FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10, Rule 13]
PROGRAMMABLE DISPLAY SYSTEM AND PROGRAMMABLE DISPLAY
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION, A CORPORATION ORGANISED
AND EXISTING UNDER THE LAWS OF JAPAN, WHOSE ADDRESS IS 7-3,
MARUNOUCHI 2-CHOME, CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO 100-8310, JAPAN
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE
INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.
2
DESCRIPTION
5 Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a programmable
display system including a communication terminal and a
programmable display, and the programmable display.
10 Background
[0002] There has been known a programmable display that
causes a display unit of the programmable display to
display a character string associated with an event such as
an abnormality when receiving specific information
15 specifying the event. Also, there has been proposed a
programmable display that transmits a state from a control
device connected to the programmable display to a
communication terminal via a network (for example, see
Patent Literature 1). In Patent Literature 1, the
20 communication terminal is caused to display the same screen
as the screen on the programmable display, so that the
situation of the programmable display can be checked on the
communication terminal even from a location away from the
programmable display.
25
Citation List
Patent Literature
[0003] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application
Laid-open No. 2003-150208
30
Summary
Technical Problem
[0004] However, in the conventional technique, a user
3
needs to continue to view image information displayed on
the communication terminal in order to know that some
abnormality has occurred. For example, a user who works in
a factory may perform a plurality of operations and thus
find it difficult to continue to view the 5 image information
displayed on the communication terminal. It is required to
provide a technique for allowing a user to recognize an
event such as an abnormality by causing the communication
terminal to perform an operation other than displaying a
10 character string associated with the event.
[0005] The present invention has been made in view of
the above, and an object of the present invention is to
provide a programmable display system that allows a user to
recognize an event by causing a communication terminal to
15 perform an operation other than displaying a character
string associated with the event.
Solution to Problem
[0006] In order to solve the above problems and achieve
20 the object, the present invention includes: a communication
terminal that includes a function of displaying a character
string that indicates an event; a storage device that
stores a plurality of character strings each associated
with the content of an event and an operation, and a
25 plurality of executable files each causing execution of an
operation associated with an event; and a programmable
display that receives specific information specifying an
event, acquires a character string and an executable file
corresponding to the specific information from the storage
30 device, and transmits the character string and the
executable file acquired to the communication terminal.
The communication terminal receives the character string
and the executable file transmitted from the programmable
4
display, displays a character string indicating the event
in the character string received, and executes the
executable file.
Advantageous Effects 5 of Invention
[0007] The programmable display system according to the
present invention has an effect of being able to allow a
user to recognize an event by causing the communication
terminal to perform an operation other than displaying a
10 character string associated with the event.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration
of a programmable display system according to a first
15 embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of
information stored in an external storage device included
in the programmable display system according to the first
embodiment.
20 FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example
of an operation procedure of the programmable display
system according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of an
operation of a communication terminal included in the
25 programmable display system according to the first
embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a first diagram illustrating an image
displayed by each of a programmable display and the
communication terminal included in the programmable display
30 system according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a second diagram illustrating an image
displayed by each of the programmable display and the
communication terminal included in the programmable display
5
system according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a third diagram illustrating an image
displayed by each of the programmable display and the
communication terminal included in the programmable display
system according to the 5 first embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a processor in the
case where at least some or all of the functions of a
reception unit, an acquisition unit, and a communication
unit included in the programmable display according to the
10 first embodiment are implemented by the processor.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating processing circuitry
in the case where at least some or all of the components of
the reception unit, the acquisition unit, and the
communication unit included in the programmable display
15 according to the first embodiment are implemented by the
processing circuitry.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a
programmable display according to a second embodiment.
20 Description of Embodiments
[0009] Hereinafter, a programmable display system and a
programmable display according to embodiments of the
present invention will be described in detail with
reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention
25 is not limited to the embodiments.
[0010] First Embodiment.
First, a configuration of a programmable display
system 1 according to a first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the
30 programmable display system 1 according to the first
embodiment. The programmable display system 1 includes a
communication terminal 2 that includes a function of
performing communication. An example of the communication
6
terminal 2 includes a tablet terminal or a smartphone. The
communication terminal 2 further includes a function of
displaying information and a function of storing
information. An example of the information displayed by
the communication terminal 2 includes 5 a character string
that indicates an event. An example of the event includes
that an abnormality has occurred in a fifth valve of a
plurality of five or more valves installed in certain
equipment.
10 [0011] The programmable display system 1 further
includes an external storage device 3 that stores a
plurality of character strings each associated with the
content of an event and the content of an operation, and a
plurality of executable files each causing execution of an
15 operation associated with an event. Data such as the
character strings and the executable files stored in the
external storage device 3 can be rewritten. An example of
the external storage device 3 includes a portable memory
card. The plurality of character strings and the plurality
20 of executable files stored in the external storage device 3
will be further described later with reference to FIG. 2.
[0012] The programmable display system 1 further
includes a programmable display 4 that executes processing
of receiving specific information specifying an event,
25 acquiring a character string and an executable file
corresponding to the received specific information from the
external storage device 3, and transmitting the acquired
character string and executable file to the communication
terminal 2. In the first embodiment, the programmable
30 display 4 receives the specific information from a control
device 10. The control device 10 is also illustrated in
FIG. 1. In the first embodiment, the control device 10 is
a device that controls the plurality of five or more valves
7
described above and detects an abnormal valve when any of
the plurality of valves has an abnormality. The
communication terminal 2, the external storage device 3,
and the control device 10 are located outside the
programmable display 4 and are devices physically 5 separate
from the programmable display 4. Note that the external
storage device 3 may be detachable from the programmable
display 4 and includes, for example, a memory card such as
an SD card.
10 [0013] The programmable display 4 includes a display
unit 41 that displays image information. An example of the
display unit 41 includes a liquid crystal display device.
The programmable display 4 further includes a reception
unit 42 that receives specific information specifying an
15 event, and an acquisition unit 43 that acquires a character
string and an executable file corresponding to the specific
information received by the reception unit 42 from the
external storage device 3. The programmable display 4
further includes a communication unit 44 that transmits the
20 character string and the executable file acquired by the
acquisition unit 43 to the communication terminal 2. The
reception unit 42, the acquisition unit 43, and the
communication unit 44 are included in a processor 81 or
processing circuitry 91 as a processing unit described
25 later. That is, the functions of the reception unit 42,
the acquisition unit 43, and the communication unit 44 are
implemented by the processor 81 or the processing circuitry
91 executing processing.
[0014] The communication terminal 2 receives the
30 character string and the executable file transmitted from
the programmable display 4, displays the character string
indicating the event in the character string received, and
executes the executable file received. For example, the
8
communication terminal 2 includes a speaker, in which case
the executable file is a file for causing sound output of
the character string displayed, and thus the communication
terminal 2 outputs the character string displayed by sound
as well using the speaker. More specifically, 5 when the
event is that an abnormality has occurred in the fifth
valve, for example, the communication terminal 2 displays a
character string of “fifth valve error” and at the same
time outputs the character string of “fifth valve error” by
10 sound using the speaker. That is, when the character
string associated with the content of the event and the
operation includes a character string indicating an
operation of outputting sound by the communication terminal
2, the communication unit 44 transmits the character string
15 associated with the content of the event and the operation
and the executable file to the communication terminal 2.
The communication terminal 2 outputs sound as an operation
associated with the event by executing the executable file.
[0015] Note that the programmable display 4,
20 specifically the communication unit 44, may transmit the
character string corresponding to the specific information
to the communication terminal 2 and, after being requested
to transmit the executable file from the communication
terminal 2, transmit the executable file corresponding to
25 the specific information to the communication terminal 2.
The communication terminal 2 may request the programmable
display 4 to transmit the executable file after receiving
the character string corresponding to the specific
information from the programmable display 4.
30 [0016] The communication terminal 2 and the programmable
display 4 each include functions other than the functions
described above. The functions other than the functions
described above will be described later.
9
[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of
the information stored in the external storage device 3
included in the programmable display system 1 according to
the first embodiment. The external storage device 3 stores
a character string file 31 including 5 a plurality of
character strings each associated with the content of an
event, and an operation file 32 including a plurality of
character strings each associated with the content of an
operation.
10 [0018] In the first embodiment, the character string
file 31 includes character strings of (1) “first valve
error”, (2) “second valve error”, ..., (5) “fifth valve
error”, and the like as character strings each indicating
the content of an event. The character string of (1)
15 “first valve error” indicates that an abnormality has
occurred in a first valve, the character string of (2)
“second valve error” indicates that an abnormality has
occurred in a second valve, and the character string of (5)
“fifth valve error” indicates that an abnormality has
20 occurred in the fifth valve.
[0019] In the first embodiment, the operation file 32
includes character strings of (a) “@#Soundout@”, (b)
“@#Snapshot@”, and the like as character strings each
indicating the content of an operation. The character
25 string of (a) “@#Soundout@” is a character string
indicating, as the content of an operation, an operation of
causing the character string displayed on the communication
terminal 2 to be output by sound. The character string of
(b) “@#Snapshot@” is a character string indicating, as the
30 content of an operation, an operation of causing the
communication terminal 2 to display an image including an
image and a character string displayed by the programmable
display 4 at the time of occurrence of an abnormality.
10
[0020] The external storage device 3 further stores an
edited character string file 33 including character strings
each formed by combining one of the plurality of character
strings included in the character string file 31 and one of
the plurality of character strings 5 included in the
operation file 32. The character strings stored in the
edited character string file 33 are character strings each
associated with the content of an event and the content of
an operation. The edited character string file 33 includes
10 a plurality of the character strings each associated with
the content of an event and the content of an operation.
[0021] In the first embodiment, the edited character
string file 33 includes the plurality of character strings
each associated with the content of an event and the
15 content of an operation such as (A) “@#Soundout@first valve
error”, (B) “@#Soundout@second valve error”, ..., (E)
“@#Soundout@fifth valve error”, and the like.
[0022] The character string of (A) “@#Soundout@first
valve error” is a character string obtained by combining
20 the character string of (1) “first valve error” included in
the character string file 31 and the character string of
(a) “@#Soundout@” included in the operation file 32. The
character string of (B) “@#Soundout@second valve error” is
a character string obtained by combining the character
25 string of (2) “second valve error” included in the
character string file 31 and the character string of (a)
“@#Soundout@” included in the operation file 32. The
character string of (E) “@#Soundout@fifth valve error” is a
character string obtained by combining the character string
30 of (5) “fifth valve error” included in the character string
file 31 and the character string of (a) “@#Soundout@”
included in the operation file 32.
[0023] The plurality of character strings included in
11
the edited character string file 33 and each associated
with the content of an event and the content of an
operation is created by a user. For example, the user
access the character string file 31 and the operation file
32 stored in the external storage device 5 3 using a personal
computer, and edits the character strings included in the
character string file 31 and the character strings included
in the operation file 32 using the personal computer. Also,
the user combines one of the character strings included in
10 the character string file 31 with one of the character
strings included in the operation file 32 using the
personal computer. The user makes the edited character
string file 33 include a plurality of character strings
created. As a result, the plurality of character strings
15 each associated with the content of an event and the
content of an operation is included in the edited character
string file 33. The character strings included in the
character string file 31 and the character strings included
in the operation file 32 are text data, and thus can be
20 edited easily using a personal computer even by a user with
a low level of skill.
[0024] The external storage device 3 further stores an
executable file group 34 that includes a plurality of
executable files each for causing execution of an operation
25 associated with an event. In the first embodiment, the
executable file group 34 includes a sound output file 34a
for causing a character string to be output by sound, and
an image display file 34b for causing an image to be
displayed, the image including an image and a character
30 string displayed on the programmable display 4. In the
first embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a character
string of “Soundout.js” is assigned to the sound output
file 34a, and a character string of “Snapshot.js” is
12
assigned to the image display file 34b.
[0025] Next, an example of an operation of the
programmable display system 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is
a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operation
procedure of the programmable display system 5 1 according to
the first embodiment. FIG. 3 also illustrates an operation
of the control device 10. It is assumed that the control
device 10 has detected an abnormality in the fifth valve
among the plurality of five or more valves described above.
10 [0026] The control device 10 transmits specific
information specifying that an abnormality has occurred in
the fifth valve to the programmable display 4. The
reception unit 42 of the programmable display 4 receives
the specific information transmitted from the control
15 device 10 (S1). The acquisition unit 43 of the
programmable display 4 acquires, from the external storage
device 3, a character string corresponding to the specific
information received by the reception unit 42 (S2). The
character string acquired by the acquisition unit 43 is a
20 character string associated with the content of an event
and the content of an operation.
[0027] Specifically, the specific information received
by the reception unit 42 specifies that an abnormality has
occurred in the fifth valve. The occurrence of an
25 abnormality in the fifth valve corresponds to the character
string of “fifth valve error”. The character string of (E)
“@#Soundout@fifth valve error” includes the character
string of “fifth valve error”. Therefore, the acquisition
unit 43 acquires the character string of (E)
30 “@#Soundout@fifth valve error” that is included in the
edited character string file 33 stored in the external
storage device 3.
[0028] The communication unit 44 of the programmable
13
display 4 transmits the character string acquired by the
acquisition unit 43 to the communication terminal 2 (S3).
The communication terminal 2 receives the character string
transmitted from the programmable display 4, and determines
whether or not the received character 5 string includes a
character string other than the character string indicating
the event.
[0029] In the operation of the programmable display
system 1 illustrated in FIG. 3, the character string
10 received by the communication terminal 2 includes a
character string other than the character string indicating
the event. Therefore, the communication terminal 2
determines that the received character string includes a
character string other than the character string indicating
15 the event, and displays the character string indicating the
event in the character string received (S4). FIG. 4 is a
diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the
communication terminal 2 included in the programmable
display system 1 according to the first embodiment. As
20 illustrated in FIG. 4, the communication terminal 2
displays the character string of “fifth valve error”. Note
that when determining that the received character string
does not include a character string other than the
character string indicating the event, the communication
25 terminal 2 displays the character string indicating the
event and ends the operation.
[0030] As described above, the character string received
by the communication terminal 2 includes a character string
other than the character string indicating the event.
30 Therefore, the communication terminal 2 receives the
character string corresponding to the specific information
from the programmable display 4, displays the character
string indicating the event, and then requests the
14
programmable display 4 to transmit an executable file
corresponding to the specific information (S5). In the
programmable display 4, the communication unit 44 receives
the request transmitted from the communication terminal 2,
and the acquisition unit 43 acquires the 5 executable file
corresponding to the specific information from the external
storage device 3 on the basis of the request (S6).
[0031] Specifically, the specific information specifies
that an abnormality has occurred in the fifth valve. The
10 occurrence of an abnormality in the fifth valve corresponds
to the character string of “fifth valve error”. The
character string of (E) “@#Soundout@fifth valve error”
includes the character string of “fifth valve error” and
the character string of “@#Soundout@”. The character
15 string of “@#Soundout@” is the character string indicating,
as the content of the operation, an operation of causing
the communication terminal 2 to output the character string
by sound. The communication terminal 2 is caused to
perform sound output by the programmable display 4
20 transmitting the sound output file 34a to the communication
terminal 2 and the communication terminal 2 executing the
sound output file 34a. Thus, the acquisition unit 43
acquires the sound output file 34a from the executable file
group 34 stored in the external storage device 3 (S6).
25 [0032] The communication unit 44 of the programmable
display 4 transmits the executable file acquired by the
acquisition unit 43 to the communication terminal 2 (S7).
Specifically, the communication unit 44 transmits the sound
output file 34a to the communication terminal 2 (S7).
30 [0033] The communication terminal 2 receives the
executable file transmitted from the programmable display 4,
and executes the executable file received (S8).
Specifically, the communication terminal 2 receives the
15
sound output file 34a transmitted from the programmable
display 4, thereby displaying the character string of
“fifth valve error” and at the same time outputting the
character string of “fifth valve error” as sound from the
speaker by executing the sound output 5 file 34a, as
illustrated in FIG. 4. An element 2a including the
character string of “fifth valve error” in FIG. 4 indicates
a situation in which the communication terminal 2 outputs
the character string of “fifth valve error” by sound from
10 the speaker.
[0034] As described above, when the programmable display
4 receives the specific information specifying the event,
the programmable display 4 acquires the character string
corresponding to the received specific information from the
15 edited character string file 33 stored in the external
storage device 3. In addition, the programmable display 4
acquires the executable file corresponding to the received
specific information from the executable file group 34
stored in the external storage device 3. Moreover, the
20 programmable display 4 transmits the acquired character
string and executable file to the communication terminal 2.
[0035] Therefore, the programmable display 4 causes the
communication terminal 2 to display the character string
indicating the event and execute the executable file
25 corresponding to the event, thereby being able to cause the
communication terminal 2 to perform an operation other than
displaying the character string indicating the event. As
described above, an example of the operation performed by
the communication terminal 2 other than displaying the
30 character string indicating the event is outputting the
character string indicating the event by sound. That is,
the programmable display system 1 can allow a user to
recognize the event by causing the communication terminal 2
16
to output sound as the operation other than displaying the
character string associated with the event. As a result,
the user can recognize the occurrence of the event by the
sound generated by the communication terminal 2 without
having to keep viewing the image information 5 displayed on
the communication terminal 2 in order to know that some
event has occurred.
[0036] A conventional programmable display, upon
receiving specific information specifying an event,
10 transmits a character string corresponding to the received
specific information to a communication terminal. In the
first embodiment, upon receiving specific information
specifying an event, the programmable display 4 acquires a
character string and an executable file corresponding to
15 the received specific information from the external storage
device 3, and transmits the acquired character string and
executable file to the communication terminal 2.
[0037] A difference between the programmable display 4
according to the first embodiment and the conventional
20 programmable display is that the programmable display 4
acquires the executable file from the external storage
device 3 and transmits the executable file to the
communication terminal 2. The programmable display 4 can
be obtained by just adding a function corresponding to such
25 a difference to the conventional programmable display. The
communication terminal 2 operates in accordance with the
executable file transmitted from the programmable display 4.
Compared to a conventional communication terminal, a
special function need not be added to the communication
30 terminal 2. That is, a slight improvement to the
conventional programmable display can obtain the
programmable display 4 that allows a user to recognize the
event by causing the communication terminal 2 to perform an
17
operation other than displaying the character string
associated with the event.
[0038] Note that when a character string indicated by
information that the programmable display 4 acquires from
the edited character string file 33 of the 5 external storage
device 3 includes the character string of (b) “@#Snapshot@”,
the communication unit 44 of the programmable display 4
performs the following operation. That is, the
communication unit 44 transmits the character string and
10 the executable file corresponding to the specific
information to the communication terminal 2, and at the
same time transmits at least a part of image information
displayed on the display unit 41 of the programmable
display 4 to the communication terminal 2.
15 [0039] The communication terminal 2 executes the
executable file to display the above-mentioned at least a
part of the image information transmitted from the
programmable display 4, and at the same time displays the
character string indicating the event. That is, when the
20 character string associated with the content of the event
and the operation includes the character string indicating
the operation of transmitting the image information
displayed on the display unit 41 of the programmable
display 4 to the communication terminal 2, the
25 communication unit 44 of the programmable display 4
transmits at least a part of the image information
displayed on the display unit 41 at the time of receiving
the specific information specifying the event and the
executable file to the communication terminal 2. The
30 communication terminal 2 executes the executable file to
display the above-mentioned at least a part of the image
information as the operation associated with the event. As
a result, a user using the communication terminal 2 can
18
simultaneously view at least a part of the image
information displayed by the programmable display 4 and the
character string indicating the event.
[0040] The communication terminal 2 may continue to
display the above-mentioned at least a 5 part of the image
information at the time of occurrence of the abnormality,
and may continue to display the character string indicating
the event. As a result, even when the user performs some
processing away from the communication terminal 2, he can
10 grasp the event by viewing the image displayed on the
communication terminal 2 after performing the processing.
That is, the user can grasp the event even if he
discontinues to view the image information displayed on the
communication terminal 2.
15 [0041] Moreover, the operation file 32 of the external
storage device 3 may include a character string of (c)
“abnormality occurrence@#Snapshot@” as a character string
indicating the content of an operation. The edited
character string file 33 of the external storage device 3
20 may include a character string including the character
string of (c) “abnormality occurrence@#Snapshot@” as the
character string indicating the content of an operation.
The character string of (c) “abnormality
occurrence@#Snapshot@” is a command for causing the
25 communication terminal 2 to display an image displayed on
the programmable display 4 at the time of occurrence of an
abnormality. For example, when an abnormality has occurred
in the fifth valve and the programmable display 4 displays
an image on which the character string of “fifth valve
30 error” is superimposed, the character string of (c)
“abnormality occurrence@#Snapshot@” is a command for
causing the communication terminal 2 to display the image
on which the character string of “fifth valve error” is
19
superimposed, the image being displayed on the programmable
display 4.
[0042] The programmable display 4 displays an object
that is a display element displayed on a display screen of
the programmable display 4. When 5 an abnormality has
occurred, the display unit 41 of the programmable display 4
superimposes and displays a character string indicating
that the abnormality has occurred on an object that is
included in an image at the time of occurrence of the
10 abnormality. An example of the object includes a lamp, a
switch, or a graphic meter. The communication unit 44 of
the programmable display 4 transmits, to the communication
terminal 2, the image which is displayed by the display
unit 41 and in which the character string indicating that
15 the abnormality has occurred is superimposed on the object.
[0043] FIG. 5 is a first diagram illustrating an image
displayed by each of the programmable display 4 and the
communication terminal 2 included in the programmable
display system 1 according to the first embodiment. The
20 following assumes that an abnormality has occurred in the
fifth valve. FIG. 5(A) is an example of an image displayed
by the programmable display 4 before an abnormality occurs
in the fifth valve. The image illustrated in FIG. 5(A)
illustrates a state of equipment including the fifth valve.
25 [0044] The image illustrated in FIG. 5(A) includes a
field 41a indicating a numerical value of “current A”, a
field 41b indicating a numerical value of “voltage A”, a
field 41c indicating a numerical value of “water pressure
A”, a field 41d indicating a numerical value of
30 “coefficient A”, and a lamp 41e that is turned on when an
abnormality occurs. The lamp 41e is an example of the
object. In the drawing, hatch lines are added when the
lamp 41e is turned on. The “current A”, “voltage A”, and
20
“coefficient A” are the current, voltage, and coefficient
for a specific thing included in the equipment. The “water
pressure A” is the water pressure in the fifth valve.
[0045] FIG. 5(B) is an example of an image displayed by
the programmable display 4 when an abnormality 5 has occurred
in the fifth valve. As described above, since it is
assumed that an abnormality has occurred in the fifth valve,
as is clear from comparison with FIG. 5(A), the value in
the field 41c indicating the numerical value of “water
10 pressure A” in FIG. 5(B) is larger than the value indicated
in FIG. 5(A). In addition, the lamp 41e is turned on in
FIG. 5(B). Furthermore, the character string of “fifth
valve error” indicating that an abnormality has occurred in
the fifth valve is superimposed on the lamp 41e.
15 [0046] FIG. 5(C) is an example of an image displayed by
the communication terminal 2 when an abnormality has
occurred in the fifth valve. As is clear from comparison
between FIG. 5(B) and FIG. 5(C), when an abnormality has
occurred in the fifth valve, the communication terminal 2
20 displays the image displayed on the programmable display 4
at the time of occurrence of the abnormality in the fifth
valve.
[0047] A field 2b indicating a numerical value of
“current A” in FIG. 5(C) corresponds to the field 41a
25 indicating the numerical value of “current A” in FIG. 5(A),
and a field 2c indicating a numerical value of “voltage A”
in FIG. 5(C) corresponds to the field 41b indicating the
numerical value of “current A” in FIG. 5(A). A field 2d
indicating a numerical value of “water pressure A” in FIG.
30 5(C) corresponds to the field 41c indicating the numerical
value of “water pressure A” in FIG. 5(A), and a field 2e
indicating a numerical value of “coefficient A” in FIG.
5(C) corresponds to the field 41d indicating the numerical
21
value of “coefficient A” in FIG. 5(A). A lamp 2f in FIG.
5(C) corresponds to the lamp 41e in FIG. 5(A).
[0048] In the image displayed by the communication
terminal 2, the lamp 2f is turned on with the character
string of “fifth valve error” superimposed 5 on the lamp 2f,
so that a user of the communication terminal 2 can clearly
recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the fifth
valve.
[0049] FIG. 6 is a second diagram illustrating an image
10 displayed by each of the programmable display 4 and the
communication terminal 2 included in the programmable
display system 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG.
6(A) is an example of an image displayed by the
programmable display 4 before an abnormality occurs in the
15 fifth valve. The image illustrated in FIG. 6(A) is an
image for allowing a user to perform an operation on the
equipment including the fifth valve. In the image, an
operation switch for the user to perform an operation is
included corresponding to each of the items of “current A”,
20 “voltage A”, “water pressure A”, and “coefficient A”. The
operation switch is an example of the object.
[0050] FIG. 6(B) is an example of an image displayed by
the programmable display 4 when an abnormality has occurred
in the fifth valve. As described above, since it is
25 assumed that an abnormality has occurred in the fifth valve,
as is clear from comparison with FIG. 6(A), the current
value of “water pressure A” in FIG. 6(B) is larger than the
current value indicated in FIG. 6(A). Also, in FIG. 6(B),
the character string of “fifth valve error” indicating that
30 an abnormality has occurred in the fifth valve is
superimposed on the operation switch corresponding to the
item of “water pressure A”.
[0051] FIG. 6(C) is an example of an image displayed by
22
the communication terminal 2 when an abnormality has
occurred in the fifth valve. As is clear from comparison
between FIG. 6(B) and FIG. 6(C), when an abnormality has
occurred in the fifth valve, the communication terminal 2
displays the image displayed on the programmable 5 display 4
at the time of occurrence of the abnormality in the fifth
valve.
[0052] As illustrated in FIG. 6(C), the character string
of “fifth valve error” indicating that an abnormality has
10 occurred in the fifth valve is superimposed on the
operation switch corresponding to the item of “water
pressure A”. Therefore, the user of the communication
terminal 2 can visually recognize that an abnormality has
occurred in the fifth valve.
15 [0053] FIG. 7 is a third diagram illustrating an image
displayed by each of the programmable display 4 and the
communication terminal 2 included in the programmable
display system 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG.
7(A) is an example of an image displayed by the
20 programmable display 4 before an abnormality occurs in the
fifth valve. The image illustrated in FIG. 7(A) includes a
graphic meter 41f. The graphic meter 41f is an example of
the object.
[0054] FIG. 7(B) is an example of an image displayed by
25 the programmable display 4 when an abnormality has occurred
in the fifth valve. As described above, since it is
assumed that an abnormality has occurred in the fifth valve,
as is clear from comparison with FIG. 7(A), the current
value of “water pressure A” in FIG. 7(B) is larger than the
30 current value indicated in FIG. 7(A). Also, in FIG. 7(B),
the character string of “fifth valve error” indicating that
an abnormality has occurred in the fifth valve is
superimposed on the graphic meter 41f.
23
[0055] FIG. 7(C) is an example of an image displayed by
the communication terminal 2 when an abnormality has
occurred in the fifth valve. As is clear from comparison
between FIG. 7(B) and FIG. 7(C), when an abnormality has
occurred in the fifth valve, the communication 5 terminal 2
displays the image displayed on the programmable display 4
at the time of occurrence of the abnormality in the fifth
valve.
[0056] Also, in FIG. 7(C), the character string of
10 “fifth valve error” indicating that an abnormality has
occurred in the fifth valve is superimposed on the graphic
meter. Therefore, the user of the communication terminal 2
can visually recognize that an abnormality has occurred in
the fifth valve.
15 [0057] The reasons why the communication terminal 2
displays the image displayed by the programmable display 4
when an abnormality has occurred in the fifth valve are as
follows. That is, it is because the communication unit 44
of the programmable display 4 transmits, to the
20 communication terminal 2, a command for superimposing and
displaying the character string of “fifth valve error” on
the object displayed by the communication terminal 2, the
character string of “fifth valve error” indicating the
event that an abnormality has occurred in the fifth valve
25 among the plurality of character strings included in the
edited character string file 33 and each associated with
the content of an event and the content of an operation.
Also, it is because the communication terminal 2 receives
the command from the programmable display 4 to superimpose
30 and display the character string indicating the event on
the object according to the command.
[0058] Instead of the mode described above in which the
communication terminal 2 displays or continues to display
24
the image information on the programmable display 4 at the
time of occurrence of an abnormality, the communication
terminal 2 may accumulate the image displayed on the
programmable display 4 as log information. That is, when
the character string associated with 5 the content of an
event and an operation includes a character string
indicating an operation of transmitting the image
information displayed on the display unit 41 of the
programmable display 4 to the communication terminal 2, the
10 communication unit 44 of the programmable display 4 may
transmit at least a part of the image information displayed
on the display unit 41 at the time of receiving the
specific information specifying the event and an executable
file to the communication terminal 2. As the operation
15 associated with the event, the communication terminal 2 may
store the image information received as the log information
by executing the executable file.
[0059] Furthermore, the communication terminal 2 may
accumulate an image as the log information, the image
20 including the image information and the character string
indicating the event transmitted from the programmable
display 4. The communication terminal 2 may display the
stored image on the basis of an operation by the user. As
a result, the user can always check the image as the log
25 information after the image is stored, the image including
the image information and the character string indicating
the event transmitted from the programmable display 4.
Therefore, the user can check for the occurrence of some
event from the aforementioned image (the image information
30 and the character string indicating the event transmitted
from the programmable display 4) that is stored in the
communication terminal 2 without having to continue to view
the image information displayed on the communication
25
terminal 2. In this case, the character string of
“@#Snapshot@” included in the operation file 32 of the
external storage device 3 and indicating the content of an
operation corresponds to the command for causing the
communication terminal 2 to store 5 and hold the image
displayed on the programmable display 4 at the time of
occurrence of an abnormality, and “Snapshot.js” as the
executable file 34b corresponds to the executable file for
causing the communication terminal 2 to perform the
10 operation of storing and holding the image displayed on the
programmable display 4 at the time of occurrence of an
abnormality.
[0060] Note that the external storage device 3 may be an
external storage device other than a portable memory card.
15 For example, when the programmable display 4 is connected
to the cloud, the external storage device 3 may be a
storage device on the cloud. The external storage device 3
may also be a storage device built in a personal computer
connected to the programmable display 4. The external
20 storage device 3 need only be located outside the
programmable display 4 and store a plurality of character
strings each associated with the content of an event and
the content of an operation and a plurality of executable
files each for causing execution of an operation associated
25 with an event. Note that when the external storage device
3 is a removable memory card such as an SD card, the
external storage device 3 may be installed to the
programmable display 4.
[0061] Each of the plurality of character strings
30 included in the edited character string file 33 of the
external storage device 3 and associated with the content
of an event and the content of an operation need only be a
combination of one character string included in the
26
character string file 31 and one character string included
in the operation file 32. That is, each of the plurality
of character strings included in the edited character
string file 33 may be a character string that contains one
character string included in the character 5 string file 31
in front, and contains therebehind one character string
included in the operation file 32, or may be a character
string that contains one character string included in the
operation file 32 in front, and contains therebehind one
10 character string included in the character string file 31.
[0062] When transmitting a character string and an
executable file corresponding to specific information to
the communication terminal 2, the programmable display 4,
specifically the communication unit 44, may transmit the
15 character string corresponding to the specific information
and then transmit the executable file after being requested
to transmit the executable file from the communication
terminal 2, as described with reference to FIG. 3. The
programmable display 4, specifically the communication unit
20 44, may simultaneously transmit the character string and
the executable file corresponding to the specific
information to the communication terminal 2. In any case,
the programmable display 4, specifically the communication
unit 44, transmits the character string and the executable
25 file corresponding to the specific information to the
communication terminal 2. The communication terminal 2 may
request the programmable display 4 to transmit the
executable file after displaying a character string
indicating an event in the character string transmitted
30 from the programmable display 4, or may request the
programmable display 4 to transmit the executable file
before displaying the character indicating an event.
[0063] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the processor 81
27
as a processing unit in a case where at least some or all
of the functions of the reception unit 42, the acquisition
unit 43, and the communication unit 44 included in the
programmable display 4 according to the first embodiment
are implemented by the processor 81. 5 That is, at least
some or all of the functions of the reception unit 42, the
acquisition unit 43, and the communication unit 44 may be
implemented by the processor 81 that executes a program
stored in a memory 82.
10 [0064] The processor 81 is a central processing unit
(CPU), a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a
microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a digital signal
processor (DSP). FIG. 8 also illustrates the memory 82 as
an internal storage unit disposed inside the programmable
15 display 4.
[0065] In the case where at least some or all of the
functions of the reception unit 42, the acquisition unit 43,
and the communication unit 44 are implemented by the
processor 81, the some or all of the functions are
20 implemented by the processor 81 and software, firmware, or
a combination of software and firmware. The software or
firmware is described as a program and stored in the memory
82. That is, the memory 82 stores a program for executing
at least some or all of the processing that receives
25 specific information specifying an event, acquires a
character string and an executable file corresponding to
the specific information received from the external storage
device 3, and transmits the character string and the
executable file acquired to the communication terminal 2.
30 The processor 81 reads and executes the program stored in
the memory 82, thereby implementing at least some or all of
the functions of the reception unit 42, the acquisition
unit 43, and the communication unit 44.
28
[0066] In the case where at least some or all of the
functions of the reception unit 42, the acquisition unit 43,
and the communication unit 44 are implemented by the
processor 81, the programmable display 4 includes the
memory 82 for storing the program that 5 results in the
execution of a step executed by at least some or all of the
reception unit 42, the acquisition unit 43, and the
communication unit 44. The program stored in the memory 82
as the internal storage unit can also be said to be a
10 program that causes a computer to execute a procedure or
method executed by at least some or all of the reception
unit 42, the acquisition unit 43, and the communication
unit 44.
[0067] The program stored in the memory 82 is generally
15 created by a user using dedicated software that is
installed in a personal computer (not illustrated) to
create a control program for the programmable display 4.
Then, the control program created by the user is introduced
from the personal computer to the programmable display 4,
20 and is stored in the memory 82 of the programmable display
4. The control program of the programmable display 4 is a
control program that causes the programmable display 4 to
execute various processing such as displaying a screen on
the programmable display 4, processing an input value from
25 the control device 10, and transmitting an output signal
from the programmable display 4 to the outside when a user
touches a button that is a kind of object displayed on a
touch panel screen of the programmable display 4. This
control program corresponds to the program for executing at
30 least some or all of the processing that receives specific
information specifying an event, acquires a character
string and an executable file corresponding to the received
specific information from the external storage device 3,
29
and transmits the character string and the executable file
acquired to the communication terminal 2. Since the
control program stored in the memory 82 of the programmable
display 4 is created by using the dedicated software as
described above, a person who can 5 create the control
program is limited to a user who has a high level of skill
with the ability to use the dedicated software properly.
On the other hand, the character strings included in the
character string file 31 and the operation file 32 stored
10 in the external storage device 3 are text data, and thus
can be edited easily using a personal computer even by a
user with a low level of skill. That is, the character
string can be edited without affecting the control program
stored in the memory 82 at the time of changing the
15 character string such as “fifth valve error” displayed on
the communication terminal 2 or changing the character
string such as “@#Soundout@” for acquiring the executable
file that causes the communication terminal 2 to output
sound.
20 [0068] Note that the memory 82 as the internal storage
unit includes, for example, a non-volatile or volatile
semiconductor memory such as a random access memory (RAM),
a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an erasable
programmable read only memory (EPROM), or an electrically
25 erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM (registered
trademark)); a magnetic disk; a flexible disk; an optical
disk; a compact disc; a mini disc; a digital versatile disk
(DVD); or the like.
[0069] When the character string associated with the
30 content of an event and an operation includes a character
string indicating an operation of transmitting the image
information displayed on the display unit 41 of the
programmable display 4 to the communication terminal 2, the
30
memory 82 may store a program for transmitting at least a
part of the image information and an executable file to the
communication terminal 2, the image information being
displayed on the display unit 41 of the programmable
display at the time the reception unit 5 42 receives the
specific information specifying the event.
[0070] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the processing
circuitry 91 as the processing unit in a case where at
least some or all of the components of the reception unit
10 42, the acquisition unit 43, and the communication unit 44
included in the programmable display 4 according to the
first embodiment are implemented by the processing
circuitry 91. That is, at least some or all of the
functions of the reception unit 42, the acquisition unit 43,
15 and the communication unit 44 may be implemented by the
processing circuitry 91.
[0071] The processing circuitry 91 is dedicated hardware.
The processing circuitry 91 is, for example, a single
circuit, a complex circuit, a programmed processor, a
20 parallel-programmed processor, an application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array
(FPGA), or a combination of those. A part of the reception
unit 42, the acquisition unit 43, and the communication
unit 44 may be dedicated hardware separate from the rest.
25 [0072] Some of a plurality of functions of the reception
unit 42, the acquisition unit 43, and the communication
unit 44 may be implemented by software or firmware, while
the rest of the plurality of functions may be implemented
by dedicated hardware. The plurality of functions of the
30 reception unit 42, the acquisition unit 43, and the
communication unit 44 can thus be implemented by hardware,
software, firmware, or a combination of these.
[0073] Second Embodiment.
31
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a
programmable display 4A according to a second embodiment.
The programmable display 4A includes the display unit 41,
the reception unit 42, and the acquisition unit 43 included
in the programmable display 4 according 5 to the first
embodiment. The programmable display 4A further includes
an execution unit 45 that executes an operation associated
with an executable file acquired by the acquisition unit 43
for a character string acquired by the acquisition unit 43.
10 FIG. 10 also illustrates the external storage device 3 and
the control device 10 described in the first embodiment.
[0074] The execution unit 45 includes a function other
than the function of communicating with the communication
terminal 2. For example, the acquisition unit 43 acquires,
15 from the external storage device 3, a character string that
corresponds to specific information received by the
reception unit 42 and that is associated with the content
of an event and the content of an operation, and an
executable file that corresponds to the specific
20 information. After that, on the basis of the character
string and the executable file acquired by the acquisition
unit 43, the execution unit 45 displays a character string
related to the content of an event on the display unit 41
of the programmable display 4A, and executes an executable
25 file for causing execution of an operation associated with
the event. More specifically, when the character string of
“@#Soundout@fifth valve error” is acquired, the execution
unit 45 displays the character string of “fifth valve error”
on the display unit 41 of the programmable display 4A, and
30 executes the sound output file 34a that is an executable
file corresponding to the character string of “@#Soundout@”,
thereby outputting sound from a sound output device 46 such
as a speaker connected to the programmable display 4A.
32
Moreover, when the character string of “@#Snapshot@fifth
valve error” is acquired, the execution unit 45 displays
the character string of “fifth valve error” on the display
unit 41 of the programmable display 4A, and executes the
executable file 34b to store the 5 image information
displayed on the display unit 41 of the programmable
display 4A in the memory 82 as the internal storage unit.
In the second embodiment, the executable file 34b is an
executable file for performing the processing that stores a
10 display image on the display unit 41 of the programmable
display 4A in the memory 82 as the internal storage unit.
[0075] At least some or all of the functions of the
reception unit 42, the acquisition unit 43, and the
execution unit 45 included in the programmable display 4A
15 according to the second embodiment may be implemented by a
processor equivalent to the processor 81 described in the
first embodiment. In the case where the at least some or
all of the functions are implemented by the processor, the
programmable display 4A includes a memory for storing a
20 program that results in the execution of a step executed by
at least some or all of the reception unit 42, the
acquisition unit 43, and the execution unit 45. The memory
is a memory equivalent to the memory 82 as the internal
storage unit that is disposed inside the programmable
25 display 4 described in the first embodiment.
[0076] For the programmable display 4A according to the
second embodiment, a user can also edit the character
string without affecting a control program stored in the
memory 82 at the time of changing the character string such
30 as “fifth valve error” displayed on the display unit 41 of
the programmable display 4A or changing the character
string such as “@#Soundout@” for acquiring an executable
file that causes the sound output device 46 to output sound.
33
[0077] At least some or all of the functions of the
reception unit 42, the acquisition unit 43, and the
execution unit 45 included in the programmable display 4A
according to the second embodiment may be implemented by
processing circuitry equivalent to the processing 5 circuitry
91 described in the first embodiment.
[0078] The configuration illustrated in the above
embodiment merely illustrates an example of the content of
the present invention, and can thus be combined with
10 another known technique or partially omitted and/or
modified without departing from the scope of the present
invention.
Reference Signs List
15 [0079] 1 programmable display system; 2 communication
terminal; 2a element including a character string; 3
external storage device; 4, 4A programmable display; 10
control device; 31 character string file; 32 operation
file; 33 edited character string file; 34 executable file
20 group; 34a sound output file; 34b image display file; 41
display unit; 42 reception unit; 43 acquisition unit; 44
communication unit; 45 execution unit; 81 processor
(processing unit); 82 memory (internal storage unit); 91
processing circuitry (processing unit).
25
34
We Claim :
1. A programmable display system comprising:
a communication terminal to include a function of
displaying a character string that indicates an event;
a storage device to store a plurality 5 of character
strings each associated with the content of an event and an
operation, and a plurality of executable files each causing
execution of an operation associated with an event; and
a programmable display to receive specific information
10 specifying an event, acquire a character string and an
executable file corresponding to the specific information
from the storage device, and transmit the character string
and the executable file acquired to the communication
terminal, wherein
15 the communication terminal receives the character
string and the executable file transmitted from the
programmable display, displays a character string
indicating the event in the character string received, and
executes the executable file.
20
2. The programmable display system according to claim 1,
wherein
the programmable display transmits the character
string corresponding to the specific information to the
25 communication terminal and, after being requested by the
communication terminal to transmit the executable file,
transmits the executable file corresponding to the specific
information to the communication terminal, and
the communication terminal receives the character
30 string corresponding to the specific information from the
programmable display, and then requests the programmable
display to transmit the executable file.
35
3. The programmable display system according to claim 1
or 2, wherein
the programmable display transmits, to the
communication terminal, a command that causes the character
string indicating the event to be displayed 5 while being
superimposed on an object that is a display element
displayed by the communication terminal, the character
string indicating the event being included in the character
string associated with the content of the event and the
10 operation, and
the communication terminal receives the command from
the programmable display, and superimposes and displays the
character string indicating the event on the object in
accordance with the command.
15
4. The programmable display system according to any one
of claims 1 to 3, wherein
when the character string associated with the content
of an event and an operation includes a character string
20 indicating an operation of outputting sound by the
communication terminal, the programmable display transmits
the character string associated with the content of the
event and the operation and the executable file to the
communication terminal, and
25 the communication terminal outputs sound as an
operation associated with the event by executing the
executable file.
5. The programmable display system according to any one
30 of claims 1 to 4, wherein
the storage device is an external storage device that
is physically separate from the programmable display, and
the programmable display includes: an internal storage
36
unit to store a program that receives the specific
information, acquires the character string and the
executable file corresponding to the specific information
from the external storage device, and transmits the
character string and the executable file 5 acquired to the
communication terminal; and a processor to read the program
from the internal storage unit and execute the program.
6. The programmable display system according to any one
10 of claims 1 to 5, wherein
when the character string associated with the content
of an event and an operation includes a character string
indicating an operation of transmitting image information
displayed on the programmable display to the communication
15 terminal, the programmable display transmits at least a
part of the image information and the executable file to
the communication terminal, the image information being
displayed at the time of reception of the specific
information specifying the event, and
20 the communication terminal displays the at least a
part of the image information as an operation associated
with the event by executing the executable file.
7. The programmable display system according to any one
25 of claims 1 to 5, wherein
when the character string associated with the content
of an event and an operation includes a character string
indicating an operation of transmitting image information
displayed on the programmable display to the communication
30 terminal, the programmable display transmits at least a
part of the image information and the executable file to
the communication terminal, the image information being
displayed at the time of reception of the specific
37
information specifying the event, and
the communication terminal stores, as log information,
the image information received as an operation associated
with the event by executing the executable file.
5
8. The programmable display system according to claim 5,
wherein
when the character string associated with the content
of an event and an operation includes a character string
10 indicating an operation of transmitting image information
displayed on the programmable display to the communication
terminal, the internal storage unit stores a program that
transmits at least a part of the image information and the
executable file to the communication terminal, the image
15 information being displayed on the programmable display at
the time of reception of the specific information
specifying the event.
9. A programmable display comprising:
20 a reception unit to receive specific information
specifying an event;
an acquisition unit to acquire a character string and
an executable file corresponding to the specific
information received by the reception unit from a storage
25 device that stores a plurality of character strings each
associated with the content of an event and an operation
and a plurality of executable files each causing execution
of an operation associated with an event; and
a communication unit to transmit the character string
30 and the executable file acquired by the acquisition unit to
a communication terminal that includes a function of
displaying a character string indicating an event.
38
10. The programmable display according to claim 9, wherein
the communication unit transmits the character string
corresponding to the specific information to the
communication terminal and, after being requested to
transmit the executable file from 5 the communication
terminal, transmits the executable file corresponding to
the specific information to the communication terminal.
11. The programmable display according to claim 9 or 10,
10 wherein
the communication unit transmits, to the communication
terminal, a command that causes the character string
indicating the event to be displayed while being
superimposed on an object that is a display element
15 displayed by the communication terminal, the character
string indicating the event being included in the character
string associated with the content of the event and the
operation.
20 12. The programmable display according to any one of
claims 9 to 11, wherein
when the character string associated with the content
of an event and an operation includes a character string
indicating an operation of outputting sound by the
25 communication terminal, the communication unit transmits
the character string associated with the content of the
event and the operation and the executable file to the
communication terminal.
30 13. The programmable display according to any one of
claims 9 to 12, further comprising:
an internal storage unit to store a program; and
a processor to read the program from the internal
39
storage unit and execute the program, wherein
the storage device is an external storage device that
is physically separate from the programmable display,
the acquisition unit acquires the character string and
the executable file corresponding 5 to the specific
information from the external storage device, and
the program is a program that transmits the character
string and the executable file acquired by the acquisition
unit to the communication terminal.
10
14. The programmable display according to any one of
claims 9 to 13, further comprising:
a display unit to display image information, wherein
when the character string associated with the content
15 of an event and an operation includes a character string
indicating an operation of transmitting the image
information displayed on the display unit to the
communication terminal, the communication unit transmits at
least a part of the image information and the executable
20 file to the communication terminal, the image information
being displayed on the display unit at the time of
reception of the specific information specifying the event.
15. The programmable display according to claim 13,
25 further comprising:
a display unit to display image information, wherein
when the character string associated with the content
of an event and an operation includes a character string
indicating an operation of transmitting the image
30 information displayed on the programmable display to the
communication terminal, the internal storage unit stores a
program that transmits at least a part of the image
information and the executable file to the communication
terminal, the image information being displayed on the
display unit at the time the reception unit receives the
specific information specifying the event.
16. A programmable 5 display comprising:
a reception unit to receive specific information
specifying an event;
an acquisition unit to acquire a character string and
an executable file corresponding to the specific
10 information received by the reception unit from a storage
device that stores a plurality of character strings each
associated with the content of an event and an operation
and a plurality of executable files each causing execution
of an operation associated
15 an execution unit to execute an operation associated
with the executable file acquired by the acquisition unit
for the character string acquired by the acquisition unit.