Operation display system, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To provide a mechanism capable of flexibly adding a user interface screen image so as to fit a user operation.SOLUTION: An operation display system constituting at least a part of a control system that controls an object to be controlled includes: a display unit; an input unit that accepts a user operation; a control unit that allows the display unit to display a page selected from one or a plurality of preliminarily prepared pages; an acquisition unit that acquires an operation history including contents of an operation performed on a first operation object; and a generation unit that extracts an operation which agrees with a predefined rule from the acquired operation history, and generates one or a plurality of second operation objects which instruct the same processing as one or the plurality of first operation objects operated by a user, on the basis of the extracted operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to assistance for user operations in a control system for controlling a controlled object. [Background technology]

[0002] In various production sites, user operations are input to a control device via a device called an HMI (Human Machine Interface), and various pieces of information are provided to the user via the HMI.

[0003] For example, JP2016-506559A (Patent Document 1) discloses a method for changing an object for use on a display screen of an HMI device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2016-506559 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The user interface screen displayed on the HMI is designed taking into consideration the manufacturing equipment, operations, etc. However, improvements are being made daily at production sites, and there is a need to be able to flexibly modify and change the user interface screen in response to improvements.

[0006] One object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for flexibly adding user interface screens so as to suit user operations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one example of the present invention, there is provided an operation display system constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a control target. The operation display system includes a display unit, an input unit for receiving a user operation, and a control unit for displaying a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on the display unit. The page includes a first operation object that instructs a predetermined process. The operation display system includes an acquisition unit for acquiring an operation history including the contents of an operation on the first operation object, and a generation unit for extracting an operation that matches a predetermined rule from the acquired operation history and generating one or more second operation objects that instruct the same process as the one or more first operation objects operated by the user based on the extracted operation. According to this configuration, when a user performs an operation on the first operation object, one or more second operation objects that instruct the same process are generated for the operations that match the predetermined rule among the performed operations. The one or more second operation objects generated in this way correspond to the contents of the actual operation by the user, and a user interface screen that allows efficient operation can be realized.

[0008] The generating unit may extract an operation for outputting an instruction to control a control target from the contents of the operations included in the operation history. With this configuration, it is possible to efficiently extract only the operations for substantially controlling the control target.

[0009] The generation unit may exclude user operations related to page transitions from the contents of operations included in the operation history. According to this configuration, user operations related to page transitions for displaying on the display unit are unrelated to operations for controlling the control target, and by excluding such operations, it is possible to extract only operations that are actually necessary.

[0010] The generating unit may exclude at least one of an alarm viewer check operation, a troubleshooting information display operation, and a manual display operation from the contents of the operations included in the operation history. With this configuration, by excluding operations in which the user refers to information to perform an operation, it is possible to efficiently extract only operations for substantially controlling the control target.

[0011] The generating unit may generate a new page including one or more second operation objects. According to this configuration, the generated one or more second operation objects can be consolidated into the new page, thereby making the operation more efficient.

[0012] The display unit may display a page that does not include any operation object other than the one or more second operation objects. With this configuration, since only the one or more second operation objects are displayed, the operation can be made more efficient.

[0013] Each of the one or more second operation objects may be a copy of the corresponding first operation object. With this configuration, the second operation object is independent of the first operation object, and therefore the second operation object can be further edited.

[0014] Each of the one or more second operation objects may include a command for accessing the corresponding first operation object. With this configuration, the second operation object can be substantially integrated with the first operation object, so that even when the first operation object is changed, the change can be automatically reflected in the second operation object.

[0015] The acquisition unit may start acquiring the operation history upon receiving a predetermined specific user operation. According to this configuration, since the acquisition of the operation history can be started by an explicit user operation, it is possible to generate a second operation object according to the user operation within an intended period.

[0016] According to another example of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method in a control system for controlling a controlled object. The information processing method includes a step of displaying a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on a display unit. The page includes a first operation object that instructs a predetermined process. The information processing method includes a step of acquiring an operation history including the contents of operations on the first operation object, extracting an operation that matches a predetermined rule from the acquired operation history, and generating one or more second operation objects that instruct the same process as the one or more first operation objects operated by the user based on the extracted operation.

[0017] According to yet another example of the present invention, there is provided an information processing program executed by a computer constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a controlled object. The information processing program causes the computer to execute a step of displaying a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on a display unit. The page includes a first operation object that instructs a predetermined process. The information processing program causes the computer to execute a step of acquiring an operation history including the content of an operation on the first operation object, and a step of extracting an operation that matches a predetermined rule from the acquired operation history, and generating one or more second operation objects that instruct the same process as the one or more first operation objects operated by the user based on the extracted operation. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, user interface screens can be flexibly added so as to suit user operations. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the HMI of the control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the PLC of the control system according to this embodiment. [Diagram 5] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of the interaction between the HMI and the PLC in the control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a diagram for explaining an example of user operation in the control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of a page related to the shortcut generation process of the control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a diagram for explaining an example of the processing procedure related to the shortcut generation process of the control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a diagram for explaining an example of the processing procedure related to the shortcut generation process of the control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a schematic diagram showing the functional configuration for realizing the shortcut generation process of the control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a diagram for explaining an example of filtering in the shortcut generation process of the control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart showing the processing procedure related to the shortcut generation process of the control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 13] It is a diagram for explaining an example of the shortcut object generated by the control system according to this embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For the same or corresponding parts in the drawings, the same reference numerals are given and their descriptions will not be repeated.

[0021] <A. Application Examples> First, an example of a situation in which the present invention is applied will be described.

[0022] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of a control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 1, control system 1 for controlling a controlled object includes an operation display system.

[0023] The control system 1 includes, as components related to the operation display system, an input unit 126 that accepts user operations, a display unit 128, an operation acceptance unit 150, a display control unit 152, a shortcut object generation unit 154, and a page storage unit 156.

[0024] The display control unit 152 displays a selected page from one or more pages 130 prepared in advance on the display unit 128. Here, one or more pages 130 are units for providing a user interface screen, and each page 130 includes an operation object 132 (first operation object) that instructs a predetermined process.

[0025] The operation receiving unit 150 acquires an operation history including the contents of operations performed on the operation object 132 .

[0026] The shortcut object generation unit 154 extracts operations that match predetermined rules from the acquired operation history, and generates, based on the extracted operations, one or more shortcut objects 142 (second operation objects) that instruct the same processing as one or more operation objects 132 (first operation objects) operated by the user.

[0027] The page storage unit 156 stores the page 140 including the shortcut object 142 in addition to the page 130 including the operation object 132 .

[0028] As described above, the control system 1 according to the present embodiment can flexibly generate one or more shortcut objects 142 corresponding to one or more operation objects 132 according to an arbitrary selection by the user. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user interface screen can be flexibly added so as to conform to the user operation.

[0029] <B. Overall configuration example of control system 1> FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration example of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, the control system 1 may control the entire factory, or may control specific manufacturing facilities or manufacturing apparatuses installed in the factory. As described above, the control system 1 is configured to control an arbitrary control target.

[0030] Each of the control systems 1 includes, as main components, one or more HMIs 100 and a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) 200 which is a typical example of a control device for controlling a control target.

[0031] The HMI 100 constitutes at least a part of the operation display system according to the present embodiment. That is, the operation display system according to the present embodiment may be realized only by the HMI 100, may be realized by a plurality of HMIs 100, or may be realized by the HMI 100 and another processing entity.

[0032] In this specification, the term "operation display system" includes any device having a function of presenting information to the user and a function of receiving an operation from the user.

[0033] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the HMI 100 and the PLC 200 are connected via an information network 6. As the information network 6, a general-purpose communication protocol such as Ethernet (registered trademark) may be adopted.

[0034] The HMI 100 accepts operations from the user, gives instructions corresponding to the operations to the PLC 200, and graphically displays various information from the PLC 200.

[0035] The PLC 200 is also connected to the field device group 10. The field device group 10 includes any devices necessary for controlling the controlled object. More specifically, the field device group 10 includes devices for exchanging information with the controlled object (for example, manufacturing facilities, manufacturing devices, sensors and actuators included in manufacturing facilities or manufacturing devices, etc.). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the field device group 10 includes a remote I / O (Input / Output) device 12, a relay group 14, a servo driver 16, and a servo motor 18.

[0036] The PLC 200 acquires information from the field device group 10 and executes a control operation according to a user program created in advance, thereby generating information to be given to the field device group 10. Hereinafter, the information acquired by the PLC 200 from the field device group 10 is also referred to as "input data", and the information given to the field device group 10 is also referred to as "output data".

[0037] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the PLC 200 and the field device group 10 are connected via a control system network 4. As the control system network 4, it is preferable to adopt an industrial communication protocol. Such communication protocols include EtherCAT (registered trademark), EtherNet / IP (registered trademark), DeviceNet (registered trademark), CompoNet (registered trademark), etc.

[0038] However, not limited to the control system network 4, it may be connected by hardwiring. <C. Hardware Configuration> Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the devices constituting the control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0039] (c1: HMI 100) Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the HMI 100 of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 3, the HMI 100 includes a processor 102 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), an optical drive 104, a main memory 106, a storage 110, a network controller 120, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) controller 124, an input unit 126, and a display unit 128. These components are connected via a bus 108.

[0040] The processor 102 reads out various programs stored in the storage 110, expands them in the main memory 106, and executes them to realize the processing required by the HMI 100.

[0041] The storage 110 is configured with, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash solid state drive (SSD). Typically, the storage 110 stores an operating system (OS) 111, a system program 112 for implementing basic processing, and a user program 113 created in advance according to a control target. Note that the storage 110 may store necessary programs other than the programs shown in FIG. 3.

[0042] The HMI 100 may have an optical drive 104. The optical drive 104 reads a computer-readable program from a recording medium 105 (for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)) that non-transiently stores the program, and stores the program in the storage 110 or the like.

[0043] The various programs executed by the HMI 100 may be installed via a computer-readable recording medium 105, or may be installed by downloading from an arbitrary server on the network.

[0044] The network controller 120 controls data exchange with the PLC 200 and the like via the information network 6 .

[0045] The USB controller 124 controls the transfer of data to and from external devices (eg, support devices) via a USB connection.

[0046] The input unit 126 is composed of a touch panel, a mouse, a keyboard, etc., and accepts user operations. The display unit 128 is composed of a display, various indicators, etc., and outputs processing results from the processor 102. Note that a touch panel display in which the input unit 126 and the display unit 128 are integrated may be used.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows an example of a configuration in which the necessary processing is provided by the processor 102 executing a program, but some or all of the provided processing may be implemented using a dedicated hardware circuit (e.g., an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array)).

[0048] (c2:PLC200) Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the PLC 200 of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 4, the PLC 200 includes a processor 202 such as a CPU or an MPU, a chipset 204, a main memory 206, a storage 210, a control network controller 220, an information network controller 222, a USB controller 224, and a memory card interface 226.

[0049] The processor 202 reads out various programs stored in the storage 210, deploys them in the main memory 206, and executes them to realize control calculations for controlling the controlled object. The chipset 204 controls data transmission between the processor 202 and each component.

[0050] The storage 210 stores a system program 212 for realizing basic processing and a user program 213 for realizing control operations.

[0051] The control system network controller 220 controls the data exchange between the field device group 10 via the control system network 4.

[0052] The information system network controller 222 controls the data exchange with the HMI 100 etc. via the information system network 6.

[0053] The USB controller 224 controls the data exchange with an external device (for example, a support device) via a USB connection.

[0054] The memory card interface 226 is configured to be detachable from the memory card 228, and it is possible to write data to the memory card 228 and read various data (user programs, trace data, etc.) from the memory card 228.

[0055] FIG. 4 shows a configuration example in which the necessary processing is provided by the processor 202 executing a program. However, some or all of these provided processes may be implemented using a dedicated hardware circuit (for example, an ASIC or an FPGA, etc.). Alternatively, the main part of the PLC 200 may be realized using hardware (for example, an industrial personal computer based on a general-purpose personal computer) conforming to a general-purpose architecture. In this case, virtualization technology may be used to execute a plurality of different OSs in parallel and execute the necessary applications on each OS.

[0056] <D. Processing Overview> Next, an example of the processing executed by the HMI 100 of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0057] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of communication between the HMI 100 and the PLC 200 in the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 5, the HMI 100 selectively displays one or more pages 130-1, 130-2, ... (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "pages 130") in accordance with the user program 113. Each of the pages 130 includes one or more operation objects 132-1, 132-2, 132-3, ... (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "operation objects 132").

[0058] The operation object 132 includes any object that accepts a user operation. Typically, the operation object 132 instructs the PLC 200 to perform a predetermined process in response to the user operation. The operation object 132 includes, for example, a button that instructs on or off in response to a user operation, and a lever or slider that changes or updates to an arbitrary value in response to a user operation.

[0059] The user program 213 executed by the PLC 200 includes, for example, process execution commands 230-1, 230-2, 230-3, ... (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "process execution commands 230"). The process execution commands 230-1, 230-2, 230-3 include variables 232-1, 232-1, 232-1 (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "variables 232") indicating execution conditions, respectively.

[0060] The operation object 132 included in the page 130 changes the value of a variable of the PLC 200 associated with the operation object 132 in advance in response to a user operation. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the operation object 132-1 of the page 130-1 is associated with a variable 232-1, the operation object 132-2 of the page 130-1 is associated with a variable 232-2, and the operation object 132-3 of the page 130-2 is associated with a variable 232-3.

[0061] In this way, the HMI 100 selectively displays pages 130 including one or more operation objects 132, accepts user operations on the displayed pages 130, and provides corresponding instructions to the PLC 200. As an implementation form for providing instructions to the PLC 200, as described above, a process for changing or updating the values ​​of the variables 232 held by the PLC 200 may be adopted.

[0062] Next, an example of a user operation will be described. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a user operation in the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 6 shows an example of a recovery sequence from the occurrence of an abnormality to normal operation in a manufacturing facility that continuously processes workpieces.

[0063] Suppose that an abnormality such as a workpiece clogging occurs in the manufacturing equipment (state ST1). At this time, a warning message 136 is displayed on the display unit 128 of the HMI 100 in addition to a page 130A showing the operating state.

[0064] The user (operator) notices the occurrence of an abnormality through the warning message 136. Then, the user visually checks the manufacturing equipment and takes measures to resolve the abnormality (in this example, removing the workpiece) (state ST2).

[0065] When taking measures to resolve the abnormality, the user selects warning message 136, performs an operation to confirm the contents of the warning, and then performs an operation to remove the workpiece. Operations to remove the workpiece include, for example, releasing the safety guard to access the manufacturing equipment, and closing the safety guard after removing the workpiece. In addition, after removing the workpiece, operations such as returning to the origin (initialization) and resetting the abnormal state are performed. This series of operations involves, for example, switching between pages 130A, 130B, and 130C in sequence, and operating the target operation object included in each page 130.

[0066] After a series of abnormalities are resolved and the user confirms the safety of the manufacturing equipment, the operation is resumed by operating the target operation object on page 130D of the HMI100.

[0067] When the manufacturing equipment returns to the normal operation state (state ST3), the user refers to page 130A of the HMI100 to confirm that the manufacturing equipment is normal.

[0068] In a sequence where multiple page 130s are sequentially switched to operate the operation object 132, wasteful operations such as page transitions and waiting times may occur. On the other hand, in manufacturing equipment where various abnormalities can occur, it is difficult to determine at the device design stage in what sequence each abnormality should be restored. Also, each time an abnormality actually occurs, it is often necessary to consider what sequence is the most efficient.

[0069] To address such issues, the control system 1 according to this embodiment provides a function of grouping specified arbitrary operation objects 132 into a single page 130 in response to a user operation. By grouping the necessary operation objects 132 into a single page 130, more efficient operations can be realized in the event of a target abnormality, etc., and even a user with little knowledge and experience can execute a predetermined sequence. The process of grouping the necessary operation objects 132 into a single page 130 provided by the control system 1 according to this embodiment is also referred to as "shortcut generation processing" for convenience of explanation.

[0070] <E. Shortcut Generation Processing> Next, an example of the shortcut generation processing executed by the control system 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0071] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a page 140 related to the shortcut generation process of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 7, the page 140 includes one or more shortcut objects 142 generated by the shortcut generation process. The shortcut object 142 corresponds to any operation object 132 included in any page 130. As will be described later, the shortcut object 142 may be a copy of the corresponding operation object 132, or may be implemented in a form including an instruction for accessing the corresponding operation object 132.

[0072] In this manner, in the shortcut generation process, a new page 140 may be generated that includes one or more shortcut objects 142. However, the shortcut object 142 may also be generated in a form that is added to the existing page 130.

[0073] 7, a page 140 may be displayed to the user that does not include any operation objects other than one or more shortcut objects 142. By displaying such a page 140, the possibility that the user will perform unnecessary operations can be reduced, and operations can be made more efficient.

[0074] For ease of explanation, a page 130 including only operation objects 132 and a page 140 including only shortcut objects 142 are illustrated as examples, but the page 130 or page 140 may include both operation objects 132 and shortcut objects 142.

[0075] In response to the selection of the page switching object 141, the shortcut objects 142 displayed on the page 140 are switched in sequence.

[0076] The contents of the displayed page 140 are switched in response to the selection of one or more page selection objects 143. In the example shown in Fig. 7, a page 140 labeled "Shortcut_1" is displayed.

[0077] The page 140 includes an addition start object 144 and an addition end object 145. When the addition start object 144 is selected, recording of the shortcut object 142 (corresponding operation object 132) to be added to the selected page 140 is started. When the addition end object 145 is selected, recording of the shortcut object 142 (corresponding operation object 132) to be added to the selected page 140 is ended.

[0078] The page 140 includes an edit object 146 for modifying, adding, deleting, etc. the shortcut objects 142 .

[0079] 8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining an example of a processing procedure related to the shortcut generation processing of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0080] 8, when an addition start object 144 of page 140 is selected, a process of generating (adding) shortcut object 142 is started. In response to the selection of addition start object 144, a dialog 147 for setting a label name of page 140 is displayed. The user inputs an arbitrary label 148 in dialog 147 and selects a start object 149. Then, the user performs an arbitrary operation as shown in FIG.

[0081] Finally, when the add end object 145 of the page 140 is selected, the page 140 including the shortcut object 142 corresponding to the user operation is generated.

[0082] The label input to the dialog 147 is set on the page 140. Fig. 9 shows an example in which the label of the page 140 is arbitrarily input by the user, but the present invention is not limited to this. The label may be automatically determined based on the content of the abnormality that occurred, the date and time, etc.

[0083] With reference to Fig. 9, the user performs an arbitrary operation corresponding to the shortcut object 142 to be generated. Fig. 9 shows an example in which an operation object included in page 130-10 displaying main information is selected, transition is made to page 130-11, and further an operation object included in page 130-11 is selected, and page 130-12 is displayed. The user selects a target operation object on page 130-12.

[0084] 9, the user then returns to page 130-11, and another operation object included in page 130-11 is selected, and page 130-13 is displayed. The user then selects another desired operation object on page 130-13. As shown in FIG. 9, the user performs a series of operations.

[0085] Typically, shortcut objects 142 corresponding to the operation objects included in page 130-12 and the operation objects included in page 130-13 are generated by the process described below. That is, the operation performed from page 130-10 through page 130-11 to page 130-12 being displayed, and the operation performed from page 130-12 through page 130-11 to page 130-13 being displayed are operations for page transition, and are not operations for giving instructions to PLC 200. That is, there is no need to generate them as shortcut objects 142. Therefore, the control system 1 according to the present embodiment extracts operations that match predetermined rules from among the operations performed by the user, and generates shortcut objects 142 corresponding to the extracted operations.

[0086] Note that, although Figures 8 and 9 show an example in which the shortcut object 142 is generated by the user explicitly selecting the addition start object 144 and the addition end object 145, this is not limited thereto, and the generation of the shortcut object 142 may be started when a predetermined condition is met.

[0087] For example, the occurrence of some abnormality or the output of an alarm may be used as a start trigger, and the return to normal operation may be used as an end trigger. In this case, from the start to the end, the user will perform a series of operations such as checking the details of the abnormality, clearing the abnormality, returning to the origin (initialization), resetting the abnormal state, and checking whether normality is possible. This series of operations may be recorded and the corresponding shortcut object 142 may be generated.

[0088] 9 may be performed when some abnormality occurs and the abnormality is to be corrected. However, when an abnormality actually occurs, it is usually required to correct the abnormality as soon as possible, so the following method may be used.

[0089] For example, a simulator (eg, provided by a support device) that reproduces part or all of the control system 1 may be prepared, and a user may perform operations on the simulator, record the series of operations, and generate a corresponding shortcut object 142.

[0090] Alternatively, after disabling the instruction from the HMI 100 to the PLC 200, the user may operate the HMI 100, record the series of operations, and generate the corresponding shortcut object 142.

[0091] Furthermore, or alternatively, for example, in a situation where an inexperienced user is being trained, an arbitrary abnormality may be generated and the training user may instruct the training user on how to deal with the generated abnormality, and a series of operations performed by the training user may be recorded and a corresponding shortcut object 142 may be generated.

[0092] Furthermore, or alternatively, when an abnormality that was not anticipated occurs, a series of operations for recovering from the abnormality may be recorded to generate a corresponding shortcut object 142. In this case, the shortcut object 142 corresponding to the unnecessary operation may be deleted after the fact by editing the page 140 including the generated shortcut object 142 (editing is possible by selecting an editing object 146 (see FIG. 7)).

[0093] In addition, any information may be added to the page 140 including the generated shortcut object 142. Examples of the information to be added include information indicating the content of the abnormality that occurred, the name of the user who performed the operation when the abnormality occurred, the date and time of generation, information for identifying the work in which the abnormality occurred, and environmental information such as temperature and humidity.

[0094] Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a functional configuration for realizing shortcut generation processing of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Typically, each functional configuration shown in Fig. 10 is realized by the processor 102 of the HMI 100 executing the system program 112 (Fig. 3).

[0095] With reference to FIG. 10, HMI 100 includes an operation receiving unit 150, a display control unit 152, a shortcut object generating unit 154, and a page storage unit 156.

[0096] The operation accepting unit 150 accepts a user operation given via the input unit 126 or the like. The operation accepting unit 150 outputs information for identifying the operation object 132 selected by the user operation, or the like, to the shortcut object generating unit 154. In this manner, the operation accepting unit 150 acquires an operation history including the contents of the operation on the operation object 132.

[0097] As described above, the operation receiving unit 150 starts acquiring the operation history upon receiving a specific predetermined user operation (selection of the addition start object 144). Also, the operation receiving unit 150 ends acquiring the operation history upon receiving a specific predetermined user operation (selection of the addition end object 145).

[0098] The display control unit 152 causes a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance to be displayed on the display unit 128. More specifically, the display control unit 152 selects a page stored in the page storage unit 156 in response to a user operation, and causes the display unit 128 to display the selected page.

[0099] In response to a user operation, the shortcut object generating unit 154 generates one or more shortcut objects 142. The shortcut object generating unit 154 stores, in the page storage unit 156, information on the page 140 including the generated one or more shortcut objects 142.

[0100] Here, the shortcut object generation unit 154 extracts operations that match predetermined generation rules 1544 from the acquired operation history, and based on the extracted operations, generates one or more shortcut objects 142 (second operation objects) that instruct the same processing as one or more operation objects 132 (first operation objects) operated by the user.

[0101] More specifically, the shortcut object generating unit 154 includes a filtering unit 1540 and a conversion processing unit 1542 .

[0102] The filtering unit 1540 refers to the generation rules 1544 and extracts only information for generating the shortcut object 142 from among the user operations. Typically, the filtering unit 1540 extracts an operation that outputs an instruction for controlling a control target from the contents of the operations included in the operation history.

[0103] The filtering unit 1540 also determines whether or not a start condition and an end condition (a start trigger and an end trigger) related to the generation of the shortcut object 142 are satisfied.

[0104] The conversion processing unit 1542 generates a necessary shortcut object 142 based on the information extracted by the filtering unit 1540. More specifically, the conversion processing unit 1542 may generate the shortcut object 142 by duplicating the corresponding operation object 132, or may generate the shortcut object 142 in a form including an instruction for accessing the target operation object 132.

[0105] The page storage unit 156 assigns a designated label to the page 140 including one or more shortcut objects 142 generated by the shortcut object generation unit 154, and stores the page 140. The page 140 stored in the page storage unit 156 is selectively displayed in response to a user operation together with the page 130 generated in advance.

[0106] Here, a description will be given of an example of the generation rules 1544. The generation rules 1544 mainly set rules for extracting the operation object 132 to be operated.

[0107] For example, an operation for setting a variable (bit) of the PLC 200 to TRUE / FALSE (a momentary button (driven to TRUE only for one shot)) and an operation for changing a variable (bit) of the PLC 200 to TRUE or FALSE are extracted as targets for generating a shortcut object 142. These operations correspond to operations for outputting an instruction to control a controlled object.

[0108] On the other hand, since a user operation related to a page transition is not an operation that gives any instruction to the PLC 200, it may be excluded from the generation target of the shortcut object 142. That is, the filtering unit 1540 excludes a user operation related to a page transition from the contents of the operations included in the operation history.

[0109] Furthermore, one or more of the operation of checking the alarm viewer, the operation of displaying troubleshooting information, and the operation of displaying the manual are not operations that give any instructions to the PLC 200, and therefore may be excluded from the generation of the shortcut object 142. In other words, the filtering unit 1540 excludes at least one of the operation of checking the alarm viewer, the operation of displaying troubleshooting information, and the operation of displaying the manual from the contents of the operations included in the operation history.

[0110] Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of filtering in the shortcut generation process of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. An operation history 170 shown in Fig. 11 is a record of user operations in chronological order.

[0111] The operation history 170 includes a user operation 171 indicating the selection of an addition start object 144 (momentary button) and a user operation 174 indicating the selection of an addition end object 145 (momentary button). One or more user operations occurring between the selection of the addition start object 144 and the selection of the addition end object 145 become targets for generating a shortcut object 142.

[0112] Among these user operations, user operations 172 and 173 indicating selection of operation objects 132 of "Button101" and "Button102" (both of which are momentary buttons) are extracted as targets for generating shortcut objects 142. Then, two shortcut objects 142 corresponding to the operation objects 132 of "Button101" and "Button102", respectively, are generated.

[0113] On the other hand, a user operation 175 indicating displaying a page and a user operation 176 indicating closing a page are excluded from targets for which shortcut objects 142 are generated.

[0114] In this way, the HMI 100 extracts targets for generating shortcut objects 142 from the user operation history according to the generation rules 1544. By employing the generation rules 1544, it is possible to generate an appropriate shortcut object 142 by excluding user operations that are noise in generating shortcut objects 142, such as displaying or closing a page included in the operation history.

[0115] 12 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for shortcut generation processing of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Each step shown in FIG. 12 is typically realized by the processor 102 of the HMI 100 executing the system program 112 (FIG. 3).

[0116] 12, the HMI 100 determines whether a generation start condition for the shortcut object 142 is satisfied (step S2). The generation start condition for the shortcut object 142 includes the selection of an addition start object 144, the occurrence of a predetermined event, and the like.

[0117] If the generation start condition for the shortcut object 142 is not satisfied (NO in step S2), the process of step S2 is repeated.

[0118] If the condition for starting generation of the shortcut object 142 is met (YES in step S2), the HMI 100 determines the label of the page including the shortcut object 142 (step S4). The label of the page may be determined by accepting a label designation by the user. Then, the HMI 100 records the content of the user operation (step S6). That is, the HMI 100 executes a process of acquiring an operation history including the content of the operation on the operation object 132.

[0119] Next, the HMI 100 determines whether or not a generation end condition for the shortcut object 142 is satisfied (step S8). The generation end condition for the shortcut object 142 may be the selection of the addition end object 145, or a recovery from a predetermined abnormality.

[0120] If the condition for ending the generation of the shortcut object 142 is not met (NO in step S8), the processing in step S6 and subsequent steps is repeated.

[0121] If the condition for terminating the generation of the shortcut object 142 is satisfied (YES in step S8), the HMI 100 filters the recorded contents of the user operations (step S10) and generates the shortcut object 142 based on the contents of the user operations extracted by the filtering (step S12).Then, the HMI 100 stores the page including the generated shortcut object 142 (step S14).

[0122] In this way, the HMI 100 extracts operations that match predetermined generation rules 1544 from the acquired operation history, and based on the extracted operations, performs a process of generating one or more shortcut objects 142 that instruct the same processing as one or more operation objects 132 operated by the user.

[0123] This is the end of the shortcut generation process. <F.ショートカットオブジェクト142> Next, the shortcut object 142 will be described.

[0124] Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of the shortcut object 142 generated by the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 13, the setting information 1320 associated with the operation object 132 includes, for example, identification information 1321, a variable specification 1322 for the button object, an action specification 1323 set for the button object, a variable specification 1324 for changing the display mode of the operation object 132, and a label specification 1325 of the operation object 132.

[0125] When generating a shortcut object 142A as a copy of the operation object 132, setting information 1420 is generated that is the same as the setting information 1320. The setting information 1420 includes, for example, identification information 1421, a variable specification 1422 for the button object, an action specification 1423 set for the button object, a variable specification 1424 for changing the display mode of the shortcut object 142, and a label specification 1425 for the shortcut object 142.

[0126] The shortcut object 142A, which is a copy of the operation object 132, exists independently of the operation object 132. Therefore, even if any change is made to one of the objects, the other is not affected.

[0127] When generating a shortcut object 142B implemented to include a command for accessing the operation object 132, the setting information 1420 of the shortcut object 142B includes a reference designation 1427 indicating a reference to the identification information 1321 included in the accessed operation object 132. In other words, the reference designation 1427 corresponds to a command for accessing the operation object 132.

[0128] When shortcut object 142B is implemented in a form including an instruction for accessing operation object 132, the two objects are substantially integrated, and any change to the object is reflected in both objects.

[0129] Note that the shortcut object 142 may be an object including a single button, a combined object including a plurality of buttons, or a combined object including a button and components other than the button.

[0130] <G. Modification Example> In the above-described embodiment, mainly, the example in which the HMI 100 executes the shortcut generation process has been described. However, the HMI 100 may be associated with another processing entity, or another processing entity may execute the shortcut generation process instead of the HMI 100. As the other processing entity, for example, the PLC 200, the support device, and the upper server device are assumed. Further, all or part of the processing may be executed using cloud computing on the network.

[0131] <H. Supplementary Note> The present embodiment as described above includes the following technical ideas.

[0132] [Configuration 1] An operation display system (100) constituting at least a part of a control system (1) for controlling a control target, A display unit (128), An input unit (126) for receiving a user operation, A control unit (152) for causing the display unit to display a selected page among one or more pages (130) prepared in advance, the page including a first operation object (132) for instructing a predetermined process, An acquisition unit (150) for acquiring an operation history (170) including the content of an operation on the first operation object, An operation display system comprising: an extraction unit that extracts an operation that conforms to a predetermined rule from the acquired operation history, and a generation unit that generates one or more second operation objects (142) that instruct the same process as the one or more first operation objects operated by the user based on the extracted operation.

[0133] [Configuration 2] 2. The operation display system according to configuration 1, wherein the generation unit extracts an operation for outputting an instruction for controlling the control target from among the contents of the operations included in the operation history.

[0134] [Configuration 3] 3. The operation display system according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the generation unit excludes user operations related to page transitions from the contents of operations included in the operation history.

[0135] [Configuration 4] The operation display system according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the generation unit excludes at least one of an alarm viewer check operation, a troubleshooting information display operation, and a manual display operation from the contents of the operations included in the operation history.

[0136] [Configuration 5] 5. The operation display system according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the generating unit generates a new page (140) including the one or more second operation objects.

[0137] [Configuration 6] 6. The operation display system according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the display unit displays a page that does not include any operation object other than the one or more second operation objects.

[0138] [Configuration 7] 7. The operation display system according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein each of the one or more second operation objects (142A) is a copy of a corresponding first operation object.

[0139] [Configuration 8] 7. The operation display system according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein each of the one or more second operation objects (142B) includes a command for accessing a corresponding first operation object.

[0140] [Configuration 9] 8. The operation display system according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, wherein the acquisition unit starts acquiring the operation history upon receiving a predetermined specific user operation (144).

[0141] [Configuration 10] An information processing method in a control system (1) for controlling a control target, comprising: a step of displaying a selected page from one or more pages (130) prepared in advance on a display unit (128), the selected page including a first operation object (132) for instructing a predetermined process; A step (S6, S8) of acquiring an operation history (170) including the contents of an operation on a first operation object; and extracting operations that match predetermined rules from the acquired operation history, and generating (S10, S12) one or more second operation objects (142) that instruct the same processing as one or more first operation objects operated by the user based on the extracted operations.

[0142] [Configuration 11] An information processing program (112) executed by a computer (100) constituting at least a part of a control system (1) for controlling a controlled object, the information processing program causing the computer to: a step of displaying a selected page from one or more pages (130) prepared in advance on a display unit (128), the selected page including a first operation object (132) for instructing a predetermined process; A step (S6, S8) of acquiring an operation history (170) including the contents of an operation on a first operation object; extracting operations that match predetermined rules from the acquired operation history, and generating (S10, S12) one or more second operation objects (142) that instruct the same processing as one or more first operation objects operated by the user based on the extracted operations.

[0143] <I. Advantages> Generally, the work procedures at the production site have high reproducibility. Since the work procedures with high reproducibility are repeatedly executed, it is highly likely that efficiency can be improved by preparing an appropriate operating environment.

[0144] According to the control system 1 according to the present embodiment, a series of operation procedures can be aggregated to generate a page on which efficient operations can be performed. By generating such a page, unnecessary operations can be eliminated and operation errors can also be reduced.

[0145] Furthermore, since a page including only shortcut objects (operation objects) necessary for a predetermined series of operation procedures can be presented to the user, there is no need to remember complex operation procedures including page transitions, and even a user with little experience can perform appropriate operations. As a result, the labor for training the user to the extent that appropriate operations can be performed can be reduced. Furthermore, the knowledge and information that were limited to the know-how at the site can be standardized.

[0146] The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description but by the scope of claims, and it is intended that all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims are included.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0147] 1 control system, 4 control network, 6 information network, 10 field devices, 12 remote I / O devices, 14 relays, 16 servo driver, 18 servo motor, 100 HMI, 102, 202 processor, 104 optical drive, 105 recording medium, 106, 206 main memory, 108 bus, 110, 210 storage, 112, 212 system program, 113, 213 user program, 120 network controller, 124, 224 USB controller, 126 input section, 128 display section, 130, 140 page, 132 operation object, 136 warning message, 141 page switching object, 142, 142A, 142B shortcut object, 143 page selection object, 144 add start object, 145 add end object, 146 edit object, 147 dialog, 148 Label, 149 Start object, 150 Operation reception unit, 152 Display control unit, 154 Shortcut object generation unit, 156 Page storage unit, 170 Operation history, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176 User operation, 200 PLC, 204 Chip set, 220 Control system network controller, 222 Information system network controller, 226 Memory card interface, 228 Memory card, 230 Processing execution command, 232 Variable, 1320, 1420 Setting information, 1321, 1421 Identification information, 1322, 1324, 1422, 1424 Variable designation, 1323, 1423 Operation designation, 1325, 1425 Label designation, 1427 Reference designation, 1540 Filtering unit, 1542 Conversion processing unit, 1544 Production rules, ST1,ST2,ST3 states.

Claims

1. An operation display system constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a control target, A display unit; an input unit that accepts user operations; a control unit that causes a selected page from one or a plurality of pages prepared in advance to be displayed on the display unit, the page including a first operation object that instructs a predetermined process; an acquisition unit that acquires an operation history including the content of an operation performed on a first operation object during a period from when a first condition is satisfied to when a second condition is satisfied; a generation unit that extracts operations that match a predetermined rule from the acquired operation history, and generates a plurality of second operation objects that instruct the same processes as the plurality of first operation objects operated by the user, based on the extracted operations; the first condition includes an occurrence of a predetermined abnormality in the control target, An operation and display system, wherein the second condition includes recovery from the predetermined abnormality.

2. The operation display system according to claim 1 , wherein the generation unit extracts an operation for outputting an instruction to control the control target from the contents of the operations included in the operation history.

3. The operation display system according to claim 1 , wherein the generation unit excludes user operations related to page transitions from the contents of operations included in the operation history.

4. The operation display system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the generation unit excludes at least one of an alarm viewer check operation, a troubleshooting information display operation, and a manual display operation from the contents of the operations included in the operation history.

5. 5. The operation display system according to claim 1, wherein the generating unit generates a new page including the plurality of second operation objects.

6. 6. The operation display system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a page that does not include any operation object other than the plurality of second operation objects.

7. 7. The operation display system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of second operation objects is a copy of a corresponding first operation object.

8. 7. The operation display system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of second operation objects includes an instruction for accessing a corresponding first operation object.

9. 8. The operation display system according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition section starts acquiring the operation history upon receiving a predetermined specific user operation.

10. An information processing method in a control system for controlling a control target, comprising: displaying a selected page from one or more pages prepared in advance on a display unit, the page including a first operation object for instructing a predetermined process; acquiring an operation history including the content of an operation on a first operation object during a period from when a first condition is satisfied to when a second condition is satisfied; extracting operations that match a predetermined rule from the acquired operation history, and generating a plurality of second operation objects each instructing the same process as the plurality of first operation objects operated by the user, based on the extracted operations; the first condition includes an occurrence of a predetermined abnormality in the control target, The information processing method, wherein the second condition includes recovery from the predetermined abnormality.

11. An information processing program executed by a computer constituting at least a part of a control system for controlling a control target, the information processing program being configured to include: a step of displaying a selected page from one or a plurality of pages prepared in advance on a display unit, the selected page including a first operation object for instructing a predetermined process; acquiring an operation history including the content of an operation on a first operation object during a period from when a first condition is satisfied to when a second condition is satisfied; extracting operations that match a predetermined rule from the acquired operation history, and generating a plurality of second operation objects each instructing the same process as the plurality of first operation objects operated by the user, based on the extracted operations; the first condition includes an occurrence of a predetermined abnormality in the control target, The information processing program, wherein the second condition includes recovery from the predetermined abnormality.

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