be linked to the language of the device, and when the language is switched, a response can be returned in the switched language.
Transmission data: 33, 15, 0 (change display language to English)
Response data: 0 (Language setting value after switching)
Transmission data: 22, 1015
Response data: "Language,English,Japanese,German"

However, some languages may not be supported depending on the device, so if an unsupported language number is sent, switch the language to English and respond.
Transmission data: 33, 15, 2 (change display language to German)
Response data: 0 (German is not supported, so English number 0 is returned)

When a language that is not in the strings in Table 6 of the device list is selected, the string will be set in response to the English language, so even if an unsupported language is selected, it will be set in English. can do.

Another way to standardize the user interface is to provide button control commands for remote control and commands for reading display data to devices that have operation buttons and displays, without being managed by setting value numbers. By preparing it, you can centrally operate it from the host device.

Display string read command: 44
Button operation commands: 55
Button operation data: 0=not pressed, 1=upper triangle button pressed, 2=lower triangle button pressed, 3=square button pressed Transmission data: 44
Response data: "Display language Japanese"
Transmission data: 55, 1
Response data: 1
This is equivalent to pressing the upper triangle button, so for example, if the following setting value is displayed on the device side,
Transmission data: 44
Response data: "Timer time 10 seconds"
You can read out the character string displayed on the display.

If it is between a device 1 that complies with the regulations of these communication commands and a higher-level device 10 that has a communication function to connect to them and centrally manage them, move to the location where the device 1 is installed and communicate each device 1. There is no need to operate the

Further, even if the version is changed, it is stored in advance in the list table 6 of the device 1, so there is no need to change it individually for each device 1 on the host device 10 side, making the setting work easier.

As a result, in the present invention, setting values, character strings written in international standard character codes, and setting value numbers for reading and writing the setting values are stored in advance in the device as a list, and the setting value information from the host device is used to store the setting values in advance. Since the character string is read out based on the setting value number stored in the device, the device can be operated remotely by using a common user interface. This eliminates the need to program setting value information on the host device side or to individually transfer and convert data, as in the past, making it possible to easily remotely control the device.

Note that in this embodiment, each device communicates setting value information regarding sensor measurements, but setting value information may be communicated regarding actuators.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various additions, changes, or deletions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Therefore, such materials are also included within the scope of the present invention.

1: Device 2: Setting value number 3: Setting value 5: Character string written in international standard character code 6: Table of setting value numbers 7: Device display 8: Device operation button 10: Upper device

Claims (3)

One or more devices that communicate setting value information with a higher-level device,
In the setting value information, the setting values that set the functions built into the device, the character strings written in international standard character codes that explain the contents, and the setting value numbers for reading and writing the setting values are stored in a list. table,
It has a device display that displays the character string, and a device operation button,
The setting value information of the device is obtained by reading the table by a host device, accessing the setting value using the setting value number stored in the table, and determining the setting value based on the setting value number. An electronic device that remotely controls the device by reading out the character string explaining the content and displaying it on a host device. In claim 1,
In the remote control, the device operation button has a function equivalent to press information of an operation button of a host device, and the device display displays the same character string as the display of the host device. In claim 1 or 2,
When a language of the setting value information that is not included in the character strings in the list is selected, the electronic device is configured by responding with the character string in English.

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