JPH0683405A - Programming device of programmable controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable even a user who is unfamiliar with operation to easily operate a keyboard by making the internal state of the programming device correspond to displayed guidance information. CONSTITUTION:A CPU 2 stores the kind of a key each time its key input is generated, decides which input order the key input corresponds to from the current key kind and last key kind, and detects which state the programming device is in. Then the CPU 2 sets a number corresponding to the detected internal state in transition information in a 1st system memory 4. The user operates a guidance key when seeing the guidance information. Then the input of the guidance key is detected and the CPU 2 reads guidance files 7-9 corresponding to the internal state indicated by the transition information out of a 2nd system memory 5 by referring to the transition information in the 1st system memory 4 and displays them on a display unit 3. Consequently, the user can immediately see the guidance information matching the current state.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a programmable controller programming device for creating a sequence program executed by a programmable controller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it is known that a programmable controller arithmetically executes a sequence program to automatically control electronic equipment. The sequence program is created by a programming device connected to the programmable controller. Further, it is possible to monitor the operating state of the programmable controller. Further, an operation instruction for the programmable controller is also issued from the programming device.

[0003]

Since the programming device is multi-functional as described above, the keyboard operation is also becoming complicated. Therefore, users who are unfamiliar with the operation need to read the instruction manual carefully and learn.
The conventional device has a problem that it takes time to get used to the operation. Therefore, a programming device has been proposed in which all the guidance information corresponding to various internal states of the programming device can be displayed and the user can select desired guidance information. However, this type of programming device has conventionally required a plurality of key operations to display desired guidance information.

Therefore, in view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a programming device for a programmable controller in which even a user unfamiliar with the operation can easily operate the keyboard.

[0005]

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a storage means for storing guidance information defined for each type of internal state of a programming device,
Each time the internal state of the programming device changes, the type content of the current internal state is detected, the detection means for holding the detected content, the instruction means for instructing the display of the guidance information regardless of the type, and the display means. When there is an instruction from the instruction means, the control means reads out guidance information corresponding to the detection content of the detection means from the storage means and displays it on the display means.

[0006]

According to the present invention, when the user instructs the guidance information by the instruction means, the guidance information suitable for the current internal state of the programming device is automatically selected and displayed.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the basic construction of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1000 denotes a storage unit that stores guidance information defined for each type of internal state of the programming device.

Reference numeral 1100 is a detecting means for detecting the type contents of the current internal state each time the internal state of the programming device changes and holding the detected contents.

Reference numeral 1200 is an instruction means for instructing the display of the guidance information regardless of the type.

Reference numeral 1300 is a display means.

Reference numeral 1400 is a control means for reading guidance information corresponding to the detection content of the detection means from the storage means and displaying the guidance information on the display means when an instruction is given from the instruction means.

Before describing the present invention, a programming device will be described. FIG. 2 shows a circuit configuration of a portion of the programming device relating to the present invention.

In FIG. 2, a central processing unit (CP
U) 2 receives an operation command or general information input from the keyboard 1 and performs various information processing such as creation of a sequence program. The display 3 displays input information from the keyboard 1, information processing results and guidance information related to the present invention.

The first system memory 4 stores a system program defining information processing executed by the CPU 2 and calculation information related to the information processing. Transition information is information related to the present invention. The transition information is information indicating the current internal state of the programming device, and it is possible to display on the display device 3 a guidance file in which guidance information corresponding to the internal state indicated by the transition information is described. The second system memory 5 stores a guidance file group 6 in which guidance files 7 to 9 corresponding to the internal states 1 to 3 are collected. The keyboard 1 is provided with a guidance key 1A (see FIG. 3). The guidance key 1A is a key for instructing the display of guidance information as an instruction means of the present invention.

The guidance display processing executed in such a configuration will be described. C when the system is booted
PU2 starts the control procedure of FIG. CP in Figure 4
U2 executes initialization and sets internal state 1 as a transition state. More specifically, the transition information is set to the number indicating the internal state 1. When there is a key input, the CPU 2 determines the key type. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, when the user inputs A, the internal state 1 transits to the internal state 2. Therefore, the CPU 2 stores the type of the key each time there is a key input, determines which input sequence in FIG. 5 corresponds to the current key type and the previous key type, and determines which state the programming device is in. Detect if there is. Next, the CPU 2 sets a number corresponding to the detected internal state in the transition information of the first system memory 4 (step S20 → S70). At this time, the CPU 2 and the system memory 4 operate as the detecting means of the present invention. When the CPU 2 retains and stores the current internal state in this way, it processes the content designated by the input key information (step S80).

When the user wants to see the guidance information, he or she operates the guidance key 1A. Then, the input of the guidance key 1A is detected in step S30. CPU2
Refers to the transition information of the first system memory 4 as the control means of the present invention, reads the guidance file corresponding to the internal state indicated by the transition information from the second system memory 5, and displays it on the display 3 (step S40 → S60).
Therefore, the user can immediately see the guidance information suitable for the current state.

In addition to this embodiment, the following example can be implemented.

1) The internal state of the programming device is CP
Since it often corresponds to the type of program executed by U2, a program command for setting the contents of the internal state set by the program in the transition information of the first system memory 4 is described at the beginning of each program. You may In this case, the transition information is updated every time each program is called by the CPU 2.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By associating the internal state of the programming device with the guidance information to be displayed, the key operation for selecting the guidance information, which is conventionally required, becomes unnecessary.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific circuit configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of guidance keys.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by a CPU 2.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing contents of state transition of the programming device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Keyboard 2 CPU 3 Display 4 First System Memory 5 Second System Memory 6 Guidance File Group 7-9 Guidance File

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A storage unit for storing guidance information defined for each type of internal state of a programming device, and a type content of a current internal state is detected each time the internal state of the programming device changes, and the detected content is displayed. Detecting means to be retained, instructing means for instructing to display the guidance information regardless of type, display means, and when instructed by the instructing means, guidance information corresponding to the detection content of the detecting means is displayed. A programming device for a programmable controller, comprising: a control unit that reads out from the storage unit and displays on the display unit.