Measurement control device

Abstract

To provide a measurement control device with simple operation and interface and including a help function providing a sufficient amount of information.SOLUTION: A measurement control device for controlling the measurement operation of a measurement device via a screen interface comprises: a normal display screen 20 constituting the screen interface; one or more functional elements 21 and 22 arranged on the normal display screen 20; a help mode button 31 arranged on a part of the normal display screen 20 and switching a normal display mode and a help display mode; a help icon 33 displayed on the normal display screen 20 in association with the functional elements 21 22 during the help display mode; a summary description field 34 displayed on a part of the normal display screen 20 when the help icon 33 is selected; a detailed display button 35 displayed in a part of the summary description field 34; and a detailed description field displayed when the detailed display button 35 is selected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a measurement control device. [Background technology]

[0002] A screen interface is used in a measurement control device that controls the operation of a measuring device. For example, a computer system is connected to a coordinate measuring machine as a measurement control device, and a user can operate the coordinate measuring machine using the screen interface (see Patent Document 1). The screen interface provides a help function to assist the user. The help function includes a help file that is displayed in a separate window overlaid on the operation screen, and the explanation of the desired topic can be found from the table of contents (Reference 2). Help files displayed in separate windows can be simplified versions of the operation manual, or online manuals that allow the operation manual itself to be displayed. Another help function is one that identifies the selected item and displays its explanation in a comment section on the operation screen (Reference 3). The comment section may be a display area that is fixedly allocated to a part of the operation screen, or it may display a floating balloon comment near the item the pointer is hovering over on the operation screen. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-118097 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2010-96674 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2009-204553 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Although the above-mentioned help function is improving the operability of the measurement control device, there is a need for improvement in the visibility of the operation screen and the efficiency of operations required to obtain desired help information. For example, when there are many functional elements (operation buttons, numeric display fields, etc.) arranged on an operation screen, the operations required to reach a desired item using the table of contents method become cumbersome. To obtain help information related to a functional element on the operation screen, a help mode button can be placed near the functional element. However, if there are many functional elements on the operation screen, the number of help mode buttons increases, which causes a problem that the operation screen becomes complicated. On the other hand, in the method of automatically displaying the comment field, it is difficult to set a large comment field because it occupies part of the operation screen, and sufficient help information cannot be displayed. In other words, there is a problem that simple help comments cannot provide detailed explanations, and when displaying the operation manual itself, it is cumbersome to read and follow the table of contents.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a measurement control device which is simple to operate and has a screen and which has a help function with a sufficient amount of information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The measurement control device of the present invention comprises: A measurement control device that controls the measurement operation of a measuring device via a screen interface, comprising: a normal display screen that constitutes the screen interface; one or more functional elements arranged on the normal display screen; a help mode button arranged on a part of the normal display screen for switching between a normal display mode and a help display mode; a help icon that is displayed on the normal display screen in association with the functional element in the help display mode; a brief description field and a detailed display button that are displayed on a part of the normal display screen when the help icon is selected; and a detailed description field that is displayed when the detailed display button is selected.

[0007] In this invention, by operating the help mode button to switch to the normal display mode, the functional elements displayed on the normal display screen are limited to those necessary for the operation screen, and only the help mode button is displayed for the help function. In this normal display mode, the screen can be simplified. Furthermore, by using a specific operation command to change the display mode, the display of the help mode button may be omitted. On the other hand, by operating the help mode button to switch to the help display mode, help icons are displayed in association with functional elements on the normal display screen. By selecting one of the help icons, a brief explanation field is displayed in part of the normal display screen. Help icons are displayed in association with functional elements, and the target functional element is uniquely determined at the time of selecting a help icon, and a brief explanation (such as a simple help comment) of the functional element related to the selected help icon can be immediately displayed without having to go through a table of contents or the like. Furthermore, by selecting a detailed display button displayed together with the outline description field, a detailed description field is displayed, displaying a detailed description of the previously selected functional element. The detailed description field can be displayed in a sufficient display area by being a separate window displayed overlaid on the normal display screen, or a partition partitioned off from a part of the normal display screen. By providing two stages, namely, the outline description field provides an efficient help function with simple explanations, while the detailed description field provides a sufficient amount of information as a help function with detailed explanations (such as the relevant explanations in the operation manual).

[0008] In the measurement control device of the present invention, it is preferable that the outline explanation field is a comment area arranged at the bottom of the normal display screen. In this way, the present invention allows the help comments to be displayed without interfering with other displays on the normal display screen, and the processing can be simplified compared to displaying them in a separate window.

[0009] In the measurement control device of the present invention, it is preferable that the details display button is displayed in a part of the outline description field. In the present invention, when the help comment displayed in the outline display field is insufficient, the detailed explanation field can be displayed immediately by operating the detailed display button from the outline display field.

[0010] In the measurement control device of the present invention, it is preferable that the detailed explanation field displays an explanation of the functional element associated with the selected help icon from an online manual of the measurement control device. In the present invention, the explanation of the operation manual of the online measurement control device is displayed, so a sufficient amount of information can be provided as a help function. Since the explanation of the operation manual is displayed, there is no need to follow the table of contents, so operation can be performed easily and efficiently.

[0011] In the measurement control device of the present invention, it is preferable that a manual display button for displaying a table of contents page of the online manual is arranged in a part of the normal display screen. In the present invention, when it is desired to refer to the operation manual of the online measurement control device independently or systematically, the table of contents page can be immediately opened.

[0012] In the measurement control device of the present invention, it is preferable that the normal display screen includes a basic screen and an expanded screen which is transitioned from or superimposed on the basic screen, the help mode button is arranged on at least the basic screen, and in the help display mode, the help icon is displayed on each of the functional elements on the basic screen and the functional elements on the expanded screen. In the present invention, when the help display mode is selected on the basic screen, the help display mode is maintained on the expanded screen that is opened in a separate window from the basic screen, and a help icon can be displayed for each functional element. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a measurement control device that is simple to operate and has a screen and has a help function with a sufficient amount of information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a measurement control device of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the measurement control device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a normal display screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a help icon screen in the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a help comment display state in the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an online manual display state according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a help icon display state on the development screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing the process of the measurement control device of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] FIG. 1 shows a measurement system including a measurement control device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The measuring machine 2 is, for example, an existing laser scan micrometer, and is capable of measuring the width dimension of a workpiece placed in a parallel laser beam 3. The measuring machine 2 may be another measuring machine such as a three-dimensional measuring machine or a surface shape measuring machine.

[0016] The measurement control device 1 is equipped with a processing device 5 consisting of a computer system that reads and executes programs, an operating device 6 including a keyboard and pointing device that can be operated by the user, and a display device 7 such as a display panel that can be viewed by the user. The processing device 5 executes a desired measurement program to cause the measuring device 2 to perform a predetermined measurement operation and measure the width dimension of the workpiece. During measurement, the processing device 5 displays a screen interface on the display device 7 and accepts user operations from the operation device 6. The current status, setting values, measured values, etc. of the processing device 5 or the measuring device 2 are displayed on the screen interface.

[0017] 2 shows a functional configuration related to the screen interface of the measurement control device 1. These functional configurations are deployed in the processing device 5 by executing software installed in the processing device 5. The processing device 5 includes a measurement control unit 11, an operation control unit 12, a display control unit 13, and a help display control unit .

[0018] The measurement control unit 11 executes a specified measurement program and controls the measuring device 2 to perform a desired operation. The operation control unit 12 receives operations from the user via the operation device 6, and performs processing according to the operations on the measurement control unit 11. The operations include selection of a measurement operation, starting and ending the measurement operation, processing and display of the measurement results, setting and adjustment of operation parameters, and the like. The display control unit 13 displays an image that serves as a screen interface on the display device 7, accepts user operations via the operating device 6 and reflects them on the screen interface, and also displays the status of the measuring device 2 and the measurement results obtained from the measurement control unit 11 on the screen interface. The help display control unit 14 adds a help function to the screen interface, and is connected to a help comment file 15 and an online manual file 16 related to the measurement control device 1. As the online manual file 16, for example, an operation manual (instruction manual) for the measurement control device 1 can be made into an electronic file and made into hypertext with links to related sections.

[0019] The screen interface is alternately switched between a normal display mode and a help display mode in the processing device 5. The current display mode is held as a flag in a storage area of ​​the processing device 5. The normal display screen 20 (FIG. 3) and the help display screen 30 (FIGS. 4 to 7) displayed on the display device 7 as a screen interface will be described below. The process flow regarding the help function of the screen interface of the measurement control device 1 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows an example of a normal display screen 20 displayed on the display device 7 in the normal display mode. In FIG. 3, the normal display screen 20 is configured using the window system of the operating system of the processing device 5, and has a basic structure in which a title bar 201 and a menu bar 202 are arranged at the top, and a display area 203 is provided below them. A menu bar 202 and a display area 203 of the normal display screen 20 are provided with a plurality of function buttons 21 for functions that can be selected by the user as functional elements, and display frames 22 for set values ​​or measured values, etc. Functional elements may also use other types of operations or displays. The above-mentioned display of the normal display screen 20 can be performed by the display control unit 13 in FIG. Furthermore, the menu bar 202 has a help mode button 31 and a manual display button 32 arranged as functional elements related to the help function. As will be described in detail later, pressing the help mode button 31 alternates between normal display mode and help display mode, thereby switching the help function of the screen interface on and off. Pressing the manual display button 32 also displays the online manual for the measurement control device 1 on the screen (see FIG. 6). The functions of the help mode button 31 and the manual display button 32 are executed by the help display control unit 14 in FIG.

[0021] 4 to 6 each show an example of a help display screen 30 that is displayed on the display device 7 in the help display mode. The help display screen 30 in FIG. 4 is displayed when the user presses the help mode button 31 on the normal display screen 20 in FIG. In FIG. 4, a help display screen 30 displays a plurality of help icons 33 superimposed on the normal display screen 20 described above. The help icon 33 is arranged near the function button 21 where the help function is required and the upper right corner of the display frame 22. The help icon 33 is a small icon so as to minimize obscuring the display of the function button 21 and the display frame 22 or other parts of the normal display screen 20. In the help display screen 30, a comment area 34 (a general explanation field of the present invention) is arranged at the bottom of the normal display screen 20. At the end of the comment area 34, a details display button 35 is arranged.

[0022] When the user presses any of the help icons 33 on the help display screen 30 of FIG. 4, the help display screen 30 of FIG. 5 is displayed. In FIG. 5, a comment area 34 displays a help comment about the functional element selected by the user, that is, the functional button 21 or the display frame 22 adjacent to the help icon 33 pressed by the user. The help comment can be displayed by the help display control unit 14 in FIG. 2 acquiring a comment on the functional element selected by the user from the help comment file 15 and displaying it in the comment area 34.

[0023] When the user presses the details display button 35 in the comment area 34 where the comments are displayed on the help display screen 30 in Figure 5, an online manual 36 (detailed explanation section of the present invention) is displayed in a separate window on top of the help display screen 30, as shown in Figure 6. In FIG. 6, the online manual 36 displayed in a separate window is a page of explanation regarding the functional element that is the subject of the comment displayed in the comment area 34, i.e., the functional element selected by the user on the help display screen 30 in FIG. Such an online manual 36 can be displayed by the help display control unit 14 in FIG. 2 acquiring a page relating to a functional element selected by the user from the online manual file 16 and displaying it in a separate window.

[0024] The above-mentioned help functions, that is, the help icon 33, the comment area 34, and the detailed display button 35, are effective even when any of the functional elements on the normal display screen 20 in FIG. 3 is selected and another window is opened. In FIG. 7, an environment setting button 23 is arranged as a functional element on a normal display screen 20 (the basic screen of the present invention), and when the user presses the environment setting button 23, an environment setting dialog 24 (the development screen of the present invention) opens in a separate window. In the normal display mode, when the help icon 33 is not displayed and the environment setting dialog 24 is superimposed on the normal display screen 20, when the user presses the help mode button 31, a help icon 33, a comment area 34, and a detail display button 35 are displayed for the functional elements on the normal display screen 20 and the functional elements in the environment setting dialog 24, respectively. The user can use the help icon 33, the comment area 34, and the detail display button 35 to use the help function (display of help comments or display of an online manual) for the functional elements of the normal display screen 20 and the environment setting dialog 24. On the other hand, in the help display mode with the help icon 33 displayed (help display screen 30 in FIG. 4), the environment setting dialog 24 may be opened in a separate window by the user pressing the environment setting button 23. Because it is in the help display mode, the help icon 33, comment area 34, and detail display button 35 are immediately displayed in the newly opened environment setting dialog 24, and the user can use the help function for the functional elements of the environment setting dialog 24.

[0025] FIG. 8 shows an example of a process flow relating to the help function in the screen interface of the measurement control device 1. In FIG. 8, the processing device 5 waits for an input operation to the operating device 6 by repeating steps S1 to S4. When the processing device 5 starts operation, it determines whether or not the current mode is help display mode (process S1), and if it is normal display mode, it displays the normal display screen 20 (process S2), and if it is help display mode, it displays the help display screen 30 (process S3), and waits for input operation (process S4). If an input operation is detected in step S4, the processor 5 sequentially performs steps S5 to S8 to determine whether the input operation is related to the help function. If it is determined in steps S5 to S8 that the input operation is not related to the help function, the processor 5 executes a process according to the input operation (step S9) and returns to step S1.

[0026] If the input operation is determined to be related to the help function in the steps S5 to S8, the processor 5 executes a process corresponding to the input operation. If it is determined in process S5 that any of the help icons 33 displayed in the help display mode has been pressed, the processing device 5 identifies the functional element associated with the pressed help icon 33, obtains the corresponding help comment from the help comment file 15, displays it in the comment area 34 (process S10, see FIG. 5), and returns to waiting for an input operation (process S4). The user can instruct a desired process by another input operation, or display a help comment from another help icon 33.

[0027] If it is determined in process S6 that the detail display button 35 displayed in the help display mode has been pressed, the processing device 5 identifies the functional element associated with the pressed help icon 33, obtains the corresponding explanatory page from the online manual file 16, displays it in a separate window (process S11, see the online manual 36 in FIG. 6), and returns to waiting for an input operation (process S4). The user can refer to other explanatory pages by further input operations.

[0028] If it is determined in step S7 that the manual display button 32 has been pressed, the processing device 5 obtains the table of contents page from the online manual file 16, displays it in a separate window (step S12), and returns to waiting for input operations (step S4). The user can follow an explanation page relating to any functional element from the table of contents page by further input operations.

[0029] If it is determined in process S8 that the help mode button 31 has been pressed, the processing device 5 alternates between the help display mode and the normal display mode (process S13). That is, if the current mode is the normal display mode, it is changed to the help display mode, and if the current mode is the help display mode, it is changed to the normal display mode. In either case, the process returns to process S1, and the screen display (process S2 or process S3) can be performed in the changed mode.

[0030] In the present embodiment as described above, by operating the help mode button 31 to switch to the normal display mode, the functional elements (function buttons 21 and display frame 22) displayed on the normal display screen 20 are limited to those necessary for the operation screen, and only the help mode button 31 is displayed for the help function. In such a normal display mode, the screen can be simplified. Note that by using a specific operation command to change the display mode, the display of the help mode button 31 can also be omitted. On the other hand, by operating the help mode button 31 to switch to the help display mode, help icons 33 are displayed in association with functional elements on the normal display screen 20. When the user selects one of the help icons 33, a brief explanation column (comment area 34) is displayed in part of the normal display screen 20. The help icons 33 are displayed in association with functional elements, and the target functional element is uniquely determined at the time of selecting a help icon 33, so that a brief explanation (help comment) of the functional element related to the selected help icon 33 can be immediately displayed without having to follow a table of contents or the like. Furthermore, by selecting a detailed display button 35 displayed together with the outline description field (comment area 34), a detailed description field (online manual 36 in a separate window) can be displayed, and a detailed explanation (the corresponding explanation page in the online manual) for the previously selected functional element can be displayed. By providing two stages, an outline description field and a detailed description field, it is possible to provide an efficient help function with simple explanations in the outline description field, while the detailed description field can provide a sufficient amount of information as a help function with detailed explanations.

[0031] In this embodiment, a comment area 34 arranged at the bottom of the normal display screen 20 is used as the brief explanation field. This allows the help comment to be displayed without interfering with other displays on the normal display screen 20. Also, the process can be simplified compared to displaying the comment in a separate window.

[0032] In this embodiment, the detail display button 35 is displayed in a part of the outline display field (comment area 34). Therefore, when the help comment displayed in the outline display field is insufficient, the detail display button 35 can be operated immediately from the outline display field to display the detailed explanation field (online manual 36).

[0033] In this embodiment, the detailed explanation field displays an explanation of the functional element associated with the help icon 33 selected by the user from the online manual file 16 of the measurement control device 1. This allows a sufficient amount of information to be provided as a help function. In addition, since the explanation of the operation manual is displayed, there is no need to follow the table of contents, and the operation can be performed easily and efficiently.

[0034] In this embodiment, a manual display button 32 is provided on a portion of the normal display screen 20 to display the table of contents page of the online manual file 16. Therefore, when it is desired to refer to the operation manual of the online measurement control device 1 independently or systematically, the table of contents page can be immediately opened.

[0035] In this embodiment, the normal display screen 20 includes a basic screen shown in Fig. 3 and an expanded screen (environment setting dialog 24 in Fig. 7) that is displayed by being superimposed on this basic screen, and the help mode button 31 is arranged at least on the basic screen, and in the help display mode, help icons 33 are displayed for each of the functional elements on the basic screen (normal display screen 20) and the expanded screen (environment setting dialog 24). Therefore, when the help display mode is selected on the basic screen, the help display mode is maintained even on the expanded screen that is opened in a separate window from the basic screen, and the help icon 33 can be displayed for each functional element.

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications within the scope of the present invention are included in the present invention. In the above embodiment, the brief explanation section is the comment area 34 normally placed at the bottom of the display screen 20, but the brief explanation section may be placed in another position, or it is not limited to being placed in a fixed position, and may be a floating display, such as a balloon display that pops up from the original help icon 33. Further, the detailed display button 35 is not limited to being arranged in a part of the outline description field, and may be arranged in the menu bar 202 (see FIG. 3) of the normal display screen 20. For example, the manual display button 32 on the normal display screen 20 may be configured to display the table of contents page of the online manual in the normal display mode, and to immediately obtain and display a page from the online manual that corresponds to the functional element for which the help comment is currently being displayed in the help display mode.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the online manual 36 is displayed in a separate window superimposed on the normal display screen 20 as the detailed explanation field, but the online manual 36 may be displayed in a partitioned area of ​​the normal display screen 20. However, a separate window is preferable since it allows the detailed explanation to be displayed in a sufficient display area.

[0038] In the above embodiment, an example of a normal display screen 20 and a help display screen 30 was shown, but the displayed functional elements (function buttons 21 and display frame 22) may be screens in other states, and the format and content may be changed as appropriate depending on the measurement control device 1 or the measuring device 2 to be controlled. In the above embodiment, the measuring device 2 to be controlled by the measurement control device 1 is a laser scan micrometer, but it may also be a three-dimensional measuring device, a surface profile measuring device, or other measuring devices to be controlled, or optical measuring devices. [Industrial Applicability]

[0039] The present invention can be used as a measurement control device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1...measurement control device, 2...measuring machine, 3...laser beam, 5...processing device, 6...operation device, 7...display device, 11...measurement control unit, 12...operation control unit, 13...display control unit, 14...help display control unit, 15...help comment file, 16...online manual file, 20...normal display screen (screen interface), 201...title bar, 202...menu bar, 203...display area, 21...function button, 22...display frame, 23...environment setting button, 24...environment setting dialog (expanded screen), 30...help display screen, 31...help mode button, 32...manual display button, 33...help icon, 34...comment area (brief description column), 35...detailed display button, 36...online manual (detailed description column).

Claims

1. A measurement control device that controls a measurement operation of a measurement device by a screen interface, A normal display screen constituting the screen interface; one or more functional elements arranged on the normal display screen; a help mode button arranged in a portion of the normal display screen for switching between a normal display mode and a help display mode; a help icon that is displayed on the normal display screen in association with the functional element in the help display mode; a summary explanation field and a detailed display button that are displayed in a portion of the normal display screen when the help icon is selected; and a detailed explanation field that is displayed when the detail display button is selected.

2. 2. The measurement control device according to claim 1, The outline description field is a comment area arranged at the bottom of the normal display screen of the measurement control device.

3. 2. The measurement control device according to claim 1, The detailed display button is a measurement control device that is displayed in a portion of the outline description field.

4. The measurement control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The detailed explanation field displays an explanation of the functional element associated with the selected help icon from an online manual of the measurement control device.

5. 5. The measurement control device according to claim 4, A measurement control device in which a manual display button for displaying a table of contents page of the online manual is disposed in a portion of the normal display screen.

6. 2. The measurement control device according to claim 1, the normal display screen includes a basic screen and an expanded screen which is displayed by transition from the basic screen or by being superimposed thereon; the help mode button is arranged at least on the basic screen, In the help display mode, the measurement control device displays the help icon for each of the functional elements on the basic screen and the functional elements on the expanded screen.

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