FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10, Rule 13]
SCREEN CREATION SUPPORT DEVICE;
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION,
A CORPORATION ORGANISED AND
EXISTING UNDER THE LAWS OF
JAPAN, WHOSE ADDRESS IS 7-3,
MARUNOUCHI 2-CHOME, CHIYODA-KU,
TOKYO 1008310, JAPAN
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION
PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE
INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN
WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.
2
DESCRIPTION
Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a screen
5 creation support device that supports creation of a
monitoring screen where a status information item about a
device to be controlled is displayed in cases where a
control device controls the device to be controlled
according to a control program.
10
Background
[0002] In cases where a control device controls devices
to be controlled according to a control program, a
conventional screen creation support device that has been
15 proposed supports creation of a monitoring screen where
status information items about the devices to be controlled
are displayed. The control device is, for example, a
programmable logic controller. The device to be controlled
is, for example, a machining device or a ventilator.
20 Examples of a status of the device to be controlled include
temperature of the machining device and an on or off
position of the ventilator. The conventional screen
creation support device creates, on a screen editing screen
for creating the monitoring screen, status display fields
25 where status information items about the devices to be
controlled are displayed, and assigns a label included in
the control program to the status display field according
to an instruction from an operator of the screen creation
support device (refer to, for example, Patent Literature 1
30 or 2).
3
Citation List
Patent Literatures
[0003] Patent Literature 1: PCT International
Publication No. 2011/089688
5 Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent No. 5295464
Summary
Technical Problem
[0004] The conventional screen creation support device
10 creates the status display fields on the screen editing
screen, but the status display fields are displayed with no
differentiations being made as to whether or not the status
display fields are each assigned the label included in the
control program. As such, the operator cannot judge, by
15 just looking at the screen editing screen, whether or not
the label included in the control program is assigned to
each of the status display fields.
[0005] The present invention has been made in view of
the above, and an object of the present invention is to
20 obtain a screen creation support device that enables an
operator to judge, by just looking at a screen editing
screen, whether or not a label in a control program is
assigned to a status display field is included.
25 Solution to Problem
[0006] To solve the above problems and achieve the
object, the present invention is a screen creation support
device that supports creation of a monitoring screen where
a status information item about a device to be controlled
30 is displayed in cases where a control device controls the
device to be controlled according to a control program.
The present invention includes: a program determining unit
that determines whether or not a label included in the
4
control program is assigned to a status display field that
is to be included on the monitoring screen and is to
include display of the status information item about the
device to be controlled, the label being a variable name
5 used in the control program for control of the device to be
controlled; and a differentiation display control unit that
causes, on a screen editing screen, display of the status
display field that is determined by the program determining
unit as being assigned the label included in the control
10 program in a form differentiated from cases where the
status display field is not assigned the label included in
the control program.
Advantageous Effect of Invention
15 [0007] The screen creation support device according to
the present invention enables an operator to judge, by just
looking at the screen editing screen, whether or not the
label included in the control program is assigned to the
status display field.
20
Brief Description of Drawings
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a system
according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of a screen
25 creation support device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 illustrates a screen editing screen according
to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 illustrates a display field list and a label
list as examples that a list display control unit of the
30 screen creation support device according to the embodiment
causes a display device to display.
FIG. 5 illustrates a label list as an example
reflective of a case where a control program according to
5
the embodiment includes many labels.
FIG. 6 illustrates a first example of a label list
obtained after filtering according to the embodiment.
FIG. 7 illustrates a second example of the label list
5 obtained after the filtering according to the embodiment.
FIG. 8 illustrates status display fields as examples
that are caused to be displayed on the screen editing
screen by a differentiation display control unit of the
screen creation support device according to the embodiment.
10 FIG. 9 illustrates a first status display field that
is being caused by a secondary-display control unit of the
screen creation support device according to the embodiment
to include display of a first secondary-display field and a
second secondary-display field.
15 FIG. 10 illustrates a processor that is used when
implementing at least some of those functions of a screen
display control unit, a reception unit, the list display
control unit, an assignment unit, a filtering unit, an
assignment determining unit, a program determining unit,
20 the differentiation display control unit, and the
secondary-display control unit of the screen creation
support device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a
first operation of the screen creation support device
25 according to the embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a
second operation of the screen creation support device
according to the embodiment.
FIG. 13 illustrates status display fields as other
30 examples that are caused to be displayed on the screen
editing screen by the differentiation display control unit
of the screen creation support device according to the
embodiment.
6
Description of Embodiment
[0009] With reference to the drawings, a detailed
description is hereinafter provided of a screen creation
5 support device according to an embodiment of the present
invention. It is to be noted that this embodiment is not
restrictive of the present invention.
[0010] Embodiment.
FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a system 1
10 according to the embodiment. The system 1 includes a
control device 2 and a first, a second, and a third devices
3a, 3b, and 3c to be controlled that are controlled by the
control device 2. The control device 2 controls the first
device 3a to be controlled, the second device 3b to be
15 controlled, and the third device 3c to be controlled
according to a control program. The control device 2 is,
for example, a programmable logic controller.
[0011] The first, second and third devices 3a, 3b, and
3c to be controlled are an example of a plurality of
20 devices to be controlled. The first device 3a to be
controlled is, for example, a machining device. The second
device 3b to be controlled and the third device 3c to be
controlled are, for example, ventilators. To be simplified,
description of the embodiment is based on the assumption
25 that the first device 3a to be controlled is the machining
device, while the second device 3b to be controlled and the
third device 3c to be controlled are respectively a first
ventilator and a second ventilator that have the same
function.
30 [0012] The system 1 also includes a temperature sensor 4
that detects temperature of the first device 3a to be
controlled, and a display device 5 that displays
information items. The system 1 also includes a display
7
control device 6 that causes display of status information
items about the first, second and third devices 3a, 3b, and
3c to be controlled on a monitoring screen displayed by the
display device 5. This means that the status information
5 items about the first, second and third devices 3a, 3b, and
3c to be controlled are displayed on the monitoring screen.
[0013] An example of the status information item about
the first device 3a to be controlled is an information item
indicative of an on or off position of the first device 3a
10 to be controlled. Another example of the status
information item about the first device 3a to be controlled
is an information item indicative of the temperature of the
first device 3a to be controlled. An example of the status
information item about the second device 3b to be
15 controlled is an information item indicative of an on or
off position of the second device 3b to be controlled. An
example of the status information item about the third
device 3c to be controlled is an information item
indicative of an on or off position of the third device 3c
20 to be controlled.
[0014] The system 1 also includes a screen creation
support device 7 that supports creation of the monitoring
screen. The system 1 also includes a first communication
network 8 over which the control device 2 communicates with
25 the first, second and third devices 3a, 3b, and 3c to be
controlled. The system 1 also includes a second
communication network 9 over which the control device 2,
the display device 5, the display control device 6, and the
screen creation support device 7 communicate with one
30 another.
[0015] Once the creation of the monitoring screen is
completed by means of the screen creation support device 7,
the first device 3a to be controlled transmits the
8
information item indicative of its on or off position to
the control device 2 over the first communication network 8.
The control device 2 obtains the information item
indicative of the on or off position of the first device 3a
5 to be controlled from the first device 3a to be controlled
and transmits this information item to the display control
device 6 over the second communication network 9. The
display control device 6 obtains the information item
indicative of the on or off position of the first device 3a
10 to be controlled from the control device 2 and transmits
this information item to the display device 5 over the
second communication network 9 to cause the display device
5 to display this information item on the monitoring screen.
[0016] The first device 3a to be controlled obtains the
15 information item indicative of its temperature from the
temperature sensor 4 and transmits this temperature
information item to the control device 2 over the first
communication network 8. The control device 2 obtains the
information item indicative of the temperature of the first
20 device 3a to be controlled from the first device 3a to be
controlled and transmits this information item to the
display control device 6 over the second communication
network 9. The display control device 6 obtains the
information item indicative of the temperature of the first
25 device 3a to be controlled from the control device 2 and
transmits this information item to the display device 5
over the second communication network 9 to cause the
display device 5 to display this information item on the
monitoring screen.
30 [0017] The second device 3b to be controlled transmits
the information item indicative of its on or off position
to the control device 2 over the first communication
network 8. The control device 2 obtains the information
9
item indicative of the on or off position of the second
device 3b to be controlled from the second device 3b to be
controlled and transmits this information item to the
display control device 6 over the second communication
5 network 9. The display control device 6 obtains the
information item indicative of the on or off position of
the second device 3b to be controlled from the control
device 2 and transmits this information item to the display
device 5 over the second communication network 9 to cause
10 the display device 5 to display this information item on
the monitoring screen. The information item indicative of
the on or off position of the third device 3c to be
controlled is similarly displayed on the monitoring screen
of the display device 5.
15 [0018] FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of the screen
creation support device 7 according to the embodiment. As
described above, the screen creation support device 7 is a
device that supports creation of a monitoring screen. As
illustrated in FIG. 2, the screen creation support device 7
20 includes a storage unit 10 that stores information used for
creation of status display fields on the monitoring screen.
FIG. 3 illustrates a screen editing screen 11 according to
the embodiment. The screen editing screen 11 is a screen
that is in the process of being made into the monitoring
25 screen. The screen creation support device 7 also includes
a screen display control unit 12 that causes the display
device 5 to display a blank screen editing screen 11 when
the screen creation support device 7 is activated.
[0019] In addition to causing the display device 5 to
30 display the blank screen editing screen 11, the screen
display control unit 12 effects, based on the information
stored in the storage unit 10, display of a rectangular
frame 11b in an area 11a occupying a part of the screen
10
editing screen 11 when the screen creation support device 7
is activated. The area 11a occupying the part is, for
example, an upper area of the screen editing screen 11. As
illustrated in FIG. 2, the screen creation support device 7
5 also includes a reception unit 13 that receives
instructions from an operator of the screen creation
support device 7.
[0020] When an instruction for creation of a status
display field is received by the reception unit 13, the
10 screen display control unit 12 creates the status display
field on the screen editing screen 11. For example, the
operator of the screen creation support device 7 uses, as
an input unit, either a keyboard, a mouse, or both that are
connected to a general-purpose personal computer to input
15 into the screen creation support device 7 the rectangular
frame 11b as a choice and a designated position where the
status display field is to be created on the screen editing
screen 11, and the reception unit 13 receives the choice
and the designation as inputs. The screen display control
20 unit 12 creates the status display field based on the
choice and the designation that are received by the
reception unit 13 and effects display of the status display
field thus created on the screen editing screen 11.
[0021] In the FIG. 3 illustration, five status display
25 fields 11c to 11g are being displayed. Those five status
display fields 11c to 11g are the first status display
field 11c, the second status display field 11d, the third
status display field 11e, the fourth status display field
11f, and the fifth status display field 11g. Each of the
30 five status display fields 11c to 11g has a figure similar
to that of the frame 11b displayed in the area 11a
occupying the part of the screen editing screen 11 and is
an enlarged version of the frame 11b.
11
[0022] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the screen creation
support device 7 also includes a list display control unit
14 that causes the display device 5 to display a display
field list and a label list concurrently when an
5 instruction directing that the display field list and the
label list be displayed is received by the reception unit
13. The display field list is a list of those status
display fields created on the screen editing screen 11,
while the label list is a list of labels included in the
10 control program. The labels are respective variable names
that are used in the control program for control of the
devices to be controlled. FIG. 4 illustrates a display
field list 14a and a label list 14b as examples that the
list display control unit 14 of the screen creation support
15 device 7 according to the embodiment causes the display
device 5 to display.
[0023] The control program is used when the control
device 2 controls the first, second and third devices 3a,
3b, and 3c to be controlled. In the embodiment, the
20 control program specifically includes a first instruction
that directs that the first device to be controlled 3a be
turned on or off, a second instruction that directs that
the information item indicative of the temperature of the
first device 3a to be controlled be obtained by means of
25 the temperature sensor 4, a third instruction that directs
based on the temperature of the first device 3a to be
controlled and a reference temperature that the second
device 3b to be controlled be turned on or off, and a
fourth instruction that directs based on the temperature of
30 the first device 3a to be controlled and the reference
temperature that the third device 3c to be controlled be
turned on or off.
[0024] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the display field list
12
14a includes a list 14c of the plurality of status display
fields and a column 14d where a plurality of labels are to
be displayed. The list 14c and the column 14d are
displayed contiguously. When the five status display
5 fields 11c to 11g described with reference to FIG. 3 are
created on the screen editing screen 11, the list 14c is
provided with five rows correspondingly. Entered in each
of the five rows is a character string that specifies any
one of the first through fifth status display fields 11c to
10 11g.
[0025] The column 14d includes five blanks 15a to 15e
corresponding to the first through fifth status display
fields 11c to 11g, respectively. Each of the five blanks
15a to 15e is displayed to be contiguous to any one of the
15 first through fifth status display fields 11c to 11g.
[0026] The label list 14b is a list of those labels
included in the control program. As described above, the
system 1 includes, in the embodiment, the first device 3a
to be controlled, the second device 3b to be controlled,
20 and the third device 3c to be controlled, and the first
device 3a to be controlled is the machining device, while
the second and third devices 3b and 3c to be controlled are
the first ventilator and the second ventilator,
respectively. The control program includes the first
25 instruction that directs that the first device 3a to be
controlled be turned on or off, the second instruction that
directs that the information item indicative of the
temperature of the first device 3a to be controlled be
obtained by means of the temperature sensor 4, the third
30 instruction that directs that the second device to be
controlled 3b be turned on or off, and the fourth
instruction that directs that the third device to be
controlled 3c be turned on or off.
13
[0027] This means that the control program includes the
four labels that respectively represent (1) the on or off
position of the machining device, (2) the temperature of
the machining device, (3) the on or off position of the
5 first ventilator, and (4) the on or off position of the
second ventilator. Accordingly, the label list 14b
includes the four labels respectively representing (1) the
on or off position of the machining device, (2) the
temperature of the machining device, (3) the on or off
10 position of the first ventilator, and (4) the on or off
position of the second ventilator.
[0028] The reception unit 13 includes a function of
receiving an assignment instruction directing that at least
one of the labels included in the displayed label list 14b
15 effected by the list display control unit 14 be assigned to
each of the plurality of status display fields included in
the displayed display field list 14a effected by the list
display control unit 14. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the
screen creation support device 7 also includes an
20 assignment unit 16 that assigns the at least one of the
labels included in the label list 14b to each of the five
status display fields 11c to 11g according to the
assignment instruction received by the reception unit 13.
[0029] For example, the operator of the screen creation
25 support device 7 uses, as the input unit, either the
keyboard, the mouse, or both that are connected to the
general-purpose personal computer to input into the screen
creation support device 7 an instruction directing that any
one of the five blanks 15a to 15e in the column 14d of the
30 display field list 14a be selected and an instruction
directing that any one of the four labels included in the
label list 14b be selected. The reception unit 13 receives
the instructions as inputs from the operator. The
14
instructions received by the reception unit 13 correspond
to an assignment instruction. According to the assignment
instruction received, the assignment unit 16 assigns the
one label included in the label list 14b to the any one of
5 the blanks 15a to 15e. The assignment unit 16 also assigns
the label the assignment unit 16 has assigned to the any
one of the blanks 15a to 15e to the status display field
corresponding to that blank.
[0030] Assuming that the reception unit 13 receives an
10 instruction directing that the blank 15c be selected from
among the five blanks 15a to 15e in the column 14d of the
display field list 14a and an instruction directing that
the label representing (3) the on or off position of the
first ventilator be selected from among the four labels
15 included in the label list 14b, as indicated by an arrow
16a, the assignment unit 16 assigns the blank 15c the label
representing (3) the on or off position of the first
ventilator. The assignment unit 16 assigns the label
representing (3) the on or off position of the first
20 ventilator to the third status display field 11e that
corresponds to the blank 15c. In this way, the assignment
unit 16 assigns at least one of the labels included in the
label list 14b to each of the five status display fields
11c to 11g.
25 [0031] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the screen creation
support device 7 also includes a filtering unit 17 that
performs filtering on the plurality of labels included in
the label list 14b based on a data type of the label or a
character string included in the label. As described above,
30 the control program includes, in the embodiment, the four
labels respectively representing (1) the on or off position
of the machining device, (2) the temperature of the
machining device, (3) the on or off position of the first
15
ventilator, and (4) the on or off position of the second
ventilator.
[0032] However, there is a case where the control
program includes a very large number of labels numbering,
5 for example, 1,000. In that case, the label list 14b
includes the very large number of labels. With the
displayed label list 14b including the very large number of
labels, the operator cannot easily select a label for
assignment to each of blanks in the column 14d of the
10 display field list 14a.
[0033] The reception unit 13 includes a function of
receiving an instruction directing that filtering be
performed on the plurality of labels included in the label
list 14b. When the filtering instruction is received by
15 the reception unit 13, the filtering unit 17 carries out
filtering according to the instruction received by the
reception unit 13. The list display control unit 14 causes
the display device 5 to display a label list 14b that is a
list of labels selected, as a result of the filtering
20 performed by the filtering unit 17, from the list of the
plurality of labels included in the control program.
[0034] FIG. 5 illustrates the label list 14b as an
example reflective of the case where the control program
according to the embodiment includes many labels. The FIG.
25 5 label list 14b includes labels about respective on or off
positions of many ventilators, such as “on or off position
of first ventilator”, “on or off position of second
ventilator”, and “on or off position of third ventilator”.
The FIG. 5 label list 14b also includes labels about
30 respective temperatures from many temperature sensors, such
as “temperature from first temperature sensor”,
“temperature from second temperature sensor”, and
“temperature from third temperature sensor”. The FIG. 5
16
label list 14b also includes labels about many buttons,
such as “first button”, “second button”, and “third button”.
[0035] FIG. 6 illustrates a first example of the label
list 14b obtained after the filtering according to the
5 embodiment. In cases where, for example, a character
string saying “ventilator” is received by the reception
unit 13 with the FIG. 5 label list 14b being displayed, the
filtering unit 17 performs such filtering as to select from
the FIG. 5 label list 14b only those labels each including
10 the character string saying “ventilator”. Based on the
filtering performed by the filtering unit 17, the list
display control unit 14 causes the display device 5 to
display the FIG. 6 label list 14b. Among those many labels
included in the FIG. 5 label list 14b, the only labels
15 included in the FIG. 6 label list 14b are the ones each
including the character string saying “ventilator”.
[0036] In cases where, for example, “a bit type” is
received as a data type by the reception unit 13 with the
FIG. 5 label list 14b being displayed, the filtering unit
20 17 performs such filtering as to select only those bit-type
labels from the FIG. 5 label list 14b. Based on the
filtering performed by the filtering unit 17, the list
display control unit 14 causes the display device 5 to
display the FIG. 6 label list 14b. Among those many labels
25 included in the FIG. 5 label list 14b, the only labels
included in the FIG. 6 label list 14b are the bit-type ones.
[0037] FIG. 7 illustrates a second example of the label
list 14b obtained after the filtering according to the
embodiment. In cases where, for example, “a word type” is
30 received as a data type by the reception unit 13 with the
FIG. 5 label list 14b being displayed, the filtering unit
17 performs such filtering as to select only those wordtype labels from the FIG. 5 label list 14b. Based on the
17
filtering performed by the filtering unit 17, the list
display control unit 14 causes the display device 5 to
display the FIG. 7 label list 14b. Among those many labels
included in the FIG. 5 label list 14b, the only labels
5 included in the FIG. 7 label list 14b are the word-type
ones.
[0038] As described above, the list display control unit
14 causes the display device 5 to display the label list
14b that is the list of the labels selected, as a result of
10 the filtering performed by the filtering unit 17, from the
list of the plurality of labels included in the control
program. After filtering, the label list 14b has a smaller
number of labels than before the filtering. As such, the
operator can select, with relative ease, a label for
15 assignment to each of the blanks in the column 14d of the
display field list 14a.
[0039] In the example mentioned earlier, the labels are
those four respectively representing (1) the on or off
position of the machining device, (2) the temperature of
20 the machining device, (3) the on or off position of the
first ventilator, and (4) the on or off position of the
second ventilator. An example of the label is a variable
representing the on or off position of the device to be
controlled, such as (1), (3), and (4). Another example of
25 the label is a variable representing the input from the
device to be controlled. An example of that input is the
temperature. Yet another example of the label is a
variable representing an input effected by operation of the
monitoring screen. An example of that input is an on or
30 off position of the button.
[0040] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the screen creation
support device 7 also includes an assignment determining
unit 18 that determines, for each of the five status
18
display fields 11c to 11g illustrated in FIG. 3, whether or
not any label is being assigned, and a program determining
unit 19 that determines, for each of the five status
display fields 11c to 11g, whether or not the label
5 included in the control program is assigned. Specifically,
the assignment determining unit 18 determines whether or
not each of the five status display fields 11c to 11g is
being assigned any label. The label is the variable name
that is used in the control program for control of any of
10 the devices to be controlled or, alternatively, is what is
assigned by a screen creator as being extraneous to any of
the devices to be controlled. In cases where each of the
five status display fields 11c to 11g is determined by the
assignment determining unit 18 as being assigned the label,
15 the program determining unit 19 determines whether or not
the assigned label is included in the control program while
having the variable name used in the control program for
control of the device to be controlled.
[0041] The screen creation support device 7 also
20 includes a differentiation display control unit 20 that
causes on the screen editing screen 11, when each of the
five status display fields 11c to 11g is determined by the
program determining unit 19 as being assigned the label
included in the control program, display of each of the
25 status display fields 11c to 11g in a form differentiated
from cases where the status display field is not assigned
the label included in the control program.
[0042] FIG. 8 illustrates status display fields as
examples that are caused to be displayed on the screen
30 editing screen 11 by the differentiation display control
unit 20 of the screen creation support device 7 according
to the embodiment. An assumption is made that in FIG. 8,
the status display field with added oblique lines is
19
actually displayed in blue, the status display field
illustrated with a single-line frame is actually displayed
in gray, and the status display field illustrated with a
double-line frame is actually displayed in red.
5 [0043] An assumption is made that the first status
display field 11c is assigned the label that represents (1)
the on or off position of the machining device and is
included in the control program, while the second status
display field 11d is assigned a label that says “ABCDE” and
10 is not included in the control program. With respect to
the second status display field 11d, an assumption is made,
for example, that a character string saying “ABCDE” is
entered into the screen creation support device 7 by means
of, as the input unit, either the keyboard, the mouse, or
15 both that are connected to the general-purpose personal
computer and is received by the reception unit 13, and the
assignment unit 16 assigns the second status display field
11d the label that says “ABCDE” and is not included in the
control program.
20 [0044] Moreover, an assumption is made that the third
status display field 11e is assigned the label that
represents (3) the on or off position of the first
ventilator and is included in the control program, while
the fourth status display field 11f is assigned the label
25 that represents (4) the on or off position of the second
ventilator and is included in the control program.
Furthermore, an assumption is made that the fifth status
display field 11g is assigned no label.
[0045] Assigned to the first status display field 11c is
30 the label that is included in the control program,
representing (1) the on or off position of the machining
device. As such, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the
differentiation display control unit 20 causes on the
20
screen editing screen 11 display of the first status
display field 11c in a form differentiated from both the
second status display field 11d that is not being assigned
the label included in the control program and the fifth
5 status display field 11g that is being assigned no label.
[0046] Respectively assigned to the third and fourth
status display fields 11e and 11f are the labels included
in the control program. As such, as illustrated in FIG. 8,
the differentiation display control unit 20 causes on the
10 screen editing screen 11 display of each of the third and
fourth status display fields 11e and 11f in the form
differentiated from both the second status display field
11d that is not being assigned the label included in the
control program and the fifth status display field 11g that
15 is being assigned no label.
[0047] Assigned to the second status display field 11d
is the label that is not included in the control program,
saying “ABCDE”. What is more, the label assigned to the
second status display field 11d is extraneous to any of the
20 devices to be controlled. The second status display field
11d is determined by the assignment determining unit 18 as
being assigned the label, but the label assigned to the
second status display field 11d is not determined by the
program determining unit 19 as being the label included in
25 the control program. As such, as illustrated in FIG. 8,
the differentiation display control unit 20 causes on the
screen editing screen 11 display of the second status
display field 11d in a form differentiated from both the
form of the first status display field 11c that is being
30 assigned the label included in the control program and the
form of the fifth status display field 11g that is being
assigned no label.
[0048] The fifth status display field 11g is being
21
assigned no label. As such, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the
differentiation display control unit 20 causes on the
screen editing screen 11 display of the fifth status
display field 11g in the form differentiated from both the
5 form of the first status display field 11c that is being
assigned the label included in the control program and the
form of the second status display field 11d that is not
being assigned the label included in the control program.
[0049] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the screen creation
10 support device 7 also includes a secondary-display control
unit 21 that causes display of a plurality of secondarydisplay fields in the status display field displayed on the
screen editing screen 11. Respectively displayed in the
plurality of secondary-display fields are the status
15 information items about a device to be controlled or one of
the plurality of devices to be controlled. In the
embodiment, the secondary-display control unit 21 causes
display of a first secondary-display field 21a and a second
secondary-display field 21b in the first status display
20 field 11c. FIG. 9 illustrates the first status display
field 11c that is being caused by the secondary-display
control unit 21 of the screen creation support device 7
according to the embodiment to include display of the first
secondary-display field 21a and the second secondary25 display field 21b.
[0050] When an instruction is received by the reception
unit 13, directing that the first and second secondarydisplay fields 21a and 21b be displayed in the first status
display field 11c, the secondary-display control unit 21
30 causes display of the first and second secondary-display
fields 21a and 21b in the first status display field 11c.
According to the instruction received by the reception unit
13, the assignment unit 16 assigns two labels to the first
22
status display field 11c and assigns one of the two labels
to the first secondary-display field 21a and the other to
the second secondary-display field 21b.
[0051] The program determining unit 19 determines even
5 for each of the first and second secondary-display fields
21a and 21b whether or not the label included in the
control program is assigned. When each of the first and
second secondary-display fields 21a and 21b is determined
by the program determining unit 19 as being assigned the
10 label included in the control program, the differentiation
display control unit 20 causes on the screen editing screen
11 display of each of the first secondary-display field 21a
and the second secondary-display field 21b in a form
differentiated from cases where the label included in the
15 control program is not assigned.
[0052] At least some of those functions of the screen
display control unit 12, the reception unit 13, the list
display control unit 14, the assignment unit 16, the
filtering unit 17, the assignment determining unit 18, the
20 program determining unit 19, the differentiation display
control unit 20, and the secondary-display control unit 21
may be implemented by use of a processing circuit. The
processing circuit is dedicated hardware. The processing
circuit is, for example, a single circuit, a composite
25 circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed
processor, an application specific integrated circuit
(ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a
combination of these. Some of the screen display control
unit 12, the reception unit 13, the list display control
30 unit 14, the assignment unit 16, the filtering unit 17, the
assignment determining unit 18, the program determining
unit 19, the differentiation display control unit 20, and
the secondary-display control unit 21 may be the dedicated
23
hardware distinct from the rest.
[0053] FIG. 10 illustrates a processor 33 that is used
when implementing at least some of those functions of the
screen display control unit 12, the reception unit 13, the
5 list display control unit 14, the assignment unit 16, the
filtering unit 17, the assignment determining unit 18, the
program determining unit 19, the differentiation display
control unit 20, and the secondary-display control unit 21
of the screen creation support device 7 according to the
10 embodiment. This means that the at least some of the
functions of the screen display control unit 12, the
reception unit 13, the list display control unit 14, the
assignment unit 16, the filtering unit 17, the assignment
determining unit 18, the program determining unit 19, the
15 differentiation display control unit 20, and the secondarydisplay control unit 21 may be implemented by use of the
processor 33 that executes a program stored in a memory 32.
The processor 33 is a central processing unit (CPU), a
processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a
20 microcomputer, or a digital signal processor (DSP). FIG.
10 also illustrates the memory 32.
[0054] When implemented by use of the processor 33, the
at least some of the functions of the screen display
control unit 12, the reception unit 13, the list display
25 control unit 14, the assignment unit 16, the filtering unit
17, the assignment determining unit 18, the program
determining unit 19, the differentiation display control
unit 20, and the secondary-display control unit 21 are
implemented by the processor 33 and software, firmware, or
30 a combination of software and firmware. The software or
the firmware is described as the program and is stored in
the memory 32. The processor 33 reads out and executes the
program stored in the memory 32 for implementation of the
24
at least some of the functions of the screen display
control unit 12, the reception unit 13, the list display
control unit 14, the assignment unit 16, the filtering unit
17, the assignment determining unit 18, the program
5 determining unit 19, the differentiation display control
unit 20, and the secondary-display control unit 21.
[0055] In other words, in cases where the processor 33
is used for implementation of the at least some of the
functions of the screen display control unit 12, the
10 reception unit 13, the list display control unit 14, the
assignment unit 16, the filtering unit 17, the assignment
determining unit 18, the program determining unit 19, the
differentiation display control unit 20, and the secondarydisplay control unit 21, the screen creation support device
15 7 includes the memory 32 that stores the program according
to which steps are eventually carried out by some of the
screen display control unit 12, the reception unit 13, the
list display control unit 14, the assignment unit 16, the
filtering unit 17, the assignment determining unit 18, the
20 program determining unit 19, the differentiation display
control unit 20, and the secondary-display control unit 21.
The program stored in the memory 32 can be the one that
causes a computer to carry out a procedure or a method by
which the some of the screen display control unit 12, the
25 reception unit 13, the list display control unit 14, the
assignment unit 16, the filtering unit 17, the assignment
determining unit 18, the program determining unit 19, the
differentiation display control unit 20, and the secondarydisplay control unit 21 are performed.
30 [0056] The memory 32 corresponds to, for example, a
nonvolatile 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
25
(EPROM), or an electrically erasable programmable read-only
memory (EEPROM); a magnetic disk; a flexible disk; an
optical disk; a compact disk; a mini disk; a digital
versatile disk (DVD); or the like.
5 [0057] Some of the plurality of functions of the screen
display control unit 12, the reception unit 13, the list
display control unit 14, the assignment unit 16, the
filtering unit 17, the assignment determining unit 18, the
program determining unit 19, the differentiation display
10 control unit 20, and the secondary-display control unit 21
may be implemented by use of dedicated hardware, while the
rest of the plurality of functions may be implemented by
software or firmware. As described above, the plurality of
functions of the screen display control unit 12, the
15 reception unit 13, the list display control unit 14, the
assignment unit 16, the filtering unit 17, the assignment
determining unit 18, the program determining unit 19, the
differentiation display control unit 20, and the secondarydisplay control unit 21 can be implemented by the hardware,
20 the software, the firmware, or the combination of these.
[0058] A description is provided next of operation of
the screen creation support device 7 according to the
embodiment. The operation of the screen creation support
device 7 includes a first operation and a second operation.
25 In the first operation, each of the five status display
fields 11c to 11g is assigned any of the plurality of
labels included in the control program for display on the
screen editing screen 11. The second operation is a
display operation for the five status display fields 11c to
30 11g displayed on the screen editing screen 11 after the
first operation. The first operation and the second
operation are described in sequence.
[0059] So, the description is provided first of the
26
first operation of the screen creation support device 7.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of the
first operation of the screen creation support device 7
according to the embodiment. Once the screen creation
5 support device 7 is activated, the screen display control
unit 12 causes the display device 5 to display a blank
screen editing screen 11 (S1). When an instruction for
creation of a status display field is received by the
reception unit 13, the screen display control unit 12
10 creates the status display field on the screen editing
screen 11 (S2). When an instruction directing that a
display field list and a label list be displayed is
received by the reception unit 13, the list display control
unit 14 causes the display device 5 to display the display
15 field list 14a and the label list 14b concurrently (S3).
[0060] When an assignment instruction is received by the
reception unit 13, directing that at least one of the
labels included in the label list 14b be assigned to each
of the plurality of status display fields included in the
20 display field list 14a, the assignment unit 16 assigns each
of the five status display fields 11c to 11g the at least
one of the labels included in the label list 14b (S4).
[0061] It is to be noted that when an instruction
directing that filtering be performed is received by the
25 reception unit 13 in step S3 with the display device 5
displaying the display field list 14a and the label list
14b, the filtering unit 17 carries out filtering according
to the instruction received by the reception unit 13. The
list display control unit 14 causes the display device 5 to
30 display a label list 14b that is a list of labels selected,
as a result of the filtering performed by the filtering
unit 17, from the list of the plurality of labels included
in the control program.
27
[0062] When an instruction is received by the reception
unit 13 after the step S2 creation of the status display
field on the screen editing screen 11, directing that a
plurality of secondary-display fields be displayed in the
5 status display field, the secondary-display control unit 21
causes display of the plurality of secondary-display fields
in the status display field. According to the instruction
received by the reception unit 13, the assignment unit 16
assigns a label to each of the plurality of secondary10 display fields.
[0063] The description is provided next of the second
operation of the screen creation support device 7. FIG. 12
is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of the second
operation of the screen creation support device 7 according
15 to the embodiment. The assignment determining unit 18
determines whether or not each of the five status display
fields 11c to 11g on the screen editing screen 11 is being
assigned any label (S11). When each of the five status
display fields 11c to 11g is determined by the assignment
20 determining unit 18 as being assigned no label (No in S11),
the operation of the screen creation support device 7 moves
on to step S13 that is described later.
[0064] When each of the five status display fields 11c
to 11g is determined by the assignment determining unit 18
25 as being assigned the label (Yes in S11), the program
determining unit 19 determines whether or not the assigned
label is included in the control program (S12). When each
of the five status display fields 11c to 11g is determined
by the program determining unit 19 as being assigned the
30 label included in the control program, the differentiation
display control unit 20 causes on the screen editing screen
11 display of the status display field that is being
assigned the label included in the control program in a
28
form differentiated from the cases where the label included
in the control program is not assigned (S13).
[0065] In step S13, the status display field that is
being assigned the label not included in the control
5 program is caused by the differentiation display control
unit 20 to be displayed, on the screen editing screen 11,
in a form differentiated from both the form of the status
display field assigned the label included in the control
program and a form of the status display field assigned no
10 label.
[0066] When any of the status display fields includes
display of a plurality of secondary-display fields, the
assignment determining unit 18 determines whether or not
each of the plurality of secondary-display fields is being
15 assigned any label. When each of the plurality of
secondary-display fields is determined by the assignment
determining unit 18 as being assigned the label, the
program determining unit 19 determines whether or not the
assigned label is included in the control program. When
20 each of the plurality of secondary-display fields is
determined by the program determining unit 19 as being
assigned the label included in the control program, the
differentiation display control unit 20 causes on the
screen editing screen 11 display of the secondary-display
25 field that is being assigned the label included in the
control program in a form differentiated from the cases
where the label included in the control program is not
assigned. The secondary-display field that is being
assigned the label not included in the control program is
30 caused by the differentiation display control unit 20 to be
displayed, on the screen editing screen 11, in a form
differentiated from both the form of the secondary-display
field assigned the label included in the control program
29
and a form of the secondary-display field assigned no label.
[0067] As described above, when each of the five status
display fields 11c to 11g created on the screen editing
screen 11 is assigned the label included in the control
5 program, the screen creation support device 7 according to
the embodiment causes the status display field to be
displayed, on the screen editing screen 11, in the form
differentiated from the cases where the status display
field is not assigned the label included in the control
10 program. In other words, the screen creation support
device 7 enables the operator to judge, by just looking at
the screen editing screen 11, whether or not the label
included in the control program is assigned to the status
display field.
15 [0068] In the above-described embodiment, the five
status display fields 11c to 11g are created on the screen
editing screen 11. However, a very large number of status
display fields numbering, for example, 1,000 are often
created on the screen editing screen 11. In cases where
20 the very large number of status display fields are created
on a screen editing screen 11, a conventional screen
creation support device displays those many status display
fields with no differentiations being made as to whether or
not the status display fields are each assigned the label
25 included in the control program.
[0069] Thus, an operator of the conventional screen
creation support device cannot judge, by just looking at
the screen editing screen, whether or not the label
included in the control program is assigned to each of
30 those many status display fields. Accordingly, the
operator may have to refer to a table for each of those
many status display fields to judge whether or not the
label included in the control program is assigned. Making
30
judgments for the very large number of status display
fields numbering, for example, 1,000 is a relatively heavy
work load for the operator.
[0070] On the other hand, the screen creation support
5 device 7 according to the embodiment causes the status
display field that is assigned the label included in the
control program to be displayed, on the screen editing
screen 11, in the form differentiated from the cases where
the label included in the control program is not assigned.
10 As such, even in cases where the screen editing screen 11
displays the very large number of status display fields,
with use of the screen creation support device 7, the
operator can judge, by just looking at the screen editing
screen 11, whether or not the label included in the control
15 program is assigned to each of those many status display
fields. In other words, the screen creation support device
7 can lessen the work load that requires the operator to
judge, during creation of the monitoring screen, whether or
not the label included in the control program is assigned.
20 The more the status display fields increase in number, the
less the work load on the operator tends to be.
[0071] The screen creation support device 7 according to
the embodiment also causes, on the screen editing screen 11,
all the status display fields that are each assigned the
25 label included in the control program to be displayed each
in the form differentiated from the cases where the status
display field is not assigned the label included in the
control program. As such, by creating, on the screen
editing screen 11, the same number of status display fields
30 as there are labels in the control program, the operator of
the screen creation support device 7 can later judge, by
just looking at the screen editing screen 11, whether or
not creation of the monitoring screen is complete. This
31
means that the screen creation support device 7 can lessen
a work load for the operator.
[0072] The screen creation support device 7 according to
the embodiment causes the display device 5 to concurrently
5 display the display field list 14a illustrating the status
display fields created on the screen editing screen 11, and
the label list 14b illustrating the labels included in the
control program. As such, the screen creation support
device 7 can lessen a work load that requires the operator
10 to assign the labels included in the control program to the
status display fields compared with when the input unit is
used for character entry.
[0073] The screen creation support device 7 according to
the embodiment includes the filtering unit 17 that performs
15 filtering on the plurality of labels included in the label
list 14b based on the data type of the label or the
character string included in the label. As such, even when
the control program includes the very large number of
labels numbering, for example, 1,000, the screen creation
20 support device 7 can cause, based on the filtering, display
of the label list 14b including only the specified datatype labels or the labels each including the specified
character string. In other words, the screen creation
support device 7 can achieve a reduced number of labels in
25 the label list 14b and thus can lessen the work load that
requires the operator to assign the labels to the status
display fields.
[0074] There are cases where the control program
includes the labels corresponding to the plurality of
30 statuses of the device to be controlled. Including the
plurality of secondary-display fields in the status display
field that corresponds to that device to be controlled and
assigning the corresponding label to each of the plurality
32
of secondary-display fields make understanding of the
association between that device to be controlled and the
plurality of statuses relatively easy when the monitoring
screen is viewed. The screen creation support device 7
5 according to the embodiment has the secondary-display
control unit 21 that causes display of the plurality of
secondary-display fields in the status display field
displayed on the screen editing screen 11. As such, the
screen creation support device 7 enables a person looking
10 at the monitoring screen to easily understand the
association between the plurality of statuses and the
corresponding device to be controlled.
[0075] As described with reference to FIG. 8 in the
embodiment, for each of the five status display fields 11c
15 to 11g displayed on the screen editing screen 11, the
differentiation display control unit 20 of the screen
creation support device 7 causes the status display field
that is determined by the program determining unit 19 as
being assigned the label included in the control program
20 and the status display field not assigned the label
included in the control program to have different colors.
However, the differentiation display control unit 20 may
cause the status display field that is determined by the
program determining unit 19 as being assigned the label
25 included in the control program and the status display
field not assigned the label included in the control
program to have different shapes, different font sizes, or
different font thicknesses.
[0076] FIG. 13 illustrates status display fields as
30 other examples that are caused to be displayed on the
screen editing screen 11 by the differentiation display
control unit 20 of the screen creation support device 7
according to the embodiment. In FIG. 13, the second status
33
display field 11d is of elliptic shape, the third status
display field 11e is shadowed, and those characters entered
in the fourth status display field 11f are thicker than
characters entered in the other status display fields.
5 Anyhow the differentiation display control unit 20 causes
the status display field that is determined by the program
determining unit 19 as being assigned the label included in
the control program to be displayed, on the screen editing
screen 11, in the form differentiated from the cases where
10 the label included in the control program is not assigned.
[0077] In the embodiment, the system 1 includes the
first device 3a to be controlled, the second device 3b to
be controlled, and the third device 3c to be controlled.
However, with regard to the number of devices to be
15 controlled, the system 1 may have only one device to be
controlled. This means that displayed on the screen
editing screen 11 may be one status display field.
[0078] Once the creation of the monitoring screen is
completed by means of the screen creation support device 7,
20 the status information items about the devices to be
controlled are displayed in the status display fields on
the monitoring screen.
[0079] The above configurations illustrated in the
embodiment are examples of contents of the present
25 invention, can be combined with other techniques that are
publicly known and can be partly omitted or changed without
departing from the gist of the present invention.
Reference Signs List
30 [0080] 1 system; 2 control device; 3a first device to
be controlled; 3b second device to be controlled; 3c
third device to be controlled; 4 temperature sensor; 5
display device; 6 display control device; 7 screen
34
creation support device; 8 first communication network; 9
second communication network; 10 storage unit; 11 screen
editing screen; 12 screen display control unit; 13
reception unit; 14 list display control unit; 16
5 assignment unit; 17 filtering unit; 18 assignment
determining unit; 19 program determining unit; 20
differentiation display control unit; 21 secondary-display
control unit; 32 memory; 33 processor.
35
We Claim:
1. A screen creation support device that supports
creation of a monitoring screen where a status information
item about a device to be controlled is displayed in cases
5 where a control device controls the device to be controlled
according to a control program, the screen creation support
device comprising:
a program determining unit to determine whether or not
a label included in the control program is assigned to a
10 status display field that is to be included on the
monitoring screen and is to include display of the status
information item about the device to be controlled, the
label being a variable name used in the control program for
control of the device to be controlled; and
15 a differentiation display control unit to cause, on a
screen editing screen, display of the status display field
that is determined by the program determining unit as being
assigned the label included in the control program in a
form differentiated from cases where the status display
20 field is not assigned the label included in the control
program.
2. The screen creation support device according to claim
1, further comprising an assignment determining unit to
25 determine whether or not the status display field is
assigned a label,
wherein when the status display field is determined by
the assignment determining unit as being assigned the label,
the program determining unit determines whether or not the
30 label assigned to the status display field is included in
the control program.
3. The screen creation support device according to claim
36
1 or 2,
wherein the program determining unit determines for
each of a plurality of the status display fields whether or
not a label included in the control program is assigned,
5 and
wherein the differentiation display control unit
causes among the plurality of the status display fields,
all status display fields that are each determined by the
program determining unit as being assigned the label
10 included in the control program to be displayed, on the
screen editing screen, each in a form differentiated from
the cases where the label included in the control program
is not assigned.
15 4. The screen creation support device according to any
one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:
a list display control unit to cause a display device
to concurrently display a display field list that is a list
of a plurality of the status display fields and a label
20 list that is a list of a plurality of the labels included
in the control program;
a reception unit to receive an instruction directing
that at least one of the labels included in the label list
that is caused by the list display control unit to be
25 displayed be assigned to each of the plurality of the
status display fields included in the display field list
that is caused by the list display control unit to be
displayed; and
an assignment unit to assign, according to the
30 instruction received by the reception unit, the at least
one of the labels included in the label list to each of the
plurality of the status display fields.
37
5. The screen creation support device according to claim
4, further comprising a filtering unit to perform filtering
on the plurality of the labels included in the label list
based on one of a data type of the label and a character
5 string included in the label,
wherein the reception unit receives an instruction
directing that the filtering be performed on the plurality
of the labels included in the label list,
wherein the filtering unit performs the filtering
10 according to the instruction received by the reception unit,
and
wherein the list display control unit causes, on the
screen editing screen, display of a label list that is a
list of labels selected, as a result of the filtering
15 performed by the filtering unit, from the list of the
plurality of the labels included in the control program.
6. The screen creation support device according to claim
4 or 5, further comprising a secondary-display control unit
20 to cause display of a plurality of secondary-display fields
in the status display field displayed on the screen editing
screen,
wherein each of the plurality of secondary-display
fields is where the status information item about the
25 device to be controlled is displayed,
wherein the assignment unit assigns the labels
included in the label list to the status display field,
wherein the secondary-display control unit causes,
based on the assignment performed by the assignment unit,
30 the plurality of secondary-display fields to be displayed
in the status display field displayed on the screen editing
screen,
wherein the program determining unit determines even
38
for each of the plurality of secondary-display fields
whether or not the label included in the control program is
assigned, and
wherein when each of the plurality of secondary5 display fields is determined by the program determining
unit as being assigned the label included in the control
program, the differentiation display control unit causes,
on the screen editing screen, display of each of the
plurality of secondary-display fields in a form
10 differentiated from cases where each of the plurality of
secondary-display fields is not assigned the label included
in the control program.