JP6910220B2 - Programmable display - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a programmable display that displays an image containing an object whose state dynamically changes according to a variable value.

Programmable indicators that display the operating status of devices connected to a programmable logic controller (PLC) and accept various operations such as instructions to PLC have been conventionally developed. The programmable display has a display device and an input device such as a touch panel monitor, and displays an image including objects such as meters and lamps indicating the above operating status and objects such as buttons that accept user operations. ..

In recent programmable displays, it is common to draw an image larger than the resolution of the display screen of the display and display a part of the image. For example, Patent Document 1 below describes a programmable display capable of scrolling a virtual screen larger than the resolution of the display, and a programmable display that communicates with a connected device at regular intervals to update the display contents. The vessel is disclosed.

International Publication No. 2015/063847 (Released on May 7, 2015) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-20395 (published on January 31, 2013) Special Table 2016-503545 (published on February 4, 2016)

The programmable display can reflect variable values such as device values and bit values read from the PLC in the display of objects included in the image. The frequency with which the programmable display reads the variable value from the PLC can be set to a constant frequency by the internal setting of the programmable display or the like, but it is often set to the highest frequency in the programmable display. This is because it is necessary to read the variable value at a frequency closer to real time in order to finely change the display of each object according to the variable value.

However, when the read frequency is set to the highest frequency, the programmable display according to the prior art reads the variable value referred to by the invisible object more frequently than necessary, and the processing load related to the read of the variable value becomes high. Increase. If the processing load increases, the image drawing speed and screen update speed of the programmable display will decrease, and there is a risk that the display quality will deteriorate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the processing load of a programmable display.

In order to solve the above problems, the programmable display according to one aspect of the present invention is programmable to display a part of a first image in which an object whose state changes dynamically according to a variable value is arranged as a display area. A display, a read frequency determination unit that determines the read frequency of the variable value from the controller, a read unit that reads the variable value from the controller at the read frequency determined by the read frequency determination unit, and the variable. A display update unit that redraws the object according to the value is provided, and the read frequency determination unit determines the read frequency of an object located outside the range of the display area, at least in part of the display area. It is determined that the frequency of reading the objects located within the range of is lower than the above-mentioned reading frequency.

The above object indicates an object whose read frequency can be changed. However, the first image may include an object whose reading frequency is constant. For example, the reading frequency of an object having a function of drawing a trend graph or a function of data logging may be constant. This is because such objects need to read variable values at regular intervals and graph or log them. Variable values referenced by an object with a constant read frequency are read at a constant read frequency regardless of whether the object is within or outside the display area.

According to the above configuration or method, the programmable display reduces the frequency of reading variable values for non-displaying objects. As a result, the processing load related to reading the variable value can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to improve the image drawing speed and the screen update speed of the programmable display.

In the conventional programmable display, since the frequency of reading the variable values related to each object is uniform, the processing load increases as the number of objects included in the first image increases. On the other hand, according to the above configuration, the programmable display can suppress the reading frequency of the variable value related to the non-displayed object even when the number of objects increases. Therefore, the processing load when the first image contains more objects, such as when the size of the first image is large, can be reduced, so that the drawing speed of the image on the programmable display is increased even when the number of objects increases. And the speed of screen update can be secured.

In order to solve the above problem, the first image includes a first object and a second object which is a reference destination of the variable value of the first object, and the read frequency determination unit is the first object. When one object is located within the range of the display area, it is considered that the second object is located within the range of the display area regardless of the position of the second object, and the read frequency is determined. You may.

According to the above configuration, the programmable display ensures a high read frequency for an object whose display refers to a variable value, even if the object is not displayed. As a result, the variable value for the displayed object can be secured with a high reflection frequency. Therefore, it is possible to improve the image drawing speed and the screen update speed on the programmable display without giving the user a sense of display discomfort such as a delay in reflecting the variable value.

In order to solve the above problems, the programmable display includes a display area changing unit that changes at least one of the position and size of the display area with respect to the first image according to a user's input operation. The read frequency determination unit may redetermine the read frequency when the display area change unit changes at least one of the position and size of the display area.

According to the above configuration, when the display area changes according to an operation such as scrolling the screen of the user or enlarging / reducing the screen, the programmable display dynamically changes the reading frequency according to the change. As a result, it is possible to improve the image drawing speed and the screen update speed on the programmable display without giving the user a sense of display discomfort such as a delay in reflecting the variable value.

In order to solve the above problem, the read frequency determination unit of the programmable display sets the read frequency of an object located outside the range of the display area to the positional relationship between the display area and the object. It may be lowered stepwise accordingly.

According to the above configuration, the programmable display can more finely determine how much the read frequency is reduced. Therefore, high display quality can be ensured.

In order to solve the above problem, the display update unit may redraw an object located outside the range of the display area less frequently than an object located within the range of the display area. good.

According to the above configuration, the programmable display reduces the frequency of redrawing objects that are not displayed. Therefore, the processing load related to drawing can be reduced as compared with redrawing all the objects included in the first image at the same frequency. This makes it possible to further improve the image drawing speed and screen update speed of the programmable display.

In order to solve the above problem, the first image includes a window displayed superimposed on the object, and the read frequency determination unit is among the objects located within the range of the display area. The reading frequency of the object located overlapping the window may be determined to be lower than the reading frequency of the object not overlapping the window.

According to the above configuration, the frequency of reading the variable value can be suppressed for the object hidden under the window and invisible to the user. Therefore, it is possible to prevent reading of an excessive variable value and further reduce the processing load. This makes it possible to further improve the image drawing speed and screen update speed of the programmable display.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the processing load of the programmable display can be reduced.

It is a block diagram which shows the main part structure of the apparatus included in the display control system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the whole image. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of an object setting. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the display area and the reading frequency of an object. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of read frequency data. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which concerns on the determination of the reading frequency. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the object setting which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a figure which shows typically the causal relationship of the object shown in FIG. 7. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the display area and the reading frequency of an object in Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which concerns on the determination of the reading frequency in Embodiment 2.

[Embodiment 1]
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. First, the configurations of various devices included in the display control system 300 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a device included in the display control system 300. The display control system 300 includes at least a programmable logic controller (PLC, controller) 3, a personal computer (PC) 1, and a programmable display 2. Further, the PLC 3 is connected to one or more devices 4 which are collection destinations of variable values (described later).

(Configuration of PLC 3 and device 4)
The PLC 3 is a controller that collects variable values from the device 4. The "variable value" in the present embodiment indicates a device value held internally by the PLC 3 or acquired from the device 4. In other words, the variable value in this embodiment is not the internal variable value of the programmable display 2, but is held by the PLC3. For example, the values of various parameters measured by the external device such as the temperature or pressure measured by the device 4, and the bit value of the external device indicating on or off of the external device (specifically, I / O device, sensor, etc.). , Various parameters and bit values held in the internal device (register, etc.) of PLC3 are shown.

The PLC 3 collects variable values from each of the devices 4 at a predetermined cycle. The PLC 3 transmits the variable value to the programmable display 2 according to the request from the programmable display 2. Further, the PLC 3 controls the operation of the device 4 connected to the PLC 3 according to the control instruction of the programmable display 2. The device 4 is an external device connected to the PLC 3. The device 4 is, for example, a manufacturing device related to each process of the production line of the factory.

(Configuration of PC1)
The PC 1 is a drawing device for creating an image drawn by the programmable display 2. PC1 is realized by, for example, a general-purpose computer in which an OS (Operating System) is implemented. The PC 1 includes an input device 11, a monitor 12, a data creation unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a transmission unit 15. In addition to this, the PC 1 may include a configuration generally provided in a general-purpose computer such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and a communication interface (I / F).

The input device 11 accepts a user's input operation. The input device 11 is, for example, the keyboard and mouse of the PC1. The monitor 12 displays the GUI (Graphical User Interface) of the PC1. The storage unit 14 stores various data related to image creation of the PC 1. The storage unit 14 may be an internal storage device of a PC 1 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). Further, the storage unit 14 is an external storage device such as an SD card, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) flash memory, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), etc., which the PC1 can access via a predetermined I / F or drive. There may be.

The storage unit 14 stores at least the data file 141. The data file 141 is a data group that summarizes the data necessary for the programmable display 2 to draw one image. The programmable display 2 according to the present embodiment is a specification in which an image larger than the resolution of the display surface is once drawn internally, and a part area of the drawn image is displayed on the display surface as a display area. Hereinafter, the entire image drawn by the programmable display 2 will be referred to as an "overall image".

The data file 141 includes at least object settings 142 and image data 143. The configuration of the object setting 142 will be described in detail later. The image data 143 is data of a background image of the entire image and an image of an object. The data file 141 also includes information indicating the size of the entire image, which will be described later.

The data creation unit 13 creates an image drawn by the programmable display 2 in response to an input operation received by the input device 11. The data creation unit 13 generates a data file 141 showing the created image and stores it in the storage unit 14. Further, the data creation unit 13 transmits the created data file 141 to the programmable display 2 via the transmission unit 15. The data creation unit 13 may convert the data file 141 into a file format that can be executed by the programmable display 2 and then transmit the data file 141.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an overall image (first image) 500 drawn by the data creation unit 13. The whole image 500 contains one or more objects. The object according to the present embodiment is a dynamic object in which at least one of the states of the object, such as color, size, shape, and display content, dynamically changes according to a variable value.

For each object, the reading frequency of the variable value referred to by the object is set. The reading frequency is set (initial setting) on the programmable display 2 or PC1. Here, the "read frequency" means the frequency with which the programmable display 2 reads the variable value from the PLC 3. As will be described in detail later, the reading frequency can be changed in real time by the programmable display 2.

It should be noted that there may be an object whose read frequency does not change from the initially set value (the read frequency is constant). For example, the reading frequency of an object having a function of drawing a trend graph or a function of data logging may be constant. This is because such objects need to read variable values at regular intervals and graph or log them. Information indicating whether the read frequency of the object is variable or constant is set at the time of initial setting of the read frequency.

In the following description, it is assumed that all the objects are objects whose read frequency is set to be variable. However, the content shown in the present embodiment can be applied to the entire image 500 in which objects having a constant reading frequency and objects having a variable reading frequency are mixed. In this case, the process related to the change of the read frequency described below is performed only for the object whose read frequency is variable.

Hereinafter, each step of drawing the entire image 500 by the data creation unit 13 will be described. The steps described below may be performed in no particular order, or specific steps may be repeated. Further, each step described below may be a step executed by the user performing an input operation via the input device 11, or may be a step automatically executed by the PC 1.

The data creation unit 13 determines the size of the entire image 500 as one step of drawing. Further, the data creation unit 13 specifies an object to be arranged in the entire image 500 as one step of drawing, and sets the position of the object in the overall image 500 and various parameters of the object. The data creation unit 13 may set the background color or the background image of the entire image 500 as one step of drawing.

The data creation unit 13 collects information indicating the settings in each process as the object settings 142 and stores the information together with the image data 143 in the storage unit 14 as a data file 141.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the object setting 142. The object setting 142 is data in which the position of the object in the entire image 500 and the information related to the setting of various parameters are associated with the identification information uniquely indicating the object. In the illustrated example, the object setting 142 is one record, and shows the position of one object in the whole image 500 and the setting of various parameters of the object.

In the "Name" column, the object name is stored as the identification information of the object. The "position coordinates" column stores the position coordinates of the entire image 500 of the object (for example, the x-coordinate and the y-coordinate at one point in the upper left corner of the image of the object). The Type column stores information that indicates the type of object.

In the present embodiment, the "object type" is information indicating the function (type) of the object, and is information for specifying the method of reflecting the variable value in the object. For example, when the type of an object is "lamp", the object is, for example, a lamp having a function of indicating an on or off state. Then, the variable value is reflected in the on / off state of the lamp. Further, for example, when the type of the object is "meter", the object has the shape of a meter, and the variable value is reflected in the numerical value displayed by the meter.

In the "Fill color" column, information indicating the fill color (fill color) of the object is stored. Information indicating the border color (border color) of the object is stored in the "border color" column. When the object type is an object that has a function to indicate the on or off state, such as a switch and a lamp, the fill color and the border color are set to two types, on and off, as shown in the figure. You may. The "reference value" column stores information that uniquely indicates the variable referenced by the object. In the illustrated example, the variables starting with D are the variables that store the numbers. On the other hand, the variable starting with M is a variable in which the bit value is stored. Note that the illustrated example is an example, and the types of variables referenced by each object are not particularly limited.

The variable referenced by each object is not limited to one type. For example, as in Object3 in the figure, the fill color and the border color may be determined according to the variable values. In this case, the fill color and the border color of the numerical display of Object3 are determined according to the values of the variables D005 and D006 acquired from the PLC3 by the programmable display 2.

The transmission unit 15 transmits the data file 141 stored in the storage unit 14 to the programmable display 2 according to the instruction of the data creation unit 13.

(Configuration of programmable display 2)
The programmable display 2 is an HMI (Human Machine Interface) device that draws the entire image 500 and displays a part of the entire image 500 as a display area. The programmable display 2 has a display function of drawing the entire image 500 and displaying a part of the area of the entire image 500, an operation function of accepting user input to the display screen, and objects arranged in the entire image 500. It has a read frequency determination function that dynamically determines the read frequency of the referenced variable value.

The programmable display 2 includes a receiving unit 21, a touch panel 22, a display panel 23, an interface (I / F) 26, a storage unit 25, and a control unit 24 in order to realize these functions.

The receiving unit 21 communicates with the transmitting unit 15 of the PC1 and receives the data file 141 from the PC1. The receiving unit 21 sends the data file 141 to the control unit 24. The touch panel 22 is provided so as to be overlapped with the display panel 23, and receives touch input on the display panel 23. The display panel 23 is a flat plate type display device such as a liquid crystal display. The I / F 26 communicates with the PLC 3 according to the instruction of the reading unit 242 described later. Specifically, the I / F 26 requests the variable value from the PLC3, and receives the variable value from the PLC3 as a reply to the request.

In the present embodiment, the programmable display 2 is a device provided with the touch panel 22 and the display panel 23, but the programmable display 2 is not limited to such a device form. For example, the programmable display 2 may be configured by connecting a display including the touch panel 22 and the display panel 23 to a device such as an industrial computer that does not have the touch panel 22 and the display panel 23.

The storage unit 25 stores the data file 141 received from the PC 1, the read frequency data 251 created by the control unit 24, and various variable values 252 read from the PLC 3. The data structure of the read frequency data 251 will be described in detail later. The storage unit 25 may be composed of a plurality of storage devices. In this case, for example, the read frequency data 251 and the variable value 252 that are frequently read by the programmable display 2 are stored in the storage device built in the programmable display 2, and the data file 141 is stored in the external storage device such as an SD card. You may be.

The control unit 24 controls the programmable display 2 in an integrated manner. The control unit 24 includes a display control unit (display update unit, display area change unit) 243, a read frequency determination unit 241 and a read unit 242.

The display control unit 243 draws the entire image 500 according to the data file 141 and the variable value read by the reading unit 242, and causes the display panel 23 to display a part of the entire image 500. The display control unit 243 also redraws the entire image 500 and the objects included in the entire image 500 at a predetermined display update cycle.

Further, when the touch panel 22 receives a specific input operation (for example, touch operation, swipe operation, pinch operation, etc.) of the user, the display control unit 243 displays it on the display panel 23 in response to the input operation. Change the image.

More specifically, when the specific input operation is an operation instructing switching of the entire image 500, the display control unit 243 draws a data file 141 for drawing the entire image 500 to be displayed next from the storage unit 25. Is read, and a new overall image 500 is generated according to the new data file 141 read and the variable value read by the reading unit 242.

Further, when the specific input operation is an operation for instructing enlargement or reduction of the image displayed on the display panel 23, the display control unit 243 changes the size of the display area according to these input operations. Further, when the specific input operation is an operation for instructing scrolling of the display screen of the display panel 23, the display control unit 243 changes the position of the display area with respect to the entire image 500 according to the input operation. Scroll the display screen.

When the display control unit 243 switches the entire image 500, changes the position of the display area, or changes the size of the display area, the display control unit 243 notifies the read frequency determination unit 241 of the switching and the change. The display control unit 243 may also periodically redraw the object when the control unit 24 is in an idle state (a state in which the entire image 500 is drawn and the display area is not changed). For example, the display control unit 243 may redraw the object in accordance with the refresh timing of the display panel 23 or the like.

The read frequency determination unit 241 determines the read frequency of the variable value referenced by the object for each object specified in the object setting 142 of the data file 141. The read frequency determination unit 241 determines the read frequency of the objects included in the overall image 500 at least by the timing when the display control unit 243 causes the display panel to display a part of the entire image 500.

The read frequency determination unit 241 determines the read frequency according to whether or not each object is located within the range of the display area. The read frequency determination unit 241 determines the read frequency of objects that are not located within the range of the display area to be lower than the read frequency of objects that are at least partially located within the range of the display area. Hereinafter, an object whose at least a part is located within the range of the display area is "display object", and an object which is not located within the range of the display area (that is, is located outside the range of the display area) is "non-display object". It is called "display object".

The reading frequency may be divided into at least two stages, "high frequency" and "low frequency". Further, a specific value of the reading frequency may be appropriately determined. For example, when the reading frequency is low, the variable value may be read once every 5 seconds, or at a rate of 1/4 when the reading frequency is high. Further, the specific value or ratio of the reading frequency may be appropriately set by the user.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the display area 600 and the reading frequency of the object. Since the whole image 500 is drawn by the PC 1 and recorded in the data file 141 as described above, the whole image 500 shown in FIG. 4 has the same appearance as the whole image 500 shown in FIG. The dotted line in FIG. 4 indicates the display area 600 of the display panel 23. Further, the objects filled with diagonal lines in FIG. 4 are objects with a high reading frequency.

The read frequency determination unit 241 acquires the position and size of the display area 600 from the display control unit 243. The read frequency determination unit 241 refers to the object setting 142 of the data file 141, and determines whether or not each object is located within the range of the display area 600. When at least a part of the image of the object is included in the display area 600, the read frequency determination unit 241 determines that the object is located within the range of the display area 600.

By performing the above determination, the read frequency determination unit 241 classifies the objects included in the entire image 500 into display objects and non-display objects, and determines the read frequency of each object. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the reading frequency of the display object is determined to be high, and the reading frequency of the non-display object is determined to be low.

The read frequency determination unit 241 stores the determined read frequency for each object in the storage unit 25 as read frequency data 251. Further, when the display control unit 243 notifies the change in the position or size of the display area, the read frequency determination unit 241 performs the above determination and redetermines the read frequency, and updates the read frequency data 251.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the read frequency data 251. The read frequency data 251 is data in which information indicating the read frequency is associated with the identification information uniquely indicating the object. In the illustrated example, the object name is stored as the identification information in the "name" column. Further, in the illustrated example, information indicating the high or low reading frequency is stored in the "reading frequency" column.

The read frequency data 251 is created for each data file 141, and is updated every time the read frequency determination unit 241 determines the read frequency.

When the entire image 500 itself is changed (that is, a part of another image is displayed on the display panel 23), the read frequency determination unit 241 may discard the read frequency data 251 or newly. As separate data, the read frequency data 251 of the entire image 500 to be displayed next may be created and stored in the storage unit 25.

The reading unit 242 reads the variable value from the PLC 3 by communicating with the PLC 3 via the interface (I / F) 26. The reading unit 242 reads the variable value referred to by each object included in the entire image 500 from the PLC 3 at the reading frequency determined by the reading frequency determining unit 241. The reading unit 242 stores the read value in the storage unit 25.

Specifically, the reading unit 242 refers to the reading frequency data 251 stored in the storage unit 25, and specifies the reading frequency for each object. Next, the reading unit 242 reads the object setting 142 of the data file 141, and specifies the variable value referred to by each of the objects listed in the object setting 142. The reading unit 242 reads the specified reference value from the PLC 3 at the reading frequency for each object.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the reading frequency is divided into two stages of "high frequency" and "low frequency", the reading unit 242 sets the variable value referred to by the object having the low reading frequency. Make the acquisition interval longer than the interval for acquiring the variable value of the object whose read frequency is high.

In addition, in PLC3, for example, when a plurality of variable values are continuous device values, it may be specified that the PLC3 writes or reads out from the PLC3 collectively to the programmable display 2. In this case, the reading unit 242 may collectively read these consecutive device values at the timing of reading any of the device values, or may read each device value at an individual reading timing.

(Processing flow)
Finally, the processing flow of the read frequency determination unit 241 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing related to the determination of the reading frequency.

The display control unit 243 draws and redraws the entire image 500 (switches screens) and redraws objects (updates the screen display, or displays or deletes various objects) in response to an input operation received by the touch panel 22. , And change the size or position of the display area (ie, scroll the screen, enlarge or reduce the screen).

The read frequency determination unit 241 generates a Local Object list when notified of any of the above-mentioned drawing of the entire image 500, redrawing of an object, and change of the size or position of the display area (S100).

The Local Object list is a list of objects included in the entire image 500, and the identification information of the objects is associated with flag information indicating whether or not the objects have been picked up. The list may be temporarily stored in the storage unit 25, or may be stored in the control unit 24.

Next, the read frequency determination unit 241 confirms whether or not an object is included in the generated Local Object list (whether or not the Local Object list is empty) (S102). If the Local Object list is empty (YES in S102), the entire image 500 does not include any objects, so the read frequency determination unit 241 does not determine the read frequency and ends the process.

On the other hand, when the Local Object list is not empty (NO in S102), the read frequency determination unit 241 picks up an arbitrary object from the list (S104) and determines whether or not the object is arranged in the display area 600. (S106). When the object is arranged in the display area 600 (YES in S106), the read frequency determination unit 241 determines the object as a display object (S108), and determines the read frequency as "high frequency" (S110, Read frequency determination step). On the other hand, when the object is not arranged in the display area 600 (NO in S106), the read frequency determination unit 241 determines the object as a non-display object (S112), and determines the read frequency as "low frequency". (S114, read frequency determination step).

The read frequency determination unit 241 changes the flag of the Local Object list to indicate that the object has been picked up for the object for which the determination in S106 has been made. After that, the read frequency determination unit 241 picks up all the objects in the Local Object list and repeats the processing until the processing of S106 to S114 is completed (NO in S116). When the pickup and the processing of S106 to S114 are completed for all the objects in the Local Object list (YES in S116), the read frequency determination unit 241 records the read frequency for each object in the read frequency data 251 and determines the read frequency. Ends the processing related to. Then, the reading unit 242 refers to the reading frequency data 251 and reads the variable value of each object from the PLC 3 at the reading frequency described in the data (reading step).

According to the above processing, the programmable display 2 can reduce the processing load related to reading the variable value of the non-display object. In a conventional programmable display, the frequency of reading variable values related to each object is uniform. Therefore, as the overall image becomes larger, the number of hidden objects increases, and the processing load increases due to reading unnecessary variable values. rice field. On the other hand, according to the programmable display 2 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the processing load when the entire image includes many non-display objects. Therefore, even when the number of objects increases, it is possible to secure the image drawing speed and the screen update speed on the programmable display.

This is because the resources of the control unit 24 can be used more effectively by reducing the processing load of the programmable display 2. For example, by preventing delays in processing related to display control of the display control unit 243 and processing omissions, it is possible to improve the screen switching speed of the display panel 23 and improve the display quality.
[Embodiment 2]
Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals will be added to the members having the same functions as the members described in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data structure of the object setting 142 created by the PC 1 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, the same contents as the object setting 142 shown in FIG. 3 will not be described.

The data file 142 according to the present embodiment includes a record in which a variable value is specified by a method different from that of the data file 142 described in the first embodiment. Specifically, the data file 142 according to the present embodiment does not directly specify one or more variable values for one or more parameters of a certain object (first object), but another object (second object). ) Includes records specified to refer to the variable value assigned to the same parameter.

For example, in the data file 142 shown in FIG. 7, it is specified that the fill color and the border color of the object of Object5 are determined by referring to the fill color and the border color of Object6, respectively. Like the relationship between Object 5 and Object 6 in FIG. 7, the relationship in which the reference destination of any parameter of the first object is the same parameter of the second object is changed to "the first object and the second object are There is a causal relationship. "

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the causal relationship of the objects (Object 5 and Object 6) shown in FIG. 7. Device values D100 and D200 are assigned to the fill color and border color of Object6, respectively. Therefore, the reading unit 242 reads the device values D100 and D200 values (D100 = 1, D200 = 2 in the example of FIG. 8) from the memory of the PLC3 at a predetermined reading frequency, and the display control unit 243 redraws the object. At that time, the device value is reflected in Object6. At this time, the display control unit 243 also reflects the values of D100 = 1 and D200 = 2 for the fill color and the border color of Object5.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the display area 600 and the reading frequency of the object in the present embodiment. In FIG. 9, the same parts as those in FIG. 4 will not be described.

When the first object is a display object, the read frequency determination unit 241 according to the present embodiment determines that the second object is a display object regardless of whether the second object is a display object or a non-display object. Determining the read frequency. As a result, the variable values of both objects having a causal relationship can be read out at an appropriate read frequency. The object A1 shown in FIG. 9 has a causal relationship with A2, B1 has a causal relationship with B2, and C1 has a causal relationship with C2. In this case, as shown in the figure, the reading frequency of A2, B2, and C2 is determined to be high regardless of whether or not they are hidden objects.

(Processing flow)
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing related to determination of the read frequency of the read frequency determination unit 241 according to the present embodiment. Did the read frequency determination unit 241 according to the present embodiment confirm in the Local Object list described in the first embodiment the information indicating whether or not the object is a display object and the causal relationship of the object (Visited)? ) Generate a Local Object list with a flag indicating whether or not (Unvisited) (S300).

Next, the read frequency determination unit 241 confirms whether or not the generated Local Object list is empty (S302). If the Local Object list is empty (YES in S302), the entire image 500 does not include any objects, so the read frequency determination unit 241 does not determine the read frequency and ends the process.

On the other hand, when the Local Object list is not empty (NO in S302), the read frequency determination unit 241 sets the flags of all the objects in the list to Unvisited and determines whether each object is a display object or a non-display object (NO). S304). The processing of S304 is the same as the processing flow of S104, S106, S108, S112, and S116 of FIG. 6 of the first embodiment. In addition, unlike the first embodiment, at the time of the determination process of S304, the read frequency determination unit 241 does not determine the read frequency. The read frequency determination unit 241 records the determination result of S304 in the Local Object list.

Next, the read frequency determination unit 241 confirms whether or not any of the display objects included in the Local Object list has an unvisited flag (S306). When there is an unvisited display object (YES in S306), the read frequency determination unit 241 picks up an arbitrary unvisited display object as the first object (S308), and refers to the object setting 142 of the first object. Identify whether there is a second object that has a causal relationship with the first object. If there is a second object, the objects having a causal relationship are further traced for the second object (S310). The read frequency determination unit 241 sets the flags of all the objects whose causal relationship has been confirmed in this way to Visited (S312), and determines the read frequency of the objects whose flags are set to the Visited state to "high frequency" (S314, read frequency determination). Step). The read frequency determination unit 241 repeats the processes from S306 to S314 until there are no display objects included in the Local Object list whose flags are unvisited (NO in S306).

On the other hand, when there is no display object included in the Local Object list whose flag is Unvisited (NO in S306), the read frequency determination unit 241 further indicates that the flag is Unvisited among the hidden objects included in the Local Object list. Check if there is any object (S316). When there is no hidden object whose flag is Unvisited (NO in S316), the read frequency determination unit 241 ends the process. On the other hand, when there is a hidden object whose flag is Unvisited (YES in S316), the read frequency determination unit 241 picks up an arbitrary unvisited hidden object as the first object (S318). Further, the read frequency determination unit 241 sets the flags of all the picked-up objects to Visited (S320), and determines the read frequency of the objects whose flags are set to the Visited state to "low frequency" (S322, read frequency determination step). .. The read frequency determination unit 241 repeats the processes S316 to S324 until there are no hidden objects included in the Local Object list whose flag is Unvisited. When there are no hidden objects whose flags are unvisited (NO in S316), the read frequency determination unit 241 determines that the determination of the read frequency has been completed for all the objects, and ends the process related to the determination of the read frequency. ..

According to the above processing, the programmable display 2 ensures a high reading frequency for objects that have a causal relationship with the display object, even if they are non-display objects. As a result, the variable value for the display object can be secured at a high reflection frequency. Therefore, it is possible to improve the image drawing speed and the screen update speed on the programmable display without giving the user a sense of discomfort such as a delay in reflecting the variable value of the display object.
[Embodiment 3]
The read frequency determination unit 241 may gradually reduce the read frequency of the non-display object according to the positional relationship between the display area 600 and the non-display object. For example, the display control unit (display frequency calculation unit) 243 calculates a value (display frequency score) indicating the display frequency of each object at the time of drawing the display area 600 and at the time of redrawing. At this time, the display control unit 243 increases the score of the display object and decreases the score of the non-display object. Alternatively, the display control unit 243 gives the display object a higher score than the non-display object.

More specifically, the display control unit 243 assigns 4 points as a display frequency score to the display object at the time of the first drawing (at the time of screen switching) of the entire image 500, and 0 points to the non-display object. In addition, the display control unit 243 adds 2 points to the display frequency points of the object that became the display object when the position or size of the display area is changed (the screen of the display panel 23 is scrolled, enlarged, or reduced). do. Further, the display control unit 243 adds 1 point for the display frequency score of the display object and subtracts 1 point for the display frequency score of the non-display object at regular intervals during the idle time of the control unit 24.

According to the above processing, the programmable display 2 can more finely determine how much the reading frequency is reduced. Therefore, high display quality can be ensured. Further, according to the above processing, it is possible to keep the read frequency high for the objects displayed at high frequency, and to further reduce the read frequency for the objects displayed only at low frequency. Therefore, high display quality can be ensured.
[Embodiment 4]
The display control unit 243 according to each embodiment may redraw the non-display object less frequently than the display object. For example, when the display control unit 243 redraws the display object at a rate of 60 times per second, the display control unit 243 may redraw the non-display object at a rate of 30 times per second. Alternatively, the display control unit 243 may not redraw the hidden object.

As a result, the programmable display 2 can suppress the frequency of redrawing the hidden object. Therefore, the processing load related to the redrawing of the objects can be reduced as compared with the case where all the objects included in the entire image 500 are redrawn at the same frequency. This makes it possible to further improve the image drawing speed and screen update speed of the programmable display.
[Embodiment 5]
The overall image 500 according to each embodiment may be an object in which an image showing a window (hereinafter, simply referred to as a window) is superimposed and arranged on an object (front surface). Here, the "window" may be a dynamic object described in each embodiment, or may be a simple image object.

When the object and the window are arranged so as to overlap each other, the read frequency determination unit 241 indicates that the entire display object overlaps the window (that is, the entire object is hidden behind the window). The read frequency of an object may be determined to be lower than the read frequency of an object that does not overlap the window (that is, at least a part of the object appears in the foreground).

Further, the whole image 500 may be an image in which objects are further arranged in the window. In other words, in the entire image 500, the image of the object may be superimposed and arranged in the image area of the window and in front of the image of the window. Further, another window may be superposed on at least a part of one window.

In this way, when the windows and the objects or the windows are arranged so as to overlap each other in the whole image 500, the read frequency determination unit 241 reads the display objects whose entire object is hidden behind the window. May be determined less frequently than the reading frequency of the object in which at least a part of the object appears in the foreground.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the variable value from being read out more frequently than necessary for the object that is completely hidden behind the window and cannot be seen by the user on the display. Therefore, the programmable display 2 can reduce the processing load related to the reading of the variable value while ensuring high display quality. This makes it possible to further improve the image drawing speed and screen update speed of the programmable display.

Furthermore, when the window and the object or the windows are arranged so as to overlap each other, the display object in which the entire object overlaps the window may be regarded as a hidden object. For example, in the display frequency score assignment described in the third embodiment, the display control unit 243 may calculate the score by regarding the display object whose entire object overlaps the window as a non-display object. ..
[Embodiment 6]
The programmable display 2 according to the present invention is a display frequency calculation unit that calculates a value indicating the display frequency of an object each time the display area change unit (display control unit 243) changes at least one of the position and size of the display area. (Display control unit 243) is provided, and in the display frequency calculation unit, when at least a part of the object is within the range of the display area, the value indicating the display frequency of the object is increased, and the object becomes the above. When the object is outside the range of the display area, the value indicating the display frequency of the object is reduced, and the read frequency determination unit 241 sets the read frequency of the object located outside the range of the display area to the display frequency. It may be lowered stepwise according to the situation.

According to the above configuration, the read frequency can be kept high for the objects displayed frequently, while the read frequency can be further reduced for the objects displayed only infrequently. Therefore, the programmable display 2 can ensure high display quality.

[Example of realization by software]
The control block of the programmable display 2 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the programmable display 2 includes a computer that executes a program instruction, which is software that realizes each function. The computer includes, for example, one or more processors and a computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. Then, in the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes it, thereby achieving the object of the present invention. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary tangible medium", for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or the like, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the above program may be further provided. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. It should be noted that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the above program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 PC (drawing device)
11 Input device 12 Monitor 13 Data creation unit 14 Storage unit 141 Data file 142 Object setting 143 Image data 15 Transmission unit 2 Programmable display 21 Receiver unit 22 Touch panel 23 Display panel 24 Control unit 241 Read frequency determination unit 242 Read unit 243 Display control Section (display update section, display area change section, display frequency calculation section)
25 Storage unit 251 Read frequency data 252 Variable value 26 I / F
3 PLC (controller)
4 Equipment 300 Display control system 500 Overall image (first image)
600 display area

Claims (7)

A part of the first image in which an object whose state changes dynamically according to a variable value is arranged is displayed on the display device as a display area, and a part outside the range of the display area of the first image is displayed on the display device. A programmable display that does not display
A read frequency determination unit that determines the read frequency of the above variable values from the controller,
A reading unit that reads the variable value from the controller at the reading frequency determined by the reading frequency determining unit, and
It is equipped with a display update unit that redraws the above object according to the above variable value.
The read frequency determination unit sets the read frequency of non-display objects in which all of the objects are located outside the range of the display area, and at least a part of the objects is located in the range of the display area. A programmable display, characterized in that the display object is determined to be read less frequently than the above-mentioned reading frequency. The first image includes a first object and a second object to which the variable value of the first object is referenced.
When at least a part of the first object is located within the range of the display area, the read frequency determination unit indicates that the second object is within the range of the display area regardless of the position of the second object. The programmable display according to claim 1, wherein the read frequency is determined by assuming that the object is located in. A display area changing unit that changes at least one of the position and size of the display area with respect to the first image according to a user's input operation is provided.
The reading frequency determining unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the display area changing unit changes at least one of the position and the size of the display area, the reading frequency is redetermined. Programmable display. The read frequency determination unit is not used when the display area changing unit changes at least one of the position and size of the display area, or when the display area changing unit redraws the display area. The programmable display according to claim 3, wherein the display object is read out less frequently. The display update unit is characterized in that the non-display object located outside the range of the display area is redrawn less frequently than the display object located within the range of the display area. The programmable display according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The first image includes a window displayed superimposed on the object.
The reading frequency determining unit, among the display objects that are located within the display area, the reading frequency of the display object that is positioned to overlap with the window, the display objects that do not overlap with the window The programmable display according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the frequency is determined to be lower than the reading frequency of the above. A programmable display that displays a part of the first image in which an object whose state changes dynamically according to a variable value is arranged as a display area.
A read frequency determination unit that determines the read frequency of the above variable values from the controller,
A reading unit that reads the variable value from the controller at the reading frequency determined by the reading frequency determining unit, and
It is equipped with a display update unit that redraws the above object according to the above variable value.
The read frequency determination unit sets the read frequency of objects located outside the display area to be lower than the read frequency of objects located at least in part within the display area. Decided to
The first image includes a first object and a second object to which the variable value of the first object is referenced.
When the first object is located within the range of the display area, the read frequency determination unit positions the second object within the range of the display area regardless of the position of the second object. and determining the reading frequency is regarded as have, programmable display.

Images