Programmable display, terminal device, retrieval system, and retrieval method

Abstract

To acquire a desired screen data from among screens displayed on a programmable display.SOLUTION: A programmable display (1A), which displays a first screen based on first screen data, receives operations to the first screen, and is communicably connected to another programmable display (1B), which displays a second screen based on second screen data and receives operations to the second screen, through a network. The programmable display (1A) comprises: a user memory (14) for memorizing the first screen data; and a retrieval unit (64) that acquires specified screen data based on search conditions, by searching the second screen data memorized in a user memory (14B) included in the programmable display (1B) while searching the first screen data of the user memory (14) based on the given search conditions, or by making the programmable display (1B) search the second screen data while searching the first screen data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a programmable display device or the like that searches for screen data. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been known in the past to exchange data between programmable displays. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a programmable display communicates with another programmable display to acquire data collected by the other programmable display using a logging function. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6400232 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In response to this, there are cases where it is desired to obtain screen data for a specific screen among the screens displayed by the programmable display device and other programmable display devices. However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not allow for a search for screen data, and therefore it is not possible to obtain the desired screen data.

[0005] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to obtain desired screen data from among screens displayed on a programmable display device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a programmable display device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a programmable display device that displays a first screen based on first screen data and accepts operations on the displayed first screen, and is communicably connected via a network to other programmable display devices that display a second screen based on second screen data and accepts operations on the displayed second screen, and includes: a first memory unit that stores the first screen data; and a search unit that, based on given search conditions, searches for the first screen data stored in the first memory unit and searches for the second screen data stored in a second memory unit of the other programmable display device, or searches for the first screen data and causes the other programmable display device to search for the second screen data, and obtains screen data identified based on the search conditions as a search result.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a search method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a search method executed by a programmable display device that displays a first screen based on first screen data, accepts operations on the displayed first screen, and stores the first screen data in a first memory unit, and includes a search step of searching for the first screen data stored in the first memory unit based on given search conditions, and searching for the second screen data stored in a second memory unit of another programmable display device that is communicatively connected to the programmable display device via a network, displays a second screen based on second screen data, and accepts operations on the displayed second screen, or searching for the first screen data and causing the other programmable display device to search for the second screen data, and an acquisition step of acquiring screen data identified based on the search conditions as search results. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain desired screen data from among the screens displayed on a programmable display device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an operation display system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the operation display system. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an initial screen for searching for screen data, which is displayed on a terminal device in the operation display system. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a search screen including a search result of screen data, which is displayed on the terminal device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a series of processing steps for performing a search by the terminal device. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in which a programmable display device in the operation display system receives an instruction from the terminal device and collects information about other programmable display devices communicably connected to the programmable display device. [Figure 7] 7 is a flowchart showing the detailed procedure of the search screen display process in the flowchart of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for searching screen data by the programmable display device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0011] <Hardware configuration of the operation display system> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an operation display system 100 according to this embodiment.

[0012] First, an overview of the operation display system 100 (search system) will be described.

[0013] 1, an operation display system 100 (search system) includes a plurality of programmable display devices 1, a terminal device 2, a LAN (Local Area Network) 3, and a control device 4. The plurality of programmable display devices 1 and the terminal device 2 are connected to the LAN 3 (network) via a LAN cable, a wireless LAN router, or the like so as to be connected and able to communicate with each other via the LAN 3.

[0014] The programmable display 1 is an embedded device that implements a dedicated OS (Operating System) and is a dedicated machine that has the ability to execute HMI (Human Machine Interface) programs to realize the various functions of the programmable display 1. The programmable display 1 is a dedicated computer that has enhanced dustproofness, drip-proofness, vibration resistance, etc. to suit harsh environments such as factories.

[0015] The terminal device 2 is a device that displays data stored in the programmable display device 1 from a remote location and operates the programmable display device 1. A portable device such as a tablet terminal is suitable as a device that constitutes the terminal device 2, but it may also be a device such as a personal computer or a programmable display device.

[0016] The terminal device 2 also has a user interface function that accepts operations to search for screen data for displaying HMI screens (described later) on the multiple programmable display devices 1. This function will be described in detail later.

[0017] The control device 4 is a device such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), a temperature regulator, or an inverter, and is equipped with a communication function. The control device 4 exchanges data with input / output devices (not shown). The input / output devices include input devices such as sensors and switches, and output devices such as actuators, motors, relays, solenoid valves, and displays. The control device 4 has a device memory for storing the status of the input / output devices.

[0018] The hardware configuration of the programmable display device 1 will be described.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the programmable display device 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a main memory 12, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13, a user memory 14, a database memory 15, a touch panel 16, a display panel 17, an interface unit 18, and a network communication unit 19.

[0020] The CPU 11 is a device that executes an HMI program to perform various processes to realize the HMI function. The HMI function includes issuing instructions to the control device 4 in response to a user's input operation, acquiring various data from the control device 4, and displaying the acquired data and an HMI screen for accepting the input operation. The HMI function also includes a function to search for screen data held by multiple programmable display devices 1 connected to the LAN 3 in response to an instruction from the terminal device 2.

[0021] The HMI screen is a screen including various objects for displaying the status of input / output devices connected to the control device 4 and for receiving operations on the touch panel 16. Various component images such as lamp components, numeric display components, and switch components are prepared as objects provided on the HMI screen. Screen data for displaying such HMI screens is created using a screen creation tool (screen creation program) and stored in the user memory 14. The screen data is written in, for example, a dedicated format (binary data).

[0022] An object functions as configuration information that configures screen data. The type of object (object type) functions as a specific condition for identifying an object. The object type is the type of component image, such as the lamp, numeric display, or switch described above. When the specific condition is an object type, the limiting condition that limits the object may include a keyword that limits the object. The specific condition and limiting condition are included in the search conditions for searching screen data.

[0023] Variables are associated with objects. The variables are associated with device addresses, which are addresses in the device memory of the control device 4. The variables also function as the specific conditions described above. When the specific condition is a variable, the limiting condition may include a keyword for limiting the variable and a numerical range associated with the variable.

[0024] When the specific condition includes at least one of an object type and a variable, if the specific condition is an object type, the limiting condition includes a keyword, and if the specific condition is a variable, the limiting condition includes the above-mentioned numerical range.

[0025] The main memory 12 is a memory that constitutes the main storage device of the programmable display device 1 and is composed of a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The ROM 13 stores programs essential for the operation of the programmable display device 1, such as the OS and a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) that is executed when the programmable display device 1 is started up or reset.

[0026] The user memory 14 is a large-capacity storage device that stores data created by the user, such as screen data for displaying an HMI screen, and is composed of a Flash Erasable and Programmable ROM (FEPROM). FEPROM is a rewritable, read-only flash memory that functions similarly to a hard disk drive in a typical personal computer. Flash memory has no moving parts and is shock-resistant, allowing it to operate stably even in harsh environments.

[0027] The database memory 15 is a memory for forming a database in the programmable display device 1. The database memory 15 is configured by a rewritable memory such as an FEPROM. The data stored in the database memory 15 will be described in detail later.

[0028] Touch panel 16 receives a touch operation on a page displayed on display panel 17 and outputs a touch operation signal as an input signal. Touch panel 16 is disposed on display panel 17, but may also be incorporated within display panel 17.

[0029] The display panel 17 is a display device that displays various screens including an HMI screen. As the display panel 17, a flat display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel or an EL (Electro-Luminescence) display panel is used.

[0030] The interface unit 18 is a connection unit for connecting so as to be able to communicate with the control device 4. The interface unit 18 is equipped with various interfaces such as a serial interface and a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0031] The network communication unit 19 has a function of performing network communication via the LAN 3 .

[0032] Next, the hardware configuration of the terminal device 2 will be described.

[0033] The terminal device 2 is a communication terminal device that has a dedicated OS (Operating System) installed, and is provided with an environment for executing application programs as follows.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1, the terminal device 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a main memory (Random Access Memory) 22, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 23, an auxiliary memory 24, a display device 25 (display unit), an input device 26, and a network communication unit 27.

[0035] The CPU 21 is a processing device that executes the system program of the terminal device 2. Specifically, when executing the system program, the CPU 21 receives data from the auxiliary memory 24, the input device 26, etc., performs calculations or processes on the data, and outputs the results to the auxiliary memory 24, the display device 25, etc.

[0036] The ROM 23 stores not only the system program but also programs essential for the operation of the terminal device 2, such as a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) that is executed when the terminal device 2 is started or reset.

[0037] The auxiliary memory 24 is provided to store various data, programs, etc. that should be held by the terminal device 2. The auxiliary memory 24 is configured by, for example, a flash memory.

[0038] The display device 25 displays various screens that the terminal device 2 displays for searching screen data. The input device 26 uses various devices according to the device form of the terminal device 2. When the terminal device 2 is a portable device such as a tablet terminal, a touch panel is suitable as the input device 26.

[0039] The network communication unit 27 has a function of performing network communication via the LAN 3 .

[0040] <Functional configuration of the operation display system> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the operation display system 100. As shown in FIG.

[0041] First, the functional configuration of the programmable display device 1 will be described.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of programmable display devices 1 are divided into one programmable display device 1 that receives an instruction from the terminal device 2 and searches for screen data, and other programmable display devices 1.

[0043] In the following description, the programmable display device 1 that is the subject of the search will be referred to as the master HMI 1A, and the other programmable display devices 1 will be referred to as slave HMI 1B. Furthermore, if the master HMI 1A and slave HMI 1B are not specified, multiple programmable display devices 1 will be collectively referred to as the programmable display devices 1. When the terminal device 2 establishes communication with one selected programmable display device 1, this programmable display device 1 functions as the master HMI 1A. The master HMI 1A thus determined communicates with the other programmable display devices 1 that function as slave HMI 1B.

[0044] The terminal device 2 selects the master HMI 1A by the user entering the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the master HMI 1A into the terminal device 2 or by the user selecting a bookmarked URL. Alternatively, a terminal device 2 that has an application program for screen search installed may start the program to display a screen for selecting a connectable programmable display device 1, and the user may select the programmable display device 1 on the screen.

[0045] Here, the master HMI 1A displays an HMI screen (first screen) based on screen data (first screen data) stored in user memory 14 (first storage unit) by an HMI control unit 62 (described later), and accepts operations on the displayed first screen. The slave HMI 1B displays an HMI screen (second screen) based on screen data (second screen data) stored in user memory 14B (second storage unit) by an HMI control unit 62, and accepts operations on the displayed second screen.

[0046] In the following description, when specifying the screen data of the master HMI 1A, the screen data will be referred to as the first screen data, and when specifying the screen data of the slave HMI 1B, the screen data will be referred to as the second screen data. In the following description, when the screen data of the master HMI 1A and the slave HMI 1B are not specified, the screen data will be simply referred to as the screen data.

[0047] 2, the programmable display device 1 includes a control unit 6. The control unit 6 is a part that has the above-mentioned HMI functions that are realized when the HMI program is executed by the CPU 11. The control unit 6 also has a web server unit 61, an HMI control unit 62, and a search unit 64.

[0048] In response to a request from the terminal device 2, the web server unit 61 converts the screen data as the search results stored in the main memory 12 into HTML (HyperText Markup Language) format and provides it to the terminal device 2.

[0049] The HMI control unit 62 displays an HMI screen on the display panel 17 based on the screen data in the user memory 14. In response to touch operations on the HMI screen from the touch panel 16, the HMI control unit 62 instructs the control device 4 to rewrite the contents of the device memory via the interface unit 18, and causes the display panel 17 to switch the display of the HMI screen. The HMI control unit 62 also periodically acquires update data from the control device 4 that updates the contents of the device memory, and causes the display panel 17 to display an HMI screen that reflects the acquired update data.

[0050] The search unit 64 has an existence confirmation unit 641, a search execution unit 642, and a storage unit 643 in order to search for the above-mentioned screen data.

[0051] In response to a request from the terminal device 2, the presence confirmation unit 641, in the master HMI 1A that has established a connection with the terminal device 2, confirms the presence of a programmable display device 1 that is connected to the LAN 3 and is capable of communication (active). Specifically, the presence confirmation unit 641 confirms the presence of an active slave HMI 1B by sending a presence confirmation command to the LAN 3 and receiving response information from the slave HMI 1B in response to the presence confirmation command. The presence confirmation unit 641 also confirms that the master HMI 1A is active.

[0052] The response information includes a unique identification number and an IP address assigned to each programmable display device 1 whose existence has been confirmed. The existence confirmation unit 641 stores the response information in the database memory 15. The existence confirmation unit 641 also controls the network communication unit 19 to transmit the identification number stored in the database memory 15 as the response information to the terminal device 2.

[0053] The search execution unit 642 searches for the first screen data stored in the user memory 14 and searches for the second screen data stored in the user memory 14B of the slave HMI 1B based on the search conditions provided by the terminal device 2. Alternatively, the search execution unit 642 searches for the first screen data and instructs the search execution unit 642 in the search unit 64 of the slave HMI 1B to search for the second screen data.

[0054] The search execution unit 642 of the slave HMI 1B searches for second screen data in the slave HMI 1B based on the above instructions (including the search conditions). The search execution unit 642 of the slave HMI 1B controls the network communication unit 19 to send second screen data that meets the search conditions to the master HMI 1A.

[0055] The search execution unit 642 acquires the screen data identified based on the search criteria as the search results. Specifically, the search execution unit 642 of the master HMI 1A reads the first screen data and second screen data that meet the search criteria from the user memories 14 and 14B, respectively, and saves them in the main memory 12. Alternatively, the search execution unit 642 reads the first screen that meets the search criteria from the user memory 14 and saves it in the main memory 12, and also saves the second screen data received from the slave HMI 1B in the main memory 12.

[0056] The search execution unit 642 performs a search based on one search condition selected by the terminal device 2 from among the search conditions extracted by the storage unit 643, which will be described later.

[0057] The search execution unit 642 controls the network communication unit 19 so as to transmit the screen data stored in the main memory 12 as the search result to the terminal device 2.

[0058] The storage unit 643 stores the search conditions provided by the terminal device 2 in a predetermined storage location, for example, the database memory 15. The storage location for the search conditions may be provided not only in the programmable display device 1 but also in the terminal device 2, as will be described later. The storage unit 643 extracts the saved search conditions so that they can be displayed in a list, and provides them to the terminal device 2.

[0059] Next, the functional configuration of the terminal device 2 will be described.

[0060] 2, the terminal device 2 has a browser unit 7 that displays a web page. The browser unit 7 has a setting unit 71, an acquisition unit 72, a counting unit 73, a display control unit 74, and a storage unit 75.

[0061] Setting unit 71 sets search conditions to be provided to master HMI 1A using an initial screen described later. Setting unit 71 also controls display control unit 74 to display a list of search conditions saved by save unit 643 described above and save unit 75 described later on display device 25, and sets one selected from the list as the search condition.

[0062] The acquisition unit 72 acquires screen data corresponding to the reduced screen from the master HMI 1A through communication between the master HMI 1A and the slave HMI 1B via the network communication unit 27. The acquisition unit 72 also acquires the screen data from the slave HMI 1B via the master HMI 1A through the above communication. The reduced screen is a screen obtained by reducing an HMI screen based on screen data included in the search results acquired from the master HMI 1A, and is displayed as a list on the terminal device 2, as will be described later.

[0063] The counting unit 73 counts the number of times an HMI screen based on screen data is displayed on each of the master HMI 1A, slave HMI 1B, and terminal device 2, as well as the number of times the screen data is searched on terminal device 2. Here, the number of times the HMI screen is displayed on master HMI 1A is referred to as the first display number, the number of times the HMI screen is displayed on slave HMI 1B is referred to as the second display number, and the number of times the HMI screen is displayed on terminal device 2 is referred to as the third display number. The counting unit 73 stores each of the counted first to third display numbers as a counted number in main memory 22 or auxiliary memory 24.

[0064] The master HMI 1A, slave HMI 1B, and terminal device 2 record the number of times each HMI screen is displayed by adding up the number of times a search is performed for each piece of screen data using a counter. The terminal device 2 also records the number of times a search is performed for each piece of screen data by adding up the number of times a search is performed. The tallying unit 73 collects these numbers of times a display and search and stores them as the respective tallying numbers in the main memory 22 or the auxiliary memory 24. Note that the information on the number of times a display and search may be added up and recorded for each user ID.

[0065] The display control unit 74 controls the display device 25 to display various screens. For example, the display control unit 74 has a screen creation unit 741, and causes the display device 25 to display an initial screen and a search screen, which are screens necessary for search and are displayed on the terminal device 2 and are created by the screen creation unit 741.

[0066] The screen creation unit 741 creates an initial screen and a search screen based on a preset format.

[0067] Here, the initial screen and the search screen will be described in detail. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the initial screen 200. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the search screen 300.

[0068] 3, the initial screen 200 is composed of a URL display area 201 and a main screen body 202. The URL display area 201 is an area that displays a URL indicating the existence of the initial screen 200. The main screen body 202 forms the main part of the initial screen 200, and has an HMI list 202a, an object specification field 202b, a refinement field 202c, a browse icon 202d, a save icon 202e, and a search button 202f.

[0069] The HMI list 202a shows a list of programmable display devices 1 whose existence has been confirmed by the existence confirmation unit 641 of the master HMI 1A. The HMI list 202a shows the above-mentioned identification numbers and names (not shown) of the programmable display devices 1 whose existence has been confirmed. In particular, the number of the master HMI 1A is shown at the top of the HMI list 202a. Here, the above name is comment information or the like set by the user in each programmable display device 1 to identify the programmable display device 1. In addition, a check box is provided to the left of the area where each identification number is written in the HMI list 202a. When the check box is checked by the user, the programmable display device 1 whose screen data is to be searched is specified.

[0070] The screen creation unit 741 writes the identification number provided by the master HMI 1A as the above-mentioned confirmation information in the HMI list 202a.

[0071] The object specification field 202b is provided for specifying an object type, which is one of the specific conditions in the search conditions. As described above, since an HMI screen contains objects, it is possible to search for an HMI screen containing the object using the object type as a key. The object specification field 202b is provided as a drop-down list so that one of multiple defined object types contained in the HMI screen can be specified.

[0072] The narrowing down field 202c is provided for inputting a narrowing down keyword, which is one of the search conditions. The narrowing down keyword is a keyword that serves as a limiting condition for limiting objects. The narrowing down field 202c is provided as a text field so that the user can input the narrowing down keyword.

[0073] The reference icon 202d and the save icon 202e are located at the right end of the refinement field 202c. The reference icon 202d is an icon used for operation to refer to the saved refinement keywords. The save icon 202e is an icon used for operation to save the refinement keywords entered before executing a search in a predetermined storage location. The saving and referencing of refinement keywords will be described in detail later.

[0074] The search button 202f is an operation button for starting a search.

[0075] 4, search screen 300 is configured to have a URL display area 301 and a main screen area 302. URL display area 301 is an area that displays a URL indicating the existence of search screen 300. Main screen area 302 forms the main part of search screen 300. Main screen area 302 has a search condition field 302a, a display order field 302b, a browse icon 302c, a save icon 302d, a home button 302e, a reduced screen area 302f, a related object area 302g, and an object details area 302h.

[0076] The search condition field 302a is provided to display the objects and narrowing keywords used as search conditions in the search. The display order field 302b is provided to display the display order of the reduced screens displayed in the reduced screen area 302f. A predetermined display order can be selected from a drop-down list. The display order can be selected based on the total number of times the HMI screen to be reduced is displayed on the master HMI 1A and slave HMI 1B, the number of times it is displayed on the terminal device 2, or the number of times it is searched by the terminal device 2 (browser unit 7).

[0077] The browse icon 302c and the save icon 302d are located at the right end of the display order column 302b. The browse icon 302c is an icon used for referring to saved search conditions. The save icon 302d is an icon used for saving all search conditions used in a search in a specified storage location. The search conditions that can be saved include the object, the narrowing keyword, the programmable display device 1 to be searched, and the display order. Saving and referring to search conditions will be explained in detail later.

[0078] The home button 302e is an operation button for switching the display to the initial screen 200.

[0079] In the reduced screen area 302f, the reduced screens RS are arranged in the above-mentioned display order. In other words, the arrangement order of the reduced screens RS in the reduced screen area 302f is determined based on the display order. The arrangement order is highest in the top row and lower in the bottom row, with the left end being highest and the right end being lowest in the same row. Note that the arrangement order may be reversed from the above example.

[0080] The identification number of the programmable display device 1 and the screen number of the HMI screen on which the reduced screen RS is based are indicated above the reduced screen RS. Objects included in the reduced screen RS are marked with a dashed highlight frame H1. The highlight frame H1 may be colored in a conspicuous color, such as red. An object selected by the user on the reduced screen RS is highlighted in red or another color. For example, the reduced screen RS with the identification number "HMI001" and the screen number "Screen1" includes two objects OBJ, and the object OBJ on the right side of the reduced screen RS is highlighted by coloring it in response to a selection operation (such as a click or tap) by the user.

[0081] The related object area 302g displays a reduced version of the HMI screen including objects (related objects) related to the object selected by the user on the reduced screen RS. The selected object is related to an object on the reduced-size HMI screen when, for example, the same variables are associated with the object. On the reduced-size HMI screen displayed in the related object area 302g, the related object is surrounded by a highlight frame H2. The highlight frame H2 may be colored in a noticeable color, for example, red. The line type of the highlight frame H2 is solid in FIG. 4, but may be another line type.

[0082] The object details area 302h displays detailed information (detailed information) about the object selected by the user on the reduced screen RS. This information includes, for example, an identification number, an IP address, a screen ID, the above-mentioned object type, an object name, and a description. The IP address is the IP address of the programmable display device 1 in which the HMI screen including the selected object is saved. The object name is the name given to the object. The description is the user's desired description, such as a comment about the object.

[0083] The screen creation unit 741 displays the reduced screen RS in the reduced screen area 302f based on the screen data as the search result provided by the master HMI 1A. When the specific condition includes at least one of an object type and a variable, the screen creation unit 741 highlights, in the reduced screen RS, the object OBJ that satisfies the object type as the specific condition or the object OBJ that satisfies the variable as the specific condition, using the highlighted frame H1.

[0084] When an object OBJ highlighted on the reduced screen RS is selected, the screen creation unit 741 reduces the HMI screen and displays it in the related object area 302g based on the screen data acquired by the master HMI 1A as described below. To acquire the screen data, the screen creation unit 741 sends related object information to the master HMI 1A. The related object information includes information about the reduced screen containing the selected object OBJ, such as its identification number and screen number (e.g., "HMI001 / Screen1" in FIG. 4), and information about the object OBJ.

[0085] If the reduced screen RS is an HMI screen owned by the master HMI 1A, the master HMI 1A searches its own user memory 14 for the desired screen data that uses the variables associated with the selected object OBJ, based on the related object information. If the reduced screen RS is an HMI screen owned by the slave HMI 1B, the master HMI 1A causes the slave HMI 1B to search for the desired screen data in its own user memory 14B, based on the related object information. The master HMI 1A transmits the screen data it has searched for itself or the screen data it has acquired by having the slave HMI 1B search for it to the terminal device 2.

[0086] When an object OBJ that is highlighted on the reduced screen RS is selected, the screen creating unit 741 displays detailed information about the selected object OBJ in the object details area 302h.

[0087] The screen creation unit 741 updates the display content of the search screen 300 based on the screen data acquired by the acquisition unit 72. The screen creation unit 741 causes the display device 25 to update the display of the reduced screen based on the updated display content.

[0088] The screen creation unit 741 may create the search screen 300 based not only on the above screen data but also on information about the size of the display screen of the display device 25. This allows the search screen 300 to be created with a layout suited to the size of the display screen. The user may also be allowed to specify the reduced size of the reduced screen RS. The screen creation unit 741 creates the reduced screen RS with the specified reduced size.

[0089] In response to a predetermined operation performed by the user on the input device 26 on the reduced screen RS displayed in the reduced screen area 302f of the search screen 300, the screen creation unit 741 displays, in full screen form on the display device 25, an HMI screen based on screen data corresponding to the reduced screen RS on which the predetermined operation was performed. Examples of the predetermined operation include double-clicking and double-tapping. The display control unit 74 receives an operation performed on the input device 26 on the HMI screen, and controls the network communication unit 27 to notify the programmable display device 1 displaying the HMI screen of the content of the received operation.

[0090] The screen creation unit 741 arranges the reduced screens RS in the reduced screen area 302f in an order corresponding to at least one of the first display count, the second display count, the third display count, and the search count, which are counted by the counting unit 73 and stored as the counted count in the auxiliary memory 24. In addition to the counted count, the screen creation unit 741 may arrange the reduced screens RS in the order of the programmable display devices 1 listed in the HMI list 202a of the initial screen 200.

[0091] The storage unit 75 stores the search conditions set by the setting unit 71 in a predetermined storage location. The storage location may be a simple database (not shown) provided by the browser unit 7, an arbitrary location in the terminal device 2, or the database memory 15 of the master HMI 1A. The search conditions are stored in the simple database in association with an HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) domain. The arbitrary location in the terminal device 2 is a location where general files not associated with a URL, such as the desktop or My Documents, displayed on the terminal device 2, are stored.

[0092] <Search operation> The screen data search operation (search method) performed by the operation display system 100 configured as above will now be described.

[0093] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a series of processing steps for performing a search by the terminal device 2. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing steps for the master HMI 1A to collect information about the slave HMI 1B connected to the master HMI 1A so as to be able to communicate with it in response to an instruction from the terminal device 2. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the detailed steps of the search screen display processing in the flowchart of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the steps of the screen data search processing by the master HMI 1A.

[0094] First, we will explain the processing of the terminal device 2. As shown in Fig. 5, when the browser unit 7 of the terminal device 2 starts up, the setting unit 71 of the terminal device 2 attempts to connect to one programmable display device 1 (HMI) selected as described above by sending a connection request via the LAN 3. As a result, the terminal device 2 connects to any HMI that it first accessed as the master HMI 1A (step S1).

[0095] The setting unit 71 determines whether or not response information has been received from the master HMI 1A (step S2). The response information is response information from the slave HMI 1B in response to the presence check command sent from the master HMI 1A to the slave HMI 1B, and includes the identification information and IP address of the slave HMI 1B. If the setting unit 71 determines in step S2 that response information has not been received (NO), it enters a standby state.

[0096] If the setting unit 71 determines in step S2 that it has received the response information (YES), the screen creation unit 741 displays an initial screen on the display device 25 based on the response information (step S3). In step S3, the screen creation unit 741 obtains the identification numbers of the master HMI 1A and slave HMI 1B included in the response information and displays them in the HMI list 202a on the initial screen 200 shown in FIG. 3, for example.

[0097] Next, the setting unit 71 determines whether or not the search button 202g has been operated with the search conditions set (step S4). In step S4, the search conditions are set by specifying an object type in the object specification field 202b on the initial screen 200 and inputting a narrowing-down keyword into the narrowing-down field 202c as necessary. In step S4, if the setting unit 71 determines that the search button 202g has not been operated with the search conditions set (NO), the setting unit 71 enters a standby state.

[0098] In step S4, if the setting unit 71 determines that the search button 202g has been operated with the search conditions set (YES), it instructs the master HMI 1A to perform a search (step S5).

[0099] After that, screen creation unit 741 determines whether search results have been acquired from master HMI 1A (step S6). If screen creation unit 741 determines in step S6 that search results have not been acquired (NO), it enters a standby state. If screen creation unit 741 determines that search results have been acquired (YES), it performs search screen display processing (step S7) and ends the processing.

[0100] Next, a process of collecting response information from the slave HMI 1B by the master HMI 1A will be described.

[0101] In setting the search conditions determined in the process of step S4, the programmable display device 1 (HMI) to be searched for screen data is selected by checking the checkbox in the HMI list 202a on the initial screen 200. In addition, the object type is specified using the object specification field 202b.

[0102] Narrowing keywords are entered in the narrowing field 202c as needed. For example, if the specified object type is a numeric display and many HMI screens contain numeric displays, the screen data that will be the target of the reduced screen RS will also be numerous, making it difficult to confirm the desired reduced screen RS. In contrast, by limiting the object type to be searched for with a narrowing keyword, it is possible to narrow down the screen data that will be the target of the reduced screen RS.

[0103] 6, first, the presence confirmation unit 641 determines whether or not a connection request has been received from the terminal device 2 (step S11). If the presence confirmation unit 641 determines in step S11 that a connection request has not been received (NO), it enters a standby state. If the presence confirmation unit 641 determines in step S11 that a connection request has been received (YES), it transmits a presence confirmation command to the slave HMI 1B (step S12).

[0104] When the presence confirmation unit 641 receives response information to the presence confirmation command from one slave HMI 1B (step S13), it saves the received response information by storing it in the database memory 15 (step S14). The presence confirmation unit 641 performs the processes of steps S13 and S14 for each slave HMI 1B, and repeats these processes until there is no response from the slave HMI 1B (step S15), ending the loop process.

[0105] Then, the existence confirmation unit 641 causes the network communication unit 19 to transmit the response information stored in the database memory 15 to the terminal device 2 (step S16).

[0106] Next, the search screen display process by the terminal device 2 will be described.

[0107] 7, the screen creation unit 741 determines whether or not the search results have been received from the master HMI 1A (step S21). In step S21, if the screen creation unit 741 determines that the search results have not been received (NO), the screen creation unit 741 enters a standby state.

[0108] In step S21, if the screen creation unit 741 determines that the search results have been received (YES), it creates a search screen based on the received search results and displays it on the display device 25 (step S22). Next, the screen creation unit 741 causes the network communication unit 19 to periodically (for example, every 200 ms) transmit a screen update command to the master HMI 1A (step S23).

[0109] Thereafter, the screen creation unit 741 determines whether updated screen data has been received from the master HMI 1A (step S24). If the screen creation unit 741 determines in step S24 that updated screen data has not been received (NO), the screen creation unit 741 enters a standby state.

[0110] If it is determined in step S24 that updated screen data has been received (YES), screen creation unit 741 updates the search screen based on the received screen data and displays it on display device 25 (step S25).

[0111] In the process of step S22, the screen creation unit 741 arranges the reduced screens RS in the reduced screen area 302f of the search screen 300 based on the screen data acquired as the search results. If a display order is set as a search condition, the screen creation unit 741 arranges the reduced screens RS in the reduced screen area 302f in the set display order based on the display counts stored in the auxiliary memory 24. Note that on the default search screen 300, the reduced screens RS are displayed in the order specified by the HMI list 202a of the initial screen 200 without being rearranged.

[0112] Furthermore, the screen creating unit 741 identifies an object OBJ to be highlighted on the reduced screen RS based on the search conditions, and draws a highlight frame H1 around it.

[0113] When an object OBJ is selected by a user operation on one of the displayed reduced screens RS, the screen creation unit 741 colors the object OBJ. The terminal device 2 also receives data on objects (associated objects) related to the selected object OBJ from the master HMI 1A along with the data on the object OBJ. Based on the received data on the associated objects, the screen creation unit 741 reduces and arranges an HMI screen including the associated objects in the associated object area 302g. The screen creation unit 741 also draws detailed information about the object OBJ in the object detail area 302h.

[0114] If an HMI screen including related objects is displayed, the updated screen data acquired from the master HMI 1A, whether or not it has been received, is determined in step S24. The updated screen data includes image data including the related objects. Since the related objects are updated based on the screen data, an HMI screen including the latest related objects can be displayed.

[0115] Furthermore, the process of searching and updating screen data by the master HMI 1A will be described.

[0116] 8, the search execution unit 642 determines whether or not it has received search conditions transmitted from the terminal device 2 (step S31). In step S31, if the search execution unit 642 determines that it has not received search conditions (NO), it enters a standby state.

[0117] In step S31, if the search execution unit 642 determines that it has received search conditions (YES), it creates an SQL (Structured Query Language) statement based on the received search conditions and sends it to the slave HMI 1B (step S32). The slave HMI 1B searches the screen data (second screen data) in the user memory 14B based on the received SQL statement, and if there is screen data that matches the search conditions described in the SQL statement, it sends that screen data to the master HMI 1A.

[0118] When the search execution unit 642 receives screen data for the SQL statement from one slave HMI 1B (step S33, search step), it saves the received screen data by storing it in the main memory 12 (step S34, acquisition step). The search execution unit 642 performs the processes of steps S33 and S34 for each slave HMI 1B, and repeats these processes until no more screen data is received from the slave HMI 1B (step S35), ending the loop process.

[0119] In the above loop process, the master HMI 1A causes the slave HMI 1B to search for the second screen data. Alternatively, the master HMI 1A may directly access the user memory 14 of the slave HMI 1B to search for the second screen data.

[0120] Next, the search execution unit 642 causes the network communication unit 19 to transmit screen data of the search results to the terminal device 2 (step S36).

[0121] The search execution unit 642 then determines whether an end command sent from the terminal device 2 has been received, or whether a certain period of time has passed without receiving a screen update command that is periodically sent from the terminal device 2 (step S37). In step S37, if the search execution unit 642 determines that an end command has been received or that a certain period of time has passed (YES), it ends the process. The end command is sent from the terminal device 2 to the master HMI 1A when the home button 302e on the search screen 300 is operated to switch the display from the search screen 300 to the initial screen 200, or when the search screen 300 is closed.

[0122] In step S37, if the search execution unit 642 determines that an end command has not been received or a certain period of time has not elapsed (NO), it sends an SQL statement corresponding to the screen update command to the slave HMI 1B (step S38) and transitions the process to step S33.

[0123] The storage and reuse of search conditions will be described below. First, the storage of search conditions by the storage unit 643 of the master HMI 1A will be described, followed by the storage of search conditions by the storage unit 75 of the terminal device 2.

[0124] When the save icon 202e on the initial screen 200 is operated, the setting unit 71 of the terminal device 2 causes the network communication unit 27 to transmit the narrowing keywords as search conditions set for the initial screen 200 to the master HMI 1A. The storage unit 643 of the master HMI 1A stores the received search conditions in a storage location specified by the user.

[0125] Furthermore, when save icon 302d on search screen 300 is operated, screen creation unit 741 of terminal device 2 causes network communication unit 27 to send the search conditions used in the search to master HMI 1A. The search conditions include the search conditions displayed in search condition field 302a and display order field 302b, and the programmable display device 1 (identification number) specified as the search target. Save unit 643 of master HMI 1A stores the received search conditions in a storage location specified by the user, separate from search conditions saved by operations on initial screen 200.

[0126] Meanwhile, in the terminal device 2, when the save icon 202e on the initial screen 200 is operated, the setting unit 71 passes the search conditions set for the initial screen 200 to the saving unit 75. The saving unit 75 stores the search conditions in a saving location designated by the user.

[0127] Furthermore, in the terminal device 2, when the save icon 302d on the search screen 300 is operated, the screen creation unit 741 passes the search conditions used in the search to the saving unit 75. The saving unit 75 stores the search conditions in a saving location designated by the user, distinguishing them from search conditions saved by operations on the initial screen 200.

[0128] In this way, before a search is performed, narrowing keywords can be saved as search conditions by operating the initial screen 200. After a search is performed, all search conditions used in the search can be saved by operating the search screen 300.

[0129] When reusing saved search conditions before a search, the reference icon 202d on the initial screen 200 is operated, which causes the setting unit 71 to display a reference screen (not shown) on the display device 25. The reference screen has a drop-down list for selecting a location to save the search conditions.

[0130] When a user selects a storage location on the reference screen, the setting unit 71 accesses the selected storage location, acquires narrowing keywords as search conditions, and displays them in a list on the reference screen. When reusing search conditions, when the user selects one search condition from the listed selection conditions, the setting unit 71 reflects the search condition as a setting in the object specification field 202b and the narrowing field 202c. When reusing narrowing keywords for search conditions, when the user selects one search condition from the listed selection conditions, the setting unit 71 reflects the search condition as a setting in the narrowing field 202c.

[0131] After a search, when the saved search criteria are to be reused, the reference icon 302c on the search screen 300 is operated, which causes the screen creation unit 741 to display a reference screen (not shown) on the display device 25. The reference screen has a drop-down list for selecting the location where the search criteria are saved.

[0132] When a user selects a storage location on the reference screen, the screen creation unit 741 accesses the selected storage location, acquires search conditions, and displays them in a list on the reference screen. When the user selects one search condition from the listed selection conditions, the setting unit 71 displays all conditions included in the selected search condition on the reference screen and passes the search condition to the setting unit 71. The setting unit 71 reflects the search condition as settings in the object specification field 202b and the narrowing down field 202c, and sets other conditions included in the search condition as search conditions.

[0133] It is sufficient that either the storage unit 643 or the storage unit 75 is operating, and it is not necessary that both are operating.

[0134] Effects of the embodiment As described above, in the operation display system 100, the master HMI 1A searches for its own screen data and also directly or indirectly searches for screen data from the slave HMI 1B based on search criteria set by operations on the terminal device 2. The terminal device 2 then displays a reduced screen RS on the search screen 300 based on the screen data collected by the master HMI 1A as the search results. This makes it easy to obtain the desired screen data specified by the search criteria from the master HMI 1A and the slave HMI 1B. On the reduced screen RS, the object OBJ that was the search target is highlighted by a highlight frame H1. This makes it easy to identify the desired object OBJ.

[0135] Furthermore, on the search screen 300, a reduced HMI screen including related objects is displayed in a related object area 302g, and detailed information about the selected object OBJ is displayed in an object details area 302h. This allows the user to easily check the related objects and the details of the selected object OBJ.

[0136] Furthermore, the HMI screens that are frequently displayed and the screen data that are frequently searched for differ depending on the user. Accordingly, the reduced screens RS in the reduced screen area 302f are displayed in a display order according to the selected count. This allows the display order of the reduced screens RS to reflect the display frequency of the HMI screens and the search frequency of the screen data according to the count.

[0137] Furthermore, when a user performs a predetermined operation on the displayed reduced screen RS, the HMI screen is displayed in full screen format based on the screen data corresponding to the reduced screen RS. The screen creation unit 741 accepts operations on the HMI screen. This allows the terminal device 2 to operate the HMI screen in the same way as the programmable display device 1 displaying the HMI screen. The reduced screen RS periodically updates its display state using a screen update command, so that display-type objects OBJ such as numeric displays reflect the latest display state. However, touch operations on operation-type objects OBJ such as switches are not accepted on the terminal device 2. In contrast, on the HMI screen described above, operations are also possible on objects OBJ such as switches.

[0138] Furthermore, the storage unit 643 and the storage unit 75 can save and reuse search conditions that increase with each search. This eliminates the need to set new search conditions when performing a search using the same search conditions used in a previous search. This makes it possible to improve search efficiency. Furthermore, by reusing these search conditions, it becomes possible to collect screens desired by the user from each programmable display device 1 and display them on the terminal device 2.

[0139] In this embodiment, the programmable display device 1 is equipped with a web server unit 61, but the present invention can also be applied to a model in which the programmable display device 1 does not have a web server unit 61. Such a programmable display device 1 cannot exchange screen data in HTML format with the terminal device 2, so it can perform search processing in cooperation with the terminal device 2 by executing an application program for displaying the screen data in the terminal device 2.

[0140] [Software implementation example] The functions of the programmable display device 1 and the terminal device 2 can be realized by programs that cause them to function as computers. These programs cause the computers to function as the control blocks (particularly the control unit 6 and the browser unit 7).

[0141] In this case, the programmable display device 1 and the terminal device 2 are provided with a computer having at least one control device (e.g., CPU 11, 21) and at least one storage device (main memory 12, 22, etc.) as hardware for executing the above program. The functions described in the above embodiment are realized by executing the above program using this control device and storage device.

[0142] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0143] In addition, some or all of the functions of the control blocks can be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of each of the control blocks can also be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0144] Furthermore, each process described in the above embodiment may be executed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may run on the control device or on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0145] 〔summary〕 A programmable display device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a programmable display device that displays a first screen based on first screen data and accepts operations on the displayed first screen, and is communicably connected via a network to other programmable display devices that display a second screen based on second screen data and accepts operations on the displayed second screen. The programmable display device includes a first memory unit that stores the first screen data, and a search unit that searches for the first screen data stored in the first memory unit based on given search conditions and searches for the second screen data stored in a second memory unit of the other programmable display device, or searches for the first screen data and causes the other programmable display device to search for the second screen data, and obtains the screen data identified based on the search conditions as a search result.

[0146] According to the above configuration, desired screen data specified by search conditions can be easily acquired from the programmable display device and other programmable display devices.

[0147] A programmable display according to aspect 2 of the present invention may be such that, in aspect 1, the screen data includes configuration information that constitutes the screen data, the search conditions include specific conditions for identifying the configuration information, and the search unit acquires the screen data that includes the configuration information that satisfies the specific conditions as the search result.

[0148] According to the above configuration, screen data including configuration information specified based on specific conditions can be acquired, and the configuration information can be confirmed on the screen data.

[0149] A programmable display according to aspect 3 of the present invention may be such that, in aspect 2, the search conditions further include limiting conditions that limit the configuration information, and the search unit acquires, as the search result, the screen data that includes the configuration information that satisfies the specific conditions and the limiting conditions.

[0150] According to the above configuration, in addition to being specified based on the specific conditions, screen data including configuration information limited based on the limiting conditions can be acquired, and the configuration information can be confirmed on the screen data, thereby making it possible to confirm desired configuration information extracted from a large number of pieces of configuration information.

[0151] A programmable display according to a fourth aspect of the present invention may be such that, in the third aspect, the screen displayed based on the screen data includes an object as the configuration information, the specific condition includes at least one of the type of the object and a variable, and if the specific condition is the type of the object, the limiting condition includes a keyword for limiting the object, and if the specific condition is the variable, the limiting condition includes a keyword for limiting the variable and a numerical range corresponding to the variable.

[0152] According to the above configuration, it is possible to obtain limited objects, variables, and numerical ranges based on the limiting conditions.

[0153] A programmable display according to aspect 5 of the present invention may be configured such that, in aspect 1, the search unit saves the given search conditions in a predetermined storage location, extracts the saved search conditions so that they can be displayed in a list, and performs a search based on one selected from the extracted search conditions.

[0154] According to the above configuration, search conditions are accumulated, and the number of search conditions increases with each search. As a result, when performing a search using the same search conditions as those used in a previous search, it is not necessary to set new search conditions, and the search can be performed using the saved search conditions. This makes it possible to improve search efficiency.

[0155] A terminal device according to aspect 6 of the present invention is a terminal device connected to the network so as to be able to communicate with a programmable display device according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, and comprises a display unit, a setting unit that sets the search conditions to be given to the programmable display device, and a display control unit that causes the display unit to display a list of reduced screens that are reduced screens based on the screen data included in the search results obtained from the programmable display device.

[0156] According to the above configuration, a search is instructed by providing search conditions from a terminal device to the programmable display device, and the desired screens are displayed as reduced screens in a list based on the acquired screen data on the programmable display device. This allows the terminal device to perform operations for searching for screens and view the searched screens.

[0157] A terminal device according to aspect 7 of the present invention may, in aspect 6, further include a storage unit that stores the search conditions set by the setting unit in a predetermined storage location, and the setting unit may display a list of the stored search conditions on the display unit, and set one selected from the list as the search condition.

[0158] According to the above configuration, search conditions are accumulated, and the number of search conditions increases with each search. As a result, when performing a search using the same search conditions as those used in a previous search, it is not necessary to set new search conditions, and the search can be performed using the saved search conditions. This makes it possible to improve search efficiency.

[0159] The terminal device of aspect 8 of the present invention, in aspect 6, further includes an acquisition unit that acquires the screen data corresponding to the listed reduced screens from the programmable display device and the other programmable display devices by communicating with the programmable display device and the other programmable display devices via the network, and the display control unit may cause the display unit to update the display of the reduced screens based on the acquired screen data.

[0160] According to the above configuration, the display of the reduced screens displayed as a list can be updated based on the screen data acquired from the programmable display device and other programmable display devices.

[0161] In a terminal device according to aspect 9 of the present invention, in aspect 6, when a predetermined operation is performed on the reduced screen displayed in a list, the display control unit may display on the display unit a screen based on the screen data corresponding to the reduced screen on which the predetermined operation was performed.

[0162] According to the above configuration, by performing a predetermined operation on the displayed reduced screen, it becomes possible to update and operate the screen in the same way as screens displayed on the programmable display device and other programmable display devices, thereby making it possible to display and operate the screen on the terminal device in the same way as on the programmable display device and other programmable display devices.

[0163] The terminal device of aspect 10 of the present invention, in aspect 6, further includes a counting unit that counts the first number of times a screen based on the screen data is displayed on the programmable display device, the second number of times a screen based on the screen data is displayed on the other programmable display device, the third number of times a screen based on the screen data is displayed on the terminal device, and the number of times the screen data is searched on the terminal device, and the display control unit may display the reduced screen on the display device in an order corresponding to at least one of the first number of times a screen is displayed, the second number of times a screen is displayed, the third number of times a screen is displayed, and the number of times a search is performed.

[0164] The screens that are frequently displayed and the screens that are frequently searched for vary depending on the user. With the above configuration, the display order of the thumbnails displayed in a list can reflect the tendency of the display frequency and search frequency of the screen according to the display count and search count.

[0165] A terminal device according to aspect 11 of the present invention may be such that, in aspect 6, the screen displayed based on the screen data includes objects as configuration information constituting the screen data, the search conditions include specific conditions for identifying the configuration information, the specific conditions include at least one of the type of the object and a variable associated with the object, and the display control unit highlights the object on the reduced screen that satisfies the type as the specific condition or the object that satisfies the variable as the specific condition.

[0166] According to the above configuration, an object identified directly or via a variable based on a specific condition is highlighted on the reduced screen, thereby making it possible to easily check the desired object identified by the search on the reduced screen.

[0167] In a terminal device according to aspect 12 of the present invention, in aspect 6, when an object highlighted on the reduced screen is selected, the display control unit may cause a screen including an object related to the selected object to be displayed in a reduced size on the display unit together with the reduced screen based on the screen data acquired by the programmable display device.

[0168] According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily view objects related to a selected object.

[0169] A terminal device according to aspect 13 of the present invention may be such that, in aspect 6, the screen data includes configuration information constituting the screen data, and the display control unit causes the display unit to display the configuration information included in the screen data for the reduced screen, and causes the display unit to display detailed information about one selected from the displayed configuration information.

[0170] According to the above configuration, detailed information about the configuration information can be easily confirmed.

[0171] A search system according to aspect 14 of the present invention comprises a programmable display device according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, another programmable display device that is communicatively connected to the programmable display device via a network, that displays a second screen based on second screen data, and that accepts operations on the displayed second screen, and a terminal device that is connected to the network so as to be communicatively connected to the programmable display device, that displays a list of reduced screens that are screens based on the screen data included in the search results obtained from the programmable display device, and that provides the search conditions to the search unit.

[0172] According to the above configuration, the programmable display device and other programmable display devices are searched based on search conditions from the terminal device, and a desired screen can be displayed on the terminal device as a reduced screen based on the screen data obtained as the search results. This allows the screens displayed on the programmable display device and other programmable display devices to be confirmed on the terminal device.

[0173] A search method according to aspect 15 of the present invention is a search method executed by a programmable display device that displays a first screen based on first screen data, accepts operations on the displayed first screen, and stores the first screen data in a first memory unit, and includes a search step of searching for the first screen data stored in the first memory unit based on given search conditions, and searching for the second screen data stored in a second memory unit of another programmable display device that is communicatively connected to the programmable display device via a network, displays a second screen based on second screen data, and accepts operations on the displayed second screen, or searching for the first screen data and causing the other programmable display device to search for the second screen data, and an acquisition step of acquiring screen data identified based on the search conditions as search results.

[0174] According to the above method, similar to the programmable display device of the first aspect, desired screen data specified by search conditions can be easily acquired from the programmable display device and other programmable display devices.

[0175] [Additional Notes] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the respective embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0176] 1,1A,1B Programmable Display 2. Terminal Device 3 LAN (Network) 14 User memory (first storage unit) 14B User memory (second storage unit) 25 Display device (display section) 64 Search Section 71 Setting section 72 Acquisition Department 73 Counting Department 74 Display control unit 75 Preservation Department 100 Operation display system (search system) H1 highlight box OBJ Object RS reduced screen

Claims

1. A programmable display device that displays a first screen based on first screen data and accepts an operation on the first screen being displayed, and that is communicably connected via a network to another programmable display device that displays a second screen based on second screen data and accepts an operation on the second screen being displayed, a first storage unit that stores the first screen data; a search unit that searches for the first screen data stored in the first storage unit and searches for the second screen data stored in a second storage unit of the other programmable display device based on given search conditions, or searches for the first screen data and causes the other programmable display device to search for the second screen data, and obtains screen data identified based on the search conditions as a search result.

2. the screen data includes configuration information that configures the screen data, the search conditions include specific conditions for identifying the configuration information, The programmable display device according to claim 1 , wherein the search unit acquires, as the search result, the screen data including the configuration information that satisfies the specific condition.

3. the search conditions further include a limiting condition that limits the configuration information; The programmable display device according to claim 2 , wherein the search unit acquires, as the search result, the screen data including the configuration information that satisfies the specific condition and the limiting condition.

4. the screen displayed based on the screen data includes an object as the configuration information; the specific condition includes at least one of a type of the object and a variable; When the specific condition is a type of the object, the limiting condition includes a keyword for limiting the object; The programmable display device according to claim 3 , wherein when the specific condition is the variable, the limiting condition includes a keyword for limiting the variable and a numerical range associated with the variable.

5. 2. The programmable display device according to claim 1, wherein the search unit stores the given search criteria in a predetermined storage location, extracts the stored search criteria so that they can be displayed in a list, and performs a search based on one selected from the extracted search criteria.

6. A terminal device connected to the network so as to be able to communicate with the programmable display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A display unit; a setting unit that sets the search conditions to be provided to the programmable display; a display control unit that causes the display unit to display a list of reduced screens obtained by reducing the screens based on the screen data included in the search results obtained from the programmable display device.

7. a storage unit that stores the search conditions set by the setting unit in a predetermined storage location; The terminal device according to claim 6 , wherein the setting unit displays a list of the saved search conditions on the display unit, and sets one selected from the list as the search condition.

8. an acquisition unit that acquires the screen data corresponding to the displayed reduced screens from the programmable display device and the other programmable display devices by communicating with the programmable display device and the other programmable display devices via the network; The terminal device according to claim 6 , wherein the display control unit causes the display unit to update the display of the reduced screen based on the acquired screen data.

9. The terminal device according to claim 6, wherein when a predetermined operation is performed on the reduced screen displayed in a list, the display control unit displays a screen based on the screen data corresponding to the reduced screen on which the predetermined operation was performed on the display unit.

10. a counting unit that counts a first number of times a screen based on the screen data is displayed on the programmable display device, a second number of times a screen based on the screen data is displayed on the other programmable display device, a third number of times a screen based on the screen data is displayed on the terminal device, and a number of times the screen data is searched on the terminal device, The terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit causes the reduced screen to be displayed on the display unit in an order corresponding to at least one of the first display count, the second display count, the third display count, and the search count.

11. a screen displayed based on the screen data includes an object as configuration information that configures the screen data; the search conditions include specific conditions for identifying the configuration information, the specific condition includes at least one of a type of the object and a variable associated with the object; The terminal device according to claim 6 , wherein the display control unit highlights, on the reduced screen, the object that satisfies the type as the specific condition or the object that satisfies a variable as the specific condition.

12. The terminal device according to claim 11, wherein when the object highlighted on the reduced screen is selected, the display control unit reduces and displays on the display unit a screen including an object related to the selected object together with the reduced screen, based on the screen data acquired by the programmable display device.

13. the screen data includes configuration information that configures the screen data, The terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit causes the display unit to display the configuration information included in the screen data for the reduced screen, and causes the display unit to display detailed information about one selected from the displayed configuration information.

14. A programmable display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; another programmable display device that is communicably connected to the programmable display device via a network, that displays a second screen based on second screen data, and that accepts an operation on the second screen that is being displayed; a terminal device connected to the network so as to be able to communicate with the programmable display device, which displays a list of reduced screens obtained by reducing the screens based on the screen data included in the search results obtained from the programmable display device, and which provides the search conditions to the search unit.

15. A search method executed by a programmable display device that displays a first screen based on first screen data, accepts an operation on the displayed first screen, and stores the first screen data in a first storage unit, a search step of searching for the first screen data stored in the first storage unit based on given search conditions, and searching for the second screen data stored in a second storage unit of another programmable display device that is communicably connected to the programmable display device via a network, displays a second screen based on second screen data, and accepts operations on the displayed second screen, or searching for the first screen data and causing the other programmable display device to search for the second screen data; an acquisition step of acquiring screen data specified based on the search conditions as a search result.

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