JPH03251930A - Controller for measuring device or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the handling of a device having a multi-task function by securing the occasional switch between the foreground and background tasks. CONSTITUTION:Both start and file operations are shown on a screen with start of a measuring device, and a foreground task is displayed on a measurement screen. A measuring job is started with push of a start key and an under- measurement mode is displayed. Then a flag extends and the stop display is also given. At the same time, the selectable actions are displayed at the lower side of a screen according to the function of each key. The measuring action is stopped with push of a stop key and then switched to a background task with push of a file key. Then 'under-measurement' is changed to 'measurement mode' and it is displayed that the selection is possible among the copy, format and erasion modes as the file operation contents. Thus, either one of these mode can be selected and actuated. The screen is changed with push of a mea surement key and a graph is displayed to show the measurement processes advanced during no display in the background. Thus the handling is facilitated for a device having a multi-task function.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a control device that controls a measuring device, an analyzer, and other devices, and has a function that allows multiple operations to proceed simultaneously (
This invention relates to control of a display screen when the invention has a multitasking function.

(Prior Art) When a plurality of operations are in progress in a device having a multitasking function, the progress status of one of the operations is displayed on the display screen. Here, the action content currently displayed on the display screen is called a foreground task, and the action content that is being executed but not displayed is called a background task.

In conventional devices, an operator selects one of multiple operations and sets it as a foreground task and the others as background tasks, but it is not possible to switch an operation in progress in the background to the foreground midway through. However, in some cases, it is not even possible to know how far the background operation is currently progressing.

Also, to stop an operation in progress in the background, use a special operation to switch the display screen to a dedicated screen,
It is necessary to select stop as one of the options displayed on the screen and specify the task to be stopped.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In conventional devices having a multitasking function, as described above, the operator must carefully select in advance which actions should be the foreground task and which should be the background task. This is very inconvenient when it becomes necessary to check the progress of each operation later.

Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned inconvenience by making it possible to switch between a foreground task and a background task at any time in an apparatus having a multitasking function.

(Means for solving the problem) In a control device that has a multitasking function and is equipped with a display device that displays the operating status, it is possible to designate a task, start it,
Each task is equipped with a key to instruct it to stop, and while a task is running in the foreground, the display screen displays the progress of that task and the type of background task, and also shows the progress of that task and the type of background task. A background task is switched to the foreground and a foreground task is switched to the background by operating the specified key of the currently running task, and the foreground task can be stopped at any time.

(Operation) In a device having a multitasking function, the progress status of the foreground task is displayed on the screen of the display device. This point is the same as the conventional device. In the present invention, since the type of background task being executed is displayed on the display screen, it is possible to know what kind of tasks are currently being executed simultaneously. Also, the stop key can be used for foreground tasks, and tasks that have been sent to the background are displayed, so by operating the key that executes that task, you can bring that task to the foreground and Foreground tasks can be sent to the background, and foreground tasks can be stopped, so any task can be stopped as a foreground task.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows changes in the display screen on the display means of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, two tasks can be performed simultaneously in a control device of a measuring device such as a spectrophotometer, one of which is a measurement operation, and the other is one of several operations collectively called a file. There is one. When the device is started, the screen shown in FIG. 1a appears. This screen indicates that there are two operations that can be selected next, Start and File, and also indicates that if the operation is started now, the measurement operation will become a foreground task. That is, the foreground task is displayed in the upper left corner of the screen as a measurement screen, and in the box at the bottom are displayed files and start, which indicate the respective keys on the keyboard. If the operator intends to make the measurement a foreground task, he can press the start key on the keyboard (this will start the measurement operation and the screen will show that the foreground task is in progress, as shown in Figure 1). A display indicating that the measurement is in progress will appear at the top right of the screen, and the measurement output will be displayed in a graph, and the graph will expand as the measurement progresses.At the bottom of the screen, the actions that can be selected at this stage will be specified. Figure 1 shows that it is possible to select between the action "File" and the action "Stop".Therefore, pressing the stop key on the keyboard can stop the measurement operation. .

If you want to execute a file operation in parallel, which is an operation other than measurement, just press the file key. Then, the measurement operation is switched to the background task, and the display screen becomes as shown in FIG. 1C. Although the measurement progress is not displayed in this display, the fact that the measurement operation is in progress as a background task is indicated by the message "Measuring" in the upper right corner of the screen, and the file operations include 1° copy, 2. Format, 3. It shows that three types of erasure can be selected, and the number keys 1 and 1 on the keyboard are used.
You can select one of 2.3 and have it perform that action. During this time, the measurement operation is progressing in the background. At the same time, on the display screen in Figure 1C, for each file operation that is currently a foreground task, the measurement operation at the bottom of the screen indicates that the measurement operation can be selected as an operation that can be switched between foreground and background. This is shown by the display, and when the operator presses the measurement key on the keyboard, the screen returns to Figure 1.
As shown in Figure d, the progress of the measurement operation that progressed while it was not displayed in the background is displayed graphically.

When the screen shown in Figure 1 a first appears, if you want to perform one action in the file in the foreground and place the measurement in the background, press the file key. The measurement and start display will appear at the key display, and a screen with no display will appear in the upper right corner.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of control operations related to the above-described operations of the control device. When you start up the device, you will get the first screen information (a). This screen information constitutes the screen shown in FIG. 1a. Next, the program proceeds to step (b), where it is checked whether there is any command (operation) being executed. After startup, there is no command being executed yet, so the operation jumps to step (e) and the screen shown in FIG. 1a is displayed. This display allows the operator to know which keys can be operated, such as pressing the start key. The key was pressed (to)
If detected in step (A), the operation goes to (A), where the translation program converts the command corresponding to the pressed key into a code string that actually functions in the control device, and then converts the command corresponding to the pressed key into a code string that actually functions in the control device. The command is stored as being executed (4), screen information corresponding to the command is captured, and the operation proceeds to step (b). To explain concretely, since the "Start" key was pressed in step (to), the measurement output was taken in in step (su), and step (b) was read as YE.
S, and the next step (c) is the current screen, that is, the first
Since the "measurement" operation displayed on the screen in Figure 2 is being executed, step (c) is also YES, and the operation being executed, that is, the measurement result, is imported in step (d), and (e)
A graph is displayed on the screen in step , and if no new key is pressed, step (to) is NO, and if the operation being executed through step (nu) is completed, it is displayed in step (ch). Delete the memorized command being executed (in this case, the measurement operation command), go to B, check (O) whether the background task operation has finished,
If the background task has finished (to be more specific based on what has been said so far, since the measurement was started as a foreground task and no background task was specified, it will be YES immediately) and the operation will end. The corresponding screen information is obtained (wa), the operation progresses from (b) to (e), a message indicating the end of the operation is displayed, and the operation is (e).
(H) (N) (O) (W) (B) (E) The end display continues to be displayed in cycles. As shown above, the measurement operation is progressing and displayed as a foreground task, but if you press the file key to perform a background task while this operation is in progress, the step (to) will return to Y.
ES, the operation goes to step (g), and (ch)(
The operation proceeds as shown in step (c) (b) (b) ()1), and when step (c) becomes NO, the display shown in FIG. 1C is displayed on the screen. child\
To return the measurement operation to the foreground again, refer to Figure 1C.
When you press the key for the measurement displayed on the screen, the step (to) becomes YES again, and the measurement displayed on the screen in Figure 1C goes through (G), <C>, (C), and (B). Since the operation shown in FIG.

Here is a supplementary explanation of step (g).

In the device of this embodiment, the operation keys displayed at the bottom of the screen shown in FIG. 1 are not located on the keyboard, but there are four function keys F1 to F4. The function changes depending on the phase of the operation. For example, the F4 function key has the function of starting the measurement operation when the device starts, has the function of stopping the measurement operation while the measurement operation is in progress, and has the function of bringing the file operation to the foreground. When the screen is opened, it has a function to return the measurement operation to the foreground, and there is a built-in program that translates the functions of these keys into machine language within the device, and the function described in step (g) above. Each function is realized by converting the key functions into machine language that corresponds to the actual action in that situation.

(Effects of the invention) Operators do not know the concepts of background tasks and foreground tasks, and do not give special consideration to which of multiple tasks should be brought to the foreground.
You can freely switch between the foreground and the background on the display screen as needed, and you can stop background tasks with a simple keystroke.
Ease of use of devices with multitasking functionality is improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing changes in the display screen in one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the control operation.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a control device that has a multitasking function and is equipped with a display device that displays the progress status of the task being executed, it is equipped with keys for instructing task designation, start, and stop, and one task is being executed in the foreground. During this time, the display screen displays the progress status of the task and the type of background task, and also displays the task that was sent to the background by operating the specified key of the task that is being sent to the background. 1. A control device for a measuring device, etc., characterized in that it has a function of replacing with a foreground task and stopping the foreground task.